As a mother, I had two little kids. I had no family to help me where I lived, so I did what any mother would do. Sometimes, I worked over sixty hours a week. I had as many as three jobs at a time. I had no time to take care of myself or accompany (陪伴) my kids and even sometimes had no time to have meals. It wasn’t easy, but I never missed a bill or never had a late payment. The only problem was that I was working myself to death.

One Easter weekend, I worked thirty hours from Friday to Sunday, with little sleep. On Sunday night, I fell into bed tired. My next memory was waking up in an ambulance (救护车) with two nurses beside me. I had no memory of how I got there, and I had a serious headache. They kept asking me what kind of things had happened. There was nothing in my mind. All I remember was being angry and helpless.

They took me to the hospital, and during the days there, they thought that I had been ill because of being too tired. Yet, I kept telling the nurses to call another worker who worked with me in the same place to open the business because I couldn’t get there. When I left the hospital, I began to rethink everything. I had to go on supporting my family, but I was going to find a better way to do it. I needed to be home more for my kids, work fewer hours, and still make ends meet. The only way was to find a better-paying job. Luckily, I did find a better job.

After that, I began to plan my daily life in a new way.

Every two weeks, my two kids and I would go out to dinner.

One day, Dad took Tim and Lily to the supermarket. “Now where has Tim gone? ” asked Dad. Lily shrugged. Keeping track of Tim was not on her agenda today. She’d been trying to decide on the perfect gift for Dad’s upcoming birthday. This year, she was determined to prepare a present that couldn’t be bought at a store or ordered online.

“Daddy!” Tim appeared out of nowhere, disturbing Lily’s thoughts. He yelled, holding a cereal (麦片) box in the air, “Let’s get it! It’s nutritious and delicious! And it has a dragon inside! ” Tim remembered Dad saying that when he was a kid, almost every box of cereal came with a toy. Ever since, Tim was certain that he, too, would find a toy in the next box.

When they got home, Dad and Lily began putting away the groceries. Tim couldn’t wait to take the box of cereal upstairs to his room. By the time they finished, Lily could hear Tim shouting. “No! No!” Tim’s voice kept getting louder and louder. Lily imagined each word as the sound of a hammer striking metal. Then she raced towards her brother’s room. The moment she stepped inside, she felt a crunch (嘎吱声) beneath her feet. It was obvious that Tim dumped all that cereal looking for a toy dragon. “They lied! No dragon. Just a picture on the box.” Tim sounded close to tears. Annoyed as Lily was, she said quietly, “Let’s see what the box says.” “I don’t know how to read.” her brother said in a low voice.

It reminded Lily that last school year, Tim’s teacher who sent home easy-to-read books and worksheets insisted that he was ready to learn to read and just needed some extra help, but Tim complained about books “for babies” and “boring” homework assignments. It was really a headache for Dad to teach Tim to read! At the thought of these, it seemed that Tim’s dragon issue had swept away her concern for a present for Dad.

Lily decided to cooperate with Tim, making up a dragon story and having Tim read for Dad.

After what seemed to be a century, Dad’s birthday finally came.

I sit on the edge of my bed, faint smiles sliding across my face, as I sort through old photographs. I hold each memory briefly in my hands before dropping them onto the pile in my lap and searching for the next happy moment to remember. Each picture brings up feelings deep within me.

As I relive the memories, I can't help but notice one photo in particular buried deep in the box. The picture at first glance is lovely. The sun was shining with not a cloud to be seen. I was sting with my arm around a happy-looking girl, her arm rested casually on my shoulders. As I focus on the happy girl, the smile that covers my face becomes a frown. It is Amy Soule, my now ex-best friend. A terrible pang (一阵剧痛) of regret flashes through me, and I feel tightness in my throat.

Our decline in friendship began with different interests. She wanted to go to the mall and shop, while I preferred to watch old movies in my spare time. Soon the only time I saw her was when we exchanged a hurried hello in the busy school halls between classes. No more notes were passed behind the teacher's back, and my parent's phone bill became much cheaper. She found a new group of friends, and so did I. Before I had a chance to repair the friendship, she moved away, causing the crack to become an uncrossable rift.

I made excuses for not keeping in touch. It was too far to visit, too long of a drive. I knew that was not the truth, but I was too nervous to pick up the phone and call. Eventually, the rift grew too large to bridge. Amy had left and she had taken a huge chunk of my heart with her.

I stand up and pull myself back into the now. Glancing up at my calendar, I remember that Amy's birthday is around the corner. In fact, we were born in the same room, two days apart. We started so close and ended up so far. This bittersweet memory causes me to smile despite my feelings of regret.

6 . My son and daughter raced ahead, ________ to enter a store for the first time in months during which they had to wear masks and steer_________ of others. We used hand sanitizer(消毒液)and rushed down the pass of canned foods.It turned out that this wasn’t a physically necessary trip, but a(n)_________ necessary one.

Into our shopping cart went two sets of everything on the school Thanksgiving_________ list canned vegetables, gravy packets and boxed mashed potatoes. Instead of picking one item to buy, my________ kids wanted to give all that was_________ of them. In the check-out line, my kids matter-of-factly told the woman running the register that their school was giving this food to families who didn’t have enough, ________ sharing abundance(充足)was the most normal thing in the world, something neither to be boasted of doing nor ashamed of _________

Having lived both sides,I believe that’s the truth.From the ages of seven to seventeen, my family_________ accepted food donations during Thanksgiving and many other seasons too. I spent my childhood in a rural southeast Texas town where at least 20 percent of households were below

More than two decades later, I climbed my way out of that_________ childhood.I have_________ food and uninterrupted electricity but I will never forget the_________ I came from.I still remember the holiday dinners made with donated canned goods and a turkey_________ with the food stamp provided by the government.The memories are so ________ that you can’t put a price on them. No matter what the income level, everyone should have the chance to have a full_________ and also a full heart.

For me, it’s crucial to_________ the help my family received then and to ensure my children understand that there are many people who do not have the_________ and resources we do now. On Monday, my kids walked into the school lugging a large bag ________ donations. In my mind’s eye, my seven-year-old self was waiting just there to receive it with gratitude.

Kelsey was grateful for everything her mother had done for her. In spite of being raised by her mother alone, Kelsey received a good education, and now held a leading position in a large company.

Recently the company was making corporate brochures (企业手册) in which achievers would share their success and thank their parents as well. For this, the achievers would have to take photos of themselves with their parents.

Kelsey didn’t really want that because her mother had put on a lot of weight due to a sedentary (久坐的) lifestyle. Kelsey managed to contact one of the best photographers and made a reservation in advance. When she and her mother came to the photographer’s studio, Kelsey took the man aside and said, “Please make sure my mom looks thinner in the photo.” But the photographer said what her mother really needed was a diet or exercise, not a photographer.

Kelsey insisted that he shouldn’t make her mother look like a slim dancer. She just expected him to do his best to make her mother look a bit thinner. The photographer finally agreed and took measures to hide some details, setting the right light and choosing better angles for shots. But it was not easy to fool the camera.

Kelsey’s mother noticed how the photographer was having a hard time and how her daughter was shaking her head. She smiled and said that she just wanted photos with Kelsey no matter whether she looked heavy or not.

The next day, Kelsey came to pick up the photos with her mother. The photographer printed out several photos, copied the rest on a flash drive and handed them to Kelsey. Kelsey was disappointed and complained. How she wished her mother could look much thinner! The photographer shrugged helplessly and said nothing. Kelsey’s mother, however, said that the photographer did a good job and she was who she was. Then she told Kelsey to accept the fact that her mother was not “the tiny girl Thumbelina (拇指姑娘) in the fairy tale.”

Then Kelsey’s mother turned and went out of the studio.

Hearing those words. Kelsey felt such shame that she came near to tears.