My mother used to ask me what was the most important part of the body. When I was younger, I thought     46     was very important to us as humans, so I said, “My ears, Mommy.” She said, “No. Many people are deaf. But you keep     47     it and I will ask you again soon.” Several years passed before she asked me again. This time I told her, “Mommy, sight is very important to everybody, so it must be our eyes.” She looked at me and told me,” You are learning     48    , but the answer is not correct because there are many people who are     49    .”

Over the years, Mother asked me a couple more times and always her answer was, “No, but you are getting     50     every year, my child.” Then last year, my grandpa died. Everybody was hurt. Everybody was crying. My mom looked at me when it was our     51     to say our final goodbye to Grandpa. She asked me, “Do you know the most important body part yet, my dear?” I was     52     when she asked me the question. I always thought it was a game between her and me. She saw the confusion on my face and told me,” This question is very important. It shows that you have really lived your life.” Her eyes were filled with tears. She said, “My dear, the most important body part is your shoulder.” I asked, “Is it because it holds up your head?” She replied, “No, it is because it can hold the head of a friend or     53     one when they cry. Everybody needs a shoulder to cry on sometimes in life, my dear. I only hope that you have enough love and friends that you will have a shoulder to cry on when you need it.”

“I don’t want to write a story about girls! I don’t know anything about girls,” Louisa May Alcott told her publisher, Mr. Niles. But she needed money very much. She seemed to be the only one in her family who could make any money. Mr. Niles had asked her to write about something she knew, instead of the romantic adventure stories she had been writing. “So I work hard,” Alcott wrote, “though I don’t enjoy this sort of thing.” It was 1867, and the horrible Civil War was over. Now Alcott could turn her energy to making money.

Alcott wrote a simple story of life in her family, their pillow fights on Saturday nights and the plays they performed. “Our experiences may prove interesting, though I doubt it.” Her book described her days growing up with four sisters in a family that had no money. She sketched a loving mother who took time to be interested in each child. She also told of the death of a sister. Finally, in July of 1868, she finished writing. With a sigh（叹息）and a headache, she sent off all 102 handwritten pages of her book.

Mr. Niles thought the book was dull, and so did Alcott. But when she received her copies of the book, Alcott thought it seemed better than expected. “Not a bit exciting,” she wrote, “but simple and true. We really lived most of it.” Mr. Niles asked some girls to read Little Women, and they loved it. As the girls liked it, Alcott was satisfied.

In three months all the copies of Little Women were sold. It was time to print more books. Mr. Niles thought he could sell three or four hundred more copies! “An honest publisher and a lucky author made a dull book into a golden egg for an ugly duckling,” Alcott wrote in 1885. Later, she wrote, “Paid off all the debts; thank the Lord! Now I feel that I could die in peace. If my head holds out, I’ll do all I once hoped to do.”

Chelsea Clinton, daughter of former US president Bill Clinton, says she has known since primary school that you are never too ________ to make a difference. Now she is sharing that message in her new book, for kids aged 10 to 14: It’s Your World: Get Informed, Get Inspired & Get Going!

In the book, Clinton mainly talks about the biggest problems the world is facing today, including poverty（贫穷）, homelessness, education and the need to protect the environment. She shares inspiring（鼓舞人心的）stories of ______ who are working to make the world a better place. “I hope that kids will try to start making a difference in the world,” Clinton says. “Some of the things you can ________ don’t take any money at all, like helping your schools start recycling programs.”

Growing up in the White House, Clinton had the opportunity to meet kids in other countries. ________ she has a daughter of her own — Charlotte, Clinton says she cares more deeply about problems than ever before. “When I think about the world that Charlotte will grow up in, I take ________ responsibility to help solve some of the problems that I care about, so that the world is a safer, more equal place for ________ generation.”

Clinton will be visiting schools and bookstores to talk about her book. The money from the book will go to charities that focus on the problems discussed in the book.

Your schooldays should be some of the best and happiest days of your life. How can you gain the most from them, and make sure you do not waste this wonderful opportunity to learn?

·Be positive about school! Don’t say things are d    81     or boring. Be interested in school life and your school subjects. Join in lots of activities. Be quick to put your hand up. Go round the school with a big smile.

·Expect to work. School is not a holiday camp. If you are not working, you are not 1    82    , and you are wasting your time at school. Teachers cannot make everything enjoyable.

·Keep f    83    . If you do not eat a good breakfast, you will be thinking about food in class. If you go to bed late and do not have enough sleep, you will be sleepy in class. Play some sports to keep your body strong.

·Never put off what you can do today till tomorrow. Do not say you will do things tomorrow. If you get b    84     the class, it is very difficult to get back in front. You cannot finish a race if you rest all the time.

·Don’t be too disappointed if things sometimes go badly. Everyone fails some tests, loses some matches and has bad days. Friends are not always perfect, and they sometimes say and do unpleasant things. Don’t let small problems s    85     very big and important.

·Talk about problems. Sometimes they are only the r    86     of misunderstanding. Don’t be too embarrassed to turn to others. You are young. No one thinks you can do everything!

·P    87     your time. Don’t waste life lying in bed on Saturday morning. Go and play a sport, learn the piano, work on a project, read a book, practise English, or help someone with problems. There are always a lot of things to do.

Follow my advice, and have a happy school life!

A wife asked her husband, “In this life, what did you miss?”

When she was 25, the husband replied, “I missed a chance of finding a new job.”

When she was 35, the husband angrily told her that he had just missed the bus.

At 45, the husband sadly said, “I missed the chance of seeing my close relative before his last breath.”

At 55, the husband said disappointedly, “I missed a good chance to retire.”

At 65, the husband hurriedly replied, “I missed a dental（牙科的）appointment.”

At 75, the wife did not ask the husband any more. The husband was kneeling（跪着）in front of the very sick wife. Remembering the question the wife used to ask him, this time he asked the wife the same question. The wife, with a smile and a peaceful look, replied, “In this life, I did not miss having you.”

The husband was full of tears. He always thought that they could be together forever. He was always so busy with work that he had never been thoughtful of his wife. The husband hugged the wife tightly and said, “Over 50 years, how I have allowed myself to miss your deep love for me!”

In the busy city life, there are many people who are always busy realizing their dreams. They have no time to look after their parents. They miss the chance to be with their children in their growing up. They neglect（疏忽）their loved ones.

Life will not last forever, so always live in the present. Express your gratitude to your loved ones in words. Show your care with actions. Treat every day as the last day of life. In this way, when you are gone, your loved ones will have nothing to feel sorry about.