1 . What makes a home? Love, sympathy and confidence. It is a place where love exists among all the members of the family. The parents take good care of their children, and the children are _________ the activities of their parents. Thus all of them are_________together by love, and they find their home the_________ place in the world.

But for me, sometimes I can’t feel the love from my father and can’t feel the_________ of the home. _________ often happen between us.

“BANG!” the door caused a protest (抗议). “Never _________ this house again!” shouted father.

With tears welling up in my eyes, I rushed out of the house and ran along the street. A young father who held a child in his arm walked _________ me. I felt as if I saw my _________ from another space: happy and harmonious.

But then I didn’t know_________it was because I had grown up or because Dad was getting__________. We were just like two people coming from two different worlds. It felt like there was an iron__________ between us that could never be opened.

I wandered the streets __________ a destination in my mind. My heart was__________ on this hot summer night. As I walked on, there were fewer and fewer people in the streets, until I had only streets to keep me company. When I finally reached the high rise apartment block in which I lived, I saw that the light was still __________I thought to myself, “Is father waiting for me, or is he still angry with me?” After a long hesitation, I opened the door and instantly tears ran down my cheeks. I suddenly realized that the iron door that I had __________ between us did not exist at all because love is second to none.

My Best Friend

It was in the afternoon before the end of the Second World War that Antonio Black, who was twelve, caught sight of a beautiful brooch (胸针) in a shop window. The brooch is so beautiful that he was unwilling to leave the store until he had purchased it. But it was too expensive — $5. His family was very poor and his parents struggled to make ends meet. Five dollars would buy almost a week’s food for his family.

Antonio couldn’t ask his father for the money. Everything his father made through fishing went to his mother, Susan. Slim and beautiful, his mother was the center of the home and the glue that held it together. The housework was never-ending, and she struggled to feed and clothe their five children, but she was happy as her family and their well-being were all she cared about.

Nevertheless, he opened the shop’s door and went inside. Standing proudly and straight in his flour-sack (面粉袋改做的) shirt and washed-out trousers, he told the shopkeeper what he wanted, adding, “But I don’t have the money right now. Can you please hold it for me for some time?”

“I’ll try,” the shopkeeper smiled. “People around here don’t usually have that kind of money to spend on things. It should keep for a while.”

Antonio respectfully touched his worn cap and walked out. He would raise the money and not tell anybody, for he thought Mum would be surprised when she saw that brooch. On hearing the sound of hammering (锤打) from a side street, Antonio suddenly had an idea that he could raise money by selling the used nail bags. People built their own homes in Bay Roberts, using nails bought in bags from a local factory. Sometimes the used bags were thrown away at the construction site, and Antonio knew he could sell them back to the factory for five cents a piece. That day he sold two nail bags and hid the money in a rusty soda tin.

Every day after school, Antonio started his plan.

The day finally came!

My Parents

Yours,

Li Hua

10 . This July my husband and I decided to move both our kids, aged 14 and 10, from their previous schools to a new international school that’s located in our neighborhood. It wasn’t an easy decision. We knew switching(改变)schools would be a challenge for our kids.

Put two kids in the same situation and they react and feel differently. Nina, outgoing and talkative, has no problem making new friends and adjusting to (适应) the new school. It took her less than a week to say, “This school is great. I like it.” Everywhere she goes, she’s surrounded by friends.

While it took Michael months to say, “I guess this is fine.” Before that, he complained about everything. He’s sensitive and quite hard on himself. Words of encouragement need to be told on a daily basis.

To make our children comfortable before, during, and after the move, we included them in our plan from the beginning. They’re big enough to take part in decision-making activities. We researched, compared, and asked questions. We listed everything about their old schools and the new one, and we discussed every item. We were open with them from the start. Our kids knew what was going on and what was about to happen. They had time to prepare themselves. They trusted us.

Communicating with their new teachers was also important. For the first three months, we kept an eye on our children’s academic (学业的) performance and their school life. If we discovered a drop in their grades or any unusual behavior, we were quick to arrange appointments with their teachers.

We don’t aim to be helicopter parents, but it doesn’t mean we let them go completely. Balancing this role is hard- -the older the kid, the harder it gets- but it’s not impossible. The key is to listen first, and act second.