1 . A club called We Dine Together was formed at Boca High School in Florida last autumn. During each lunch period, ________ make their way around the school courtyard looking for students who are eating ________. They then introduce themselves and get to know the students.

Estimon, who came to the US from Haiti in the first grade, is one of four students who ________ We Dine Together. He said having been the ________ kid before, he knew how it felt to be ________. And he didn’t want any other kid to have ________ problems.

“When I first arrived, I had a great feeling of loneliness, which was more ________ during my lunch break,” said Estimon. “If we don’t try to make that ________, who’s going to do it?”

Allie, who also helped organize the club, got emotional while ________ what it was like to sit alone at lunch.

“It’s not a good feeling — you’re ________. And that’s something I don’t want anybody to ________.” said Allie. “Meeting someone who actually ________ and listens to what you have to say really makes a difference.”

Since the club was founded, dozens of ________ and friendship have already been formed between teens who may not have met ________. Estimon and his friends are planning to ________ the success. “We’ll open clubs in schools across the country — no matter where anyone lives, they have the chance to make friends.”

2 . When my son was eleven years old, he came home from school in tears one day. A couple of the older kids bullied (欺负) him at the bus stop. Rob wanted to stay home from school, so he wouldn’t have to meet the boys.

We called the school. “We’ll be happy to call the boys’ parents,” We were told, “And you should call the police.” “We don’t know what we will do yet.” I said. I felt that calling the police was a choice to be used when everything else failed, and I wanted first to consider other ways of dealing with the situation, I asked him to hold off calling the boys’ parents.

The next day was Saturday. Rob happened to look our of the window and said in fer, “There are the boys who beat me up!” Two older boys were standing in front of our house, as if they were waiting for Rob to step outside.

My wife Bev opened the door and said with a smile, “Hi guys. Would you like some ice cream?” They looked at each other in puzzlement. But they were teenagers, after all, so one of them said, “Sure. Why not?”

Bev quickly introduced herself, Rob’s younger brothers and me. She even introduced Rusty, the dog. “And I think you already know Rob,” She said. Her idea was to help them to see that Rob was a person, not a target. He had a family and even owned a family pet.

Bev drew the boys into chat while we ate ice cream. After a few minutes, she said, “I know there’s been some trouble at the bus stop. I think there may be a misunderstanding.” They nodded that there had indeed been trouble at the bus stop. She continued, “Maybe we can talk about the misunderstanding, so you can be friends.” We talked until the ice cream was finished. Finally the boys apologized.

Understanding is a difficult task. It may be easier to control conflict by force than to find a way to cooperate. Force can calm a situation. But understanding leads to peace.

Holidays are not necessarily for fun or rest. Doing something meaningful can also gain special pleasure. When the final bell rang, the students were reminded that there was no school on Monday—the Labor Day. “Enjoy your extra day off” said the teacher to her class.

An extra day off unsuited Kayla just fine. She loved breaks. She wanted to go out to play with her friends. When the school bus dropped Kayla off, she ran into the house happily.

“How was school, Kayla?” asked her mom.

“It was great, Mom. I am excited about no school on Monday.”

“You just started back to school two weeks ago. Already in need of a break, huh?” asked Kayla’s mom with a laugh.

Kayla slept in the next morning. Saturday was her favorite day of the week. I trained most of the day, so Kayla enjoyed playing videogames inside. On Sunday, her friends came over and they played basketball for several hours.

Then it was Labor Day, you know, the extra day off that Kayla was so looking forward to. But Kayla was awakened early that morning by her dad. He told Kayla that in honor of Labor Day, the family would be cleaning both inside and outside the house. Kayla couldn’t believe it. This was a holiday. A day when she was supposed to be enjoying freshly squeezed lemonade while playing in her tree house. As Kayla wiped here yes, she began to wonder if this was just a bad dream.

“Kayla, your breakfast is ready. We have a lot of work to do today. Let’s get a move on,” said Kayla’s mom. As she sat down at the kitchen table, Kayla asked her parents，

“Are you serious about working today? Isn’t Labor Day a holiday?”

“Yes, Kayla. It is,” replied her dad. “But your mom and I thought working hard today would make you appreciate why Labor Day was observed in the first place.”

At first Kayla felt disappointed at her parents’ plan for the holiday.

But things began to change as she was doing the chores.

Excitement and danger always coexist. Even Rogers had just taken a turn on his mountain bike in April 2020 when he was stopped short by the sight of a woman sitting on the side of the trail. She was cute and had long brown hair and big expressive eyes. What he didn’t know then was that she was also in pain.

Sydney Linden, 28, bad been jogging down Adobe Jack Trail in Sedona, Arizona, when she jumped over a rock and her leg overextended on the landing. The pain was instant. Her right leg collapsed and she hit the dirt hard. Linden tried to stand but collapsed. She wasn’t sure if she had tom her ACL (韧带), broken her leg, or something else. All she knew was that the pain was a 15out of 10.

Linden dragged herself to the shade, “like an animal preparing to die,” she says. She’d called a friend, but after 30 minutes, her friend was lost. That’s when she saw the mountain biker.

Rogers was trying to play it cool. “I didn’t want to be strange,” he says, “so I was just going to casually ride by — at a slower speed.” But Rogers, 33, an active-duty airman, sensed her sufferings and asked if be could help. Linden explained her dilemma. That’s when he noticed the swelling under her leggings. She needed a hospital — now.

Leaning on Rogers, Linden tried to hop along, but the pain was burning. She’d never make it to the trailhead (登山扣) this way. Rogers had another idea. Ho abandoned his bike on the side of the trail and, after a brief discussion, lifted her over his shoulder. Then they began their way over the rocky area and bushes. Although it was spring, the Arizona sun beat down wildly.

Misfortune never came alone.

Linden was eager to thank Rogers, but he left without any information.

5 . As I held my father’s hands one night, I couldn’t help but notice their calluses (老茧) and roughness. His hands tell the story of his life as a farmer, including all his struggles.

One summer, I remember, a drought (旱灾) hit Ontario, turning it into a _________ desert. On one of those hot mornings I was picking sweet corn with my dad to fill the last _________ from the grocery store. Fifty dozen was all we needed, which _________ took twenty minutes. That morning, however, the process didn’t _________ quickly. After forty minutes of aimlessly walking in the field, we still needed twenty dozen. I was completely frustrated and _________. Dropping the basket heavily, I declared, “If the store wants its last twenty dozen, they can pick it themselves.” Dad _________ , “Just think; my little girl, only ten dozen left for each of us and then we’re _________.” Such is Dad — whatever problem he _________, he never gives up.

_________, the disastrous effects of the drought were felt all over our county. It was a challenging time for everyone, but Dad remained optimistic. He __________ to be grateful for other things like good health and food on our plates. Only then did I truly begin to __________ Dad and his faith that guided us through the hard times.

Dad is also a living example of real __________ . From dawn to dusk, he works countless hours to __________ our family. He always puts our happiness before his own, and never fails to cheer me on at my sports games despite his exhaustion after long days. His loving and selfless nature has inspired me to become more sympathetic and __________ putting others first.

Dad, the life __________ I have learned from you will stay with me forever. You are my father, teacher, friend and, most importantly, my hero.

Once, when I was a teenager, my father and I were standing in line to buy tickets for the circus(马戏团). Finally, there was only one family between us and the ticket counter.

This family made a big impression on me. There were eight children, all probably under the age of twelve. You could tell they didn’t have a lot of money.

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.

One could sense they had never been to the circus before. It should 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 knight in shining armor.”

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 told the price to him again. The man didn’t have enough money. How could he turn and tell his eight children that he didn’t have enough money to take them to the circus?

In fact, we were not rich. 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.

That day my father and I went back to our car and drove home without any tickets.