Recently, several friends came to me. They hadn’t   (1)   video games before. They had been told that video games were   (2)   . But they saw many people doing that and  (3)   that some had become millionaires because of video games. They felt very   (4)   . So they came to me and asked, “Keith, should I play video games?”

   It’s an interesting question for two   (5)   . Firstly, I write about video games for a   (6)   ; that’s my job. So what did they think I was going to say? “No, they’re a waste of   (7)  ” ? Secondly, a few years ago, people of my age   (8)   playing video games; now there are people feeling guilty that they’re not playing them.

   So should you play video games? Yes! Games have been proved to   (9)    hand-eye coordination(协作), decision making, and even vision. Games help players enjoy a   (10)   social life as some games   (11)   you to play together with others. Some may say that playing video games is a waste of time. If you’re    (12)    to watch TV for three hours a day or surf on the Internet for    (13)   important or talk with friends over the phone for hours, you cannot call video games a waste of time.

    So my   (14)   is: yes, you can play video games. But there is one important thing for you to   (15)  : just play the games that can   (16)    do good to you. So please think   (17)   about whether you should play a game or not before you start playing it.   (18)   you don’t know anything about the game, ask for others’ opinion or   (19)   on the Internet for comments. Also, don’t play too long every day. After all, for students   (20)   come first.

I went out to breakfast this morning to meet a friend. It was lovely. But what wasnˈt so lovely was the lady who took our_(1)__.She spoke in a way that was frustrated, unhappy, _(2)__not friendly, and sort of rude.

When it came to my___(3)___to approach her and order, I thought to myself, “What can I do here to make her day, to__(4)___her, and to make her smile？”

I had nothing. Surely there must be something I can__(5)__praise her. Then there it was and I knew immediately. It was her__(6)__.She had the most extremely well spoken and clear voice. It was so good. Professionally good. I had it. That was it. That was what I would__(7)___her up.

So after she took my order and gave me the same unfriendly___(8)_, I told her, “I must say you have the most___(9)__voice. Itˈs so clear, well spoken and sounds so___(10)__.”I told her how she honestly had one of those voices that would be perfect for announcements or__(11)___radio broadcasts.

I saw her whole face__(12)__, she smiled(the first time I had seen her do so)and as I__(13)__and walked away, I noticed her whole attitude change.The__(14)__behind me received a totally___(15)__kind of service. A happier one. And all was ___(16)___ what I did. Something so simple!

There was a time when this sort of thing would have__(17)__me. Or Iˈd have been shy and___(18)_to say such a thing. Not now. Now I must！Why？Because I have the power. The power to___(19)_change someoneˈs day by something as simple as a few kind__(20)__and being kind. And you have this power too. We all do.

Life in the Slow Lane

I always seemed to be rushing through my life. I’d  (1)   my seat belt and slam(猛踩)the accelerator to get where I wanted to go. Or, at the mall, I’d  (2)  the stores like a runner in the hundred-meter dash. There just weren’t enough hours in the day and I was afraid I might  (3)  something if I didn’t hurry up.

And then one day, as fate would have it, I ran out of  (4)  . As my car coasted off the road, I looked at my watch and hit the steering wheel  (5)  . I had a meeting in fifteen minutes and I hadn’t even finished  (6)  for it.

But as I got out of my car, a(n)  (7)  thing happened. I looked out towards the east, and the  (8)  was just beginning to shine over the horizon. There was a low misty  (9)  hanging over the river, and some ducks were cutting thick, smooth trails(痕迹)across the otherwise glass-like surface of the water. A few sailboats  (10)  at anchor, their mirror images extending out before them.

I was shocked. This  (11)  scene had been going on right outside my car every morning and I had never  (12)  time appreciating it. I had been rushing around in such a  (13)  that I had been missing everything!

I was quietly,   (14)  ， patiently watching as the sun painted a brand new day when a co-worker finally  (15)  my car and stopped for me. I had somehow been transformed. Life went from a fast break dance into a slow waltz. I began taking long, slow walks  (16)  my yard and neighborhood, noticing for the first time all the neighbors, mysteries and wonders  (17)  were right there for me to see all the time. Not only were there sights that I had been missing, but I began to hear entire  (18)  all around me：birds singing, wind blowing and leaves rustling.

  (19)  one gives close attention to anything, even a blade of grass，it becomes a mysterious, beautiful and indescribably magnificent  (20)  in itself.

Thanksgiving Day was near. The first grade teacher gave her class a fun assignment－to draw a picture of something for which they were   (1)  .

Most of the class might be considered economically   (2)  ，but still many would celebrate the holiday with turkey and other traditional goodies of the season. These，the teacher thought，would be the   (3)  of most of her students’art. And they were.

But Douglas made a different kind of   (4)  .Douglas was a different kind of boy. He was the teacher’ s true child of misery，weak and   (5)  .As other children played at break，Douglas was likely to stand close by her side. One could only guess at the   (6)   Douglas felt behind those sad eyes.

Yes，his picture was   (7)  . When asked to draw a picture of something for which he was thankful，he drew a hand. Nothing else. Just an   (8)  hand. His abstract image   (9)   the imagination of his peers. Whose hand could it be? One child guessed it was the hand of a farmer，because farmers   (10)   turkeys. Another suggested a police officer，because the police protect and   (11)  people. Still others guessed it was the hand of God，for God feeds us. And so the   (12)  went－until the teacher almost forgot the young artist himself.

When the children had gone on to other assignments，she   (13)  at Douglas’desk，bent down，and asked him whose hand it was. The little boy looked away and   (14)  ，“It’s yours，Madam.” She   (15)   the times she had taken his hand and walked with him here or there，  (16)  she had the other students. How often had she said，“Take my hand，Douglas，we’ll go outside.” Or，“Let me show you how to   (17)  your pencil.” Or，“Let’s do this together.” Douglas was most thankful for his teacher’ s hand.

Brushing aside a tear，she went on with her work.

The story speaks of   (18)  thankfulness. It says something about teachers teaching and parents parenting and friends showing   (19)  ，and how much it means to the Douglases of the world. They might not always say thanks，but they’ll remember the hand that   (20)  .

       It was past 10:00 pm. I was busy with my schoolwork though I was   (1)  . Just then, my little brother Michael ran out of his room,  (2)  a pen on his right hand and a piece of paper on the other. “Betty, can you help me with my  (3)  for school? It’s about the seven  (4)  of the world, ” he said.

       My eyes were so   (5)   on the computer screen that my brother had to pull my blouse just to get my   (6)  .

       “Look, not right now! I’m very busy. ” I said. “You’re always busy! You’re always like that ! ” he replied.

       I felt a bit guilty  (7)  I thought about his words, but my work seemed more  (8)  to me than my brother’s . I sighed(叹气) a few times and   (9)  with my own studies.

       The next day, I arrived home late. Michael came into my room.

       “I know you are   (10)   but there’s something I want to show you,” he began. Without saying a word, I   (11)   the paper from him. I really didn’t   (12)  what he was saying. All I wanted was to    (13)   him and finally get to rest.

       Suddenly, my eyes widened in   (14)  . There, he wrote: The Seven Wonders of the World   1.Love 2.Friendship  3.Peace  4.Joy  5.Wisdom  6.Fun 7.Family

       I   (15)   believe what my brother had written on the paper. I was completely  (16)  . How could such an innocent(天真的)little child   (17)  such things in life?

       The most valuable things in life are the ones that we   (18)   take for granted. These things don’t take the form of big houses or beautiful   (19)  .The most wonderful things in the world are immaterial(非物质的)   (20)   they can never be developed by human art, skill or effort.