Love, joy and the warm feeling of getting together don’t cost a thing. But gifts do cost money. So what’s a poor family to do?

Before New Year, I told my mother that the only thing I ________ was a pogo stick (弹簧单高跷). However, my mother said they were so expensive that we couldn’t ________ one.

On a Saturday before New Year, my family _______ together. While my mother and I were picking out the gifts, my dad said, “I’ll be back soon — I need to see something in the tool area.” A little later, he came back with a long box. I remember wondering if there was a pogo stick in it.

When we arrived home, my dad put the box in the garage. While my parents were busy with their chores, I _______ walked out to the garage and found the box. I was so _______ and I knew as soon as I opened that magical box, my bright, shiny pogo stick would appear. No such luck! Inside the box was a ________ old broom (扫帚).

That New Year morning, I got some nice gifts but I didn’t get the present that I really wanted.

After cleaning up the room, my dad went to the garage. When he came back in, he was ________ a beautiful pogo stick. I couldn’t ________ it! My parents probably got quite a laugh from the trick they played on me.

Although we didn’t have much _______, my parents gave me the most important gift of all: lots of ______. That was over 60 years ago and I still think about those wonderful memories. I will never forget all the joy my parents brought into my life.

While Mike was reading in the garden, his aged mother came. She pointed to a bird and asked Mike what bird it was. Mike felt quite ________ because he saw this kind of birds everywhere and every day, but he told her it was a sparrow（麻雀）.

Several minutes later, his mother pointed to the same sparrow and asked the same question again. Mike got a little angry but ________ answered her question. After a little while, his mother did the same thing once again. This time Mike could not ________ his anger. He shouted at her for ________ him again and again.

The old lady silently ________ an old diary, she turned to a page and showed it to Mike. Though a little impatient, Mike began to read it.

“Today, I was watering the flowers in the garden when little Mike pointed to a bird on the grass and asked me what it was. I ________ at him, and said it was a sparrow, then kissed him. After a while, Mike asked me again and I did the same. Pointing to the same sparrow, little Mike asked me what it was for 20 times and I ________ answering his question and kissing him every time. “

Something gently touched Mike’s ________. His face turned ________ with shame for being so impatient with his mother and he hugged her tightly.

Your parents have given you many things in their lifetime, but you may not realize them ________ they are gone.

【推荐3】A lot of kids in my neighborhood knew how to ride. I also wanted to ______, but all the boys told me I couldn't do it because I was a girl. I decided to prove (证明) them ______. Brett let me try his bike. I wasn't on for one minute before I fell off. He came over to see if I was OK, ______ then started laughing.

That night I told my dad the whole story about how I wanted to be as good as ______. A few days later, my dad told me he had found a nice bike.

My dad spent four long weeks ______ me everything I needed to know about the bike. Day after day he worked with me, and I began to ______.

Each ride on my bike, I got a little ______, and finally I was ready for my first time on a trip with some boys. At first I couldn't keep up and the boys had to wait for me, laughing.

Every time I came back, I would ______, and every time I cried my dad was there to put his arms around me. He would tell me not to ______ them and that with more ______, I would be as good as others or better than them.

Things finally got easier, as if I could ride with my eyes closed. I am still made fun of, not because I'm not good, but because they felt threatened (威胁) that a girl can do what they did.