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.

    Sam is a very busy man. He is 60 and he has a lot of 1 . He is a postman (邮递员), a taxi driver, a school-bus driver, a boatman, a cook and a milkman. Also he and his wife, Margaret, 2 a shop and a small hotel.

    Sam lives and works on an island (岛) 3 London. Only 120 people are on the island, 4 in summer 150 tourists (旅游者) come on Sam's boat every day. So Sam gets up at six and makes breakfast for the people in the hotel. At eight, he drives the island's 5 to school. At nine, he sends (送) 6 to all the houses on the island. He also sends milk to 7. Then he helps in the shop. He says, "Margaret likes to be 8, too. We are busy and we don't like watching TV in the shop." He says, "I cook the dinner and Margaret 9. At ten, we have some milk and then we go to bed. Perhaps (可能) our life 10 very interesting, but we like it."

    Tony was a 15-year-old boy living with his little sister, Jane. Their parents had passed away long ago. Tony 1 Jane by himself.

    One day, Tony woke up at 3 in the morning as usual. When Jane was 2 alone, Tony left their little house m deliver(递送) the newspaper. As he did so, he found something unusual. One3 was sitting in front of his house. Tony was so 4that he stopped to look at him closely. It was a very 5 morning and he looked very old.

    The poor old man didn't have anything to cover himself with. Tony went into his house to get the old man a blanket (毯子), 6there were no extra blankets. Tony thought bard and took his father's 7. It was the only thing of his father's that he had left. Tony wrote a short 8 . "Sir, I routed you sleeping in front of my house. This is 9 father's coat. I hope it fits you well " He put the note in a pocket of the coat, and covered the old man with the coat. Then he went to work. When he 10three hours later, both the man and the coat were gone. Tony thought that it was the 11 thing he could have done with his father's coat.

    That afternoon, Tony hurried home after school because Jane was12alone. However, Jane and the old man were standing in front of the house, and Jane shouted to Tony, "Brother! He's our 13!"

    The grandfather smiled and said, "Tony. I have been looking for you all around the country for eight years. I'm not 14. But I can take care of you two. Thank you for giving me the coat and letting me know what a 15 person my grandson is. This coat was the very one that I gave my own son, a long time ago."

    Washington was the first president of the United States. He was very 1even when he was still a 12-year-old boy.

    Once a thief2some money from Uncle Post, Washington's neighbor. The door of the house was not broken, and things in the room were in good order. Washington 3that the thief must have been one of the villagers.

    That evening at the villagers' meeting he said, "We don't know who stole the money4.

    God does. God sends his wasp(黄蜂)to tell good from5Every night the wasp flies6us but few people notice it. "Then, all of a sudden Washington waved his band and cried out, "Look！The wasp has landed on the thief's7It is going to sting(叮咬)!"

    Everybody turned to 8the thief. But soon the noise died down. All eyes were 9on a man who was trying hard to drive the "Wasp" off his hat.

"Now we know10stole the money, "Washington said with a smile.