Dear Aihua,

    How are you? I've been busy arranging my 1 with my brother, Colin. We plan to 2 a few weeks travelling before he is admitted to the univers ity. We will 3 so many exciting places and do lots of 4 things.

    My first 5 is Morocco, in northern Africa. We're going to 6 camels through the Sahara Desert. I 7 it will be very hot, dry and 8 there. Even though it may feel uncomfortable to sit on a 9 for almost a week, I still look forward to it.

    Then we are going to travel down the River Nile. We will 10 white-water rafting there. It's so 11 that we have to wear special clothing, a helmet and a life jacket for protection just 12 the rafts gets turned upside down or sinks.

    After that, we will live with the 13 people in Kenya and 14 local customs(习俗). We'll eat and drink 15 they do, including cow's blood!

    Due to the 16 walk we have to cover everyday, I need to buy a large, strong, light backpack to carry my 17 of food and water. During the day, we'll walk 18 the land, following the 19 of big animals. Of course, I will try to 20 the animals to take some good photos. I will email you as soon as I come back.

                                                                                                                                                                              Love

                                                                                                                                                                              Toby

    A ship was wrecked (失事) and only two of the men aboard were able to swim to a small, desert-like island. Not knowing what else to do, the two 1 agreed that they had no 2 but to pray to God.

    3, to find out whose prayers were more 4, they agreed to divide the territory (领地) between them. What the first man 5 for was food. The next morning, he saw a fruit bearing tree on his side of the island, and he was able to eat its 6 But the other man's side of land remained 7.

    After a week, the first man became 8 and decided to pray for a wife. The next day, a woman swam to his side of the island. But on the other side of the island, there was 9. Soon the first man prayed for a house, clothes and more 10. The next day, like magic, all of these things were 11 to him. However, the other man still had nothing.

    12, the first man prayed for a ship so that he and his wife could 13 the island, and in the next morning he found a ship at his side of the island. The first man 14 the ship with his wife and decided to leave the other man on the island, considering him unworthy to receive God's blessings 15 none of his prayers had been answered. As the ship was about to leave, the first man heard a voice from Heaven booming, “Why are you leaving your 16on the island?”

    “My blessings are mine alone since I was the one who prayed for them,” the first man answered. “His prayers were all unanswered and so he doesn't 17 anything.”

    “You are mistaken!” the voice 18 him. “He had only one prayer, which I 19. He prayed that all your prayers would be answered. Had it not been for that, you would not have 20 any of my blessings.”

    One day when I was 13, my family was working in the fields to clear away old brush when somehow the electric fence sparked(冒火星) and1a fire. We didn't see the fire2it had blocked the way to the only gate. I3to jump over the fence to safety but the fire was all around us. I could only watch in4as the flames continued to rise. Little did I know that my father had once been a(an)5and knew what to do.6with only a pump sprayer, buckets, and his boots, he7down to the nearby pond, filled the buckets and the sprayer, and began spraying the8while my older brother threw water with the buckets. Soon the wind9 however, and with the Fire Department too far away to arrive in time, my father began to stomp(踩灭) out the flames as he moved to the10 so that my family was able to move inch by inch toward the gate.11he arrived at the gate, he jumped into the truck, rolled up the windows, and drove12the fire. Then the fire was put out, and my mother was looking at my father with her13eyes.

    After that, my father began telling us about his days as a firelighter, and my brother and I became14 asking him what other jobs he had done before he15 Well, it turned out that he had done just about16except brain surgery!

    He had been in the military as a carpenter, carpet layer, and electrician, and had built B2 bombers before being poisoned in an accident that had17him to retire. My father has a blood disorder as a result of that18 but that hasn't stopped him from being a full-time electrician.

    To all those people whose fathers have worked in the military and in other dangerous jobs, be19of them, and remember that some day their20might save your life.

    Feeling tired of waiting for a lift for so long because you don't want to take stairs? Or even feeling so exhausted that you wished for a(n)1 when you could just lie down on the bed all day and not worry about work or studies?

    My name is Beena, and my story begins from here.

    I was born in a poor family. While growing up, I saw my parents making many 2 for me and my brother. They wouldn't buy anything for themselves so that they could 3 all our wishes. The small amount of money they earned is 4 in our childhood to make sure we don't feel lesser than other kids around us.

    I decided to 5 my studies and give my parents a better life, the life that they 6 for all they have done. I finished my 7 and got placed into a Leading firm in Audit industry.

    In the process of fulfilling my dreams, I took my health for granted. I was 8 tired and that was the time I felt that I needed a rest from work and relax for some time.

    I went to a doctor's clinic when I heard these three words which changed my life forever—I was 9 with Guillian Barre Syndrome, a rare neurological autoimmune disorder.

    My breathing was becoming increasingly 10 for me while I was in the ICU. I was in the hospital for two months on life support. During these two months I had 11 some near death experiences, including skin 12 and multiple infections.

    I was sent home from the hospital immediately after being taken off the life support. My body was still fully 13 from neck down and I couldn't even lift a finger at that time. I started my physical 14 from home. It took me one year to take my first few 15 with the help of a walker. I had two options at that time. The first was to give up and 16 that I will never be myself again and the other was to keep pushing. I chose to be my own 17.

    I 18 everything that could help me go to work without having any caretakers around and finally after 2 years of hard work I was ready to go to work again.

    I still have a long way to go, but I have decided I will never give up my 19. It's that door you 20 that will decide whether you will fly or live your life in a cage.

    "Smile!" I shouted, flashing a bright yellow poster at a crowd of people in Seattle.

    We were 3,000 miles away from home on a Random Acts of Kindness road trip. Our1was to try out our new "Smile!" signs and see how much kindness and joy we could2

    We weren't sure how people would3our signs. It's so easy to walk past a busy crowd, lost in your own world,4to make eye contact with strangers and feeling5while surrounded by hundreds of people. I6raised up a sign and shouted, "Hi there!" to a young couple. They looked over,7, then read my sign and broke into smiles. They even nudged (轻推) a person beside them, gesturing to our sign so their friend could8, too.

    This might9, I thought.

    Before long, our signs were10. Tourists wanted photos with us. Strangers stopped to ask us about our11and we told them the story of our Acts of Kindness road trip. The famous fish vendors (小贩) changed their12from "FISH! FRESH FISH"' to "HEY! SMILE, EVERYONE."

    Sometimes I'd see a(n)13face and feel nervous to show my sign, but I tried not to judge. I'd14be rewarded with a big grin (咧嘴笑),as suddenly a frowning elderly woman turned into my15old grandmother.

    Some people16if they could have a "Smile!" sign to take with them. One bus driver put a sign in his window; a bicyclist that17one of our signs emailed us several years later to say he still uses it whenever he races.

    The signs are more than a(n)18to smile — they're an excuse to connect with19and to remember we're not alone. This world is full of20people we just don't know yet.

You can't imagine how crazy I was about football when I was young. For years my life followed a(n) 1: I slipped out of the house, played football until dark and instantly I was infected with malaria. Football was so appealing that I was willing to 2 anything —injuries, punishment, and even sickness—to play it. Soon enough, my mother would rush me to the Sijuwade Hospital. There, the doctor said I needed to be 3 .

My dad often spent the night with me in the hospital while my mother 4 my sister at home. Then came the happiest 5 when my father told me wonderful stories.

My father was a(n) 6 storyteller. In the hospital, he would tell me a story or two, or, sometimes, if he was not too tired, many in response to my request. He 7 bicycle sounds and the howl of the wind so vividly that the pictures would never 8 from my mind. So happy were these moments that I sometimes wished to   9 my hospital stay.

Because of my mom's strict supervision, it became 10 difficult to steal out. No longer sick, no more stories. 11, I broke into my father's room one evening.

"Dad, you tell me stories only when I'm sick."

My father laughed, "You are already eight and can read by yourself!"

He 12 me a book and said, "Go and read that. It'll tell you stories."

I remember that night clearly. I opened the book and read what turned out to be the most 13 story that I had ever read.

What I discovered that night 14 my life. I became thirsty for books and became a voracious（求知欲强的）15 . I read in the mornings, at nights and in between. Through reading, I felt as though I were on the magical journey to the endless.