A young man was getting ready to graduate from college. For many months he had 1a beautiful sports car in a showroom, and knowing his father could well2it, he told him that was all he wanted.

    As Graduation Day came near, the young man awaited 3 that his father had bought the car. 4, on the morning of his graduation, his father called him into his5 study room. His father told him how 6 he was to have such a fine son, and told him how 7 he loved him. He handed his son a beautifully8 gift box.

    Curious, and somewhat disappointed, the young man opened the box and 9 a lovely, leather- bound (皮纸封面) Bible, 10 the young man's name pressed in gold. 11, he raised his voice to his father, and said “With 12 your money, you give me a Bible?” and stormed out of the house.

    Many years passed and the young man was very successful in 13. He had a beautiful home and wonderful family, but realized his father was very 14, and thought perhaps he should go to him. He had not seen him 15 that graduation day.

    Before he could make arrangements, he received a telegram16 him his father had passed away, and gave all his possessions to his son. He needed to come home immediately and 17things.

    When he arrived at his father's house, sudden 18and regret filled his heart. He began to search through his father's important papers and saw the still gift — wrapped Bible 19 as he had left it years ago. With tears, he opened the Bible and began to turn the pages. Suddenly, a car key dropped from the back of the 20. It had a tag (标签) with the date of his graduation on it, and the words PAID IN FULL.

    A Welcome Gift

    Dario and his mother loved their new apartment. The living room was large enough for their piano. That night, the two of them 1 side by side at the piano. They played jazz music to celebrate their new home. The loud 2 filled the room and made them feel very happy.

    The next morning,3, their happiness disappeared. Someone had left a 4 under their door during the night. One of their neighbors had written to complain about the sound of the piano. Dario's mother asked the building superintendent (管理员) if he knew anything about it. But he said that they were all 5 people and he couldn't imagine any of them had done that. Later that morning, Dario suggested that they write a letter to their 6 and apologize for their playing.

     “Maybe we could go and 7 everyone in person.” his mother said.

“What if we invited them to come here for a 8 instead?” Dario asked.

They both loved the 9. Over the next few days, they sent out invitations and prepared desserts 10 their guests. They decorated the apartment with streamers (彩带) and party lights.

    Finally, the day of the party 11. Some guests brought presents. Others brought flowers. Some even brought desserts to 12. One woman, Mrs. Gilbert,13 Dario's mother with a book of piano music by Chopin.

     “I heard you playing the other night,” she said. “The sounds woke me out of bed. I 14 that you might play like this every night. So I wrote a short note. I hope you don't think I disliked the playing.”

    Dario's mother smiled at Mrs. Gilbert. “I think maybe we 15 you an apology.” she said. “I didn't 16 how late it was when we were playing. Maybe we should play some quieter music at night.

     “You play, you play!” Mrs. Gilbert said. “I like what you play! Just not so loud at night.” She pointed to the book she had given them. “These songs are not such 17 music.”

     “These songs are beautiful music.” Dario's mother said. “We will be 18to play them in the evening.”

     “And we won't play so loud or late!” Dario said. He was already looking forward to 19 the new music. More than that, however, he was happy to see the big smile on his mother's face. It gave him a feeling of 20 and made him feel that they were home at last.

    I always wondered how people would react if I tried to approach a total stranger for help in a busy place like a street corner or a mall. I had always 1 a stranger who tried to catch my 2 in a busy place.

    Yesterday I was in a busy shopping mall buying a large piece of luggage because I just had the 3 to do it after many days of planning. After the 4, I picked up my phone from my pocket to call my driver waiting in the parking lot but my phone was 5.

    Then I requested the shop assistant who had 6 sold me the merchandise （which was not cheap）if she could ring my driver for me. She 7 that it was the shop policy that they cannot use 8 while working in the shop.

After I got out of the shop onto the busy street, I 9 a young mother with her two kids to make the same 10. As soon as I said “Excuse me, madam!” she grabbed her kids and ran. I 11 a kidnapper.

    I stood there wondering how many times I had 12 to strangers like the young 13. I stood there in the 14 street with people rushing by, looking at their faces to see if there was a sign of 15 on their faces.

    I saw a man pretty shabbily dressed compared to me who 16 to notice me. I just stopped him and made my request. He 17 called my driver and waited till my car came to make sure I was picked up, turned around 18 I could thank him adequately and was gone.

    I was 19 by his kindness and hope I will do 20 to strangers who try to catch my attention from now on.

    Winters are always long and cold in North China. The winter of 2008 was especially tough in one southwestern city,1it became extremely cold and it was also a difficult time for me. What was worse, a(n)2injury happened to me and it might keep me in bed for several months, "Just in time for the Spring Festival, " my mother said to me, sighing. But how could I feel the3when the snow was so heavy and I had months of physical 4ahead?

    One day I was doing my housework5there was a tap against the window from a branch of the troublesome fruit tree. On hearing this, with my eyes closed, slowly, I began to recall the fall of 1995 when somebody placed a pipe from my pump next to the6.The earth was so wet that it 7immediately with most its bare roots upward. Seeing this, my mother8to pull it out, but I refused. "How hard it's trying!" I said9the direction of its strong holding of the earth. "It is10 of a chance to survive." With tools, we 11dry soil around the tree and put up some supports into the ground, making it12 upright.

    Several months had passed before I could be 13of it. Surprisingly, when spring returned, my "rescue14"had grown some leaves and many15. In 2009 that little rescue stick had grown into a towering tree. What an unbelievable miracle of life!

    The day before the Spring Festival, the 16 at the window was continuing, the more fierce wind, the 17sound, as if to remind me to look up and appreciate its powerful life.

    That night I slept peacefully having a(n)18.In the dream some flowers were coming out19. The next morning I stood against the window.20the window was the tree bursting with life. Anyway, I had a wonderful Spring Festival that year.

    As a child, I was very shy. I wanted to be 1, but lacked confidence. When I discovered 2, I found something I was good at. I began to be 3by my friends and this gave me the desire to climb harder and higher 4. I discovered that nothing was impossible if I could find the 5to try.

    Both individual determination and teamwork are 6to success when climbing. You need to rely on the 7of your team and share in the achievement. But personal focus and determination to keep 8despite any difficulty is an important 9to team success.

    My greatest achievement in climbing is being the first ever to 10the 5,000-foot Troll Wall in Norway, whose rock face is the 11and most vertical(垂直) in Europe. A stone which drops from the summit will touch nothing until it 12on the valley floor one mile below.

    13our climb, the experts in Europe had said it was 14to climb the Troll Wall. But with three companions, I decided to 15. It took ten days to make the climb and we slept on ledges(岩石架) no more than a foot wide. But I 16.

    Afterwards, I said to myself, “17I can do that, I can do anything.” Some years later, I succeeded in climbing Mount Everest-the highest mountain in the world.

    18to me is not hanging on a rope on the side of a mountain, but is just one field where adventurous people can constantly 19themselves. If we look at every day as an adventure, we can challenge ourselves and continue to grow throughout our 20. That is the final adventure.

    Last December, just a week before Christmas, I went to a local KMart store to pick up my layaway(预付定金购物). Upon reaching the counter, I 1 the clerk my layaway receipts and told her I was there to pay off the balance and take the  2 home with me. She grabbed my receipts, and kept messing with the computer 3 something was wrong. I felt a little uneasy. I was4 her to tell me my layaway had been misplaced or something of the sort.

5, after about ten minutes, she said. "Oh, that's why I can't find it in our 6. You should have 7a phone call a few days ago that your layaway was paid off by a(n) 8 Santa. "I couldn't believe what I was hearing! This kind of story only happens in the 9. Why was my family 10 to receive such a blessing?

    Immediately I asked the cashier if there was a 11 that I could leave something for the Santa 12 his random act of kindness, but she said that the individual wanted to 13 completely unknown. It definitely 14 my heart. However. I felt 15. I kept thinking that perhaps some family out there was not going to have a Christmas because they really couldn't 16to pick up their layaway.

    I decided to pay it 17, so I used the money I had for the balance on my account to purchase some 18 and on my way out, I gladly 19 them off inside a huge toy donation box. Since I had received such a nice, heart warming gesture from someone, I wanted to keep the 20 going. And it felt nice to receive and to be able to give right back.