“How does the yard look?” My father asked, with his eyes shining. I could tell he was eagerly waiting for my   (1)  . “Wonderful!” I replied after I gave it a thorough  (2)  . Then I recited all the changes I had  (3)  in his yard and he smiled contently.

       When I was young, my mother  (4)  in a car accident, leaving my father alone to  (5)  their three young daughters. At the beginning, life was not always  (6)  and my younger sisters usually complained. However, Dad always  (7)  us to believe that life was good. Meanwhile, he tried his best to  (8)  that belief.

       In 1972, my dad developed a piece of waste land that had been  (9)  on Okaloosa Island. Every year at the first sign of  (10)  , he would begin spending countless hours working there to make it be bursting with colors. Through his continuous hard work, the land  (11)  turned into a beautiful garden with different types of flowers and other unique plants. While our friends were enjoying their vacation through traveling to different places, we were  (12)  working with my dad in his yard, watering the flowers, weeding or cutting off the branches. Sometimes, our friends were envious of our working vacation, and we would  (13)  them. Dad made his yard very  (14)  so that it became our vacation paradise during our childhood.

       For so many years, when we were  (15)  , we liked to visit Dad’s yard, because it could  (16)  us of Dad’s belief. It was Dad and his yard that gave us  (17)  that enabled us to survive and   (18)  major challenges in life. One day, it shocked us that Dad said he would not  (19)  the yard. Then he explained, “Twenty years ago I decided to start my work in that yard to tell you life is good. Now my work is done.” We were sitting in  (20)  , recalling what we had experienced. Life was good. Dad was right.

When Walter Dean Myers was growing up, he was frequentlyin trouble. He   (1)  with the other kids at school. He talked   (2)  tohis teachers and was often made to sit in the back of the classroomby himself. But he   (3)  to read. He would   (4)  himself in books.

Today, Myers is the   (5)  of more than 100 books, most ofthem for children. He   (6)  writing for young people because heremembers how much he needed help and   (7)  at that time in life.He was named the National Ambassador for Young PeopleˈsLiterature in 2012. He travels the country,   (8)  kids of all ages toread.

Even at a young age, Myers had a way with   (9)  . He couldamuse   (10)  for hours by writing in his notebooks.One of his poems  (11)  on the first page of his schoolˈs magazine.

Myers was   (12)  in Harlem, a largely black neighborhood inNew York City. As a boy, he loved   (13)  people in hiscommunity(社区). But he couldnˈt find many   (14)  that told the stories of theordinary people he saw in   (15)  life. So he chose to write the kindsof stories he   (16)  he could have had when he was growing up.These stories honestly   (17)  the lives of kids today.“Some kids feeldeserted or   (18)  ,”Myers says,“but theyˈll   (19)  a book of mine andfind themselves or their families.”

It takes a lot of work to write as many books as Myers does,  (20)  he loves it. He wants to do the best that he can with hiswriting.

The journey my daughter Cathy has had with her swimming is as long as it is beautiful.

    Cathy suffered some terrible   (1)  in her early childhood. After years of regular treatment, she  (2)  became healthy.

    Two years ago, while Cathy was watching the Olympics, a dream came into her sweet little head—to be a swimmer. Last summer, she wanted to   (3)  our local swim team. She practiced hard and finally   (4)  it. The team practice,   (5)  , was a rough start. She coughed and choked and could hardly   (6)  her first few weeks. Hearing her coughing bitterly one night, I decided to  (7)  her from it all. But Cathy woke me up early next morning, wearing her swimsuit   (8)  to go! I told her she shouldn’t swim after a whole night’s coughing, but she refused to   (9)  and insisted she go.

   From that day on, Cathy kept swimming and didn’t   (10)  a single practice. She had a  (11)  intention within herself to be the best she could be. My ten—year—old was growing and changing right before my eyes, into this   (12)  human being with a passion and a mission. There were moments of   (13)  of course: often she would be the last swimmer in the race. It was difficult for Cathy to accept that she wasn’t a  (14)  ---ever. But that didn’t stop her from trying.

   Then came the final awards ceremony at the end of the year. Cathy didn’t expect any award but was still there to  (15)  her friends and praise their accomplishments. As the ceremony was nearing the end, I suddenly heard the head coach  (16)  , “The highest honor goes to Cathy!” Looking around, he continued, “Cathy has inspired us with her    (17)  and enthusiasm.  (18)  skills and talents bring great success, the most valuable asset(财富)one can hold is the heart.”

   It was the greatest   (19)  of my daughter’s life. With all she had been  (20)  in her ten years, this was the hour of true triumph(成功).

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)   .

    Home Alone is a very funny 1990 American film. It tells a story about a boy who is accidentally left alone at home.

    One night ____  (1)  ____ Christmas, the McAlister family meet at their home. They're planning to ____  (2)  ____ to Paris for the coming holiday and are busy getting ready. 8-year-old Kevin is the youngest child and is fighting with his brothers, sisters and his cousins. When he goes to bed, he is so mad that he wishes all his family would ____  (3)  ____. In the morning, everyone wakes up very ____  (4)  ____. They are all in a hurry to get to the airport, so they forget Kevin and he is left alone at home by accident.

    Although Kevin is alone, he is very happy at first. His terrible family has gone—his ____  (5)  ____ has come true. He watches TV, eats lots of fast food and plays games. He has a good time. But later on, he goes out and hears two ____  (6)  ____ men called Harry and Marv planning to steal from his house. He goes home and plans some very funny ways to ____  (7)  ____ them. Many things in the house get broken as Kevin tries to stop them. Finally, the ____  (8)  ____ come and the men are taken away.

    The house is now a mess, ____  (9)  ____ Kevin tidies it up and waits for his parents. They get back from Paris and are very happy to find that Kevin is ____  (10)  ____.

  I've been really tied up recently helping my elderly parents out of a crisis and sorting out their house．But sometimes   (1)   opportunities present themselves to you ，which is what   (2)   today．

    I was heading out of town on my way to a well-earned picnic in the countryside，  (3)   to turn across a stream of traffic into a side road，when I   (4)   out of the corner of my eye a pedestrian(行人)   (5)   crossing the road at an unexpected and rather   (6)   place． The figure of a young woman eventually   (7)   at my passenger window in the middle of a two-lane road，looking   (8)   and asking for a lift to a college in town，where she should have been taking an exam which had   (9)   1O minutes earlier，having been let down by the bus．

    I   (10)   to let her in my car and she eventually arrived 20 minutes late． It would probably have been another 40 minutes on stop of that if she'd had to   (11)   the next bus，so hopefully this will have helped her   (12)   the exam． The even was slightly   (13)   when she later called me and wanted to   (14)   me some money，which of course I firmly   (15)  ．

    This has led me to think about general   (16)   regarding being under obligation(责任)to someone，or owing them something which must be   (17)  ． Maybe another time I may have the presence of mind to   (18)   positively and helpfully to such a   (19)  ． The best thing that even when I was behaving normally and casually in my daily time，the fate arranged that I could still have an/a 60 to trust and do someone a favor．