There Really Was a Santa Claus

    Ann worked for a big company. One of the duties of her job was to go to the 1 every day and picked up the company mail. One day in 2, she saw a beggar 3 himself up as a Santa Claus standing on the corner of the street. Each day she saved her 4  and dropped them in his bowl. He would 5 and wish her a Merry Christmas.

    At night the temperature 6 below 0℃, but the Santa Clause 7stood in the cold wind. After she dropped her coins into his bowl, she handed him a pair of  8.

    A week later, a new 9 was standing there. "What happened to the other Santa Claus?" she asked. He told her, "He's very sick today." She prayed for his 10.

    Later that day, a 11 came into her office in tears. "I don't know 12 I'm going to do." "What's wrong?" she asked. "It's my ex-husband," her colleague continued. "I don't have any money to buy my boys anything for Christmas, 13 my ex-husband refuses to send money to them. It breaks my heart that they won't have anything this year." The lady 14 her colleague, "I'm sure everything will 15. It's Christmas. Believe in miracles(奇迹)."

    That evening, she told her husband about her colleague's 16, "I know we don't have much money to help, but I'd like to 17 her fifty or a hundred dollars. We'll just get 18 less this year. Last year we couldn't afford to buy anything for ourselves but we still had a 19 Christmas." Her husband smiled, "Give her one hundred dollars. She needs it more than we do."

    She reached up and held him. Warmth spread through her body. He held her and realized that there 20 was a Santa Claus – and he had married her!

    John Clark was a postman. He was fond of dogs. However, when he was delivering（投递）letters, he found that 1dogs were his friends. One particular dog called2, who lived at No.108 Turner Road, was one of John's 3. Whenever John came near his 4house, Spot would lie in and 5out on John, barking（吠叫）and trying to 6his ankles.

    After a heavy snow,7was freezing that morning. The road was covered with8. John was afraid of 9 down, so he10his bike and walked with11steps. Unfortunately, John slipped on a patch of ice, which was opposite to No.108 Turner Road. Spot12this as John together with his bike made such a big noise.Spot jumped onto John's 13and tried to bite his neck.Quick as a flash, John,14hands were full of letters, bit15on the leg.

    John Clark said later, it was the 16thing I could do.I don't approve of（赞成）17to animals, but that dog18 had it coming. Since that day I've had no 19at No.108.Spot always hides round the 20of the house when he hears me coming.

Baby elephant repaying her lifesaver

    There's a saying about elephants that goes, “elephants never forget.” A recent online video holds1to this saying, as a baby elephant saved a man from drowning.

    The five-year-old elephant was named Kham La. The man she “2” is Darrick Thomson, her trainer.

    Darrick3to Kham La while he was in a rushing river of Elephant Nature Park, Thailand. Kham La4to her favorite person and immediately offered her trunk when she got close to Darrick. To further5 him from the rushing water, Kham La blocked it by putting up her left leg. Darrick 6 her trunk when Kham La attempted to bring him to safety.

    7 Darrick wasn't in danger. He pretended to be 8to show people the close band he had formed with Kham La. The close band was formed when Darrick saved Kham La from the9meihods used on baby elephants for tourist attractions.

    “Kham La was in a really10 way when she came to us,” explained Darrick, “She had been tied up and 11 to have cruel training known as 'crushing' to prepare her for work. We12 her and helped her to recover. She became really13 to me. I went in the river to show just how close our14is. If you show warmth and kindness to them, they'll15 you well, too.”

    “Crushing” is a 16 method used on baby elephants. They are beaten 17 they obey their trainers.

    “She's now a(n)18 young elephant. The video shows just how close she is to me and it's an important lesson to be kind to19.This really goes to show that an elephant truly never20!” Darrick added.

    I am so thankful that I had the opportunity to spread a little love and kindness today. I had doctor's1 in a town that's about 45 minutes from where I live. After both my appointments were 2, I started walking away from the building and 3an elderly woman standing at the gate anxiously. I 4myself and asked if she was waiting for someone or she needed 5 .

    As it turned out, she was having 6walking the distance and had asked for a wheelchair and a staff member to 7her up but no one had come yet. Virginia heat was kind to no one, and I was 8for this dear lady's health.

    I asked her to 9while I went to get her wheelchair myself. I ran to the help desk and asked for a 10to assist a lady outside. The receptionist asked me, “Is the 11?” I was upset at the question and answered, “She's a bit large, I suppose, but if transporting her is a(n) 12for you, I am willing to do it myself.”

    She looked sort of shocked by my 13, but the woman outside needed help, no matter her 14. The help desk woman and I walked to the end of the passage to the now seated lady. Help desk person 15 her hand to help the lady, but she said “No, I'm fine. I want to grab on to her 16help.” She was talking about me. I helped the woman into the wheelchair but first locked the brakes so that she would be 17. After she was seated, she softly 18 me for my help.

    When I returned home, what happened to me today kept going through my mind and reminded me how much I 19 the opportunity to help the lady. It gave me a sense of fulfillment and a 20heart.

    On the night of August 24, 2001, everything changed when my friend's car hit a wall with me inside. I lost most of my right 1, and I was left bleeding with several broken bones. 2, my mind was still very clear in the hospital. I just kept telling myself to 3 and I 4 with the doctors that once I could roll onto my side, I would leave. They agreed. Two weeks later, I was 5 to go home.

    6 I left the hospital, the fight was far from over. My left knee was badly injured, which 7 different surgeries (外科手术) over the next few years. And soon, more of my right leg had to be 8. This made it harder to wear my false leg, so I donated it to a nurse who couldn't 9 one for herself, from 10 I gained greater happiness than the joy I felt on any day I was able to wear it myself.

    People often tell me they're 11 of me for staying strong. But in my mind, I can do 12 but stay strong. So, on the 13 I left the hospital, I made a promise to myself to 14 live life to the fullest. I soon 15 everyday life again, until one day I realized I wasn't living my life as 16 as I wanted to. After 13 years of thinking I was confident, 17, I knew I should help people around me.

    In 2014, I even started modeling. My dream is that one day a little girl will see me in a magazine and say, Wow, she's 18, and she had only one leg. I could do that too some day, even though I have a 19. My dream is simple, to 20 people to believe they are beautiful the way they are.

The famous Peking opera artist Yuan Huiqin hosted two culture talks {#blank#}1{#/blank#}were called "Charm (魅力) of Peking Opera" in Stockholm and St. Petersburg last year.

The two sessions, as programs of Chinese Culture Talk,{#blank#}2{#/blank#}(organize) by the Bureau for External Cultural Relations of the Ministry of Culture of China, Chinese embassies and local cultural organizations.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}(member) of Chinese embassies, famous sinologists (汉学家) and those {#blank#}4{#/blank#}(show) an interest in Peking opera, attended the two culture talks.

The host, Yuan Huiqin, is a national class A artist of China National Peking Opera Company and a winner of the Plum Blossom Prize. During the talks, she {#blank#}5{#/blank#}(patient) shared the charm of Peking opera in more than one way.

With the help of the local sinologists,{#blank#}6{#/blank#}(she) talks were translated into Swedish and Russian. These words explored the concepts and artistic characteristics of {#blank#}7{#/blank#}(tradition) Chinese operas, which got audience {#blank#}8{#/blank#}(experience) the distinct charm of Peking opera.

{#blank#}9{#/blank#}addition, young artists from the China National Peking Opera Company performed classic opera selections. During the interaction of the talks, some opera lovers performed with young artists and on{#blank#}10{#/blank#}spot the audience tried costumes (戏装) of Peking opera with great curiosity.