3 . A MOTHER'S DAY SURPRISE

The twins were filled with excitement as they thought of the surprise they were planning for Mother's Day. How pleased and proud Mother would be when they brought her breakfast in bed. They planned to make French toast and chicken porridge. They had watched their mother in the kitchen. There was nothing to it. Jenna and Jeff knew exactly what to do.

The big day came at last. The alarm rang at 6 a. m. The pair went down the stairs quietly to the kitchen. They decided to boil the porridge first. They put some rice into a pot of water and left it to boil while they made the French toast. Jeff broke two eggs into a plate and added in some milk. Jenna found the bread and put two slices into the egg mixture. Next, Jeff turned on the second stove burner to heat up the frying pan. Everything was going smoothly until Jeff started frying the bread. The pan was too hot and the bread turned black within seconds. Jenna threw the burnt piece into the sink and put in the other slice of bread. This time, she turned down the fire so it cooked nicely.

Then Jeff noticed steam shooting out of the pot and the lid starting to shake. The next minute, the porridge boiled over and put out the fire. Jenna panicked. Thankfully, Jeff stayed calm and turned off the gas quickly. But the stove was a mess now. Jenna told Jeff to clean it up so they could continue to cook the rest of the porridge. But Jeff's hand touched the hot burner and he gave a cry of pain. Jenna made him put his hand in cold water. Then she caught the smell of burning. Oh dear! The piece of bread in the pan had turned black as well.

As the twins looked around them in disappointment, their father appeared.

4 . For Sara’s family, decorating the yard was always a celebration for the New year. This year it was Sara’s father’s turn to hang colorful lights all round their roof according to family tradition.

On New Year’s Eve, light enveloped the whole house. Everything seemed to be going fine until misfortune happened: Sara’s father passed away suddenly. Sara was very sad. However, seeing the hanging lights, she was in a state of feeling happy, gaining a tiny thread of relief.

The lights reminded her of her beloved father. Taking them down meant the final connection with her father would disappear, which she wasn’t ready to accept. So she kept them. One day in March, Sara received a typed note in the mail. “Take your New Year’s lights down!” The letter read, which made Sara angry. She couldn’t hold back her anger, and shared it with her story online. Messages of support flooded into Sara’s inbox quickly. Besides, one day, Sara was driving back home and surprised to find that New Year’s decorations reappeared on houses in her neighborhood —her neighbors had made a collective(共同的) decision to hang their lights back up in honor of her father!

She never learned the sender’s identity. But for her, that hurtful deed was far less important than so many acts of kindness. A few weeks later, Sara eventually took down the decorations. “It was hard. But due to all the support and love, it was not as hard as I thought.”

5 . It was Sunday in Montreal, Canada. There were three kids talking and laughing happily as they took turns riding a scooter (滑板车) on a quiet street. 11-year-old Dale had just jumped off the scooter as his neighbors Zoe, aged 7, claimed her turn, and Julie, 9, looked on. Ten minutes later, Zoe sat down on the scooter to catch her breath. That was when a bearded man with a head of messy hair appeared. Without saying a word, the man picked Zoe up off the scooter and calmly stepped away.

The guy held Zoe gently like a baby and just walked down the street. In fact, the calm way the man behaved led Dale to believe that he must be a relative of Zoe’s. But something wasn’t right. “I could see Zoe’s face,” Dale said. “She was afraid.”

As the man walked on, Zoe’s fear transformed into weeps (哭泣), and then she cried for help. She began kicking and moving, trying to get free of the man’s control. “What are you doing?” Julie shouted. But the man, undisturbed, just walked on until he reached an alley (小巷) and disappeared.

Dale was frightened, yet he never thought about the danger to himself. The only thing he wanted to do was to get Zoe back. But what was a 4-foot-tall kid going to do to stop a grown man? “I wanted to help but I couldn’t do it myself,” he thought to himself. “Tell Zoe’s parents, Julie!” He shouted as he started running towards the alley.

Zoe’s parents were relaxing on the sofa in their living room when their front door burst open.

“A bad grown man just took Zoe away!” yelled Julie.     1     .

At that very moment, Zoe’s parents arrived.     2     .

6 . Ways to make a great first impression

Here are some easy ways for you to impress your classmates or teachers.

●     1    

Before you shake hands with somebody, make sure that your hands are clean. The handshake should not be too strong or weak. Most people use their right hands, unless they have a reason to use the left. However, don’t have your left hand in your pocket because this appears impolite.

●     2    

When meeting someone for the first time, arriving on time is as important as breathing. You may have an excuse, but that will leave the person who hardly knows you with a bad impression. As a general rule, plan to arrive about 30 minutes early. It’s better to be hanging around the place than be stuck in traffic.

●    3    

Make sure you properly introduce yourself. Ask for their name in a polite way. Repeat the name and use it later in conversation. This will increase the chances of their remembering your name in the future.

●Make good conversations.

To get the most out of your discussion, try to find something common between the two of you. It could be a similar taste in clothes or a common hobby.

7 . Training for a marathon requires careful preparation and steady, gradual increases in the length of the runs.     1    , buy the best-fitting, best-built running shoes you can find. No one can say which brand will work best for you or feel best on your feet, so you have to rely on your experience and on the feel of each pair as you shop. When you have found shoes that seem right, walk in them for a few days to double-check the fit.    2    . As always, you should stretch (伸展) at least ten minutes before each run to prevent injuries.

During the first week, do not think about distance, but run five minutes longer each day. After six days, it is wise to take a day off to rest. But during the next week, set a goal of at least a mile and a half per run. With each day, increase the distance by a half mile. After two weeks, start timing yourself.    3    . Depending on the kind of race you plan to enter, you can set up a timetable for the remaining weeks before the race.

Henry once worked in a middle school in a remote area. He loved to teach the teenagers. He worked to understand what his students were thinking and feeling in order to meet their needs. When a student was struggling, he would work harder to show the child that he or she was capable and cared for. He would try everything in order to help every student achieve success in and out of the classroom. But he would never discover that the effect his small act of kindness had on one student after he left the profession to join the navy.

Henry was teaching science then, there was one girl who sat at the front of the class and was filled with normal middle school pain and anxiety. Her name was Mary. She was a new-comer then. She wasn’t accepted by the classmates that soon. She was quiet and kept to herself and always writing a journal during lessons. Henry was looking for a chance to give her a hand but had realized this task was tough.

That class Henry decided to look over her shoulder and see what she was writing. On a small piece of paper, he saw the painful words “I am not good enough. I’m ugly. I’m stupid. No one likes me. I hate myself.” The girl was absorbed in her loneliness and sadness and didn’t realize she was overseen (监督).

This task was more challenging because he had never seen a young girl was so disappointed and sad. Great teachers knew that putting extra effort, a kind heart and soul into caring for his students made all the difference. Without thinking Henry snatched (一把抓起) the notebook from her and started writing in it “You’re great. You’re beautiful. You’re intelligent. You’re loved.” The opposite of everything she wrote, then handed it back. He smiled at her with encouragement, saying nothing.

Mary was surprised at her teacher’s behavior. But when she read the words he wrote, tears welled down her face.

Several weeks later, Henry had to left the school to join the navy.

Several years later, when Henry was walking, a woman asked him whether he remembered her.

A funny thing happened to Arthur when he was on the way to work one day. As he walked along Park Avenue near the First National Bank, he heard the sound of someone trying to start a car. He tried again and again but couldn’t get the car moving. Arthur turned and looked inside at the face of a young man who looked worried. Arthur stopped and asked. “It looks like you’ve got a problem,” Arthur said.

“I’m afraid so. I’m in a big hurry and I can’t start my car.”

“Is there something I can do to help?” Arthur asked. The young man looked at the two suitcases in the back seat and then said, “Thanks. If you’re sure it wouldn’t be too much trouble, you could help me get these suitcases into a taxi.”

“No trouble at all. I’d be glad to help.”

The young man got out and took one of the suitcases from the back seat. After placing it on the ground, he turned to get the other one. Just as Arthur picked up the first suitcase and started walking, he heard the long loud noise of an alarm.

It was from the bank. There had been a robbery!

Park Avenue had been quiet a moment before. Now the air was filled with the sound of the alarm and the shouts of people running from all directions. Cars stopped and the passengers joined the crowd in front of the bank. People asked each other, “What happened?” But everyone had a different answer.

Arthur, still carrying the suitcase, turned to look at the bank and walked right into the young woman in front of him.

She looked at the suitcase and then at him. Arthur was surprised. “Why is she looking at me like that?” He thought. “The suitcase! She thinks I am the bank thief!”

Arthur looked around at the crowd of people. He became frightened, and without another thought, he started to run.

As he was running, Arthur heard the young man shouting behind, “Stop, stop!”     1    

The taxi stopped in front of the police station and Arthur     2