That summer,Luke had been my closest companion for five years.We get lots of1in our area during the summer season.Many forests are badly2by fire each year.That hot summer,not far from our shelter,a forest3 fire.It was July,and there had been a heat wave going on for three days.Luke rushed toward the forest where the fire was sending out a4heat.There was no longer any hope at that moment to wait for Luke to come back to the5. In fact,I was waiting for firefighters to tell me that he had6in the forest.Suddenly,a fireman burst into my office and7me that my log Luke had succeeded in saving four kittens who had been8by the flames.According to the fireman,Luke seized the kittens,one by one moving them to a9place.

    I immediately10the fireman to the forest to pick up the rescued kittens.11we got to the scene of the incident,we saw that Luke was not there.Then we heard the12of a dog barking in the forest.I13the barks as Luke's.The fireman followed the14of the dog until they found him barking loudly by the side of an injured fireman who was lying on the ground and15waiting for rescue.

    Thanks to Luke,four kittens and a fireman were saved.That day,I was very proud of Luke for his two heroic 16.Luke showed much compassion（同情心）for both animals like him and for a human being who was trying to put out the fire with his colleagues.Truth to be told,my17was immeasurable.

    I paid a visit to the fireman in his house accompanied by my lovely Luke.What a18scene it was when the fireman hugged Luke tightly to his chest!"One thousand thanks,Luke,for saving my life,"the fireman said.

    This true story of love and compassion shows us that pets are loving,caring and compassionate.We should love and19them.Little animals can do20things for humans.

    I'm told that during an international game of chess, many beautiful moves could be made on a chessboard. In a decisive 1 in which Marshall was matched with a Russian master player, he found his queen under serious attack. There were several ways of2, and since the queen is the most3 piece, the audience thought Marshall would 4 move his queen to safety.

Deep in thought, Marshall used all his time to5 the condition. And then, he6his queen, paused, and placed it down on the most 7  square of all — a square from which the queen could be8 by any one of three enemy pieces.

    Marshall had sacrificed (牺牲) his queen — an unthinkable move. Everyone else was 9 .

    Then, the Russian and the players realized that Marshall had actually made a 10  move. It was clear that no matter how the game was taken, the Russian would soon be in a losing 11. Seeing this, the Russian 12  his defeat.

    When the audience 13  from the shock of Marshall's daring, they showered the chessboard with money. Marshall had achieved14 in a very unusual and daring way — he had 15 by sacrificing the queen.

    To me, it is not important that Marshall won,16  what counts is that he had 17standard thinking to make such a18 He had looked further the usual patterns of play and had been 19to consider an imaginative risk on the basis of his judgment alone. No matter how the game20, Marshall was the winner.

    Years ago, I lost my sight completely. I would do anything for a 1 . In fact, desperate and 2 , I tried every supplement, experimental trial, diet and anything anyone 3 . All for nothing.

    But now, after 25 years in physical darkness, my life is 4 than ever. The change began one day, many years ago, when I drank my tea 5 , swallowing gulps(一大口) of “poor me” and wondering what my future would 6 . Then, the doorbell rang. Janet came in and brought an idea. “Have you ever thought about working as a(n) 7 ? ” she said, “You speak Spanish. Go for it.”

    Her idea 8 me to make a phone call. And the interpreting company I contacted invited me to take a test. Thank goodness it was 9 .

    “We're so 10 with the results,” the receptionist said the next day, “that we want to send you on your first 11 tomorrow. It's in the Immigration and Naturalization Court.”

    That was the beginning. That was when I began to 12 possibilities when my blindness wouldn't get 13 . The view of my world had changed. Blindness didn't have to label me as

    14 . On the contrary, the blindness improved my ability to 15 information and present a quicker and more 16 interpretation.

    The letters from judges, praising me for my work, 17 me for the hours I'd spent studying, memorizing, and 18 .

    Blindness? Not a barrier any more. 19 , it became a handy 20 to sharpen my creativity. Not only in the courtroom, but at home, in my relationships and in the way I viewed myself.

    Norman Cousins was a businessman from the United States who often traveled around the world on business. He enjoyed his 1 and traveling.

    Then, after returning to the United States from a 2 trip to the Union of Soviet Socialist Republic (USSR), Mr. Cousins got sick. Because he had pushed his body to the 3 of its strength on the trip, a change began to take place 4 him. The material between his bones became 5.

    In less than one week after his return, he could not 6. Every move that he 7 was painful. He was not able to sleep at night. The doctors told him that they did not know how to cure Mr. Cousins' problem and he might never 8 his illness. Mr. Cousins, however, refused to give up 9.

    Mr. Cousins thought that 10 thoughts were causing bad chemical changes in his body. He did not want to take medicine to cure himself. 11, he felt that happy thoughts or 12 might cure his illness.

    He began to 13 on himself while still in the hospital by watching funny shows on television. Mr. Cousins quickly found that 10 minutes of real laughter during the 14 gave him two hours of pain-free sleep at night.

    15 the doctors could not help him, Mr. Cousins left the hospital and checked into a hotel room where he could 16 his experiments with laughter. For eight days, Mr. Cousins rested in the hotel room watching funny shows on television, reading funny books, and sleeping 17 he felt tired. Within three weeks, he felt well 18 to take a vacation to Puerto Rico where he began running on the beach for 19.

    After a few months, Mr. Cousins returned to work. He had laughed himself back to 20.

    When I first met my new parrot, Chico, his wings had been cut short and he was stuck on the earth just like us humans. When the weather turned nice, I would take Chico outside. I 1 him on a branch of a tree, hoping to make him happier. At first he seemed confused. He walked back and forth on the branch looking 2 . He didn't even flap his wings in an/a 3  to fly. Somehow he knew he was incapable.

    One day Chico got especially excited. He paced back and forth and made an 4 amount of noise. Then all of a sudden he stopped and let out an even louder scream. He started 5 flapping his wings for the first time ever—then he lifted off the 6 like a space shuttle! I was amazed and 7. Little did I know his feathers had been growing back, and Chico had been waiting until the moment was ripe for 8!

    Two days later Chico returned. First I tried to 9 him back with food, but he would not come near me. Then I took his 10 and put it away—still he would not come. Finally, I made him a firm promise that I would let him out every day if the weather was nice as long as he did come back. 11, he flew onto my shoulder.

    From that day on, whenever the weather was good I would let him 12 early and he would fly around and be back before dark. The routine lasted for two months 13 suddenly Chico became 14. The vet said that he had been infected with a disease from the pigeons in the 15. Within a few days he died.

    I was very sad. The 16 crossed my mind that if I had not set him free to fly, he would be still alive. But what 17 is there in being a bird if you can't fly?

    Chico made his first 18 for freedom on a late Monday afternoon in April. When will you make yours? You too can take a 19 when the conditions are right, knowing you too, in your own way, were built to fly. If you don't set yourself free, what will be the 20 of your life?

    The summer before the ninth grade, procrastination(拖延 )affected my life in a deep way. With only a few days until the start of school, I had1just one of three homework tasks we were2Instead of enjoying my last few moments of 3, I spent that time doing homework, which was an4way to end the vacation.

    Putting in 100 percent5, I always started with strong6at the beginning of each school year.7I struggled to maintain that energy as the weeks passed.

    One night, my father and I were having a8about college. He told me, "It doesn't 9much whether you get into an Ivy League university or just a(n)10college-what matters is how you get there and what you do to11it". This really spoke to me, because it made me focus more on the12of my work rather than the quantity.

    Thanks to that conversation, I13the way I went through life. I started to 14 that trying my15best is a thousand times better than simply doing something to get it done.

    My effort began to16in my first year of high school. I had never17that my grades in some harder classes could be better than those in the easier ones I took last year.

    Now I would rather work hard for something and enjoy the18of success, than not try at all or give up halfway. Motivation can 19become a habit if you repeat a(n)20that helps you avoid procrastination.