It was the end-of-the-year party at school. I had asked my mother to1us cookies. Mum's chocolate chips were the best.

    But two o'clock passed, and she didn't 2. Most of the other mothers had come and gone, dropping off their cookies, chips and cupcakes. I took my bag and left for 3 The house was empty when I arrived. My heart was 4anger. For the first time in my life, my mother had let me down.

    I was lying on my bed upstairs when I heard her 5 the front door. "Robbie." she called out.

    "Where are you? "I could hear her running from room to room. She was looking for me. I kept silent. When she entered my room and sat beside me on my bed, I didn't move." I'm so sorry, honey," she said." I got busy and forgot." I still kept 6.

    Then my mother began to laugh. I couldn't believe7. I rolled over and faced her.

    But my mother wasn't laughing at all. She was crying, "I'm so sorry. I let my boy down."

    She cried like a little girl. I had never8my mother cry.

    "It's OK, Mum." I reached out and stroked her hair. "We didn't even need those9. There was plenty of stuff to eat. Don't cry. It's all right."

    My10made my mother sit up. She pulled me to her. We didn't say another word. We just held each other in a long hug.

    Mike was reading in the garden when his mother came. She pointed to something and asked Mike what it was. Mike felt quite 1, but he told her it was a sparrow (麻雀) and got back into reading. Several minutes later, his mother pointed to the same sparrow and asked the same question again. Mike got a little angry but 2 answered her question. After a little while, his mother did the same thing once more. This time Mike could not 3 his anger. He shouted at her for disturbing him again and again.

    The old lady silently 4 an old diary, turned to a page and showed it to Mike. Though a little impatient, Mike began to read it.

    "Today, I was watering the flowers in the garden when little Mike pointed to a 5 on the grass and asked me what it was. I 6 at him, said it was a sparrow and kissed him.

    After a while Mike asked me again and I did the same. Pointing to the same sparrow, little Mike asked me what it was twenty times and I 7 answering his question and kissing him every time.

    Something gently touched Mike's 8. His face turned red with 9 for being so impatient to his mother and he hugged (拥抱) her tightly.

    Your parents have given you many things in their lifetime, but you may not 10 that until they are gone.

    When I was eight years old, my mother told me to put my coat on because we were going to go somewhere1. Usually, that meant we were going to see someone important. I would at least get a new toy. I asked which one it would be that day, and she told me that I would get something 2than a toy. She said I would get "access（通道）to a world of toys." I had no real idea what she meant. Did that mean we were buying a toy 3?

    But we did not end up at any toy store. Neither did we finally see anyone we knew.

    4, mother pulled her car into a parking lot in front of a building that looked like something out of the past. It didn't have a modern5at all.

    We took stone steps up to the entrance. Only then I found out what this place was, because there was a sign that 6"Marcy Public Library". We pushed the door open, and my mother led me to the front desk. "I'd like to get my daughter a library card", she told the man7the desk. He asked her to fill out a form. "What kind of books do you like to read?" he asked. I was too shy to 8. I only smiled. "Well, you'll find it out in time," he said. I do not remember9I picked out that day, but I know that in the years that followed I read through books on history, books of poetry, and books about art. The library opened up a world that I 10knew that day.

    So my mother was right. Getting a library card was like getting the access to a world of toys.