When my kids were small, I started a tradition in our house of giving eight gifts over the course of the eight days of Hanukkah(光明节). I liked the idea of   (1)   a candle every night and giving my children a gift to unwrap to  (2)  . It was easy to go into a toy store and pick up something   (3)   less than $10 each, or even $1 each (at the Dollar Store). My children didn't ask for anything much in particular and they   (4)   whatever they got.

    As the years progressed, I  (5)   the tradition of eight gifts for each night of Hanukkah.

    But this year, Hanukkah   (6)   something else. My special -needs son decided that he wanted to  (7)   a computer, and it was up to me to buy all the parts of it. When I wouldn't   (8)   that, he decided he wanted a PlayStation. Then Amazon gift cards. Then money. And it became clear that it wasn't going to happen, he got   (9)  .

    I keep   (10)   him that Hanukkah isn't about greed or materialism. It's about the miracle of an oil lamp that   (11)   for eight days. It's about being   (12)  of our heritage. It's about freedom.

    But he   (13)  . I know deep down that his obsessions(迷恋) are out of his  (14)   , and definitely out of mine. Having a special -needs child is as  (15)   as it gets. Some days are better than others and not all holidays  (16)  the way I hope. But despite his unrealistic requests, he's a(n)   (17)   child who is showing me the true meaning of life.

    And as we enter a new year and light the  (18)   approaching the time, I welcome his differences  (19)   I learn how to turn negative requests into  (20)  ones.

Sarah lived on a farm with her family. She was   (1)   to learn to track, to identify each person and where they were going by the marks they left on the ground. And if her father couldn’t teach her, she’d teach herself.

To the   (2)   of her family, she borrowed all their   (3)   and taught herself to recognize everyone’s footprints in the sand. More than once her father came outside shouting, “Sarah, bring me   (4)   my boots. ”

Sarah developed the habit of walking around with her eyes fixed on the ground,  (5)   the comings and goings of every   (6)   in the place.

She also developed the annoying habit of   (7)   everyone. What were you doing down at the dam, Jack? You’re not   (8)   to play there.” “Did you find what you were   (9)   in the garage, Auntie?” and “Who was the stranger visiting today wearing size ten boots, Mum?”

After she’d   (10)   every pair of shoes that everyone   (11)   , she turned to the farm’s animals. By this time   (12)   her victims had to admit,   (13)   , that she was good.

Her best   (14)   came one evening when she said the horse’s front foot was   (15)  .Her father said that the horse was   (16)   fine.Sarah   (17)   that its hoof(蹄)had a split.Sarah’s father   (18)   the horse’s hoof.

“You’re   (19)   . The hoof is split. How did you know?”

“You can see it in its   (20)   . ’’ Sarah moved the horse away. “Look, it’s plain in the sand.’’

“If you can tell it has a split hoof from that sand, you’re pretty good,” said her father.

 For long, a little boy was wondering why his desk pal could rank 1^st in the class, whereas he himself failed to: he only ranked 21^st. So he asked his morn, "Morn, am I more ____  (1)  ____ than others? I feel I am as careful as him but how come I always ___  (2)  ___?" Hearing the words, Morn was ___  (3)  ___ that her son's self-esteem was now being ____  (4)  ___ by the ranking system. She went ____  (5)  ___, not knowing how to explain.

   In another test, the son ranked 17^th, __  (6)  ___ his pal remained 1^st. Back home, he ___  (7)  ___ the same question. Morn really wanted to inform her son that intelligence ___  (8)  ___. However, was this the answer that her son was __  (9)  ___ curious about? Thank goodness she did not open her mouth.

   There were times she wanted to say, "You are too lazy. You are not as hard-working as others..." but she stopped when thinking of her son was ___  (10)  __ from the pains of unsatisfied grades and rankings. She thought it cruel to add additional __  (11)  __ on his son and was trying to find out a perfect answer.

   Time passing swiftly, the son finished primary school. ___  (12)  ___ studying harder and harder, he was still unable to __  (13)  __ with his pal. To show her pride of him, Mom decided to take him to the sea. During the trip, she __  (14)  __ to give out an answer. Sitting on the __  (15)  ___, she pointed to the front and said, "Do you see the seabirds over there? When the __  (16)  __ come near, little birds can rise quickly while 'clumsy'(笨拙的) sea-gulls would take more time to complete the process. ___  (17)  __, have you noticed birds that finally fly across the endless __  (18)  __ are none other than 'clumsy' sea-gulls?"

   Now, the son no longer worries about his rankings, and no one would ___  (19)  __ his rankings in primary school, because, with the 1^st ranking, he is ___  (20)  ___ to Tsinghua University.

Sometimes, we want to know what our lives are going to look like. We may want to know what gifts and   (1)   are going to be presented to us in the coming years    (2)    if our goals will be realized. Perhaps we feel like we need help to make a   (3)    and we want to know which choice will work out best. We may    (4)   fortune-tellers, our dreams, and many other sources in the hopes of   (5)    out what the future holds.    (6)   , we would probably be overwhelmed(感到不知所措) if we knew everything to happen to us.

   Just think of your life    (7)    you've lived it up to this point. You have probably done more and faced more than you could have ever     (8)   . If someone had told you all the jobs and relationships you would

   (9)   when you were a child, you would have become overwhelmed. With your head full of information about the    (10)   , you would have had a very   (11)   time experiencing your life in the present moment, which is where everything   (12)   happens.

   In many ways, not knowing what the future has   (13)   brings out in us the qualities we need to grow. It would have been difficult to     (14)    yourself to certain people or projects if you knew they wouldn't eventually    (15)   . Yet, it was through your commitment to see them that you experienced the    (16)   

you needed to grow.    (17)    your life, it would likely be hard to say that    (18)    in your past should not have happened. In fact, your most challenging experiences with their expected lessons may have eventually    (19)    you the greatest rewards.

   Not knowing the future   (20)   us just where we need to be ---- fully committed and in the present moment.

The other day we went on a trip to our community’s new fountain(喷泉). My oldest daughter,Tea,was super  (1)  and eagerly explored the attractions.There I was happy to see Lily,who was of Tea’s age.They didn’t know each other well,  (2)  they had met at gymnastics before. I was  (3)  that Tea would have someone to enjoy the  (4)  with.However,my daughter was about to  (5)  an important social lesson.

I watched Tea run  (6)  after Lily and her other friends.I was saying something to my husband when I heard a loud”No!” I turned to see Tea’s face full of  (7)  and shock as Lily  (8)  .I went over to see what had happened and Tea said Lily didn’t want to  (9)  with her.Thinking that there must be a(an)  (10)  ,I told Tea that she should just ask Lily  (11)  if she could play with her.Generally speaking,this would  (12)  .But Tea’s quiet request to play was shot down by another loud “No!”

I gave her a(an)  (13)  and told her it was  (14)  ,and that Mommy,Daddy and her little sister would play with her.Later that day as I was talking about the fun we’d had,she asked me  (15)  Lily didn’t play with her.

I said not everyone wanted to play with us and that if one person didn’t want to be  (16)  you,that didn’t mean you were not  (17)  or important to others.I thought I had  (18)  it clearly.She didn’t mention it any more and I haven’t seen my lasting side effects.However,I can’t  (19)  it.I don’t think I’ll ever get rid of the memory of her  (20)  at that moment.My heart has been forever wounded on her behalf.

Since my childhood, I always dreamed of becoming a full - time writer. Two years after my graduation, I   (1)   my job and made up my mind to realize my   (2)  .

No one could tell me   (3)   I would succeed or not. I rented a cold storage room in a building, set up a used desk and   (4)   to write. I had too many things to write and I had to write because the   (5)   was full of my heart.

    After a year or so, however, I began to doubt myself. I found it   (6)   to earn my living by selling what I wrote. I can’t remember how many times my novels were   (7)   during that year. But I   (8)   to put my dream to the test—even though it meant living with uncertainty and fear of   (9)  . I believed anyone with a dream must learn to struggle for the   (10)  .

During the most difficult period of my life, one of my classmates came to see me and tried to  __51   me, “Yun, come to our company, and we will   (11)   you 2,000 yuan a month.” 2,000 yuan was really a big   (12)   at that time. It would enable me to live   (13)  . As the money were dancing in my   (14)  , something cleared my senses. Hadn’t I dreamed of being a writer? A full - time writer.

“Thanks, but no,” I said   (15)  , “I’m going to stick to writing.”

    Again and again, I said to myself, “I will be   (16)  . People will love my novels.”

Finally my first novel was   (17)   in 1991. I had the kind of fame and success that few writers ever   (18)  .

Twenty years have passed, but the effect it had on my life has lasted. Now I often   (19)   the time working in that cold storage room. I will say, “Anyone with a dream, courage and persistence will be successful.”

A little girl was shopping with her Mom in Target. She must have been 6 years old,this beautiful red-haired image of  (1)  .It was    (2)   Outside. We waited, somepatiently, others annoyed because  (3)   messed up their hurried day. The little voicewas so sweet that it   (4)  the hypnotic trance（催眠性迷睡）we were caught in. "Mom,let's run through the rain," she said.

“  (5)  ?”Mom asked.

“Let's run through the rain!" She repeated.

    “No,honey. We'll wait  (6)  it slows down a bit,”Mom replied.

    This young child waited about another minute and repeated:“Mom, let's run throughthe rain,”

    “We'll get wet through if we  (7)  ,”Mom said.

    “No, we won't, Mom. That's not what you said this morning," the young girl saidas she pulled at her Mom's arm.

    “This morning? When did I say we could run through the rain and not get   (8)   ?”

    “Don't you   (9)  ? When you were talking to Dad about his cancer, you said, ‘Wecan   (10)   anything!’”

The entire crowd fell into dead  (11)  . I dare say you couldn't hear anything but therain.   (12)  came or left in the next few minutes.

    Mom paused and thought for a moment about what she would say. Now some would  (13)  it off and say she was silly. Some might even   (14)  what was said, But this wasa moment of affirmation（肯定）in a young child's life, a time when innocent trust can be  (15)   so that it will develop into faith.

    “Honey, you are  (16)  right. Let’s run through the rain. If we get wet, maybe wejust need washing.”Mom said.

    Then   (17)  they ran. We all stood inside, watching, smiling and laughing as they  (18)  past the cars and yes, across the puddles（水坑）.They held their shopping bagsover their heads just   (19)  .They did get wet.

    And yes, I did. I ran. I got wet. I needed  (20)   .