Hi, my name is Dave. I'm 8 1 old. My birthday is 2 December 12th. I have 3 birthday party every year. Today I have my 4 birthday party. I get some gifts at the party. 5 are very good and I really like them. This 6 T-shirt is from my mother. Green is my 7 color. My mother buys me a pair of green 8, too. My father buys some 9 about history for me, because I like 10 best. I think these books 11 very interesting. My grandparents 12 I like playing basketball, 13 they buy me a basketball. I can 14 it with my friends after class. I'm very happy today.

    15 is your birthday, my friend? Do you have a party, too?

A Meaningful Gift

    Emily was an eight grader. To pass her Civics course（公民课程）,she had to do some volunteer service in a nursing home for a week.

    One Monday, Emily went to the nursing home after school. When she arrived, she was told she would1an hour every weekday with an elderly lady, Mrs. Blair. She was then led into a room, where an old lady in a flowery dress was sitting on a sofa.

    Emily2awkwardly（别扭地） in front of the lady. She cleared her throat and said,“Good afternoon. I'm Emily.”

    “Good afternoon, Emily. Take a seat,please,”Mrs. Blair replied.

    Then,3filled the space between them. Emily wondered what to say.

    “Tell me about yourself,Emily,”Mrs. Blair said suddenly.

    “Well,” Emily started, “I don't have any grandparents, so I can't relate to elderly people much. I love the performing arts. I'm here mainly because I have to 4here to get a good grade for my Civics class.”Mrs. Blair didn't seem to5.Many people, especially teens, don't seem to care about old people like me. Now you're here, and I'm going to change that about you. Ask me anything.”

    Emily thought for a moment, and finally decided, “What was your job?”

    “I was a Broadway star in the 1950s,”Mrs. Blair answered.

    “Cool! Can you tell me about it?” Emily asked, amazed.

    Mrs. Blair smiled. “Back then, only the lead actress had the honor to wear a 6bracelet. I was the lead in almost all of the plays, so I always wore the bracelet. Till this day, I still have it.”

    Emily smiled along with Mrs. Blair and listened to the other stories, attentively. She had become so interested in Mrs. Blair's7that she decided to come earlier the next day.

    Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday passed by quickly. Then came Friday. As she was leaving, Emily was really8to say goodbye.

    “Don't be sad. You can still visit me,” Mrs. Blair comforted her. She then handed a small box to Emily, “It's my gift to you.”

    Emily9opened the box and was surprised to see what was inside. “It's the bracelet that you wore. Thank you!” Emily said, with tears in her eyes. “I'm sure to visit you whenever I'm free.”

    On her way home, Emily thought of her own love for the performing arts. She touched the bracelet and made a10that she would keep her word to Mrs. Blair.

    A few years ago, my husband and I were on an island for a long vacation with our two daughters. As we wondered about what to do 1, our girls jumped in and told us what they wanted to do. "2 want to go to the butterfly（蝴蝶）museum." said Ariela and Eliana.

    As soon as we3into the main area of the museum, we saw a lot of 4butterflies, all flapping（拍打）their colorful wings. My girls were 5up and down, and I knew we had made the right6to come to the museum. They were having so much fun. I7to our museum tour guide because I was curious （好奇的）, and asked, "8do butterflies live?"

    She said, "About ten days." "What can butterflies do9ten days?" I asked. The guide stopped, looked at me and said, "They make the world a more beautiful place." "Wow," I said, "I10 thought about butterflies like that. Thank you."

    After we said goodbye, I couldn't11thinking about what the guide had said. She was right. We all have12offer the world with the time we have.13we focus our gifts on taking care of each other every day, we can make a14.

    How thankful it is that you can have the influence on your family, friends and neighbors! Like a butterfly, you have your own way of making the world a little15for everyone.

    A fox is1food. He is very hungry. Now he stands near a wall. He sees2fine grapes on the wall. He smiles and says, "3 nice they are! I want to eat them. The fox is jumping. He jumps and jumps, 4 the wall is too high. He5 get the grapes. The fox says "I must go now. I don't like those grapes. They are green. They are not good to eat.”

    My friend and I entered a little coffee house and ordered two cups of coffee. While we were waiting, two young men came in and began to order, " 1 cups of coffee, please. Two of them for us and three there on the wall." The waiter served them with respect (尊敬). They paid for their order, took the two and left. As soon as they left, the waiter 2 put three pieces of paper on the wall. We saw this with great 3.

Some more people came. Two girls asked for one coffee each, paid and went away. Then came three lawyers who paid for seven coffees —three for 4 and four suspended(待用). I really 5 what the suspended coffees were. Suddenly a man came into the coffee house. The way this man was dressed didn't 6 the style(风格）of this coffee shop. He kindly ordered a coffee on the wall. The waiter served coffee to this man, showing him the same 7 as the other customers. The man had his coffee and left 8 paying. The waiter took off a piece of paper from the wall and threw it in the dustbin.

At that moment, I knew the meaning of the suspended coffees. It's simple—people pay the coffee in advance(预先) for someone who can't 9 it. The tradition with the suspended coffees 10 in Italy, but it has spread all over the world. A suspended coffee is not only a cup of coffee, but also the warmth and love to someone in need.