Christmas Day was coming. I was just a kid then, and my big sister told me there was no Santa Claus. I fled to my Grandma because she would be straight with me. l knew Grandma always told me the truth. Grandma was home, and I told her everything. She was ready for me. “No Santa Claus!” She shouted. “Ridiculous! Don’t believe it. That rumor has been going around for years, and it makes me mad, plain mad.”

“Now, put on your coat, and let’s go.”

“Go where, Grandma?” l asked. “Where” turned out to be Kerby’s General Store. the one store in town that had a little bit of just about everything. As we walked through its doors, Grandma handed me ten dollars. “Take this money.” she said, “and buy something for someone who needs it. I’ll wait for you in the car.” Then she turned and walked out of Kerby’s.

l was only eight years old. I’d often gone shopping with my mother, but never had I shopped for anything all by myself. The store seemed big and crowded, full of people competing to finish their Christmas shopping. For a few moments I just stood there, confused, holding that ten-dollar bill, wondering what to buy and who to buy it for. I suddenly thought of Bobby Decker, who was a kid with bad breath and messy hair. He sat right behind me in Mrs. Pollock’s grade-two class.

Bobby Decker didn’t have a coat. l knew that because he never went out for recess(休息) during the winter. His mother always wrote a note, telling the teacher that he had a cough, but we kids knew that Bobby Decker didn’t have a cough, and he didn’t have a coat. I fingered the ten dollar bill with growing excitement. I would buy Bobby Decker a coat! I settled on a red one, which looked really warm, and he would like that.

“Is this a Christmas present for someone?” the lady behind the counter asked kindly, as I laid my ten dollars down. “Yes.”

The nice lady smiled at me, put the coat in a bag and wished me a Merry Christmas.

That evening, Grandma helped me wrap the coat in Christmas paper.

Grandma and I waited breathlessly in the bush for Bobby Decker’s front door to open.

2 . When I was an eight-year-old girl, Mother told me to put my coat on because we were going to go somewhere special. Usually, that meant we were going to see someone important or that I would at least get a new toy. I asked which one it would be that day, and she told me that I would be getting something better than a toy. She said I would get “access to a world of toys”．

But we did not end up at any toy store. Nor did we finally see anyone we knew. Instead, Mother pulled her car at Marcy Public Library. Mother led me directly to the reception desk. “I’d like to get my daughter a library card,” she told the man behind the desk. He asked her to fill out a form and smiled at me. “What kind of books do you like?” he asked. I was too shy to reply then. I simply smiled back and shrugged my shoulders. “Well, you’ll figure it out in time” he said.

I do not remember what I checked out that first day, but I know that in the years that followed I read everything I could find of interest at that old library. I read through all the Nancy Drew books before advancing to Judy Blume, then the classics: Charles Dickens, Mark Twain, Shakespeare. Then I read books on history, books of poetry, and books about art. The library opened up a world that I never knew existed.

So Mother was right. Getting a library card was like getting access to a world of toys.

3 . Life is meant to be lived. No excuses. No reservations. No holding back.

An inspiring story about violinist Fritz Kreisler tells how he once _________ a beautiful violin he wanted to acquire. When he finally _________ the money for the violin, he returned to buy it and learned that it had already been sold to a(n) _________. He went to the new owner’s home in order to try to _________ him to sell the violin. But the collector said it was one of his _________ possessions and he could not let it go.

Disappointed Kreisler turned to leave, but then _________ a favor. “May I play the instrument once more _________ it is placed to silence?” _________ was given and the great musician began to play. The violin sang out a piece of quality music, so _________ that the collector himself could only listen in wonderment. “I have no __________ to keep that to myself,” he said after the musician finished. “The violin is yours, Mr. Kreisler. Take it into the world, and let people __________ it.”

William Arthur Ward said, “If you believe in prayer, pray; if you believe in serving, serve; if you believe in giving, give.” For you and I are fine violin—our music is __________ to be heard. I want to live my life that way—to take it into the world and live it __________. I’d rather burn out than rust out (锈尽). I’d rather be used up than die not having done __________ I can.

In the end, I know that my __________ is not only about my ability or my inability. It is about my participation. My life is meant to be lived.

One day, Barton, who was trying to pay his way through school by selling goods door to door, found that he only had one coin left. He was hungry so he decided to beg for a meal at the next house.

However, he lost his nerve when a lovely young woman named Whitney opened the door. He changed his mind and asked for a cup of water instead of a meal. Whitney thought Barton looked hungry, so she brought him a large glass of milk. He drank it slowly, and then asked, “How much do I owe you?”

“You don't owe me anything,” she replied. “Mother has taught me never to accept pay for a kindness.” He said, “Then I thank you from the bottom of my heart.” As Barton left that house, he not only felt stronger physically, but also increased his faith in God and humans. He was about to give up and quit before this point.

Years later Whitney became critically ill. Her husband, who took care of her, could not go out to work, and her poor son had to drop out of school because of being unable to afford his school tuition. He had to pick up coal in a mine near his home. Then he sold all the coal he collected for a few coins to help his parents. Fortunately, their neighbors often brought food and medicine to them, enabling them to survive the hardship of life. Besides, they also raised money for her from a fundraiser on the Internet. People donate money for her in banks, by phone using a credit card and online.

Having recognized Whitney from the pictures posted online, Barton drove to her home immediately.

Tears of joy flooded Whitney's eyes.

7 . Lisa Pina never thought she would need the fire safety training she received when she was a student learning painting. On Friday morning, she felt so thankful for having got the training.

On Thursday night, while Pina was looking after her granddaughter, nephew and two nieces in her sister’s apartment, she smelled smoke and realized the apartment building was on fire. When her 4-year-old granddaughter Garcia began saying, “we’re going to die”, she knew she had to act. Pina first closed the door, and then told all four children to lie on the floor. After calling 911, she told the children to start singing and promised them whatever they wanted to have as soon as they reached safety.

“I said, ‘OK, we’re going to lie down and we’re all going to play a game,’” Pina said. “We all started singing our ABCs and 123s. I was just trying to make it fun.”

Pina waited with patience, and a few minutes later, firefighters arrived. Pina and the children were all trapped on the second floor as flames filled the first floor.

Pina did the only thing she could. She opened the window and dropped the children, one by one, into the arms of the firefighters’ about 15-20 feet below.

“I just needed to keep the kids calm so they wouldn’t be frightened,” Pina said. “I was actually afraid inside, but I couldn’t let them know that.”

After the children was saved, firefighters rescued Pina with a ladder. Ten people were sent to hospital for suffering smoke, but nobody was seriously injured or killed.

9 . When Tony took up running as a hobby he was 42 years old. Now 42 years later he’s a national champion and a world record holder.

He never imagined at the age of 84 this is where he’d be, but then he doesn’t meet many people in their 80s who are out training four times a week.

“I can see it’s a bit unusual, yes. But it’s been my life,” he told the reporter. The retired officer runs at a track near his home in Leeds.

At an event in Italy last month he set a world record in the 80 metres hurdles（跨栏）with a time of under 17 seconds. But he sees no reason to slow down and his ambition（雄心）is still to be competing when he passes a hundred.

“I probably won’t be doing a crouch start（蹲式起跑）, but it’s only 16 years away,” he joked. Like anyone his age, he’s had health problems. He’s had a string of severe heart attacks, but doctors have told him as long as it makes him feel good, he should carry on running.

“I can’t let my heart get in the way of my training. When I am sprinting I have to give it my absolute all. My heart is the last thing on my mind. ” he said.

He trains every other day, dances and plays hockey and he recently cuts down on alcohol （酒精）and chocolate. He said “ I’ve heard alcohol can lead to dementia and I don’t want that. I’ve cut down to one glass of wine every other day. I now have to stay as fit as I can be to keep up my lifestyle.”

Tony’s next birthday is next September. And the first thing he wants to do is become the world’s fastest 85-year-old.

10 . The story of how I got my job was a funny one.

Last Monday, I was cycling along a street to an interview when a black car suddenly cut in. With another car coming in the other direction, I had to brake hard and knocked another cyclist.    1    I became angry and cycled as fast as possible to the driver of the black car to tell him how I considered him. I told him what a bad driver I thought he was and that he was a risk to other people on the road.    2    I warned him not to drive carelessly in the future so that everyone else could enjoy a long life.

    3    Having walked into the room, to my astonishment, I found one of the three interviewers happened to be the driver of the black car. We looked at each other for a while, keeping silent.    4    I laughed and told him that I talked much the last time we met and that this time it was his turn to talk a great deal. Lost in thought for a while, he found that I was not going to say anything about his bad driving. The interview went well.    5    I was pleased that the manager—the driver of the black car, didn’t mind my rudeness to him. Through the experience, I find something that seems impossible at first turns out to be good.