It was the first week of the summer vacation, and Parisa was already ready to be back at school. Not, everyone she knew liked school, but Parisa loved learning new things. Even more than that, she loved school because she got to be with her friends all day long. Parisa was an only child, and she thought it was too quiet at home.

Now her two best friends in the neighborhood were out of town for two weeks, and to Parisa, it seemed like two years. What would she do? Sitting on the wide front step of her house, she looked through her favorite kid magazine. The word “competition” caught her eye. “Create Your Own Magazine!” the headline read.

Parisa loved magazines, but it had never occurred to her that she could create one herself. The article said competitors must send in an eight-page magazine with handwritten articles and hand drawn pictures — nothing was printed by computer.

Parisa returned to her room and lay down on the floor next to her cat. This was what she did whenever she needed to think of really good ideas. She closed her eyes and imagined all sorts of magazines. She imagined magazines about bikes, skating, ballet, soccer, dessert… But after much thought, she knew what she wanted to feature (以……为特色) in her magazine — her neighborhood, for there were always interesting things. She would call it “The Tall pins Gazette (报纸)” and fill it with news.

She found a notebook and a pen and left her room. Then she found her grandmother at the door and told her about the competition. “Granny, I’m going to be a reporter for a while,” Parisa said. “I’m going to see if there’s any news.” Her grandmother smiled, “Well, good luck, honey. You do like asking questions, so I bet you won’t have too much trouble finding news.” Two hours later, Parisa ran into the house. “Granny, I’ve got so much news that I can’t fit it into eight pages!”

Parisa got down to working on her magazine.

A few weeks later, Parisa receivea a package from the kid magazine.

On a cold windy day, a poor boy tried to pay his way through school by selling goods door to door. Wandering on the street, he was not a successful seller. What’s worse, he found that he only had one dime left. His empty stomach reminded him constantly that for days he hadn’t eaten anything. He had no choice but to beg for a meal at the next house. Hesitantly he knocked at a door, thinking about what to say when it was opened. However, he lost his nerve when a lovely young woman opened the door. “What can I do for you?” asked the young woman. The boy paused for a while, “Would you please give me some...a drink of water?” the boy dared not to look directly into her eyes. She looked at the bony boy and thought he might need something to give him energy so she brought him a glass of milk. His head rising and small hands taking the cup, he drank it up slowly, and then asked, “How much do I owe you?” “You don’t owe me anything,” she replied with a warm smile on her face. “My mother has taught me never to accept pay for a kindness.”Deeply moved, he said sincerely, “Then I shall thank you from the bottom of my heart.” As Howard Kelly left that house, he not only felt stronger physically, but it also increased his faith in the whole human race. As a matter of fact, he was about to give up and quit before that point.

Years later the young woman became critically ill. However, the local doctors were unable to give an effective medical treatment. Finally they sent her to a hospital in the big city, where specialists can be called in to cure her rare disease. Among those famous specialists, Dr. Howard Kelly was called in for the consultation. When he heard the name of the town she came from, a strange light filled his eyes. Immediately, he rose and went down through the hospital hall into her room.

Dressed in his doctor’s gown, he went in to see her.

The bill was sent to her room.

It was the middle of the day with the bright sun, blue sky, green grass, and a soft breeze (微风). It was a great day to play outside and the best day of my life because I got a new ball and a new bike as my sixth birthday presents, and I was visiting my cousin, Kristy, at her house.

“Here I go!” shouted David while kicking my new ball. David lived next door and was older than me. I thought he was a wild child, but he was actually very kind. The ball went flying as if it were going to space. “That was high!” Kristy said in surprise and we went after the ball. We all had a great time.

Later we had supper and the food my aunt made was good. While Kristy was helping do the dishes, David and I ran outside to play. We started taking turns riding my bike. David suggested that we ride it to the forest. And I agreed. David and I got on the bike and David started riding fast.

As we rode through the forest, I felt the wind brushing my face. It felt so great and free. Suddenly the bike hit a fallen branch and we went flying off the bike. Lying on the ground, I felt dizzy (眩晕的). I checked myself for injuries and saw some but they didn’t upset me.

“David!” I shouted out anxiously.

“Hey,” said a voice. I turned my head and it was David, who was standing behind me, holding my broken bike. At the sight of my disabled bike, I was so sad that I couldn’t hold back my tears. It took David some time to calm me down.

When we realized it was time to walk home, we found ourselves lost.

It was completely dark when we saw fireworks (烟花) being set off in the distance.

“Once there was a ship travelling on the tough sea and on the ship there was a pair of couple. All of a sudden, the ship met with an accident and the couple had no choice but to run to the life boat without delay. After reaching there, they realized that there was space only for one person. At that very moment, the husband pushed his wife behind him and jumped onto the lifeboat himself, leaving his wife standing on the sinking ship, shouting something desperately to her husband eyes filled with tears.”

The teacher stopped her story-telling and asked her students, “Guys, guess what it was that she shouted.”

Most students answered. “I hate you!”

After listening to all this reply, the teacher glanced through the whole class again and noticed that there was a boy sitting silently throughout. Then she asked him the same question.

The boy answered, “I believe she would have shouted-Take care of our child.”

Listening to his remarks, the teacher was surprised and asked the boy doubtfully. “Have you heard of this story before?”

Shaking his head, the boy said softly and sadly, “No, I haven’t. But that’s what my mother said to my father before she died of a deadly disease.”

Moved and feeling sad, the teacher replied. “Your answer is absolutely right!”

Then she continued, “Let’s take up the story. The ship sank eventually and the husband went home and brought up their daughter alone. Many years later after the death of the man, their daughter was tidying up all his belongings when she found his diary. In his diary she found that when her parents were on the ship, her mother had already been diagnosed (诊断) with advanced illness and at the critical moment, the father rushed to the only chance of survival.”

In his diary, the man mentioned he wished to sink to the ocean with his wife but for their daughter he had to live.

The story was finished and the class was silent.