Many years ago, three soldiers, hungry and tired of battle, arrived at a small village. The villagers, suffering a poor harvest and years of war, quickly   (1)  the food they owned. They met the three at the village square.   (2)   about the lack of food.

The first soldier then approached the village elders, "Your tired fields have left you   (3)   to share, so we shall share what we have: the  (4)   of how to make soup from   (5)   ."

Naturally the villagers became   (6)   and soon a fire was put to the village's greatest pot as the soldiers carefully   (7)   three stones. "Now this will be a fine soup," said the second soldier,"   (8)   some salt and parsley(西芹) would make it more wonderful!"A woman   (9)   , crying "What luck! I remember I've got some at home!" Off she ran,    (10)   with a handful of parsley. As the pot boiled on, carrots, beef and cream had soon   (11)  their way into the pot before everyone set out to   (12)   .

The soldiers ate and danced and sang well into the night,   (13)   by the meal and their  (14)   friends. The next morning, they awoke to  (15)   the entire village standing before them with their best bread and cheese. "You have given us the greatest    (16)   ," said an elder,"and we shall never forget it. "The third soldier turned to the    (17)   and said,"There is no secret but one thing is   (18)   : it is only by   (19)   that we may make a feast. "And off the   (20)  wandered, down the road to their next destination.

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.

Wishing to encourage her young son’s progress on the piano, a mother took her boy to a famous concert. After they were seated, the mother       (1)       a friend and walked over to greet her. Seizing the        (2)       to explore the wonders of the concert hall, the little boy got up and explored his way       (3)       a door marked “NO ADMITTANCE（禁止进入）”. When the lights became less bright and the concert was about to begin, the mother returned to her     (4)      and discovered that the child was missing.

Suddenly, the curtains      (5)      and the lights focused on the stage. In horror, the mother saw her little boy sitting at the keyboard,    (6)       Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.

At that moment, the great piano master, Paderewski,     (7)       on the stage, quickly went to the piano and     (8)      in the boy’s ear, “Don’t     (9)      Keep playing.”

   Then, leaning(倾斜) over, Paderewski reached down with his left hand and began    (10)        in a bass (低音的) part. Soon his right arm reached       (11)        to the other side of the child and he added a beautiful piece of music.     (12)      , the old master and the boy     (13)       a frightening situation into a wonderfully creative      (14)       

   That’s the way it is in life.     (15)      we can complete on our own is    (16)        noteworthy(值得注目的). We try our best, but the    (17)      aren’t exactly graceful or flowing music.    (18)       when we put our trust in the hands of greater power, our life can be truly beautiful.

The next time you set     (19)       to create great performances, listen carefully. You can hear the   (20)   of the master whispering in your ear, “Don’t quit. Keep playing.”

 A Heroic Driver

Larry works with Transport Drivers. Inc. One morning in 2009. Larry was   (1)   along 165 north after delivering to one of his   (2)  . suddenly, he saw a car with its bright lights on.   (3)   he got closer, he found   (4)   vehicle upside down on the road. One more look and he noticed   (5)   shooting out from under the   (6)   vehicle. Larry pulled over, set the brake and   (7)   the fire extinguisher (灭火器). Two good bursts from the extinguisher and the fire was put out.

The man who had his bright lights on   (8)   and told Larry he had   (9)   an emergency call. They   (10)   heard a woman’s voice coming from the wrecked (毁坏的) vehicle.   (11)   the vehicle, they saw that a woman was trying to get out of the broken window. They told her to stay   (12)   until the emergency personnel arrived,   (13)   she thought the car was going to   (14)  . Larry told her that he had already put out the fire and she should not move   (15)   she injured her neck.

Once fire and emergency people arrive, Larry and the other man   (16)   and let them go to work. Then, Larry asked the   (17)   if he was needed or   (18)   to go. They let him and the other man go.

One thing is   (19)  —Larry went above and beyond the call of duty by getting so close to the burning vehicle! His   (20)   most likely saved the woman’s life.

One day, while we were visiting my parents on a farm in late summer, Dad mentioned heˈd always wanted a Crimson King Maple Tree for the yard. Mom agreed that the trees were  (1)  

Like many other parents, mine were hard to   (2)  for, so I figured this was a great opportunity to get them something theyˈd  (3)  . I also thought two would be even better. I checked the  (4)  at work and decided it was a bit more than I could  (5)  —— but all of my siblings(兄弟姊妹) agreed to give some money to buy the trees.

In northern Ohio, you donˈt plant maple trees at Christmas, so we decided to  (6)  Mom and Dad with a special Christmas in October before the ground  (7)  . We asked my aunt if sheˈd help us with the"  (8)  ",and she called my parents  (9)  to say she was coming for a Sunday visit. Then my sisters and sisters-in-law went into  (10)  planning a big holiday turkey dinner.

On the  (11)  Sunday, we all met at my house and  (12)  the trees into a truck. I  (13)  as Santa Claus. When we arrived at my parentsˈ house, Dad was  (14)  something was wrong first. He and Mom were amazed when we told them  (15)  we were there.

When Christmas  (16)  , of course, we couldnˈt go to our parentsˈ house empty-handed, so Mom and Dad got    (17)  presents that year. Almost half a century later, I  (18)  drive by the old farm and smile when I see those big, handsome  (19)  and remember giving a special  (20)  to special people at Christmas in October.

I met Billy the last summer before college. He was handsome and his irreverence(玩世不恭) was (1)to me. We liked each other the first instant we met.  (1)   , I was a straight A student and my parents had high hopes for me to  (2)   an Ivy League (常春藤联盟) school. Billy did not concentrate all his attention  (3)  his study and school life. However, we were in love --- so  (4)  teenager love. I still remember we had a plan for prom(舞会). It was understood that we had  (5)  about where we would dance and drink and party together.

This meant one thing to my parents---panic. And it grew as the  (6)  letters began to roll in. Of the eleven schools I applied to, nine accepted me. And one of them was Brown University---the Ivy League  (7)  in 1770 in historic Providence, Rhode Island.

There was no  (8)   that I was drawn to Brown, but Billy (who had joined the army) was  (9)  down south and I had offers  (10)   for me there, too. I was torn between my love for him and my family  (11)  .

One week  (12)   the start of school, my mother had a talk with me. She said I was eighteen years old and I had a  (13)  to make--- one that went  (14)   beyond the choice of  (15)  to attend university.

In August, I  (16)   and drove north to Providence. It took several months to  (17)  that my life was moving on in a way that was completely different from Billy’s. Brown changed my life, opening doors and giving me the  (18)  I now use to think, to learn and to write. Life is always about  (19)  it seems, and the older I get, the more I understand this. Still, there are times when I think of Billy because he taught me about love.

At my heaviest I weighed 370 pounds. I had a very poor relationship with food: I used it to   (1)   bad feelings, to make myself feel better, and to celebrate. Worried about my health, I tried many different kinds of   (2)   but nothing worked. I came to believe that I could do nothing about my    (3)  .

       When I was 50, my weight problem began to affect me   (3)   . I didn’t want to live the rest of my life with this   (4)   weight any more.

       That year, I  (5)   a seminar where we were asked to create a project that would touch the world. A seminar leader shared her   (6)   story —she had not only 125 pounds, but also raised $25,000 for homeless children.

         (7)   by her story, I created the As We Heal (痊愈), the World Heals   (8)  . My goal was to lose 150 pounds in one year and raise $50,000  (9)   a movement founded 30 years ago to end hunger. This combination of healing myself and healing the world  (10)   me as the perfect solution.

         (11)  I began my own personal weight program, I was filled with the fear that I would __  (12)   the same difficulties that beat me before. While the   (13)   hung over my head, there were also signs that I was headed down the right   (14)  . I sent letters to everyone I knew, telling them about my project. It worked perfectly. Donations began   (15)  in from hundreds of people.

       Of course, I also took some practical steps to lose weight. I consulted with a physician（内科医生）, I hired a fitness coach, and I began to eat small and   (16)   meals. My fund-raising focus also gave me new motivation to exercise   (17)  .

       A year later, I  (18)   my goal: I lost 150 pounds and raised $50,000! I feel that I’ve been given a second life to devote to something that is   (19)   and enormous.

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.

Hundreds of people have formed impressions of you through that little device(装置)on your desk. And they’ve never actually   (1)  you. Everything they know about you   (2)  through this device, sometimes from hundreds of miles away.   (3)  they feel they can know you   (4)  from the sound of your voice. That’s how powerful the   (5)  is.

  Powerful, yes, but not always   (6)  . For years I dealt with my travel agent only by phone. Rani, my faceless agent whom I’d never met   (7)  , got me rock-bottom prices on airfares, cars, and hotels. But her cold voice really    (8)  me. I sometimes wished to  (9)  another agent.

  One morning, I had to   (10)  an immediate flight home for a family emergency. I ran into Rani’s office   (11)  . The woman sitting at the desk,   (12)  my madness, sympathetically jumped up. She gave me a   (13)  smile, nodded while listening patiently, and then printed out the   (14)  immediately. “What a wonderful lady!” I thought.

  Rushing out   (15)  I called out over my shoulder, “By the way, what’s your name?” “I’m Rani,” she said. I turned around and saw a   (16)  woman with a big smile on her face waving to wish me a safe trip. I was   (17)  ! Why had I thought she was cold? Rani was, well, so  (18)  .

  Sitting back in the car on the way to the airport, I figured it all out. Rani’s   (19)  ---her warm smile, her nods, her ‘I’m here for you’   (20)  ---were all silent signals that didn’t travel through wires.