One day, when I was 7 years old, my father was standing in line to buy tickets for the circus for me.

Their clothes were not expensive, but they were clean. The children were well-behaved, all of them standing in line, two-by-two behind their parents, holding hands. They were excitedly talking about the clowns, elephants, and other acts they would see that night with their brothers or sisters in a low voice.

I could sense that they had never been to the circus before. It promised to be highlight of their young lives. The father and mother were at the head of the pack, standing proud as could be. The mother was holding her husband’s hand, looking up at him as if to say, “You are my hero.”

He was smiling and responding in pride, looking back at her as if to say, “You got that right.”

The ticket lady asked the father how many tickets he wanted. He proudly responded, “Please let me buy eight children’s tickets and two adult tickets so I can take my family to the circus.”

The ticket lady gave the price. The man’s wife let go of his hand, her head dropped, and his lips began to shake. The father leaned a little closer and asked, “How much did you say?”

The ticket lady again quoted the price. The man didn’t have enough money.

How was he supposed to turn and tell his eight children that he didn’t have enough money to take them to the circus?

Actually, we were not wealthy in any sense. So, I understand how the kids would feel. I felt sorry for them.

Seeing what was going on, my dad put his hand in his pocket, pulled out a $20 bill and dropped it on the ground.

Jenny was the only child in her home. She had a quarrel with her mother that afternoon and she ran out of the house angrily. She couldn’t help weeping sorrowfully when she thought of the scolding from her mother. Having wandered aimlessly in the street for hours, she felt a little hungry and wished for something to eat, but it was not even possible for her, since she had nothing with her. She stood beside a stand for a while, watching the middle-aged seller busy doing his business. However, with no money in hand, she sighed and had to leave.

The seller behind the stand noticed the young girl and asked, “Hey, girl, you want to have the noodles?”

“Oh, yes... but I don’t have money on me...” she replied.

“That’s nothing. I’ll treat you today,” said the man, “come in.”

The seller brought her a bowl of noodles, whose smell was so attractive. As she was eating, Jenny cried silently.

“What is it?” asked the man kindly.

“Nothing, actually I was just touched by your kindness!” said Jenny as she wiped her tears, “Even a stranger on the street will give me a bowl of noodles, while my mother drove me out of the house. She showed no care for me. She is so merciless compares to a stranger!”

Hearing the words, the seller smiled, “Girl, do you really think so? I only gave you a bowl of noodles and you thanked me a lot. But it is your mother who has raised you up since you were a baby. Can you number the times she cooked for you? Have you expressed your gratitude to her?”

Jenny sat here, speechless and numb with shock; she remembered mother’s familiar face and weathered hands. “Why did I not think of that? A bowl of noodles from a stranger made me feel indebted, but I have never thanked my mum for what she has done for me.”

On the way home, Jenny made up her mind to make an apology to her mother for her rudeness as soon as she arrived home.

Approaching (靠近) the doorway (门口), Jenny took a deep breath (深吸了一口气).

A gentle touch (抚摸) on her hair called her mind back (使她回过神来)

6 . My mom is the most positive person I know. She has a/an ______ spirit, sees the good in all people, and always sees ______ in any situation. I grew up in a ______, positive home environment, where there were always family ______ and lots of laughter.

I have fond memories of my mom taking us to ______ every Saturday morning. While my brother and I would have rather stayed home on our day off from school, she had us ______ her to help people in Roanoke, Virginia who needed groceries (食品杂货) to feed their families. While she did her service role, we helped to prepare bags of food. ______, this got to be something we looked forward to and we always left feeling ______ about what we did.

My sweet mom ______ made doing housework enjoyable. The best ______ I learned from her that sticks with me today is “O­H­I­O”. Growing up, my mom would ______ me a pile of clean clothes and I would ______ set them on the floor, ______ to put them away later. My mom would say, “Kids, you’ve got to ______: OHIO! That means Only Handle It Once. When I give you clothes, put them away in your ______ as soon as I give them to you so they are only in your hands only.”

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!

8 . In a post shared on Twitter last Monday, the woman, Amy Clukey, explained that her dad, Rick, a beekeeper, died of lung cancer about nine years ago. But, before passing away, he wrote a note that he hoped one of his children would later find, and finally after so long, her little brother, who is now 16 years old, found it in his father’s beekeeping clothes.

The note said, “I hope one of my children is curious about beekeeping. Beekeeping is actually pretty easy and you can learn everything online. Bees make more products than just honey; it can be a source of extra income. So don’t be afraid, have courage. Good luck. Love Dad.”

The bee population in 2019 consisted primarily of wild bees, and North Dakota has the highest honey production with over 38 million pounds.

Clukey explained that her father bought a farm when he was in his 40s, and it was then that he took up beekeeping and other hobbies like raising cattle and horses. She added, “When he was diagnosed (诊断) with stage 4 lung cancer, the doctors told him that he had 18 months to live. He was a fighter: He lived 5 years and a week after his diagnosis.”

The post has attracted a lot of readers on the platform and has received over 42,800 likes, 2,333 comments, and 749,000 re-shares in less than 24 hours, and in the comments, the woman added that while she doesn’t do beekeeping herself, two of her brothers are interested in it.

One user commented, “I lost my dad in 2018. This post makes me cry.” And another user said, “My dad is in the last few weeks of his life battling cancer. I’ll come back to the post in a couple of months when I need it again.” And one also shared the story of her personal loss, writing, “I lost my husband half a year ago. He used to leave little notes all over the house. I can’t bring myself to move anything.”

I am Denise Clarice, the only one in my class who does not have a pet. No dog waits for me at the bus stop. No cat sits beside me while I read. I don’t even have a tiny, furry hamster (仓鼠) to hold in my hand. But I don’t feel sorry. Why?

The rule about no pets at our house is not because I am too young to have pets, because I am 1l years old. Besides, I am very responsible. I always return library books on time and I do my homework every day, even when I would rather play in the grass. The rule about no pets is because of Kevin. He is my little brother and he is sensitive to pets, which make him sneeze (打喷嚏).

One day, when I was walking home from school, I heard a soft little sound from behind a garbage. I stopped and listened. There it was. I heard the sound again. I walked quietly up the driveway and looked behind the garbage. A tiny ball of gray fur looked up at me and said, “Meow.” Before I knew it, I was holding the cat. Before I knew it, I was walking toward home, holding the cat in my arms. She must be lost. “Finders keepers,” I thought.

I took the cat upstairs to my room. We played with a ball, and she jumped high to catch the ball. I was excited that I made a comfortable little bed for her in a box with a small blanket and gave her milk to drink. Soon, my mother called me to dinner.

Not long after I sat down at the table, Kevin started sneezing.

In the end, I had to return the cat.