Ali and his younger sister, Zahra, lived with their parents in a poor neighborhood. Their mother was very sick and their father was struggling to find a job, and they had only a little money with which to buy food. As they had not paid the rent for several months, the landlord was breathing down their necks.

One day, Ali took Zahra's shoes to a shoe repairman to be fixed, but he lost them on the way home. It wasn’t until he got home that he realized he had lost the shoes. He was afraid that his parents would be angry and disappointed, so he begged his sister to keep it a secret. Zahra agreed and the two decided to share Ali’s running shoes. Zahra's school hours were in the morning, so she would wear them first. After school, she would rush back and give them to Ali. He could then run to his school, which began in the afternoon. Although he ran as fast as he could, Ali often arrived late and was warned by the school.

Ali heard about a long distance race that was held for the boys in the city.When he learned that the third prize was a new pair of shoes, he decided to take part. He ran home excitedly and promised his sister that he would win her the new shoes.

The day of race arrived. Ali had a strong start, but halfway through the race he began to get tired and his legs began to ache. Getting more and more exhausted he thought only of Zahra and his promise to her. Dreaming of the new shoes he would win for his sister gave him strength, and he stayed right behind the two fastest runners, determined to finish third. Suddenly, as the finish line drew near, another runner collided(碰撞) with Ali from behind and he crashed to the ground.

Ali looked up and saw the other boys rushing ahead.

Filled with delight, Ali walked home quickly.

4 . I enjoy throwing stuff away. I’d love to go full minimalism (极简主义), but my wife and two teenage kids do not share my dream of a house with almost nothing in it. I have tried. When the kids were little, I taught them my two favorite games – “Do We Need It?” and “Put It in Its Place”— and made them play every few months. Their enthusiasm never matched mine.

If I’m going to be honest, my own tidying skills are not as great as I’d like. My “discarded” pile is never quite the trash mountain I want because I make up excuses for why things are useful. I consider this unhealthy. I want to be better at moving on.

So, this time I found help—the classics for people like me: The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, by Marie Kondo. Kondo’s commitment to her craft is astonishing. Her philosophy is only to keep things you love. Can I go full Kondo? I will try. One central idea is to clean by category. You start by collecting all clothes and gathering them together for consideration. It makes you rethink how you organize. Next, hold each item and ask if it brings you joy. This way you’re choosing what to keep. And that’s how I find myself with all my clothes on my bedroom floor. My wife walks by and gives me a look that says I’m nuts. She’s probably not wrong.

Somewhere near the bottom of this chaos is my special jacket. I move through the pile: pants, shirts, suits and shoes. Then my last category: jackets. I haven’t worn it in about 30 years. Somehow, it has survived. Now, has its time come?

I hold it in my hand. There is a tear just below the collar that widens as I hold it. It’s literally falling apart. Will I ever wear it again? Not a chance. Does it feel good to wear? Does it bring me joy? Actually, yes. At this moment, my daughter walks in. She asks about the jacket. I tell her the story. She thinks I should keep it. It’s cool and unique and full of memories. She is arguing that nostalgia (怀念) is the very reason.

I’m not entirely convinced by my daughter’s arguments. I believe in looking ahead, not backward. Nevertheless, sometimes it’s hard to let go. So I gently place the jacket on the “keep” pile.

5 . Daniel, my 8-year-old daughter, is on a crazy ride with our mail carrier, Anderson. My daughter has formed a _______ habit of writing letters and keeping interaction with her favorite _________. If you ever read her hand-decorated letter and envelopes, then I believe they really _________ your day.

It’s likely that a letter from Daniel includes some jokes or questions to _________ a response. _________ when she wrote a letter to Anderson, she put something unique in it. “You may know me as the person living here and keeping writing hundreds of letters. You’re very _________ to me, assisting me to stay in touch with friends. I _________ people with my letters, and you do that too!” Daniel wrote.

On the following day, a package _________ with two letters. One was from Anderson and the other from his trainer, Linda. In the letter, Anderson said he had _________ Daniel’s letter and believed many postal folks wanted to __________ Daniel. Daniel was so __________ with the content in the letter, for the possible result of no reply from other mail carriers would come as a(n) __________ to her.

__________, today, we saw Anderson bring four boxes of letters to me from around the country. These letters were so __________, filled with stories about family, pets and a sense of kindness. But there was something __________ those in them. People felt __________ — some for the first time in a long time. “I work alone in a small rural post office…” “Not many people think about how __________ we work…” Daniel wrote back seriously.

I’m sharing this not because I’m proud, but because it’s relatively __________, if we take the time, to give others __________ they need to be good. We all want to be seen, known and __________. Send a letter. Give a call. Take a step of bravery, like Daniel.

7 . Peter loved his wife Marion, loved adventure, and loved his camper van (野营车)called Schoen. The pair made numerous unforgettable road trips in Schoen. But after Marion died, the ______ Schoen had fewer and fewer outings. With Schoen’s adventuring days seemingly over, Peter decided to put it up for ______

Elise and her husband, Domenic, had always dreamed of owning their own “happiness bus” and travelling in a camper van. One day, Elise ______ the sales information on Schoen and the couple instantly decided to take a look. Elise fell in love with Schoen______, but Peter asked for $39, 000, well outside their______.

Feeling extremely disappointed, the couple left. “We were______to have met Peter,” said Elise with a smile. “We shared with him our story and dream of owning a van like that.”

A few days later, Peter called to invite them back for a second look. ______the young couple came again, but without much______Peter said he had so far received two offers for Schoen, and both met his asking price. But they were from ______, which would likely mean the van’s______gathering dust in a garage or display. Peter asked how much the couple would be able to______. Domenic told him the most they could spend was around half of what he was ______ . Peter, holding back tears himself, told them he would ______their offer only if they promised to have adventures with Schoen.

Now Schoen is on glorious adventures somewhere, helping Elise and Domenic create wonderful family ______.

“Peter is definitely a hero for us,” says Elise. “Finding Schoen and making that______ to Peter had totally changed our life. ”

Last year, I was addicted to the Internet. I stayed up late at the night to surf the Internet. My grades at school become worse and worse.

My parents decided to help me. I was asked to cut down on my time spending on the Internet. However, I was able to end my online chats or concentrate on my lessons. So my parents made up their minds to take on my laptop. I was upset and angry, but finally I gave the laptop to them unwilling.

Over time, I realized that my parents had always wanted the better for me. I began to overcome my Internet addiction. Quit was harder than I had expected. So with determination, I did and turned over a new leaf.