My parents are busy with their work every day. You can't see there is love 1 them. They don't act in the romantic（浪漫的）2that I read in books or I see on TV.

One day, while Mom was sewing(缝) a quilt，I 3 beside her. "Mom, I have a question," I said after a while.

"What?" she asked.

"Is there love between you and Dad?" I asked her in a very low voice.

    She stopped sewing and 4 her head. Then she bowed her head and went on sewing.

I thought I had hurt her. At last I heard my mother say， "Susan, look at this thread（线）. Sometimes it appears, but most of it disappears in the quilt. It makes the quilt5. If life is a quilt, then love should be a thread. It can hardly be seen, but it's 6 there."

    I couldn't understand her 7 the next spring. My father suddenly got sick. Mom had to stay with him in the hospital for a month.

    After they 8, my mother helped my father walk slowly down the country road every day. My father had never been so gentle.

"Dad, how are you 9 now?" I asked him one day. "Susan, don't worry about me," he said. "I just like walking with your Mom."

     Once I thought 10 meant flowers, gifts and sweet kisses. But from this experience, I understand that it is just a thread in the quilt of our life . It is inside, making life strong and warm.

    Pupils in England were able to watch a new TV program called Monkey 1 November 1979. Most of them were hearing this story for the first time. 2, this story is not new to Chinese children.

    There are many fairy tales（童话故事）in China. Journey to the West is 3 of them. In 4 tale, The Monkey King is the main character. He is not just any 5 monkey. We say this 6 he can make 72 changes to his shape and size. He can turn himself into 7 animals and objects. But unless he can hide his tail, he can't turn himself into a 8. He always uses a magic stick 9 the bad people. Sometimes, he can make the stick so small that he can 10 it in his ear. He is 11 able to make it big and long. This fairy tale is really great.

    The Monkey King has 12 Chinese children for many years. 13 the TV program came out more than 30 years ago, western children became interested in reading this story. Great Monkey King keeps 14 to help the weak and never gives up. In fact, children 15 the world love the Monkey King.

    One night a man came to my house. He told me. "There is a family with eight 1. They don't have anything to eat." After I asked him where the family was. I took some 2 with me and left.

    When I finally got to that family, I 3 those little children were so hungry that they could not 4 anything. There was no sadness in their eyes, just the deep pain of hunger. I gave the food to the mother. She took half of it, and then went out. When she 5, I asked her, "Where did you go?" She gave me this simple 6, "To my neighbours'. They are also 7!"

    I was not surprised that she gave the food to others, because poor people are always very 8. But I was surprised that she knew her 9 were hungry when she was also in need of food. Usually, when we are in trouble or in danger, we always 10 ourselves first, and we have no time for others.

    Some people believe that dreams can tell them what will happen in the future. 1 knows why this is so, but there are many stories about people who had dreams that came true. One of these people was a man 2John Chapman, who lived in Swaffham in England many years ago.

    John Chapman dreamt that he was standing on London Bridge and a man told him how to become rich. John Chapman was a poor man and he needed 3 the next day he decided to leave for London. It was 100 miles from Swaffham to London. He walked for a few days and at last he 4 London Bridge. There were many people on the bridge, but they weren't 5 in John Chapman. No one6him. After three days, John Chapman decided to go home,7 before he could do this, a shopkeeper came up to him.

    "I've been watching you," he said. "Are you 8 someone?"

    "Yes," said John. "I had a dream about a man here. He would help me to get much money. "

    "Oh," said the shopkeeper. "You shouldn't believe in dreams. 9believe in dreams, I'd be in Swaffham right now. I had a dream a few days ago about a man called John Chapman from Swaffham. He had 10 in his garden, near an old apple tree. "

    John Chapman was   11 what the shopkeeper said. At once he went home and dug near an old apple tree. He soon found many pieces of gold. He was so happy 12he gave some of the gold to his church. For the rest of his life, he was a rich man.

    I did very badly at school. My headmaster thought I was1and when I was 14, he said, "You are2going to be anything but a failure."

    After five years of3jobs, I fell in love with a very nice middle— class girl. It was the best4that could have happened to me. I decided to do something positive with my life because I wanted to prove to her what people said about me was5, especially her mother, who had said to me, "You have failed at everything you have ever done.” So I tried hard with my6and went to college. My first novel7while I was at college.

    After college I taught during the8in high schools and attended evening classes at London University, where I got a9in history. I became a lecturer at a college and was thinking of giving up that job to write full time when I was offered a part— time job at Leeds University. I began to feel proud of myself—it was a working— class boy who had left school early, now teaching at the university.

    My writing career(生涯)10when I realized my own style. Now I am rich and famous, have been on TV, and met lots of film stars. But what does it mean? I just wish all the people that have put me down had said, "I believe in you. You will succeed.