Dario and his mother loved their new apartment. In fact, the moment they stepped into that apartment, they had fallen in love with it — the light was so cosy, and the windows were so clear. More importantly, compared with the previous one back in New York, the living room here was large enough for their piano! That night, the two of them sat side by side at the piano. They played jazz music to celebrate their new home. The loud music filled the room. No matter how painful the past experience was, they had left it behind and opened a new chapter for their life here. The mother and son were so absorbed in playing one piece after another that they totally forgot how late it was.

The next morning, however, their happiness disappeared. Someone had left a note under their door during the night. One of their neighbors had written to complain about the sound of the piano. Dario’s mother asked the building manager if he knew anything about it. But he said that they were all nice people and he couldn’t imagine any of them had done that. They did not intend to make neighborhood relations rigid. Neither did they want the piano to become a decoration.

Later that morning, Dario suggested that they write a letter to their neighbors and apologize for their playing.

“Maybe we could go and visit everyone in person,” his mother said.

But the time-consuming and troublesome idea was quickly denied. Suddenly, a flash of inspiration went across Dario’s mind. Nothing could serve as a bridge to remove the distance between them and their new neighbors better than a party. They both loved the fantastic idea. Over the next few days, they sent out invitations and prepared desserts for their guests. They decorated the apartment with streamers and party lights. A smile of expectation could be seen on their faces as they held a strong belief that it would be a perfect beginning of their new life in the new neighborhood.

Finally, the day of the party arrived. Some guests brought presents. Others brought flowers. Some even brought desserts to share.

One neighbour, Mrs. Gilbert, presented Dario’s mother with an old but well-preserved book of piano music by Chopin.

“You play, you play!” Mrs. Gilbert said. “I like what you play! Just not so loud at night.”

Yours，

Li Hua

The whole class burst out laughing as John rushed into the classroom. He was a strange sight. His half-buttoned white shirt revealed a red striped pajama top underneath, and instead of white school shoes, he had on a pair of bright green sandals (凉鞋) that were too big in size. The physics teacher’s hand froze in the middle of writing a formula on the blackboard.

John murmured, “Sorry, teacher,” and quickly stepped to his seat. Mr. Tan glared at the rest of the students. The laughter quickly died down. John’s classmates always looked forward to Mondays. Nine times out of ten, they would be entertained by John’s late arrival and his odd appearance which usually included inappropriate clothing. That day, it was the pajama top and green sandals.

John lived just a street away from the school. He walked to school daily. Students passing by in buses would yell his name together just to see him jump and stop in his tracks. Although John was adorable, he was too lost in his own thoughts to make friends. His classmates found him amusing but they ignored him most of the time. Only Harry, who sat next to John, tried to be his friend.

The following Monday, John did not turn up at school. His classmates were a little disappointed but quickly forgot about him. After school, Harry decided to walk over to John’s house to check on him. As he approached the gate, he could hear violin music. John must be listening to music, he thought. The gate was not locked. Harry let himself in. He called John’s name a few times but there was no response. The music played on. Harry peered in through a window. His eyes widened in surprise. In the middle of the living room, John was playing the violin. His eyes were closed in concentration as he drew the bow over the strings expertly. He played perfectly, so much so that it sounded like a recording. Harry left quietly.

7 . Sometimes people around you can change your life. The change may not be sudden or_________, but little habits can produce big ideas that make you think about what is important in your life. The person who changed my life is Julia Masi. She has_________me so many things that I will carry with me throughout my life.

One thing I've learned from Julia is how to balance_________. Julia has shown me how to plan ahead so that I can finish all my school work, enjoy sports and_________have time for my friends. She has taught me that you can do anything if you are_________—never give up. I've also learned that you can find anything_________if you connect it with something that you enjoy.

Last year I hated studying vocabulary, but I loved playing on my computer. Julia_________the two and showed me a website called "freerice.com" where you can_________a word game that gives you 5 grains of rice to donate to the poor with every correct word. She_________me to learn a hundred new words by filling up the rice bowl. I liked playing the game so much that I__________about 1,000 words in just one month.

Julia has always__________me to try new hobbies. She showed me that going to the theater could help me become a better writer.__________, she taught me that discussing a play can excite an interest in reading.

If it weren't for Julia, I probably wouldn't have__________how easy it is to help the poor. There are so many ways that one person can__________. I've learned to be more appreciative of what I own. I am__________for the opportunities that I have been given. I will continue to think of ways to help those less fortunate for the rest of my life.

Best regards,

Li Hua

It was a lazy Sunday morning, the type of day that getting out of bed requires an effort. When Marilyn and I entered the kitchen, Lori was already at the table doing her homework. Seeing us coming, she, suddenly, stood and faced me, “Why are there more pictures of Lisa than there are of me?” she asked. Lisa is our older daughter.

I stared back, not understanding the question. Lori turned and left the room. Caught off-guard by the question, I looked at Marilyn. “Are there more pictures of Lisa than of Lori?” Marilyn shrugged and raised her eyebrows in a motion of puzzlement. “Are you aware that there are more pictures of Lisa than Lori?” I added.

Marilyn said, “I’ve never counted them. I don’t know.”

Marilyn’s answer was the same as my thoughts, “I hadn’t realized that there was any significant difference. Now why would Lori ask such a question?” I asked.

Marilyn just shook her head and stared back at me. After a few minutes of thought she said, “When Lisa was born, you were taking photographs. You hardly went anywhere without a camera. When Lori was born, you were involved in colored slides (幻灯片). There must be hundreds of slides of Lori somewhere in the house that Lori has never seen or doesn’t remember.”

After digesting Marilyn’s remarks, I agreed. “After Lori leaves, we’ll look for those slides. Who knows, we may find more slides of Lori than pictures of Lisa,” I joked.

Later that afternoon, when we were alone, we went into the basement where we had stored the boxes that we had brought from our previous home. It wasn’t long before we discovered the trays of slides, and for the rest of the afternoon we looked at each tray, pointing out those slides that highlighted Lori.

“What are you going to do?” Marilyn asked.

“It’s her birthday in a few weeks,” I said, “We’ll select about one hundred slides with Lori and convert them into pictures, put them into an album and give to her as a gift. I don’t know if the album will answer her question, but at least she’ll know that we care enough to find her an answer.”

Over the next few days, we secretly went through all of our slides.

On November 24, before leaving for work, I opened her door and slipped the album inside.