2 . April Fools’ Day is supposed to be a day to play jokes on others in hopes of getting a good laugh and making one feel like a fool. However, the April Fools’ Day of 2022 was quite different for my mom and me.

That day my friend Jimmy and I were playing a game. I had dropped down from a bar (横木) many times in the past without ever having a problem, but that day the simple act of dropping to the ground became a nightmare (噩梦). I broke my arm.

Jimmy’s dad heard my crying and rushed out to see what was going on. When he saw the problem, he quickly put me into his truck and went inside to telephone my mom and let her know he would take me to the hospital. As that day was April Fools’ Day, Mom was not buying it and really thought it was a big joke. Mom was finally convinced by Jimmy’s mom. When she saw me, she broke down in tears because she felt so bad-she simply believed that it was just a big trick.

I guess one could compare this to the story The Boy Who Cried Wolf. Since I had played bad tricks before, it was no wonder that my mom didn’t believe it. I as well as my mom was made to look like a fool that day. We both learned a valuable lesson.

3 . There was once a professor of medicine, who was very strict with the students. Whenever he took the chair on the exam committee, the students would be in fear, because he was seldom pleased with the answers they gave.A student would be lucky enough if he or she could receive a good mark from him. At the end of the term, the students of medicine would take their exam again. Now a student entered the exam room and got seated before the committee. This student was a little nervous as he knew it would not be so easy to get through the exam at all.

The professor began to ask. The student was required to describe a certain illness, his description of which turned out to be OK.

Then the professor asked about the cure for the illness, and the student, too, answered just as right. “Good,”said the professor,“and how much will you give the patient?”

“A full spoon.”answered the student.

“Now you may go out and wait for what you can get.”said the professor. At the same time the committee discussed carefully the answers the student had given. Suddenly the student noticed that there was something wrong with his last answer.“A full spoon is too much.”he thought to himself. Anxiously he opened the door of the room and cried, “Mr. Professor,I’ve made a mistake!A full spoon is too much for the patient. He can take only five drops.”

“I’m sorry, sir,” said the professor coldly,“but it’s too late. Your patient has died.”

4 . My writing career began ten years ago with my articles published locally and nationally. As a beginning writer,I was happy to be on my way, writing and learning as much as I could. With two little kids underfoot, as well as working full-time, it was really difficult to make time for writing, but I managed.

Readers told me they laughed, cried or were inspired by my articles. But they didn’t know what was really going on behind the typewriter.I was not a happy mommy, and found it difficult to enjoy the everyday little things in life. In short, I was not a happy person.

I realized I had to make some changes.I started walking every morning. It cleared my head, allowed me time to think, gave me fresh air, and made me feel invigorated(精神焕发) and healthy. I was eating wisely, and the weight started to go. I started a new job, joined a monthly writing chapter, and was determined to keep up my walking. Finding the balance was sometimes difficult. But I was determined to fit in writing time because it made me happy.Sure I loved to watch the news and have my tea, but that wasn’t what made me truly happy.My own happiness has shown through my family, my job performance and my attitude towards challenging situations.I again have readers telling me the effect my writing has had on them,with some able to get on with their own writing because of my articles.

It was up to me to make it happen—my own happiness. One step at a time—one word at a time. And I did it.

5 . We moved into a beautiful two-story old house. The house was built in 1956. It was repaired in 2003.

At first, really small things began to happen. They didn’t make me believe that something was wrong, but as time went on, things started becoming stranger and stranger. Early something was missing, and later on it would be found somewhere else. I just thought I had forgotten where I put it, or perhaps my daughter was playing around with things. Then later on I would hear strange sounds when nobody was at home but me. Yet it was an old house, and sometimes old houses did make little noises, so again, I didn’t really mind.

Then things that I couldn’t explain started happening. It was last November and I was at home alone cleaning the house. When I was sweeping the kitchen floor, I felt a very cold wind blowing my hair. I thought the kitchen window must have been opened, but when I checked it, it was closed. The windows were new, and there was no way any cold air came in.

We all felt very strange and moved away from there in October, 2021. I was never really frightened. It was just strange, like something or someone was trying to get my attention or something.

6 . It is properly said that one can share any secret with a true friend. He may know your deepest _________ and weaknesses and yet will never let them out. However, _________ a friend’s secrets to yourself and not telling the world about him is what makes the relationship grow strong and last forever.You need to develop mutual(相互的) trust and understanding before you start sharing secrets with each other. With a true friend, secret talks never seem to _________ and it can be really exciting to know what has been going on in your friend’s mind.

There is a period in life when one starts having a personal field in life and parents are kept from it. It is because there are certain things that they _________ but there are certain problems which we can’t discuss with them. It is then that friends become the best secret sharers.

It is a general belief that only girls share secrets. However, boys have their own secrets that they discuss with only their closest friends. The secret talks can be about relationships, _________ with parents, secret tasks, and anything else that is not _________ to be known to others! If you think secrets are _________ to only teenagers, get your fact right! Secrets can be shared at any age not just among young people.

Sharing secrets with a friend is not just fun, but it also helps to _________ a lasting trust on one another. Sometimes, sharing secrets will tell you more about the person. You will come to know whether your friend is reliable and _________ and whether it is worth sharing your secrets with him or her. You can call it a(n) ____________ of friendship and if a person fails it, he or she is surely not worthy of being made a trustworthy friend.