While my father was an officer of the British army in South Africa, we lived in a two-storeyed house. One evening my father and sister and I were sitting together. He was1the window. I suddenly2that he was turning very pale. I sat3, for I didn't want to4my sick sister. Soon father said in a5voice, “Kate and Joan, a friend of mine6here to see me this evening, and I wish to be7him. Will you go up to your own room?” We obeyed, went to our room and closed the door.

    Soon I heard a8like that of a door burst in, and then a climb of feet. They were hurrying9the narrow stairs. Fearing that there was10near, I seized the pistol (手枪) on the table. Then I heard my father cry out, “For God's sake, child, 11the door.” I did so. To my scare, I saw,12my father's shoulder; a gorilla (大猩猩), the worst enemy of the soldier in Europe, he was13my father. I raised the pistol and fired. The animal fell backwards with an/a 14loud cry. Father took the still 15pistol from my hand, and fired another shot, which killed the gorilla.

    It happened when father 16us upstairs because he thought he would be able to 17the door—which was twenty feet away 18the animal reached it. However, the gorilla was too 19 and this was the cause of the 20flight (=escape) up the stairs.

    A Michigan man, named Bob, was alone when he left his farmhouse on New Year's Eve to collect firewood. Expecting a journey of only several meters, Bob was just 1 long johns (秋裤), a shirt and slippers (拖鞋) when he went outside,2 the temperature being around -4℃. 3, he fell down and broke his neck. He4 for help but his nearest neighbor is about a quarter mile5and it was 10:30 pm.

    6 , Bob's Kelsey, a five-year-old Golden Retriever (金毛寻回犬) came. She kept Bob warm by 7 on top of him, and kept him 8 by licking (舔) his hands and face. She kept barking for 9 but never left his side. Bob said: "With Kelsey keeping 10 with me, I knew I had to 11 this and that it was my choice to stay alive."

    By morning Bob's voice was gone, but Kelsey didn't 12 shouting still. Bob's neighbor  13 discovered him after hearing Kelsey's shouts and called 911. When Bob arrived in hospital, his temperature was14 21 ℃. Normal body temperature is 37 ℃, so Bob was 15 to find out that he didn't have any injury16 cold. "I'm sure it was because of Kelsey's 17to keep me warm and aware," said Bob.

    And to the surprise of doctors, Bob made a quick 18 from his neck injury. "I think animals can help and his 19 hero did keep Bob alive and really make a big 20 ," said Chaim Colen, MD, Neurosurgeon (神经外科医生) at McLaren.

    My parents always made extra Christmas specials for my sisters and me. Of course the big 1 was that my sisters and I would run down the stairs to see our Christmas tree surrounded by mountains of 2. We got bikes, microscopes, cameras, and 3 else a kid might want. They were great, though I didn't 4 appreciate all that my parents did. It was quite common for me to be trapped in 5 the endless gifts. As a result, I'm unable to remember everything I 6.

    As my husband Joe and I were ready to welcome our first child 7 the world, we thought about how to give Christmas gifts in advance. Finally we 8 the decision to set the three-gift 9 for our holiday celebrations. I had ever 10 about the idea in a few magazine articles. And I really liked how it made the 11 decide the things they truly wanted. Mostly, I loved the idea of 12 our holiday. I would see my kids get the same 13 of gifts. I expected a Christmas day when we could actually 14 each other's company, as well as the gifts and the spirit that our children were given.

    15 those ideas that Joe and I came up with before they were born, such as never letting them eat junk food, or 16 TV time to only one hour a day, the three-gift rule is one thing that 17 the test of time. We've done it each year since Tom was born 18 years ago, 18 it's actually done in the way that we had hoped. Joe and I are less 19 because we just need to focus on giving each child the top three things that they desire. And we find the kids do 20and enjoy the gifts.

    When I was growing up, I had an old neighbor Dr Gibbs, a good doctor. When Dr, Gibbs wasn't 1lives, he was planting trees. His house covered an area of ten acres, and his life's2was to make it a forest.

    The good doctor had some interesting theories 3plant care and growth. He never4his new trees, which went against traditional practices. Once I asked why, he said that watering plants did 5to them so that their later generation would grow weaker and weaker. So you had to make things6for them and removed the7early on. He talked about how watering trees made for8roots, and how trees that weren't watered had to grow deep roots9 moisture(水分). He meant that deep roots had to be10. For this reason, he11watered his trees.

    Dr Gibbs12a couple of years after I left home. Every now and again, I walked by his house and looked at the13that he had planted when he was alive. They're extremely tall and big14 they have deep roots now. However, the trees in my garden15 in a cold wind although I had watered them for several years.

    It seems that suffering 16these trees, while comfort and ease never can. I stood there deep in17.

    Every night before I go to bed, I check on my two sons. Mostly I pray that their lives will be 18.But I think that it's time to19my prayer because now I know my children are going to20hardship.

Tell mommy I love her

    John had been on the road visiting customers for more than three weeks. It was coming up on Mother's Day. He said to himself, "I'll 1 Mom some roses."

    He went into the small shop and saw a boy 2 to the clerk. "How many roses can I get for six dollars, ma'am?" the boy asked. The clerk was trying to 3 that roses were expensive. 4 the young man would be happy with carnations (康乃馨).

    "No. I 5 have roses," he said, "My Mom was sick so much last year and I didn't get to spend much time with her. I want to get something 6. It has to red roses, because that's her favorite."

    The clerk 7 John and was just shaking her head. Something inside John was 8 by the boy's voice. He looked at the clerk and 9 mouthed that he would pay for the boy's roses.

    The clerk looked at the young man and said, "Okay, I will give you a dozen red roses 10 your six dollars." The young man 11 jumped into the air. He took the flowers and ran from the store.

    John 12 his own flowers and had the clerk be 13 that delivery would include a note telling his mother how much he loved her. 14 he drove away from the shop, he saw the young boy walking down the sidewalk. He 15 him cross the street and enter a cemetery (墓地). The young man stopped by a small monument and went on his knees. He 16 laid the roses on the grave and began to sob. John heard the young man speak, "Mommy, oh Mommy, 17 didn't I tell you how much I love you? Jesus, please, find my Mommy. 18 my Mommy I love her."

    John 19, tears in his eyes, and walked back to his car. He drove quickly to the florist and told her he would take the flowers 20.

    Frederick the Great, King of Prussia, was seated in his room when a petition (请愿书)was brought to him. The King had just returned from hunting, and the glare of the sun, or some other1, had so dazzled (使...目眩)his eyes that he found it difficult to 2 a single word of the writing.

    So he called the servant boy. The poor boy 3 a poor reader, huddling (挤在一起) several words together 4 they were syllables of one long word, which he must get through with as speedily as possible. "Stop! Send me that little girl sitting there by the fountain." The girl 5 pointed out by the King was the daughter of a royal 6, who had come to help her father weed the flower beds. She was somewhat 7 but took courage when the King told her that he only wanted her to 8 for him, as his eyes were weak.

    Ernestine, the little girl, was 9 of reading, and often many of the neighbors would10 at her father's house to hear her. Those who could not read themselves would come with their letters from friends or children, so she formed the 11 of reading various sorts of handwriting promptly and well.

The King gave her the petition, and she rapidly 12 the opening lines to get some13 of what it was about. It was from a poor widow, whose only son had been14into the army, although his health was delicate. His father had been killed in battle.

    Ernestine read the petition with so much 15, and in tones so pure and distinct, that when she had finished, the King, into whose eyes 16 had started, cried excitedly, "Oh, now I understand what it is all about; but I might never have known its 17 had I trusted to that young gentleman. As for you, my young lady," continued the King, "I know you will ask no better 18 than the pleasure of carrying to this poor widow my order for her son's immediate discharge."

    How happy Ernestine was! Because of her good reading the poor widow 19 her son. Ernestine also 20 did the servant boy good for, sorry for his bad reading, he began studying in earnest and finally became a lawyer.