1 . A boy was sent to the wisest man, who lived on a beautiful castle high on the mountain, to learn the secret of happiness.

On entering the hall of the castle, the boy saw the wise man talking with everyone there, and the boy had to_________for two hours before it was his turn to get his attention. Later, the wise man listened_________and then suggested that the boy look around the palace and return in two hours to get the_________. Meanwhile, the wise man handed the boy a teaspoon that held two drops of_________. “As you wander around, carry this spoon with you without allowing the oil to_________.”

The boy began climbing and walking down many of the stairways of the palace, keeping his eyes_________on the spoon. After two hours, he returned to the_________where the wise man was. “Did you see the Persian tapestries(壁毯)that are hanging in my dining hall? Did you see the garden that took the master gardener ten years to create?”_________the wise man. The boy was_________. He had observed nothing. His only__________had been not to spill the oil. “Then go back and observe the wonders of my world,” smiled the wise man.

__________, the boy picked up the spoon and returned to his exploration of the palace. He saw all of the works of art on the ceilings and the__________, the gardens, and the mountains all around him. Upon returning to the wise man, he told__________everything he had seen. “But where are the drops of oil?” asked the wise man. Looking down at the spoon he held, the boy saw that the oil was__________. The wise man said, “The secret of happiness is to see all the marvels of the world and never to__________the drops of oil on the spoon.”

One particularly cold Saturday in January, I was supposed to take our dog out for a walk, but it was so cold that I didn’t want to go outside. Instead, I just opened the door and let the dog out by himself. I kept an eye on him to make sure he would come back inside.

However, another neighborhood dog quickly ran past our house, and our dog sped after to catch him. I hurriedly went to grab my coat so I could follow my dog, and then I rushed outside. Unfortunately, I was already too late, and my dog was nowhere in sight. I walked a few blocks, but I was unable to find him.

Depressed, I returned home. My mother was standing at the door waiting, and she asked me what had happened. “I know I was supposed to walk our dog,” I admitted, “but I thought he would be able to go outside and come back by himself. Now he’s gone and I can’t find him anywhere.”

My mother was very angry with me; she said I should have been more responsible. She decided to help by making some signs. The signs read, “Lost: A big black dog. Please call us right away” and she printed our phone number on the bottom. “Okay, Darrell,” she said, as she handed over those signs, “now go post these on all the street posts.”

4 . I was never very neat while my roommate Kate was extremely organized. Each of her objects had its place, but my always hid somewhere. She even labeled (贴标签) everything. I always looked for everything. Overtime, Kate got neater and I got my merriser. She moved to push my dirty clothing over and I would lay my books on her tidy desk. We both got tired of each other.

Who broke out one evening. Kate came into the room. Soon, I heard her screaming, “Take your shoes away! why under my bed!” Suddenly I saw my shoes flying at me. I jumped to my feet and started yelling. She yelled back louder.

The room was filled with anger. We could not have stayed together for a single minute but for a phone call. Kate answered it. From her end of the conversation, I could tell right away her grandma was seriously ill. When she hung up. She quickly crawled (爬) under her covers, crying. Obviously. that was something she could not go through alone. All of a sudden, a warm feeling of sympathy (同情) rose up in my heart.

Slowly, I collected the pencils, took back the books, made my bad. Cleaned the suckers and swept the floor even on her side. I got so absorbed into my work that I even didn’t notice Kate had sat up. She was watching. Her tears dried and her expression was such disbelief. Then, she reached out her hands to grasp mine. I looked up into her eyes. She smiled at me. “Thanks.”

Kate and I stayed roommates for the rest of the year. We didn’t always agree, but we learned the key to living together: giving in, cleaning up and holding on.

6 . Since first grade, I had always done well on tests. When it came to fifth grade science, however, I was _________. I couldn’t seem to understand or _________ it no matter how hard I tried.

My mom and dad had always been so _________ of my grades, and I didn’t want to let them down. So just before the test I had written several _________ from the textbook on my desk in pencil. The writing was so light that it could hardly be seen. I went _________ as the teacher started to hand out the test paper. I didn’t want to be caught, but I didn’t want to _________ either.

As the teacher was starting down my row, suddenly the _________ went off. We all _________ the door and stood together, waiting to be allowed back into the building.

As I stood outside in the warm sunshine, I realized what a fool I had been. I knew my mom and dad would still love me no matter what my _________ were. As soon as we came into the classroom, I walked to my desk and __________ the notes away. I had been given a second chance, and I wasn’t going to __________ it. I took the test, did my best and felt __________. I don’t remember what my grade was, but what happened that day has stayed in my mind ever since.

Life is full of second chances, but you have to be willing to __________ them. You have to be willing to accept your __________ and grow from them. When you are given a second chance in life, cherish it! And use it __________!

Adam lived with his parents in one city while his grandparents lived far away in another city. Adam’s parents usually took their son to his grandparents’ house during summer holiday every year and stayed there for around 20 days. Adam’s grandfather loved him very much and spent a lot of time playing with him. His grandmother always cooked delicious food for him. Adam loved his stay there. This continued for years. The boy grew up over time.

One day Adam said to his parents, “Now, I am old enough to go to grandparents’ house alone. So, please let me go by myself.”

His parents didn’t agree at first but Adam insisted(坚持). They finally agreed. But they were worried about his safety. So, they taught him everything he needed to know to travel alone.

The day came when Adam was to leave for his grandparents’ house. And his parents came to see him off at the train station. When the boy was comfortably seated on the train, his parents got off and waited for the train to leave.

While waiting, the father went to the window and kept talking to his son. He handed his son an envelope(信封) from the window and said, “Son, if you feel afraid on the way, open this and read it. It will help you to calm down.”

The boy kept that envelope in his pocket carefully and said goodbye to his parents. When the train was ready to leave, the boy smiled and told his father, “I remember everything. Don’t worry.”

At every station where the train stopped, people kept coming and going. The boy started feeling a little lonely.

At one station, a big man with cuts on his face got on the train.

Then he remembered his father’s letter.

8 . Jacquelina used to weigh over 500 pounds. And for years, she refused to wear a bathing suit (泳衣).

She realized her life needed a complete _________ after an unpleasant experience at Dollywood where she got _________ in a turnstile (旋转栅门). Then Jacquelina decided to make a change. She was going to get control of her _________!

Of course, it was no easy task. She spent years in _________ with doctors, eating right, and exercising. And _________ her hard work, Jacquelina lost 350 pounds.

Years later, Jacquelina _________ for Mexico for a vacation. Having lost 350 pounds, she decided she was ready to wear a bathing suit without a cover-up.

“I was _________ to take my cover-up off and walk into the pool. I still felt like that same 500—pound girl.” Jacquelina explained.

But Jacquelina was ready to face her fears. _________, people around her unfriendly pointed and _________ at Jacquelina.

“In the past I would __________ their comments to affect my vacation, and I probably would never go to that pool again.” she said to herself.

But now she’s a changed woman!

Instead of letting their behaviour bring her down, she took a deep breath, then chose to __________ and walk into the pool.

“That was a huge __________ for me,” she said. “I had changed. I was not the __________ girl any more.”

While she’d lost 350 pounds, it wasn’t just Jacquelina’s body that had changed. Her __________ changed, too. Unkind comments still __________, but she realized her worth had nothing to do with what other people thought.

10 . When I look back on my childhood, a mixture of happiness and sorrow floods over me. I have living memories of every past life story that has had a deep _________ on my future view of life. Here is one such meaningful story.

Shaking in my underwear on the driveway, I found that the home was quickly _________ to the ground. A moment ago I was sleeping _________ in my comfortable bed when a scream woke me up. My grandma’s bedroom was just next to mine and my brother’s. A fire had _________ there and awakened her. On hearing her, my older brother began to take action. The house. however, was over fifty years old and made of _________. Before we could do anything, the fire had _________ it.

I stood trembling with great _________ as the fire ruined my books, clothes, and toys. I watched _________ while my mother cried and my father swore (咒骂). I wondered what would _________ ahead of us because everything was lost. However, as I looked around, I __________ something for the first time: The burnt things are not important. I saw my older brother running across the bridge by our house to get help. I saw my oldest brother who __________ from an earlier accident standing painfully on one leg. I saw my parents gathering together and my grandma __________ our little dog in her arms. Everything that was __________ had survived the fire. Our lives would continue. And that was all that mattered.

The accident that happened that night helps me learn the love we share actually means much more than materials. Live our life for the things that __________, not for the things we own. Let the __________ inside us make this world a warmer place.