Maggie was assigned to a public school in the middle of the year, and the headmaster asked her to teach Class 4-B right away. She heard that the former teacher had 1 suddenly, but the headmaster didn't tell her 2. All he told her was that this was a class of  “3 students”.    

    First day, she walked into the classroom, spitballs (纸团) 4 through the air, feet on desks, the noise deafening. She walked to the front of the classroom and 5 the attendance book(考勤簿). Next to 20 names on the list were IQ scores: 140,141...160. “Oh,” she thought to herself, “6 they are so high-spirited. These children have exceptional IQs.” She 7 and brought them to order, 8 that she could teach such high-quality students.       

    At first Maggie found the students 9 to turn in work, and that assignments that were handed in were done 10, full of mistakes. She spoke to everyone, “ With your IQ, I  11 nothing short of (除…之外) the best work from you.”       

    The whole term Maggie continually 12 them of their responsibility to use all the extra intelligence God had given them. Things began to 13. The children worked hard. Their work was creative and excellent. At the end of the term, the headmaster 14 Maggie into his office. “What magic have you done to these kids? ” He asked 15. “Their work has surpassed (超过) all the regular classes.” “It is just 16. They're smarter than regular students! You said yourself they are special students.” Maggie was 17. “I said they are special because they are the special need students—behavioral disordered.” “Then why are their IQs so 18 on the attendance sheet?” Maggie pulled out the sheet and passed it to the headmaster. “Those aren't their IQs. Those are their locker 19 at the gym. Sorry, Ms. Maggie, your kids are not geniuses(天才).” Maggie paused a bit, and smiled, “If someone 20 himself to be a genius, he will become one. I'm teaching them as geniuses again next year.”      

    Sarah lived on a farm with her family. She was 1 to learn to track, to identify each person and where they were going by the marks they left on the ground. And if her father couldn't teach her, she'd teach herself.

    To the2of her family, she borrowed all their 3 and taught herself to recognize everyone's footprints in the sand. More than once her father came outside shouting, “Sarah, bring me 4 my boots. ”

    Sarah developed the habit of walking around with her eyes fixed on the ground, 5 the comings and goings of every 6in the place.

    She also developed the annoying habit of 7 everyone. What were you doing down at the dam, Jack? You're not 8to play there. ” “Did you find what you were 9 in the garage, Auntie?” and “Who was the stranger visiting today wearing size ten boots, Mum?”

    After she'd 10 every pair of shoes that everyone 11, she turned to the farm's animals. By this time 12 her victims had to admit, 13, that she was good.

    Her best 14came one evening when she said the horse's front foot was 15. Her father said that the horse was 16 fine. Sarah 17 that its hoof (蹄）had a split. Sarah's father 18 the horse's hoof.

    “You're 19. The hoof is split. How did you know?”

    “You can see it in its 20. " Sarah moved the horse away. “Look, it's plain in the sand. "

    “If you can tell it has a split hoof from that sand, you're pretty good,” said her father.

    As a high school coach, I did all I could to help my boys win their games. I cheered as hard for 1 as they did. A dramatic 2, however, following a game in which I was a referee, changed my 3 on victories and defeats.

    It was a league championship basketball game between New Rochelle and Yonkers High. New Rochelle was 4 by Dan O'Brien, Yonkers by Les Beck. The gym was 5, and the noise made it impossible to hear. The game was well played and 6 competed. Yonkers was 7 by one point as I 8 at the clock and discovered there were but 10 seconds left to play. New Rochelle, 9 the ball, passed off and shot. The ball 10 around the rim (篮筐边沿) and off. The fans 11. New Rochelle recovered the ball, and tapped it in for what looked like victory. The noise was 12.

    I looked at the clock and saw that the game was over. I hadn't heard the final buzzer (终场哨) because of the noise. I 13 with the other official, but he could not help me. So, I 14 the timekeeper, a young man of 17 or so. He said, “Sir, the buzzer 15 before the final tap-in was made.” Yonkers won!

    I had to tell O'Brien the sad news. His face 16. The young timekeeper came up and said, “I'm sorry, Dad. The 17 ran out before the final basket.”18, like the sun coming out from behind a cloud, O'Brien's face lit up. He said, “That's okay, Joe. You did what you had to. I'm 19 of you.” The two of them then walked off the 20 together, the coach's arm around his son's shoulder.

    Mary and I, together with our husbands, helped look after our neighbors' children this weekend. Our1have two children aged 3 and 6 and my husband and I chose the six-year-old child. What a pleasure! We 2last night with Mary who invited us to have dinner. They were looking after the 3-year-old boy for 3at their dining table.

    The 3-year-old child was 4his parents who were overseas for the weekend. When he saw his sister he5with tears flowing on his face. I had “Plan B” in the back of my head. When I saw that the child was6and my friends who were looking after him were also7 I offered to take both of them with us.

    I thought another 8for the night wasn't the best idea, so we 9made a decision to go back to our own house. Then I10the child's overnight bed11and we came back home together. I had a 12night as the boy was awake 5 times through the night, crying for his mommy, and it took a while to13him down.

    Mary and her 14came over this morning with their own children who are under 2 years old15I could have a short 16 At noon, they left, I had just got to get through the 17baths and dinner, and18their parents would be back.

    At night, both my husband and I were tired but we thought it was good to have “Plan B”, and how happy we were with such 19friends that invited us for dinner, and were thoughtful enough to20me a break this morning.

Be a Traveler, not a Tourist

    Last summer, I had just enough money saved to buy a golden ticket—a 3-month train pass that would take me to the furthest reaches of Europe. Excited for my journey, I packed all the necessities —except the 1.

    While the convenience of the Internet was definitely a contributing factor to my 2 not to take with me the few expensive kilograms of out-of-date information, this was not the only reason why I decided to fly alone.

    To be honest, my main 3 with the guidebook is that I find it 4 the pleasure of a journey—like bossy aunt who is always telling you what to do, 5 she doesn't always know what is the best.

    Experience has taught me that there is an obvious 6 between a tourist and traveler.

    While waiting in a queue, I met a man who had a checklist. He showed me his list of “Top 20 Things To Do in Italy” and 7 off in a loud American accent that he'd seen everything Italy has to offer in just four days.

    The problem I had with this man's 8 to travelling was that he was too 9 information provided by his guidebook. He was lost in the 10 attractiveness of the “must-sees” and 11 to all the wonders and adventures that might happen during the 12 trip.

    So, 13 any guidebook, I traveled to Estonia, the tiny Baltic country bordering Russia. In the 14 of advance plans as guidebooks would suggest, I had no choice but to turn to some friendly faces for advice. I 15 myself first and then asked them what was happening around the town. When this 16 an invitation to a beautiful Estonian home by a river where I 17 a 110-degree wood-stove sauna, 18 picked forest-mushrooms and the good 19 of our five newfound Estonian friends, I was most glad that I had left my “bossy 20” at home.

More than 50 years ago, my dad planted {#blank#}1{#/blank#} evergreen tree.He watered it and cared for it.A few {#blank#}2{#/blank#}(year) later, when it grew to about 3 feet tall, he placed its first set of Christmas lights on it.Thus our tradition began.Every Christmas ever since, this tree has lit up our neighborhood corner.

Dad passed away in November 1991.With all the emotions of his {#blank#}3{#/blank#}(pass),Thanksgiving came and went.When the topic of the tree {#blank#}4{#/blank#}(bring) up, Mom said,"Not this year."But my brother, sister and I said,"Dad would want it to be done,"so the following weekend,we {#blank#}5{#/blank#}(decorate) the tree together {#blank#}6{#/blank#} memory of him.

The tree now stands about 40 feet tall, and we have to use a beautiful cherry lift.{#blank#}7{#/blank#}(put) the top lights on.We turn the lights on the evening after Thanksgiving,{#blank#}8{#/blank#} send out light each night until New Year's Day.People drive by slowly, taking pictures or simply {#blank#}9{#/blank#} (enjoy) its beauty.Then in spring we pack the lights {#blank#}10{#/blank#}(safe) away for the next year.