It was 4 o'clock in the morning, when I received the phone call.

  “This is the emergency room calling and your son was just 1 in with severe burns on his face, neck and arms. We have called for a(n)2 and are going to fly him to the burn unit in Seattle.” Seattle was 350 miles from his college, so we knew immediately this was 3.

    The doctor described the 4, which caused the burns. At 6 am, our son and his friends decided to barbecue hamburgers in the courtyard of their apartment. When they 5 the charcoal(木炭), it burst into flames because they had sprayed too much gasoline. The flames 6 my son's shirt tail and shot from his waist to well over his head.

      7, one of the boys who was quick—minded grasped my son and 8 him on the grass. While it saved his life, it was not in 9 to save him from severe burns and the terrible scars.

    After he 10 from the treatments, the doctors told him they would not do plastic surgery(整容) for 6 months 11 it takes that long for the skin to stop wrinkling(起皱). So, he had to return to college with scars typical of severe burns.

    When I was a child, my mother told my sister，who had a 10-inch very  12 scar on her arm, “Nancy，if you ignore the scar, other people will ignore it. It does not mean they will not 13 it, but it means it will not matter to them if it doesn't matter to you.

     I 14 this wisdom on to my son. He took my advice to 15 and returned to school with his head held high—glad he was alive.

By the end of the six-month waiting period, he decided that the scars did not 16. So he made the 17 to give up any plastic surgery.

    We all have “scars” that we believe 18 people to keep away from us. And we spend a lot of time thinking that if only we looked differently, or dressed differently, people would like us better. But you see, people will only judge you by your looks or your clothes if you are judging yourself by these same19 standards. Put your imperfections out of your mind and concentrate on what you value 20 yourself, and your beauty will shine through.

    A young British woman had shortly arrived in Hong kong and had not yet 1 anything about the Chinese 2. One day she went to the home of a Chinese friend and was 3given a cup of Chinese tea. She was not 4 and she also found this type of tea rather 5 . However, since she had been given the tea, she felt she should drink it. Hoping to finish it 6 so that she would not feel about having to drink this tea which she did not 7 , she started to drink as much of it as she could. But as soon as her cup became half-full, the host8giving her more. Several times she told the host that she had had 9, but it seemed to have no10 . Her cup kept being 11 , and she kept on drinking. During the time of he 12 , she drank about twelve cups of tea. Later she found out that she should have just 13 the tea, and that this would have meant that she had had enough. Influenced by her 14culture, she felt it too 15 to leave the tea and could not understand why the host took no notice of her protests(抗议) that she had had enough!

    The family had had a cat for years. Then one day, the children finally1 to persuade their parents to get them a dog as well. So a little Labrador(拉布拉多犬)2.

    The dog was so3that everyone wanted to hold him and he charmed everyone by just loving them. The cat made it very clear that she did not welcome another4 in the house, but the dog just5the cat anyway. The little dog6her everywhere, trying to make friends with the angry cat. No amount of7 behavior from the cat could persuade the dog not to love the cat.

    The family thought the cat would8 like the dog.

    Then one day the family heard horrible9 from their back yard. They ran to the10 to see what was happening. They lived in the suburbs and so they saw a real lynx( 猞猁) was just planning on11 their cat for lunch. The poor cat had nowhere to run or hide. It would only be a matter of seconds and their cat would be12 .

    And then suddenly a black lightning ran to the cat. The little dog13 the big lynx with all its strength. It did not be14or stop to think. It saw its15in trouble and did what had to be done. The family opened the window and started yelling and the father ran to the yard. The lynx soon disappeared into the16 .

    And ever since that day the cat's behavior toward the dog17 totally. Now it was the cat that followed the hero dog everywhere. They18in the same basket. The cat even let the dog eat from her bowl.

    So we can 19: if ever anyone is20 towards you, don't turn your back on them. They may not rescue your life—but their kindness can certainly rescue your day!

    I was eleven years old when the fire broke out that year. I stood outside in just my underwear while I watched the 1 that I grew up in rapidly burn to the 2. A few minutes earlier I had been 3 asleep in my nice, warm bed when a 4 woke me up. My mum's bedroom was just next to mine and my brother's. A fire had broken out there and 5 her. While I stumbled(跌跌撞撞地走)around in the 6 and darkness, she ran from room to room quickly waking everyone in the house. The house, however, was over 50 years old and made of wood. Before we could do anything the fire 7 it. We all barely 8 outside before the 9 engulfed(吞没) every room.

    I stood there 10 while the fire destroyed my books, clothes, and toys. I watched 11 while my mum cried and my Dad swore. I 12 what was going to happen to us 13 we had lost all of our things. As I looked around, though, I realized something for the first time: The things that 14 aren't things. I realized at that moment that we were all alive. 15 that was essential had 16 the fire. We would all be around to love each other for many years to come. And that was all that mattered.

    I still think of that fire in the 17 that helped me to become who I am today. It showed me for the very first time what is truly 18 in this life. It helped me to learn that the love we 19 is far more important than the things we 20.

    It was just a harmless Valentine's Day joke. Old Lady Hayes 1 it. She used to scream at us for "borrowing" a few of her precious raspberries (木莓), like we were 2 gold.

    George practiced 3 the box out of reach by the string. I couldn't wait to see it fly away when she tried to pick it up.

    I was first to 4 my dad in the doorway. I froze. Within seconds, my 5 was shared by all. Dad walked slowly to the empty candy box. He picked it up, and watched it swing back and forth. Then he looked into the eyes of the 6 boys.

    "It doesn't seem so long ago that I was playing Valentine's Day 7,"he said, "One year my cousins and I decided to try one on our Grandma Walker 8 we loved her. We just wanted to have some 9. We sneaked up to her 10 and drew a gift there with red paint. Then we kicked the door and 11 behind the bushes. When Grandma 12 appeared, she looked down. Even from 15 feet away we could see the 13 in her eyes. Grandma 14 for the fresh paint. Slowly, she 15 our joke. She tried to smile, absently wiping red paint on her clean and white apron (围裙)."Dad 16 and for the first time I noticed that his eyes were 17."Grandma died later that year. I never had another 18 to give her a real valentine."

    Later that night a red. heart-shaped box was 19 on Mrs. Hayes' front doorstep We hid behind the bushes to see how she would 20 to receiving a full box of candy.

    "How dare you!" My anger finally burst out when my son 1 to go to the piano classes for the third time that day. He rolled his eyes at me, which made me even 2. I completely lost my 3 and screamed at the top of my lungs, "Enough! You are not my boy anymore!" He didn't 4 or talk back to me. He responded in 5 with a look of helplessness that I had never seen before. He used to cry violently and beg me to 6 him. The innocence shining in his big eyes would 7 that hot-tempered beast in me away in the end. 8, this time…

    Did what he had done really make me 9? No. Did such anger come entirely from his improper 10? No. Had I ever given it a chance to listen to and 11 him? No. My demanding job, my 12 housework, my kid's cry for company..., all formed a minefield and all that was needed to 13 it up was a fuse (导火索). My son was the 14.

    The rest of the day, he 15 an outdoor walk, a ride in the park and even his favorite games and just wanted to be alone. I could 16 the greatest sorrow and the most true innocence in his eyes. After admitting my own fault, I held this tiny trembling creature 17 in my arms, tears swelling in my eyes.

    For those who believe "Sticks and stones may break the bone, but 18 can never hurt anyone", I have a piece of heartfelt advice. Do not try this most powerful weapon 19 the people you love. It is 20 enough to cut the deepest into a soul.