The students of seventh grade walked into the hall with laughter and voices. We were told to listen to a speech by Mrs. Marks about bullying(欺负) and peer pressure (同伴压力). During the whole year, our grade had listened to speeches on these topics over and over again. My friends and I sat back, preparing to sit through another  1 speech.

    But as soon as Mrs. Marks started talking, she caught my attention. She talked in the way as if she knew how to reach into our minds and make us  2. And for once, I actually began to think about what she was talking about.

    One boy, especially, came to my mind. Every day, this boy came to school late. The students in the class would always make fun of him. They said, "Hey, man! Where have you been?" And then another added a more unfriendly joke. Their jokes would continue until the teacher 3 them to stop. But it was always too late. The boy would put his head down on his desk in 4.

    I felt really sorry for this  5 boy. Then I turned my attention back to the speaker and listened carefully till the end.

    "Now, before I leave today, I would like to give everyone here an opportunity to say something on the subjects of bullying or peer pressure. You may apologize(道歉) to or thank someone. And I can promise that no one will 6 at you this time.

    The silence in the room made me believe her. Slowly I saw a few hands rise. One girl wanted to apologize to a friend, and another thanked a boy for his kindness. It was then that my moment of 7 happened. The speaker called on me, and I began to talk.

    "What you said today 8 makes sense. I know that it's true, because I see it every day in class. There is one person who is always made fun of." My voice shook, I think that everyone here has made fun of him. I know I have. And now I really 9 it. To us, it may just be a game, but to him, it must hurt. And I think well, I think we need to stop."

    There was a silence for several seconds, but then, clapping quickly spread through the crowd.

    Later that day, the boy thanked me . And from then on, the other students began to 10 him better. They stopped playing jokes on him and greeted him with a friendly "Hi". I was pleased I had voiced something that everyone was feeling.

    A farmer had some little dogs to sell. As he was putting up an advertisement on the fence of his yard, a 1 happened to pass by.

    “I want to 2 one of your dogs, sir.”

    “Well, " said the farmer, "these dogs come from fine parents and cost a lot of 3.”

    The boy 4 his head for a moment. Then he reached deep into his 5 and pulled out（退） some change（零钱）. “I've got thirty-nine cents（美分）. Is that 6 to take a look?”

    “7," said the farmer. And with that he let out a whistle（口哨），“Here, Dolly!”

    Dolly ran out of the dog house 8 by four little dogs. The boy's eyes danced with joy.

    As the dogs made their way to the fence(栅栏）, the little boy noticed something else moving inside the 9. Slowly another little dog 10: this one much smaller. It was doing its best to 11.

    “I want that one, "the little boy said.

    The farmer said, "Boy, don't want that dog. He will 12 be able to run and play with you like the other dogs would.”

    The boy rolled up（卷起）one leg of his pants and showed a steel（钢）13. Looking back up at the farmer, he said, “You see, sir, I don't 14 too well myself, and he will need someone who 15.”

    Several months ago, a couple with a little girl moved in next door to me. The girl seemed too quiet to make any noise, while the parents were always 1her loudly. Whenever we met my new neighbors, I always spoke, but the only 2 I ever got was a hello from the 4-year-old girl.

    I usually go out for breakfast and one day when I returned, they were just coming from their home and the little girl was holding the door open for others. I stayed in the car doing unnecessary things as I wasn't in a 3. The parents were telling her to get into the car immediately. I looked up and saw the little girl was still holding the door open, waiting for me.

As a disabled man, I can't hurry at 4, but I hurried as much as I could and thanked her. She was smiling like a lovely angel. I was so 5 by her small act of kindness. That afternoon I was shopping and I saw a white bear. I thought of the girl and said to myself. "I believe she would like that" so I bought it.

    The next day there was a knock on the door and it was the little girl and her parents. She was so 6of her bear and thanked me as if I had never been thanked before. The mother and father both thanked me. 

    Now when we meet, we all speak, and in a friendly manner I might add. As time passes, I don't hear that shouting as often.7, hardly at all.

    Last night we had about four inches of snow. I looked out at my car and wondered 8 I was going to keep my doctor's appointment(约会). When I opened the outside door, there was my car with all the snow cleaned. I can't express how I felt at that moment. The man next door was the only person I knew in the whole building,9when I saw him the next day, I asked him if he was the good man that cleaned my snow. He said No. He wanted to but his wife said she wanted to do it.

    Isn't it amazing that a 4-year-old girl can change so many things for the better? It is said that good things usually come from 10.

    One afternoon in June, Maggie was driving back to her house. Her sheepdog, Patches, was sitting in the back with 1 head out of the window to help it cool down. 2, Maggie heard a loud noise and she began to lose control of the car. Then the 3 crashed into a tree.

    Maggie opened her eyes and looked around to 4 that her dog was all right. Then she felt a great pain in her left leg. And she realized that the car was filled with thick black smoke. She pushed the car door open and tried to get out, but her trousers were caught in 5. That's when Patches proved (证明是) to be a 6 dog hero.

    It started biting her trousers until Maggie could pull her leg. Unluckily, that wasn't enough because Maggie 7 couldn't move. Patches grabbed(抓住) her jacket with its teeth and bravely pulled her out of the car. She 8 to the ground, but Patches kept pulling until it made Maggie far away from the car. After a while, the car blew up (爆炸).

    Finally, the emergency services 9 and they took Maggie to a hospital.

Maggie is very proud of Patches. She says that she wouldn't be here today to tell his 10 if there were no her brave dog.

    A long time ago, there was a seed. Because he was only a seed,1noticed him. So the seed thought he was not important in the world.

    One day, a wind2the seed and threw him on an open field. Later, he enjoyed the water on wet days and the3on clear days, which helped him grow. Years later, another day he saw a traveller sitting by his side.

    "Wow, how lucky I am! I can have a rest4a tree on such a hot day the traveller said.

    "What are you talking about "the seed quickly asked. He thought the man was making fun of him because no one ever spoke to him like that.

    "5just spoke?" the shocked man asked.

    "It's me, A seed."

    "The man said. Are you joking? You're not a seed. You are a big 6!"

    "Really?"

    "Yes! People often sit here to7your shade! Don't tell me you didn't know that."

    The traveler's words made him happy. The seed thought and8for the first time in his life.

    The years of torture by the sun and the rain helped him9grow up. "Oh! That means I' m not a little seed any more! In fact, I can make people feel10. Wow! That's great to be helpful."