3 . When I was thirteen years old , a girl gave me an important gift. It was a _______. It was the early autumn of my first year at a new school. No one _______ me. I was very lonely. Every time I heard the other students talking and laughing, I felt even more _______. I could not talk to anyone about my_______, and I did not want my parents to worry about me.

One day, my classmates were talking with their friends, but I sat _______. At that moment, a girl entered the classroom,_______ me without a word and gave me a bright smile._______, I felt the touch of something bright and friendly. It made me feel _______. It was like a hidden treasure. That smile   _______ my life. I started to talk with the other__________. Day by Day, I learnt to__________people, and they included me in their circle of friends. The girl with the __________smile has become my best friend now. One day, asked her __________ she smiled at me that day. She said she could not remember!

Now I believe that the world is what you think it is. If you __________ that you are lonely, you might always be alone. My __________ is : smile at the world and it will smile back.

4 . It was a warm winter’s day in South Africa and I planned to go surfing. The area of beach I went to is famous among surfers for its powerful waves and popularity with sharks.

After a while my brother and some of my friends got out of the water because they felt uneasy. There was the smell of fish in the air, which can attract sharks. A few of us stayed. Finally, I saw my first big wave, but as I was about to hit it, two great white sharks attacked me.

It happened so quickly. One shark hit me, throwing me into the air; a second later, it dragged me under the water. The shock stopped me from feeling pain. Under the water, another shark went for my head and shoulders but missed.

Perhaps surprised by the competition, the first shark lost its grip (控制) on me and the next thing I knew was that I was staring a shark straight in the face. It stared back at me for a few moments. Its mouth was wide open; I could see huge teeth and dark black eyes. After it passed, I swam to the surface as fast as I could.

When surfing, there is always the fear in the back of your mind of sharks. Now it was real. I was shaking, crying and panicking, realizing that I could die. I tried all my hardest to swim back to the shore. Eventually, I made it to dry land. I felt relief. Someone tied my arm to slow the bleeding and my brother rushed me to the hospital. The surgeon managed to save my fingers.

That day changed my life, but it hasn’t stopped me from surfing. I started a surfing school to teach the sport to others. I was more afraid of sharks before my attack. Now I know what it means to be alive.

5 . My aunt came to my home with her six-year-old daughter Alice this morning. While my aunt was talking with my mom at home, my cousin felt a bit _______. So I suggested that I go out with her. My aunt happily agreed. So we went to the park near my home together. There we bought two _______ and started flying them. While we were doing that, Alice couldn’t help _______. She jumped up and down and I knew she was _______ having great fun. And I must _______ that I haven’t enjoyed myself like that for a long time.

Later, we sat down on a bench, looking at the gardens. As we were _______ there, Alice looked up at me and said, “What a _______ day today!” I smiled at her and agreed. I then started _______ what we had done that day. We did something quite _______, yet we were very happy.

Many people wait for their “best days”. But I think today is our ________ day. That’s a lesson I learned today. As adults, we often make plans carefully in order to have a great day. Some people think that they can have a nice day through spending a lot of ________. I think we should be more like ________. They don’t think about money or what will happen tomorrow. They really live in the moment and enjoy the moment!

We often hear the expression that we should live in the ________. How do we do that? We’re not doing such a good job. Remember today is important as we are exchanging (交换) a day of our ________ for it. Yesterday is a history. Tomorrow is a mystery. Today is a ________. That’s why it is called present. So seize (把握) the day!

6 . It was early winter several years ago. I had pulled out my old winter coat for another year’s use. It was still in pretty good shape although it was looking dirty from so many winters’ wear. I didn’t really need a new one but I wanted one and casually mentioned it to my daughter one day. She was such a sweet, loving girl that I should have guessed what would happen next. A few weeks later she gave me a new winter coat as a gift.

I put the old one in my closet and started to wear the new coat every day. Each day, though, when I opened my closet, something troubled me. It seemed a shame that my old but still good coat should just sit there keeping no one warm during the cold winter days. After a few weeks, I took it out and drove to a local charity shop. I knew that there was someone who couldn’t afford a coat but could get my old one.

My new coat is my old coat now. It is getting a little dirty and worn, too. It has black marks on the sleeves. It is in too bad shape to even donate to charity. I wonder if I should buy a new one soon, but I think I will wait for a while. I don’t really need a new one and maybe I can find something else to give to the charity shop instead.

Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “Want is a growing giant whom the coat of Have was never large enough to cover,” Perhaps the best way to deal with our wants then is to give instead. Love, after all, brings us the most joy. And the more of it you give away, the more of it you have.

8 . It is just past five o’clock on the Chinese New Year’s Eve. The dinner table is already ________ with white china plates and bowls, full of all sorts of dishes. Luo Yan, ________ the cover of a large bowl to breathe in the ________ smell of the soup his wife and mother have prepared. His son, Bofeng, happily takes a ________ of the chicken his grandfather has already ________ for him.

Six-year-old Bofeng has not ________ his grandparents in person for almost a year, and he is full of joy and excitement. ________, the whole family could not be happier to be together. Despite (尽管) the ________ outside, their happy faces fill the air with warmth while merry ________ rings (环绕) throughout the house. The young couple and their son have settled in the ________ city. Every year, like most Chinese, they travel a long way back for the Spring Festival. It’s ________ for Chinese to get together to enjoy the joy of “three generations under the same roof” on this special day.

After, dinner, the whole family ________ around the television to watch the Spring Festival Gala, while eating snacks and ________ each other excitedly. In the warmth and ________ of the room, Luo Yan talks about his plan for the future. “I hope we won’t have to be separated again,” he says, looking at his ageing parents. “We’ll come back more ________. After all, home is where all family members are together.”

9 . Two of the saddest words in the English language are “if only”. I live my life with the goal of never having to say those words, because they express regret, lost opportunities, mistakes, and disappointment.

My father is famous in our family for saying, “Take the extra minute to do it right.” I always try to live by the “extra minute” rule. When my children were young and likely to cause accidents, I always thought about what I could do to avoid an “if only” moment, whether it was something minor like moving a cup full of hot coffee away from the edge of a counter, or something that required a little more work such as taping padding (衬垫) onto the sharp comers of a glass coffee table.

I don’t only avoid (避免) those “if only” moments when it comes to safety. it’s equally important to avoid “if only” in our personal relationships. We all know people who lost a loved one and regretted that they had foregone an opportunity to say, “I love you” or “I forgive you.” When my father announced he was going to the eye doctor across from my office on Good Friday, I told him that it was a holiday for my company and I wouldn’t be here. But then I thought about the fact that he’s 84 years old and I realized that I shouldn’t give up an opportunity to see him. I called him and told him I had decided to go to work on my day off after all.

I know there will still be occasions when I have to say “if only” about something, but my life is definitely better because of my policy of doing everything possible to avoid that eventuality (可能发生的事). And even though it takes an extra minute to do something right, or it occasionally takes an hour or two in my busy schedule to make a personal connection, I know that I’m doing the right thing. I’m buying myself peace of mind and that’s the best kind of insurance (保障) for my emotional well-being.