The passengers on the bus watched with sympathy(同情) as Susan made her way carefully up the steps. She paid the driver and then, using her hands to 1 the seats, sat in one of them.

     She went blind a year ago. A sudden accident threw her into a world of 2. Susan's husband Mark tried everything to help her.

     Finally, Susan felt ready to 3 to her job, but how would she get there? She used to take the bus, but she was now 4 of getting around by herself. Mark 5 to take the bus with Susan 6 she could manage it by herself.

     For two weeks, Mark 7 Susan to and from work each day. He taught her how to use her other 8, especially her hearing, to decide where she was.

     At last, Susan decided that she was ready to try the trip 9. Monday morning arrived. Before she left, she kissed her husband goodbye and, for the first time, they went their lonely ways.

     Each day went perfectly. She was 10 she could do it!

     On Friday morning, Susan took the bus to work as usual. As she was getting 11 the bus, the driver said, "Miss, I surely envy(羨慕) you." Surprised, Susan asked the driver 12.

     "You know, every morning for the 13 week, a fine-looking gentleman has been standing across the corner watching you until you enter your office building 14,"the bus driver said.

     Her eyes got wet with happiness. She was so lucky. Her husband had given her a gift more powerful than 15. That is the gift of love that can bring light where there is darkness.

    Have you ever returned a book late to the library before? If so, you may pay a small fine(罚款). How much would you have to pay if the book is returned 65 years late?

    A high school in Washington, US had to deal with such a problem recently. A copy of Gone with the Wind was finally returned to its library 65 years late.

    However, the school said that it would not ask Wayne to pay the fine, though that would be about $ 475.

    The book was borrowed out of the library of the high school in 1951, and disappeared until it was found in Maine, US by Wayne. Wayne found the book in his father s basement (地下室) and then offered to send it back to the school.

    "I feel very sorry about that," Wayne said.

    "We're very pleased to have the book back. Wayne did the right thing," Lori Wyborney, headmaster of the school said.

    It's hard to avoid looking like a fool on April Fool's Day. On April 1st each year, people play tricks on each other. Classmates sometimes tie each other's shoelaces (鞋带) to their chairs. Teachers might hand out an impossibly difficult surprise test that makes students feel scared before they realize it's only a joke. Newspapers report on fake news (like "UFO" lands in New York City) and announce fake contests (such as" Win an elephant!").

    One April Fool's Day, when I was in high school, a group of students in my class played a very clever and funny trick on the teachers. They bought some chickens and set them free in our school cafeteria(自助餐厅). The chickens ran all around the school, in and out of classrooms and under our feet. Feathers (羽毛) were flying everywhere. Teachers began running after the chickens, trying to catch them. Finally, they caught four of them. But the chickens were wearing numbered tags(标签) around their necks, and the teachers discovered that they had only caught chickens No. 1, 2, 3 and 5. Where was chicken No. 4? The teachers looked and looked. They couldn't find another chicken. After a few hours, they realized that the students had played another joke on them. There were only four chickens in the first place! They had been tricked by the numbers on the chickens. It's been a long time since I was in high school, but that April Fool's Day remains one of my favorite memories from those years.

    My parents run a small store in San Francisco. They always keep a big box by the entrance where people can donate (捐赠) something to our local food bank.

    "For some reason, our food- donation box just isn't filling up recently," said my dad.

    "Maybe it's time to think of a way to remind people about the food bank," said my mom.

    "What about a talent show?" my dad suggested.

    "OK,  ▲  " said my mom.

    So while my parents posted information online, we kids made some signs. My friend Mareya came over to help out.

    "I'd like to do an act in the show, but I don't know what to do," I told Mareya.

    "Well, since the food-bank thing is about sharing," said Mareya, "why not write a song about that?"

    "Writing a song is not a problem," I said. "But it's hard for me to sing it alone!"

    She said," What if we sang it together?"

    Since Mareya has the world's prettiest voice and also happens to play the guitar, I agreed.

    Mareya and I practiced and practiced, and I was feeling pretty good about our act. But on the morning of the performance, Mareya called that she had a stomachache and was not in any shape to perform.

    "There's no way I'm going on without you," I told her.

    "You've worked so hard," she said. "You'll be great!"

    But great is the last word anyone would choose to describe my performance! Without Mareya's guitar and voice to guide me, my song was completely in a mess. And I even forgot half the words.

    Remember the sick, heart-racing, hot-faced feeling I was talking about? Well, that's what I was experiencing- more than I ever had before.

    Once I was off the steps, my mom gave me a big hug.

    "I want to disappear! I've never been so embarrassed(尴尬的) in my life," I said.

    Ollie smiled," I think you are really brave."

    Indi added, "I now know that you truly can survive(幸存) a lot more embarrassment than you think."

    I once knew a man who was rich in his love for birds, and in their love for him. He lived in a grove full of all kinds of trees. He had no wife or children in his home. He was an old man with blue and kind eyes, and a voice that the birds loved.

    While he was at work in the grove, the birds came close to pick up the worms(蠕虫) in the fresh earth he dug up. At first, they kept their distance from him, but they soon found he was a kind man, and would not hurt them, but liked to have them near him.

    They knew this by his kind eyes and voice, which tell what is in the heart. So, day by day their faith in his love grew in them.

    All the birds of the grove were soon his fast friends. They were on the watch for him, and would fly down from the green tree tops to greet

him with their chirp(叽叽喳喳叫).

    When he had no work to do, he took bread with him, and dropped the pieces on the ground. Down they would dart(俯冲) on his head and feet to catch them as they fell from his hand.

    He showed me how they loved him. He put a piece of bread in his mouth, with one end of it out of his lips. Down they came like bees at a flower, and flew off with it piece by piece.

    When they thought he slept too long in the morning, they would fly in and _______.

    They went with him to church, and while he sang his hymns in it, they sat in the trees, and sang their praises.

    So the love and trust of birds were a joy to the old man all his life long.

    When I first arrived in America, I was (惊奇的) by the honesty of my classmates. Over my first month at school, I didn't see (或者) hear anyone cheating. I found two (原因) for this.

    First, if any student cheats, he or she will get (惩罚). My school has a rule (称作) the Honor Code. It asks students not to steal, lie or cheat. If someone goes (违反) the code, he or she will have to leave the school. (在……期间) my first year in the school, seven students left the school because of cheating.

    Second, American students don't care about scores as much (与……一样) Chinese students do. They know that colleges will look at their all-round abilities (而不是) of only scores. So they have (更少的) reasons to cheat.