【推荐1】I was never very neat, while my roommate Kate was extremely organized. Each of her things had its place, but mine always hid somewhere. She even labeled everything. I always looked for everything. Over time, Kate got neater and I got messier (更脏乱的). She would push my dirty clothing over, and I would lay my books on her tidy desk. We both got tired of each other.

War broke out one evening. Kate came into the room. Soon, I heard her screaming, “Take your shoes away! Why under my bed!” Then, I saw my shoes flying at me. I jumped to my feet and started shouting. She shouted back louder.

The room was filled with anger. We could not have stayed together for a single minute but for a phone call. Kate answered it. From her end of the conversation, I could tell right away her grandma was seriously ill. When she hung up, she quickly crawled (爬) under her covers, crying. Obviously, she could not go through that alone. All of a sudden, a warm feeling of sympathy (同情) rose up in my heart.

Slowly, I collected the pencils, took back the books, made my bed, cleaned the socks and the floor, even on her side. I was so buried in my work that I even didn’t notice Kate had sat up. She was watching, her tears dried with her expression of disbelief. Then, she reached out her hands to hold mine. I looked up into her eyes. she smiled at me, “Thanks.”

Kate and I stayed roommates for the rest of the year. We didn’t always agree, but we learned how to live together: giving in, cleaning up and holding on.

【推荐2】One spring, when I was 10, during one of my father’s layoffs (失业), I could tell my mother was unhappy. I decided to cheer her up by buying her a special Mother’s Day gift.

One day after school I rode my bike to the Agins, which, I learned years later, was known for its high-end fashions (时尚) and styles. I introduced myself to Sylvia Agins, telling her I was looking for a Mother’s Day present.

“Do you think she’d like a purse?” she asked. I told her. I thought she might.

She took out an Italian handbag made of leather. She asked me what I thought, and I told her that my mom would like it.

“How much money do you have?” she asked.

“Twelve dollars,” I said.

“You’re in luck,” she told me. “It’s only $11. You have a dollar left over for the card.” She gift-wrapped the purse and thanked me for my business, and I rode off home with the package under my arm.

When my mother opened the gift the next Sunday morning, she asked in an accusing tone, “Where did you get this?”

“I bought it at the Agins. It cost me $11.” I said.

My mother was shocked into silence.

It wasn’t until many years later, when I learned that the purse was worth several hundred dollars, that I appreciated just how wonderful Sylvia Agins had been to me. I always felt bad that I never had a chance to properly thank her.

“You know, my son, what really amazes me to this day,” my mother said, “Letting you have the purse for just a few dollars was unbelievable enough. But the fact that she let you leave the store with a dollar for the card was a touch of kindness that I’ll never forget.”

【推荐3】One year, a newspaper of the United States published an announcement—the Horticultural Institute offered a reward at a high price for the pure white marigold (金盏花). The high reward attracted so many people, but in nature besides golden, the marigold is brown; it is not easy to create the white one. So after they were excited for a time, many people forgot that announcement.

One normal day after 20 years, the Horticultural Institute accidentally received a letter and 100 seeds of pure white marigold. On that day, the news spread like wildfire. It proved to be an old woman of over 70 years old. The institute had always been hesitating over the fact that the seeds could bloom pure white marigold.

Those seeds finally took root in the earth. The wonder appeared after one year: large fields of pure white marigold swung in the light wind. As a result, the old woman became a new focus.

Originally, the old woman was just a flower-lover. When she happened to read the announcement 20 years ago, her heart kept beating wildly. But her eight children all opposed her decision. After all, a woman who never knew the seed genetics (遗传学) couldn’t complete what the experts could never accomplish! Still, the old woman didn’t change her mind and went on working. Year after year, through many cycles of spring sowing and autumn harvest, the old woman’s husband died; her children flew far and high; a lot of things happened in her life but only the desire to grow the pure white marigold took root in her heart. Finally, after 20 years on the day we all know, in the garden, she saw a marigold, which was not nearly white but as white as silver or snow.

Such a difficult problem as even experts couldn’t deal with was solved by an old woman who didn’t understand genetics. Was it a wonder? Take root in the heart and even the most common seed can grow into a wonder!

【推荐1】Dick lived in England. One day in January he said to his wife, “I’m going to fly to New York next week because I’ve got some work there.” “Where are you going to stay there?” his wife asked. “I don’t know yet.” Dick answered. “Please send me your address from there in a telegram (电报),” his wife said. “All right,” Dick answered.

He flew to New York on January 31st and found a nice hotel in the center of the city. He put his things in his room and then he sent his wife a telegram. He put the address of his hotel in it.

In the evening he didn’t have any work, so he went to a cinema. He came out at nine o'clock and said, “Now I’m going back to my hotel and have a nice dinner.”

He found a taxi and the driver said, “Where do you want to go?” But Dick didn’t remember the name and address of his hotel.

“Which hotel are my things in?” he said, “And what am I going to do tonight?” But the driver of the taxi did not know. So Dick got out and went into a post office. There he sent his wife another telegram, and in it he wrote, “Please send me my address at this post office. I’m waiting for your telegram.”

【推荐3】It was ugly. It was the worst Christmas present I had ever received. I quickly pretended joy. After all, Michael, my four-year-old son, had bought it at his school’s Christmas market.

“ I bought it for you,mama,” he said, offering it up to me, face smiling, eyes big, blue and bright. “ We’ll...put it... here..on...on the..kitchen table,” I said.

The rest of the house was filled with beautiful, natural materials from the garden. In the summer, I operated a garden gift shop at the bottom of my yard. I also hosted an open house on the main floor of our home in late November, featuring high-end gifts for gardeners as well as natural items. And each year, I proved unique and attractive ways to bring the outdoors in with wonderful, creative decorating ideas. How uncomfortably my son’s addition looked in the middle of all the natural beauty.

Soon my older children burst through the door, excited to tell the adventures of their day and show their valuable things. Within seconds, the kitchen table was loaded with treats: cheerfully decorated cupcakes, a couple of packages of homemade sweets, candy canes, and a few of the small crafts some of the moms had prepared for the kids to buy with their allowance money.

“ Where are the rest of things you bought?” I asked Michael, hoping hadn’t eaten them at school or on the way home.”

“I spent all my money on your presents,” he said proudly. “You spent all your money on me?” I asked, unbelieving that a four-year-old boy would avoid candy and cupcakes and crafty(巧妙的） creations designed with kid-appeal in order to buy a present for his mom. Ugliness suddenly turned into beauty. Overjoyed, I hugged both my son and his gift.