Last Sunday evening, my parents went out for a walk with my sister. But I studied alone at home because l would have an English test. Suddenly, I saw bright light in my neighbor's kitchen. I thought he was cooking, so I went on studying.  

Soon, there was a terrible smell in the air and I thought something was wrong. I went out and saw fire coming out of my neighbor's kitchen. So I shouted “Fire, Fire!” But no one heard or came out.

    I ran quickly to my house to call 119, and then I rang my neighbor's doorbell, knocked at the door, but there was no response. I got into the house through the window and found my neighbor sleeping in his bedroom. I woke him up and we rushed out of the house together.

    We tried our best to pour water through the kitchen window, but the fire was too heavy. Luckily, the firemen came and put out the fire quickly. When my parents came back, they found I was dirty and tired. After my neighbor told them the whole story, they were happy and said I was a brave boy.

    Zach has a stepson， Bradley. One day， Zach drove over to meet Bradley. Bradley was a student in a high school. He neither liked nor disliked Zach， even though he had known Zach for three years. Zach was still trying to get along with Bradley. He told Bradley that he was coming over. Bradley said OK. When Zach got there， he asked if Bradley wanted to drive his car. Bradley had a driver's license. Bradley said all right. Zach told him not to drive too fast， but he could drive anywhere he wanted. Bradley got on the 210 Road and headed northwest. Zach gave Bradley a few driving tips： Don't drive next to big cars； don't drive behind trucks with goods...

    On their way back， Zach suggested that they stop at the golf course(高尔夫球场). He wanted to show Bradley how to play golf. But Bradley didn't like it； he liked his video games. However， Bradley soon found that playing golf was fun and he did very well. The next day， Bradley， for the first time， called Zach. Bradley asked if Zach would come the next Saturday， so they could take a drive and go to the golf course again. Zach said yes， with a happy feeling in his heart.

    Baseball is my favourite sport. It is fun to play, and it is fun to watch.

    I went to my first baseball game with my grandparents when I was 6. It was really wonderful.

    We had a good time. I was happy to be with my grandparents. My grandfather made me love the game.

    My dad knew I loved baseball, so he gave me a baseball on my ninth birthday.

    When I was 12, my friend came to me and asked me to join his team and play baseball. From then on(从那时起), I got to learn more about baseball. I practised a lot and learned how to play better.

    My favourite player is Derrek Lee. Derrek Lee joined the Chicago Cubs in 2004. That year was a good year for him, but 2005 was his best year. One of my favourite things about Derrek Lee is that he is a very nice person. He never shouts at others. He always has a big smile on his face. He seems happy all the time.

    I sat down to read under an old tree in the park. I felt my life was hopeless, I didn't take an interest in anything. I thought that my whole world was dark.

    A young boy ran up to me, out of breath. He stood right before me with his head down and said excitedly, "Look what I found!" in his hand was a flower, and what a poor sight! The flower was dry and dead. I gave him a small smile and then turned my eyes away so that he could take his dry flower and go off to play. I didn't want to talk with him at all.

However, he sat next to my side and placed the flower to his nose and said in surprise, "It smells sweet and it's beautiful, too. That's why I picked it. Here, it's for you." The flower before me was dead. But I knew I must accept it, or he might never leave. So I accepted the flower, and replied, "This is just what I want, thank you." Just then, for the first time I noticed that the boy could not see — he was blind.

    Tears came down my face as I thanked him for picking the best one. "You're welcome." he smiled, and then ran off to play. I sat there and wondered how he was able to learn about my pain.

    Through the eyes of a blind child, at last I could see the problem was not with the world; the problem was me. And for all those years I myself had been blind. In fact I never found there is always something beautiful around me in life. I decided to see the beauty of life, and enjoy every second of my life. And then I held that dry flower up to my nose and breathed in the smell of a beautiful rose.

    Originally from India, Krunal Shukla had been living in Edinburgh, Scotland for six years when he and his wife started to consider other countries to raise their two-year-old son. "We wanted our son to grow up in a place where he'd have a hot of recreational(娱乐的) activities. Canada was too cold and we weren't interested in Australia so we started to look into New

    "Zealand," Krunal said.

    "After receiving our visas(签证), we arrived in Auckland in March 2009 with on much of a plan. 1 found the job market to be difficult at the time. I have a Master's degree in Accounting(会计) and Finance(财经) and several years of experience as a manager in the financial field. I would spend about four to five hours a day applying(申请) jobs when we first arrived. After several months of searching, 1 approached (到达) the Auckland Chamber of Commerce where I met New Kiwis(新西兰人) Employment Liaison, Sheeam. She gave me a 1ot 0f guidance and helped me to target my job search. Sheeam also trained me through the interview process and within a week I received(得到) a couple of interviews," Krunal said.

    Krunai accepted a job offer as Business Analyst in the Finance Department of West Coast District Health Board in December 2009. He and his family packed up and moved to Greymouth on the South Island.

    He said, "We found housing quite easily and were amazed at how social the community was. In the first week neighbors were coming over and introducing themselves—extremely different to the UK where I hardly knew my neighbor who lived next door to us for six years."

    Krunal is presently on a visa sponsored(担保) by his employer and wants to apply for Permanent Residence(永久居住) in the future.

    "I love my job and it's been an exciting challenge working in the health industry. I've spent years in a commercial setting(商业环境) so I'm learning something new every day. My workmates have been extremely helpful and welcoming. My family has settled in well and we enjoy raising our son in such a safe and secure (安全的) environment. New Zealand is a beautiful country with plenty of chances for young families," Krunal said.