One day I was riding on a crowded bus downtown to go to work when it rained suddenly. The windows of the bus were soon 1 and we couldn't see the outside. Everyone was in low spirits. I was sitting next to a man in a business suit and I paid little attention 2 we both got off at the same stop and walked to the same news-stand(报刊亭) to get a morning 3.

    The man 4 the stand was obviously having a bad day. He was 5 and unsmil­ing as we bought our papers, which only  6 more gloom (郁闷) to my day. The business­man 7 my eyes and smiled brightly, 8 the news-stand owner for the paper and for being open on such a morning to 9 we were able to get our papers.

    As we went away, I asked this man why he was so 10 to the newsman when he didn't respond to his 11 of thanks and friendliness. The businessman smiled at me and said, “Why would I let someone else 12 what I say and what I feel?”

    We then 13 to go to our own work places. To this day, I still don't know who that businessman was, or where he worked. 14, I know nothing about him. He appeared briefly in my life and disappeared just as 15. But I've never forgotten the words he said and his 16 which seemed like a ray of light on a gloomy day.

    That was a good 25 years 17, but the effect this had on my life has lasted. I have learnt that we cannot control people and  18 we are in, but we can always control our 19 to them. That is, it is within our control and our  20 to make such positive decisions and thus to make a positive difference.

    There are many kinds of friends. Some are always1you, but don't understand you. Some say only a few words to you, but understand you. Many people will step in your life, but only2friends leave footprints.

    I shall always recall the autumn and the girl with the3. She will always bring back the friendship between us. I know she will always be my best friend.

    It was the golden season. I could see the yellow leaves4in the cool wind. In such a5, I liked walking alone in the leaves,6to the sound of them.

    Autumn is a harvest season and7is uninteresting. The free days always get me8. But one day, the sound of a violin9into my ears like a stream flowing in the mountains. I was so surprised that I jumped to see what it was. A young girl, standing in the wind, was10in playing her violin.

    I had11seen her before. The music was so nice that I listened quietly. Lost in the music, I didn't know that I had been12there for so long but my existence did not seem to disturb her.

    Leaves were still falling. Every day she played the violin in the corner of the building13I went downstairs to watch her performance. I was the only listener. The autumn seemed no longer lonely and life became14.Though we didn't know each other, I thought we were already good15. I believe she also liked me.

    Autumn was nearly over. One day, when I was listening carefully, the sound suddenly16.To my surprise, the girl came over to me.

    “You must like violin.” she said.

    “Yes. And you play very well. Why did you stop?” I asked.

Suddenly, a17expression appeared on her face and I could feel something unusual.

    “I came here to see my grandmother, but now I must leave. I once played very badly. It was your listening every day that18me.” she said.

    “In fact, it was your playing19gave me a meaningful autumn,” I answered, “Let's be friends.”

    The girl smiled, and so did I.

    I never heard her play again in my life. I no longer went downstairs to listen like before. Only thick leaves were left behind. But I will always remember the fine figure(身影) of the girl. She is like a20so short, so bright, like a shooting star giving off much light that makes the autumn beautiful.

    Whatever misfortune you face, just hold up your head and face it with a smile! I got to know this from a musical soul.

    The other day I was feeling quite1, having just been laid off from my job. With so many2to pay, I was wondering what was going to happen to my family.

    I got off the bus when I heard piano music and3rising above the noise of the traffic. I walked a bit slower, trying to find out where it was coming from. Through the4I saw a young lady sitting at a piano with a box next to her.

    She was singing songs about love and her sweet voice5me a bit. Then I stood there watching her playing, thinking that it must take6to perform on her own in front of hundreds of people she didn't know.

    She might have felt my7for she occasionally looked in my direction.

    By now I was telling myself that I could at least tell her how good she sounded. I walked8and put some money in her box and she expressed her thanks with a smile on her face.

    I asked her9, “Why are you playing the piano in the middle of this crowded place?”

    She explained to me that she sees so many10people in the world that she is trying to relieve the pain by11motivational music.

    Instead of continuing my way home, I said to her, “I have been going through a12time lately, but you've made me13again.”

    “I'm happy that I could be14to you,” she replied. “Why are you so sad?”

    I told her my story and said, “I'm not so15about what to do….”

    “You see, here's the16,” she responded. “When you were walking, your head was down.” She looked me in the eyes and went on, “Don't look defeated, because17comes in different ways and if your head is down you might never see it. You should18more… lift your head up.”

    I was really19by what she said! I did hold my head up and soon got through the difficult time.

    So20in trouble, just face it bravely and you are sure to overcome your difficulty sooner or later.

    Every day on the way to work I drive down a street lined with pine trees. One tree in particular1 my attention. It must have suffered some 2Part of its trunk grew nearly parallel to the ground, and then in an effort to 3its own course of life. The trunk took a 90-degree turn 4 to stand tall and stretch toward the sun.

    This tree became a5for me. Each day as I drove by, I saw this bent but determined tree and I would be 6. It was a reminder to me that 7I may not have had the best start in life, I could change8 in the parts of my life at any time.

    I was planning to stop one day to get a perfect 9of my kindred-spirit (志趣相同) tree. But that week I was10. After that busy week, I still didn't take any action. Every time I drove by the tree I would11 myself, “Tomorrow, I'll stop tomorrow to take one.” Then one day, as I 12by “my” tree, I glanced over, and much to my13 I found a sawed-off stump (树桩) where that symbolic tree had stood. Gone. I had14my plan until “tomorrow” and tomorrow proved to be too15.

    A picture of a tree is not of great 16. But my lesson rang through clearly17I found out one of my colleagues had been18 with stage-four cancer. He may no longer have many19.

    What have you been putting off? What would you do today if you knew you would 20 have the opportunity to do it again? Why not do those things that you have been putting off until tomorrow?

As a primary school student in New York City, Robert Lee would stare in 1 at his classmates throwing away half-eaten sandwiches after lunch, because his parents had 2 him and his elder brother not to 3 food. They said it was bad karma(作孽).

    While studying at New York University, Robert remembered this4 and joined Two Birds One Stone, a food-rescue club on campus that5, five days a week, uneaten pasta, vegetables, and other leftovers from the school 6to nearby homeless shelters.

When Robert and fellow club member Louisa Chen entered a college contest, they 7 a slightly8 idea for a food-rescue nonprofit group: Their program wouldn't have a 9minimum, would 10seven days a week, and its staff would 11volunteers.

Their idea12the competition. With the＄1,000 prize, they13Rescuing Leftover Cuisine (RLC) in July, 2013. In just the first few weeks, Robert's team delivered a donation of enough spaghetti and meatballs to14 20 people in line at a New Yorker City homeless shelter that had 15food.

Robert, who had taken a job as an analyst at J. P. Morgan, devoted his spare time to creating a network of New Yorker City restaurants that were16to donate food, and he enlisted(征募) volunteers to make food deliveries to homeless shelters. After RLC received national press17, homeless shelters and soup kitchens in many places reached out to Robert for18. Two years after being founded, RLC had already distributed more than 250,000 pounds of food.

    Only a year into his finance job, Robert gave up his six-figure salary to19RLC. “I compared work at J. P. Morgan with that at RLC, and the difference was great,” he says.

    “One shelter told us that our donations allow them to provide entire dinners for more than 300 people, three nights a week,” Robert says. “Things like that make me feel20that I quit my job.”

We met Bailey 5 yeas ago. He was a standard poodle (髦毛小狗) born on Valentine's day in 2020, and came to us in a small blue box. His previous owner posted the news online and we adopted him. Our only request was that he behave calmly and be able to put up with the pushing and hugging of our eight-year-old daughter and six-year-old son. 

We were a sweet family: me, my husband, our children Angela and Tony. But for years. I'd felt that we wouldn't be truly whole if we didn't have a dog. Also, my husband worked for a commercial company and traveled around 200 days a year. and I knew that having a large animal sleeping by the door made me feel safer. 

The last piece of our purzle fell into place when we opened the box. With his dark hair and smart eyes, Bailey was beautiful. He was so small that he could fit in the palm of my hand, his big paws (爪子) resting at his sides. He was a little scared, too. As I pulled him close, I felt his heart racing, and 1 wondered if we had done the right thing by taking him away from his mother. But it was too late. Angela and Tony were already arguing about who would carry him and who had the right to bathe him. 

Over the following months, we spent countless hours watching Bailey play with his toys or roll around on the living room floor. Like most poodles, he was smart. He quickly mastered house-training and never chewed (咀) on our furniture or shoes. He considered himself one of us. 

One night we were sleeping in the bedroom when I heard some strange noise. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

At that time, Bailey ran towards me. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

A. I thought it was Bailey running and hitting something, so I kept lying in the bed and made an attempt to fall asleep again. However, the noise became louder and louder, which had already annoyed me. Quickly l got up from my bed. I opened the door and found Bailey running around the living room, trying to let all the things fall down. These abnormal behaviors really made me confused and a little afraid.

B. He firmly grabbed my trousers and pulled me to the kitchen. As I approached the kitchen could obviously smell a strong burning smell and immediately knew what had happened. When¹ aw the fierce fire in the kitchen, I dashed into my children's room like an arrow(前), waking them up at my maximum voice. Rushing out of the house together with my family. I called 911 and asked our neighbors for help at the same time. Fortunately both my family and my house were saved Thanks to our smart Bailey, we did escape from death.

C. Angela and Tony completed the delicious breakfast and they could not wait to bring it to me who slept in the room. Their father praised their hard-earned work with his thumb up, informing them that I was sleeping on the second floor. To my surprise, their hand-made food was so delicious that l would never forget it. Obviously. what they had done for me would be rooted in memory.

D. I nodded with a smile and encouraged the children to get started. Quickly. Angela volunteered to get the big box of com and prepared to make popcorn. At the same time, Tony. my smart boy. went to buy some paper bags. I ran to Bailey's home to invite him. Not surprisingly. Bailey was amazed at this great project and couldn't wait to come. To our delight, the popcorn they made looked great and tasted delicious. Finally. they packed the sweet popcorn in the paper bags together. Laughter and happiness filled this house.