When I was a kid, Mom used to cook food for us. One night in particular after     1     (spend) a long hard day at work, Mom placed a plate of bread jam and     2     (terrible) burnt toast in front of my dad. I was waiting to see if anyone noticed it. But while eating his toast, Dad just asked me     3     my day was at school. I don’t remember what I told him that night, but I do remember I heard Mon apologizing to Dad     4     burning the toast. And I’ll never forget what he said: “Honey, I love burnt toast.”

Later that night, I     5     (go) to kiss Daddy good night and asked him whether he really enjoyed     6     (he) with the toast burned. He gave me     7     big hug and said, “Your mamma put in a long hard day at work today, really     8     (tire) and besides, a burnt toast never hurts anyone but cold words do!”

What I’ve learned over the years     9     (be) that learning to accept each other’s   faults is one of the most important     10     (key) to creating a healthy growing and lasting relationship.

When an important holiday comes, I usually think of what gifts to buy or prepare for my family members. It is the act    1    (it)rather than the things you buy that matters. Either a small present, a text message or a phone call can mean a lot to the receivers.    2    , I had never got anything from my son, who is    3    university student. Parents never forget to celebrate their children's birthday, but their children seem to be very forgetful. They seldom do something in return.

Life is unpredictable, and you never know what will happen tomorrow. When my son came back during the summer vacation, my wife and I, as usual,    4    (meet)him at the station. On arriving home, much    5    my surprise, my son took out a fashionable wrist watch and gave it to me,    6    (say)it was a birthday gift for me. You can imagine how    7    (surprise)and excited I was at that moment!

Some people say children get too much care and love from their parents,    8    they never express thanks for. It is natural for people to have such concerns and    9    (worry), but things may not turn out as badly as    10    (expect).

Many years ago, I worked     1     a volunteer at a hospital. Then I got to know a lovely little girl     2     (name) Liz who was suffering from a rare life threatening disease. Her only chance of     3     (recover) appeared to be a blood transfusion from her 5-year-old brother,     4     had somehow survived the same disease and had developed the antibodies (抗体) needed     5     (fight) the illness.

The doctor explained the situation to her little brother, and asked the little boy if he would be willing to give his blood to his sister. I saw him hesitate for only a moment     6     taking a deep breath and saying, "Yes, I'll do it if it will save her."

As the transfusion progressed, he     7     (lie) in bed next to his sister and smiled, as we all did,     8     (see) the color returning to her cheeks. Then his face grew pale and his smile faded. He looked up at the doctor and asked with     9     trembling voice, "Will I start to die right away?".

Being young, the little boy     10     (misunderstand) the doctor; he knew he was going to have to give his sister all his blood in order to save her.