Many would agree that when we think of Christmas， we probably think of gifts， Christmas trees and Santa Claus. But behind all these things lies the true meaning of Christmas: the importance of sharing and giving love and joy to people around us. The story in A Christmas Carol is perhaps the best example of this.

    A Christmas Carol is a famous novel written by Charles Dickens. It is about an old man named Scrooge. He only thinks about himself and doesn't treat others nicely. He just cares about whether he can make more money. And he hates Christmas. One Christmas Eve， Scrooge sees the ghost of Jacob Marley， his dead business partner. Marley used to be just like Scrooge， so he was punished after he died. He warns Scrooge to change his ways if he doesn't want to end up like him. He also tells Scrooge to expect three spirits to visit him.

    That night， three ghosts visit Scrooge. First， the Ghost of Christmas Past takes him back to his childhood and reminds Scrooge of his happier days as a child. Then the second spirit， the Ghost of Christmas Present， takes him to see how others are spending Christmas this year. Everyone is happy， even poor people. The last one， the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come， takes him to the future. He sees that he is dead but nobody cares. Scrooge is so scared that he wakes up in his bed and finds out it is already the next morning on Christmas Day!

    He decides to change his life and promises to be a better person. He happily celebrates Christmas with his relatives. He also gives gifts to people in need. He now treats everyone with kindness and warmth， spreading love and joy everywhere he goes. And that is the true spirit of Christmas!

    For a full­time worker and a mother of three, it seems impossible to spend time 1, but Hope Cooper can make it.

    Cooper volunteers at Parent Teacher Student Association (PTSA) in Varina High School. Her work is to 2 applications(申请表格)to students with scholarships (奖学金) for college. Cooper says, "I usually run to the PTSA meetings right after work. After the meetings, I have to run home and cook dinner for my own children."

    3 of Cooper's children goes to Varina High School, but she says, "Volunteering isn't all about helping the people you know best, but it's about helping those who 4 you most." Cooper chooses to volunteer in Varina High School because she 5 some poor students can't afford the higher education. She says 6 she can't help out every student, helping out one student is rewarding (值得的). Cooper thinks volunteering not only makes a difference to the students but also 7 her thought of what is important in life. Cooper says volunteering may seem 8 to one but means so much to those who need it. She 9 everyone to take part in it. She plans to keep on volunteering in the future. "Volunteering gives me a 10 that I need. I'll ask my children to volunteer, too," she says.

    Before graduating college, Jackie began to look for a job. She aimed at a famous company, but the 1for such jobs was very strong. The company Jackie chose planned to employ only one person, but more than twenty people applied for the job. 2 , Jackie was one of the three people invited for the final interview. The interview was very   3. The interviewer asked just a few questions and it was all over in less than 10 minutes. Then the interviewer said to them," All of you are very good. Please go home and 4our response. "

    Three days later, Jackie received a message saying she would not be    5the job. She felt deeply disappointed. That evening, however, she received another 6. This time it said that she got the job.

    Jackie later found out that the first message sent to her phone was part of the interview--a 7 to see if she was suitable for the job. All the three people received the 8text, but only Jackie's reply 9 the company. Of the three, one did not reply. The other said "goodbye" and Jackie said "thank you". This reply showed that Jackie was a/an 10person, so the company offered her the job.

My first day of school

    Fear started taking over. I was walking into my first school in America. I had a long journey from India to join my parents, who had been here for three years, hoping America would help my future.

    On the first day, I was already confused because back in India the teachers switch(转换) according to periods while most of the students have the same periods, but here it was totally1.

    With anxiety(焦虑) on one hand and fear on the other, I opened the door 2. Since I was a bit late, everyone's eyes were on me as I entered the room. Without paying attention to them, I went straight to the teacher and asked if this was the right class. With a soft voice he answered, "Yes." His voice 3 me a little. Then he asked me to choose a seat. I didn't actually want to 4a seat. In India we had assigned (分配的) seats, so I never needed to worry about that.

    I was confused about which buildings to go to, but I 5to get to my classes without asking anyone. I was very confused about when I would have lunch. It was already noon. The bell rang and I entered my next class. Again, I asked the teacher if I was in the right class. Then I chose a seat, sat down and waited for the6 to begin. The teacher looked at me with a puzzled face, "Why don't you go for lunch?" "But the bell just rang," I said. "That is the lunch bell," she said. Without another word I 7for the cafeteria( 餐厅) . I felt lucky because we didn't have this in India.

    Every confusion seemed like a difficulty I had to get through to reach my 8. At the end of the day, at the school gate I found my bus and sat down inside happily. I was thinking, today wasn't so bad. I couldn't wait for the next day to come.