I had been staring at the white walls of the video game store for about 2 hours since lunch. It was a very 1 day. I glanced at the table in front of the store, and my heart 2. It was the donation table for the victims of Typhoon Yolanda and even though I had donated what I could, I 3 felt sad whenever I saw the people on the TV suffering.I was broken out of my 4 when the doors got open. Customers, 5 !

    She was a small girl about 10 or 11. Her mother was accompanying her with a few plastic bags. I 6 her mom. When I was selling cigarettes on the street, I saw her selling clothes she7herself at the market.

    The daughter just had a 8 and her mom finally had 9 money to buy a PS3 and some games.

    The girl half-jogged, half-skipped to my counter. She 10 her backpack and pulled out a console(操纵板). Her mom handed me the bag full of games.

    “Can I 11 this?”

    “Sure sweetie, no problem.”

    I inspected the console and the games, and nothing was opened. According to our 12 , I returned the 13 to the mom. She handed it to the girl. And the girl ran off as fast as her little feet could take her. I was about to ask when the mom, seeing my 14 , explained, “She wants to sell her birthday 15 , so she can donate to the 16 .”

    She was 17to give up what was supposed to be hers and gave to those 18 . That's real generosity out there.

    19 I was watching her talking to the girl at the donations table, I was reminded that even though there are a lot of 20 people in the world, there are still those people just like that little girl.

    A man worked in a post office. His job was to handle(处理) all 1 that had unclear addresses. One day he came across a letter which was 2to God. He opened it and it 3 ， “Dear God，I am an 83­year­old woman and I live on a very small pension(养老金).Yesterday someone stole my 4.There was a hundred dollars in it，which was all the money I had 5 until my next pension comes. Next Thursday is Thanksgiving Day，and I have invited my last two friends for 6.Without that money，I have 7 to buy food with. I have no family to 8 ， and you are my only 9.Can you please help me？” The man was 10 ， and went around showing the letter to all the other workers. Each of them 11 their wallets and donated a few dollars. By the time he 12 his showing，he had collected 96 dollars. 13then he sent it to the old woman. Thanksgiving Day came and went. The workers 14forgot about it. Then one day，there came another letter from the old lady to God.All the 15gathered around when the letter was16.It read，“Dear God，how can I ever thank you enough for what you did for me？Because of your kindness，I was able to 17 a lovely dinner for my friends. We had a very 18 day，and I told my friends about your19 gift. Thank you very much！” Seeing this，all the workers felt 20 with the nice thing they had done. They looked into each other's eyes and smiled.

    When I was 13 my only purpose was to become the star on our football team.That meant1Miller King,who was the best2at our school.

Football season started in September and all summer long I worked out.I carried my football everywhere for 3.

    Just before September,Miller was struck by a car and lost his right arm.I went to see him after he came back from4.He looked very5,but he didn't cry.

    That season,I6all of Miller's records while he7the home games from the bench.We went 10-1 and I was named most valuable player,8I often had crazy dreams in which I was to blame for Miller's9.

    One afternoon,I was crossing the field to go home and saw Miller10when he was going over a fence—which wasn't_11to climb if you had both arms.I'm sure I was the last person in the world he wanted to accept12form. But even that challenge he accepted.I13him move slowly ever the fence.When we were finally 14on the other side,he said to me,“You know,I didn't tell you this during the season,but you did15.Thank you for filling in for 16”

    His words freed me from my bad17.I thought to myself,how even without an arm he was more of a leader. Damaged but not defeated,he was18ahead of me.I was right to have19him.From that day on,I grew20and a little more real.

    I was a person who always felt desperate（绝望）before. Months ago my mom 1 from a serious disease and had an operation on her brain. I felt the whole world falling down and I had no 2 what I could do to help her to reduce her 3. Whenever I was alone, tears welled up in my eyes.

    Last month I 4 a valuable watch, which was an 18-year-old birthday gift from my dad. I couldn't sleep for several nights for the reason that I felt5about the loss.

    There have been many 6 like these in my life. I could never know what to do with such tough matters 7 I read If You Have A Lemon, Make A Lemonade by American author Dale Carnegie.

    "When the wise man is handed a lemon, he says, 'What 8 can I get from this? How can I 9 my situation? How can I turn this lemon into a lemonade?' " he wrote.

    I suddenly 10 that life is full of ups and downs, so I need to stay 11 all the time. Now when I think of my past, I wish I could have handled things 12. When my mom was fighting for 13, I should have held her hands in mine, telling her things would get better instead of 14 and crying.

    Several weeks ago, I participated in a campus singing competition. I didn't 15a prize. If I had not 16 this article, I would definitely have felt 17 again. But instead, I smiled after the competition. I was pleased that in the end I had got some stage 18Life is not just a bed of roses. There are thorns（刺）as well, but these thorns help us become19 and strong. When life 20 us a lemon, let's try to make a lemonade.

    Today, I was sitting with some other students and teachers as the judges of the annual singing contest of Beijing National Day School(BNDS). Watching the wonderful performances on stage, I could not help 1what happened last year.

    Last year was the first year I came to the BNDS International Department. The first month at BNDS was almost a(n) 2: Curiosity quickly 3, replaced by a heavy workload. To make matters worse, I was

    4a total stranger in a new environment. When I was in trouble, I was too5to turn to anyone for help. I shut the door to the outside world.

    I thought I might continue to 6in darkness by myself, until one day, I saw the7of the annual singing contest. If I was not brave enough to communicate in words, maybe I could 8my heart out. Having made my decision, I joined the audition (试镜). Luckily, I9among more than 100 contestants and entered the top 32. After another three rounds of competition, I made10to the finals together with three other contestants.11more and more students knew that I joined the contest, they went to watch my performance, volunteered to 12for me and then shared my singing videos on social media. It seemed that I became well-known overnight.

    Finally, the big day came. When I13the nerve to walk onstage, I could not believe my eyes. The dark theater was suddenly lit up by14sticks, which were like stars in a dark sky. "Come on, Becky!" A shout broke the silence, followed by kind laughter. When it became15again, I began to sing.

    The music started, which drew me back to16. Now I might not remember clearly what songs I sang last year, but I would never forget the17in the darkness.  From then on, I had my18, made friends, and I even joined the singing club. Singing opens the door19a brand-new world. I know I will stay at BNDS, and I won't be20.

A little girl created the perfect Mother's Day gift.It was a drawing of a 1 on white paper with the words "For mom: love, love, love" decorated in hearts.She folded(折叠) her letter,2 then she lost it.

For most people, that would be the 3 of this story,but this story has a different result:James Carrell 4 the letter.He had just 5 his mother, wishing her a happy Mother's Day.After he got off the phone,Carrell saw the 6 on the ground outside of a hardware(五金器具) store in Manvel in Texas, United States."I 7 it was a note" said Carrell."I 8 it and saw the flower and hearts.It 9 .

moved me." Carrell thought the letter would 10 someone's day and maybe he could find the 11 , so he posted it in the Talk of Alvin Facebook group.The message 12 a lot of people, especially one man.

"I was sitting at my friend's house and saw a man 13 ,"said Carrell.

His Facebook comments(评论) included a message from Roberto Alvarado.He wrote, "I can't 14 you found my baby's letter."Carrell reached out to Alvarado to 15 the letter.It took a few days, but the men finally 16 on Thursday night, one day after Alvarado's daughter Natalie celebrated her seventh birthday." 

17 the letter made it home," said Alvarado." We are 18 for what James Carrell did." 

We often forget the power of 19 things,but for this family from Alvin, Carrell's small act left a(n)20 impression(影响).