My mother was a housewife. She thought that successful people spent a lot     1     (much) time reading than watching TV. So she asked my brother and me not to watch too much TV, but to read two books every week in our free time. She would check them with marks,     2     she couldn’t read the book at all.

When I went to high school, I was     3     A-student, but not for long. I wanted cool clothes and     4     (hang) out with friends. Gradually, I fell behind others, but I didn’t care. One night I complained about not having enough     5     (fashion) shirts. Then my mother gave me all the money and said I could get the money left to buy shirts if I finished     6     (buy) all the things the family needed. I was happy     7     that, but after I bought those things, there was no money left. I got to know     8     difficult it was for my mother to do all these. I felt ashamed of myself and went back to my studies. Finally, my dream came true and I became a doctor.

My story is really my     9     (mother) story-a woman with little education     10     (great) changed my life as a present. So I believe there is no job more important than parenting.

【推荐2】One day a man found a cocoon of a butterfly in the forest. He     1     (sit) there for several hours and watched it. Suddenly a small butterfly appeared and it tried its best     2     (pull) its body through that little hole. Then it seemed to stop     3     (make) any progress, so the man decided to help the butterfly. He cut off the remaining bit of the cocoon so that it could come out easily.

However,     4     his surprise, the butterfly got a heavy body and very small wings when it came out of the cocoon. He continued to watch it, because he hoped that its wings would be strong enough to support the body and fly up in time.

    5     (lucky), the flight never happened. In fact, the butterfly kept crawling (爬) around with a heavy body and small wings     6     it died. It was never able to fly.

The man was surprised because he     7     (not understand) the rules of nature. Before the butterfly was out of the cocoon, fluid (液体) from its body must     8     (force) into its wings. and then it would be ready for flying. It must have a hard struggle (挣扎) to get out of the small opening by     9     (it).

Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our life. If we go     10     our life without difficulties, we would not be as strong as we could have been. We could never fly.

【推荐3】A sick man asked a doctor for help. He said he was afraid to die and hoped the doctor could tell him how long he would     1    . But the doctor said he didn’t know.

The man became a little angry. A few seconds later, the doctor shared his own experience. “I got cancer ten years     2    . As a doctor, I clearly knew my life might end at any moment. I had the same feeling as you. At that time, I was worried to know how long my life would last. Before dying, should I live in sadness? Should stop being a doctor and then wait for     3    ? No. I decided to treat every day as a gift. From then on, I     4     the past ten years doing meaningful things. Life is full of wonder. Though I don’t know the answer     5     your question, I believed that the meaning of life is not decided by how long it is,     6     by the way you live. Your life may be long or     7    . However, if you do something meaningful, you will make your     8     worthy.” The patient nodded and turned his worried face into     9     happy look.

Nobody knows what will happen in the future. After all, tomorrow is still unknown. Don’t think about     10     that we are not sure of. Just make the best of today.

Do you like traveling? I like it very much. Last month I was so lucky to have a free     1     [trɪp] to a big city. But I didn’t expect (预期) to have a dangerous     2     [iks'piəriəns].

The next day, when I arrived there, I was shocked (震惊) to find myself in a city     3     with street battles (战争) between two groups. One group was supporting (支持) the government (政府) and the     4     was against it. They had street battles with the police. More than five people were killed and lots of people got     5     [hɜːt]. Thousands of Chinese people     6     (fail) to leave and had to stay in the country     7     of it.     8     we were nervous on the streets, we felt at home with other Chinese from Hong Kong or Taiwan.

    9     ['lʌkɪlɪ], the Chinese government sent planes to bring the people back. The moment the plane left. We cheered for joy. Now, all the Chinese tourists (旅游者) are back home     10     (safe).

I was looking through my old photo last Sunday. One photo     1     (catch) my eyes. In the photo, I was sitting in a chair, hugging Duke, my best friend in the whole world.

Duke was an interesting name for     2     /sʌtʃ/ a little dog. But he was my friend from the moment I could walk. He stayed with me in that chair when I enjoyed     3     (read). When I went     4     /aʊt'saɪd/ to do some activities, he would drive our cats up to the trees and then walk off feeling proud of     5     (he). When he was hungry, he would carry his food plate in his mouth and drop     6     at my mom’s feet. When I was sick, he refused to leave my bed until I got     7     (healthy) than I before.

I learned a lot     8     Duke. I learned that a short sleep at noon could be good for you.

I learned that the simplest（最简单的）dinner can be delicious     9     you eat it with great enjoyment. I learned that life can be good when you live it with love and joy.

    10     /haʊ'evə/, I also learned that life is short, especially if you are a dog.

To me, Duke is like a teacher who has taught me how to love and to be loved.