Mr Smith works in a factory in the middle of the city. The factory is not far from his home. It is about 800 meters away. So Mr Smith doesn't go to work by bus. He usually goes there by bike, sometimes he walks to work. It takes(花费) him 10 minutes to get there by bike or 20 minutes on foot. He usually leaves home at ten minutes to eight. Today something is wrong with his bike. He wants to walk there. His work starts at half past eight in the morning and finishes at a quarter(一刻钟) to five in the afternoon.

An old farmer lived with his young grandson. Each morning Grandpa was always up early to read. One day the grandson asked, "Grandpa! What good does reading do?"

Grandpa quietly turned from putting coal in the stove and replied, "Take this coal basket to the river and bring me back a basket of water."

The boy did as he was told, but all the water leaked out(漏出) before he got back home. Grandpa laughed, "You'll have to move a little faster next time." This time the boy ran faster, but again the same took place. It was an impossible task.

The old man said, "You're just not trying hard enough." So the boy tried a third time and failed. He said, "See Grandpa, it's useless!"

"So you think it is useless? Look at the basket."

The boy looked at the basket and for the first time realized that the basket was different. It had turned from a dirty coal basket into a clean one inside and outside.

"You might not understand or remember everything, but when you read, you will be changed, inside and outside."

While walking through the desert, a young man came across a spring of delicious clear water. The water was so 1 . He put it into his leather container(皮革容器) so he could bring some back to his teacher.

 After a four- day journey, he 2 the water to his teacher. After the old man took a deep drink, he smiled 3 and thanked his student for the sweet water. The young man returned to his village with a happy heart.

 Later, the teacher let another student taste the water. He spat it out, saying it was awful. It had become bad because of the 4 leather container. The student asked his teacher," The water was really bad. Why did you show that you 5 it?"

 The teacher replied," You only tasted the water. I tasted the 6 . The water was simply a container for an act of loving- kindness and7 could be sweeter."

 We understand this 8 best when we receive gifts of love from young children. No matter what the gift is, it is natural to enjoy it and express thankfulness because we don't 9 the thing but the idea within the gift. After all, a gift10 the heart is really the gift of the heart. That's what we need to remind us.

① On September 5th, 2022, a 6. 8- magnitude (级) earthquake happened in Luding County in Southwest China's Sichuan Province. Very soon firemen, rescuers (救援者) and doctors came to help. 

② The photo of a young rescue r called Zhang Zili holding a 2- month- old baby in his arms moved many people. Zhang and other rescuers found the baby and her grandmother at their home in a village. Luckily, they didn't hurt badly and were sent to hospital. Zhang got a lovely name "Brother Wenchuan" because the Chinese words of "Wenchuan" are on his armband. 

③ 20- year- old Zhang Zili is from Maoxian County, and it is close to Wenchuan County. We all know a 7. 8- magnitude earthquake happened in Wenchuan on May 12th, 2008. 

④ "My house fell down, so my family had to stay in a tent in a school playground. I still remember the tent was dark and I could hear many kids crying. Then an uncle of the PLA (解放军) came to me. He taught me songs to sing and played with me. He kept saying' Don't be afraid because we are here now'," Zhang recalled. The little boy kept these words in his heart. And he will never forget how those firemen, rescuers and doctors worked hard day and night to save people in 2008. In early 2022, when Zhang Zili learnt that the local forest fire brigade (森林消防队) was recruiting (招募) firemen, he joined it at once. 

⑤ "Being a fireman is sometimes dangerous, but saving people from danger is the most important. I love my job," he says. 

 Once there was an apple flower. Anyone who saw it1 its beauty, so it became proud. It believed that it was the most beautiful flower in the world. 

 One day, it noticed a little yellow flower that seemed to grow everywhere. "What's your2 ?" the apple flower asked. 

"I'm called the dandelion(蒲公英). "

"Poor plant!" said the apple flower. "You are here and there, but no one admires you. You must feel sad to be so 3 . "

 Before the dandelion replied, a sunbeam(阳光) came and said, "All plants are beautiful to me. " He hugged both the apple flower and the dandelion. 

 Then several 4 came. They picked some dandelions happily and blew the dandelion clock(茸毛头) to make wishes, just like 5 birthday candles. 

"Can you see the beauty of dandelions?" the sunbeam asked the apple flower. 

"They are6 only to children, " said the proud apple flower. 

 Later, an old woman came. She dug the roots of the dandelions to 7 tea for the sick. 

"You see? Dandelions are also beautiful to the woman, right?" the sunbeam said. "Everything has its beauty, but not everyone 8 it. "

 The apple flower then bowed its head with 9 . "You' re right. Everything shows its beauty 10 . What we need to do is try to find it, " it said. Hearing this, the sunbeam nodded with satisfaction.