On a sunny day, Linda and Jack were to try the new boat on the river.Linda jumped out of bed excitedly, got dressed quickly and woke up her brother Jack.

    After1Linda and Jack arrived at the riverbank and2the new blue boat waiting for them.They got into the boat and packed their picnic under the3.Linda started the engine and4they went into the wide, brown and unknown5of the river.

    Suddenly, they found the boat sounded6round a bend in the river.On the distant sandbank they saw a long dark creature7in the sun. It opened one eye at them and then suddenly disappeared into the8.

    “What was that?” shouted Jack.

    “It looked like a crocodile to me!” said Linda.“We'd better be9.”Just as they came round the next10, the engine11and came to a stop.Linda12to start the engine again. But it wouldn't start. They were13.

    “Let's get the wooden oars,” said Jack. “Maybe we can 14 the boat free.

    They tried but failed.

    “We're stuck on a sandbank,” said Linda. “We'll just have to sit here having our15and wait for the water to16.”

    “It's boring!” said Jack.

    Suddenly, they felt the boat move .It moved slowly off the sandbank. And the engine started again. Just at the same time they noticed a black17by the boatside and in no time it disappeared in the brown water ahead.

    They18heir journey down the river. It was so exciting .

    At noon they saw a small river19the main river. It wasn't on the map . “Let's20there!” said Linda.

    The boat turned and went into the smaller channel .On both sides grew thick unknown trees.

    Don't Be Afraid to Make a Fool of Yourself and Reach out to Strangers

    Growing up, I was glued to my mother's hip, ready to follow her wherever the world took us. I used to sleep at her 1 on the floor of her law school lecture halls while hundreds of 2 poured over scores of legal terms and historical court 3. When my mother and I would travel to different countries together, she always talked to 4 . She would tell our life story and I was often 5. I figured that people thought she shared too much and it was 6.

    I now recognize the importance of the 7 my mother made. After she died, I received hundreds of phone calls from people all over the world. They 8 to offer their condolences (吊唁), but 9 to share how much my mother had meant to them.10 she offered legal advice or simply shared a story, they11their heart to me about how she 12 their lives.

    When she first decided to buy an apartment and settled down in Paris, she 13 the writers of her favourite blogs and instantly began to form their own French14. They spent hours eating carefully selected cheeses and sipping (啜饮) coffee while 15 favorite Parisian restaurants. These are the people I now call my 16 aunts and uncles.

    What I judged as my mom making a 17 of herself was her way of sharing her 18 and charm. This taught me to 19 into fear and not to let self-criticism govern anything I do. Now, I speak up. I talk to strangers. I 20 myself and because of it, I receive.

The Gift at the Parking Lot

    I never thought I would be writing about a trip to the convenience store. It was just a month after my grandmother had 1 and I did useless things hoping to fill the hole in my heart and make me forget the pain.

    In the store, I was upset because I couldn't even remember 2 I went there to buy so I ended up buying something 3. As I walked out of the store to get my car, I was 4 angry at everything that was going on around me, which was a very 5feeling at that time. Feeling 6, my belief in God was beginning to fade.

    Suddenly, a woman driving right by my side rolled down her 7."Excuse me, excuse me." she said loudly.8 she was going to ask for my parking spot, I 9 pointed to my car. "No, excuse me," she said again.

    At this point, I felt I had no 10 but to see what this 11 lady wanted. As I got closer, I realized that she was 12 something in her bag. Surprisingly, I was overcome with a sense of relief while others would be 13 in this situation. Finally, she 14 me a booklet (小册子), which read "What Hope for Dead Loved Ones?" "Maybe you need this," she said calmly 15 a warm smile on her face. However, 16 I could thank her, she was gone.

    I felt a sense of 17 as I opened the first page. It 18 how people pass on, but their spirit 19 with us. This was the first time since my grandma had died that I had felt her with me and I began to feel hope again. It was a unique 20. And, I'll remember it for the rest of my life.

    Anna is a nurse at the National Institutes of Health Center (NIHC). She didn't want the young 1 there, who couldn't go outside, to miss out on the winter 2when it was snowing outside last winter.

    The kids could see the snow 3. But they couldn't 4 it. Many of the kids had a type of immunodeficiency (免疫缺陷) and were waiting to have bone-marrow transplants (骨髓移植). The immunodeficiency put them at risk of infection, 5 while they were having transplants, they were even weaker, so they were6 to go out or be around many people.

    Also, there were kids from all over the world at the center and some of them had 7seen snow in their lifetime. Anna didn't want them to 8 the fun, so she had a(n) 9. Since the patients couldn't go out into the snow, Anna filled up a basin with 10 on her own and 11 it right to them. She made several trips 12 so all the kids would have fresh snow to 13.

    The children made snowballs, 14 the snow with colored pens and made snowmen. One child even 15 Anna with a snowball. They had a very 16snow day.

    After the children's parents knew what she had done for the kids, they 17her. Because of her, the children experienced the 18 brought by snow. One parent said, “My daughter has been at NIHC for almost eight weeks and has hardly been able to 19 her room, so it was so much fun for her to be able to play with the snow.”

    Anna was glad that she could do something to make the children 20.

    Many years ago at Christmas time I parked my car in the town centre on my way to the post office to post my Christmas cards. It was the last posting day for Christmas cards if they were to be 1 before Christmas.2 I came out of the car park I saw a boy who was 3 and holding his fight hand side. I 4 some bigger boys had perhaps bullied him and he was in 5. I had to go to his aid and see if I could 6.

    He told me that his sister who was a 7 had bought him a Christmas present. It was a mobile phone. He only had it days when he 8 it and cracked the screen! That's 9 he was holding his right hand side of his body—his mobile phone was in the upper right hand pocket of his coat. The little guy was extremely 10, tears rolling down his face as he told all this to me. My heart 11 for him. It was clear he 12 his present and knew that this was a lot of money for his 13 to spend on him, for nurses didn't make much money. He'd been to a phone shop and they'd told him it would be￡80 to get a new 14.

    I had to help, though I was 15 to make ends meet myself. I searched my purse and gave the boy the only￡20 I could find and made some 16 as to why I could only give him so little. I didn't want him to know it was all I had until pay day. I could not 17 pay for his phone to be repaired but I hope the 18 he received from a stranger was 19 that stayed with him when he became a man.

The Christmas cards not getting posted somehow didn't seem 20; greater issues had been addressed with a kindness stamp.

You Did More Than Carry My books

    Mark was walking home from school one day when he noticed the boy ahead of him had dropped all of the books he was carrying, along with a baseball bat and several other things. Mark 1 down and helped the boy pick up these articles. 2 they were going the same way, he helped to carry some of them for him. As they walked Mark 3 the boy's name was Bill, that he 4 computer games, baseball and history, that he was having a lot of 5 with his other subjects and that he had just broken 6 with his girlfriend.

    They arrived at Bill's home first and Mark was 7 in for a Coke and to watch some television. The afternoon passed 8 with a few laughs and some shared small talk, and then Mark went home. They 9 to see each other around school, had lunch together once or twice, and then both ended up from the same high school. Just three weeks before 10, Bill asked Mark if they 11 talk.

    Bill 12 him of the day years ago when they had first met. "Do you 13 wonder why I was carrying so many things home that day?" asked Bill. "You see, I 14 out my locker because I didn't want to leave a mess(脏乱) 15 anyone else. I had planned to run away and I was going home to 16 my things. But after we spent some time together 17 and laughing, I realized that 18 I had done that, I would have 19 a new friend and missed all the fun we would have together. So you see, Mark, when you picked up my books that day, you did a lot more. You20 my life."