When my daughters reached the third and fourth grades, I sometimes allowed them to walk to and from school alone if the weather permitted. One warm spring day, a little dog followed them home after school. It had short legs and long lovely ears. It was the cutest dog I had ever seen and the girls begged me to keep it.

The dog was about twelve weeks old. It had no collar (项圈) or identifying marks of any sort. I didn’t know what to do. I thought about posting an advertisement but I really didn’t want to. It would break the kids’ hearts if someone should show up. Besides, its owners should have watched it more closely.

By the end of the week the dog was part of our family. It was very intelligent and good with the girls. The following week something told me to check the lost-and-found section in the local paper. One particular advertisement jumped out at me and my heart beat with fear for what I read. Someone was begging for the return of a lost dog in the neighborhood of our grade school. The owner sounded extremely eager. My hand shook, and I couldn’t bring myself to pick up the paper.

Instead, I pretended I hadn’t seen the advertisement. I quickly put paper away in the drawer and continued with my dusting. I never said a word about it to the kids or my husband.

By then we had named the dog. It was Kevin, so we called it Kevin. It followed the girls everywhere they went. When they went outside, it was one step behind them. When they did the housework, it was there to lend a hand.

There was only one problem with this seemingly perfect picture: my conscience (良心) was bothering me. I wondered in my heart whether I had to call that number in the paper and see if our Kevin was the dog they were desperately seeking. It was the most difficult thing for me to do.

But I had to make a decision.

The woman said, “Where is my dog? I would like to have a look at it.”

2 . Last week, I had a wisdom tooth (智齿) pulled, which left me swollen and unable to speak. It was very strange spending a few days in this_________, but judging from other people’s responses, not as strange as it was for them.

I thought my husband would be the first to feel upset. I tried to imagine how_________it must be to have half of the house go silent._________, when I found him in the kitchen at midnight, cooking potatoes for my recovery and_________the silence by singing “your lovely swollen face” to the tune of My Humps, I, too, was surprised, but also_________.

When I felt_________I went to my local shop. It still hurt when I moved my face, so when I     _________ a friend, I couldn’t say anything. The friend wanted my_________on a Twitter disagreement that I didn’t seem bothered. I was not bothered — and it felt good to remember that.

Later I visited my mom, who chatted away as normal. She didn’t even_________that I was on the silent mode. This makes me certainly believe that my family role is part__________, part listener.

People say__________is golden and that sometimes it is wise to say nothing and to let people reveal (吐露) themselves. Perhaps that is the__________of the wisdom tooth. Maybe when they arrive with all their pain, forcing us —even just for a while—to move our__________a little less, they give a lesson for living well: Listen,__________and try being quiet now and then. Then maybe adulthood won’t be quite like__________teeth.

3 . Last year I went to the Rio de Janeiro Carnival, and it blew my mind. It had been my dream to attend the famous carnival for many years, so I was excited. However ,the moment I arrived, I was a little bit nervous because there were so many people on the streets. They say that five or six million people come to Rio during carnival time and about two million of them are on the streets on any given day. Luckily, I had a local guide, my sister’s friend Ronnie. He said he would take care of me and show me around at the carnival. He did not let me down.

Well, the carnival is all about the samba. It’s a style of music and dance which has its origins in Africa. Lots of Africans were used as slave labor by the Portuguese when Brazil was being conquered, so this mixed culture of African, Latin and European styles is really strong here.   Samba music is usually fast and exciting with a lot of drums and harmonic vocals(和声).It’s the kind of music that you couldn’t help dancing to. And I was learning that as I followed Ronnie through the crowd, I couldn’t help moving my hips and shoulders.

Ronnie had got us tickets for the samba parade inside the Sambadrome where the top samba schools compete for the championship, but we still had a long way to go through the street parties. He said most people enjoy the carnival by making their own parties in the street. About the samba parade, twelve main teams compete for the championship, and if they win, their performance will be talked about for years to come.

So, you must be wondering how it was. Well, I’m afraid I can’t tell you. Ronnie and I never made into the Sambadrome.   We spent the day moving from one street party to another. There were more snacks, more drinks and lots of dancing. Do I regret missing the main parade? Not at all. I experienced the carnival like the locals, and it was truly amazing.

4 . The sound of glass breaking is instantly recognizable. “Oh, no, not the vase!” Missi said _________. “You’re my best friend. If you had broken anything else in the apartment, I would have gladly said I did it. But you are going to have to tell my mom that it was your _________ and she’s going to be really mad.”

I was _________ . I’d destroyed a priceless family heirloom (传家宝) while playing in Missi’s house.

A couple of minutes after six we heard a key _________ in the door. Her mom returned home.

“I’m so sorry…” I said helplessly. She was _________ and said nothing when she saw the _________ on the ground. This terrified me even more. Then she erupted into a loud scream of _________ that filled the entire apartment. She _________ me, kissing me on both cheeks.

“Thank you! I always _________ that ugly vase, but I had to keep it because it was __________ in my family. Now it’s gone! You’ve done me a great service!” She __________ me again.

I couldn’t stop the tears running down my face. I was so relieved to have   __________ , but I was also in shock. This was not at all the __________ I had expected.

I’ll admit it wasn’t until I __________ my adult years that I recognized how generous and kind Missi’s mom was! She taught me a lesson that has __________ with me forever.

5 . When the young donkey Daisy May came to us, she was pregnant(怀孕的). With no donkey experience, I was unprepared for what might come next.

After some difficulty, Daisy’s baby was born. I thought the poor thing was dead. I planned to put the loss behind us and make sure she never got pregnant again. Just then, I heard a little noise. I couldn’t believe that baby was breathing and looking at me! We called him Samson, and of course I became his mother as much as Daisy was.

When Samson was nine months old, I had to separate Daisy and Samson for a few hours a day to wean(使断奶) him, but otherwise he went wherever she did. I thought he would be lost without her. His donkey stepdad Bernard taught him to always be ready to have fun. They enjoyed playing football together and going for a roll on a hot summer day.

I asked a worker to make a harness(马具)for my three little donkeys. When I brought it home, I taught them one by one how to pull a cart. Samson watched and freely followed Daisy. When he was three, I put the harness on him and he knew exactly what to do.

That was 15 years ago. Now, the most exciting thing about Samson is that he has become a little renowned. People come from all over to see him perform. The neighbors bring their grandchildren, and my sons bring their friends.

Samson shakes hands, unties my shoes, picks up a hat and more. And when I ask him if he has any bad habits, he tries to pick my pocket! He surprisingly learned these tricks himself. I just ask him to do them and he understands.

The relationship I have with my “baby” Samson has been an amazing experience. Every day is a fun day with this superstar donkey.