1 . “I am leaving home.” When Timmy, my 10-year-old son eagerly announced that he couldn’t wait to ______ , the feeling of guilt peaked as I tried to figure out the ______ “So, I can get a dog.” he stressed.

But I stayed ______ we didn’t need a dog to complete our life—and he gave up. Until the day I overheard Tim my, with his brother, discussing his moving plan. Suddenly, the situation ______ gain a dog or ______ a child? I felt my resolve ______ “We can look into it,” I replied doubtfully, but the kind we wanted cost a ridiculous $1000! Yes, love had a price. I ______ for thought again.

I shared my _____   with my friend whose love for dogs was quite sensible. He connected me to his pet keeper friend who got a pregnant dog and the baby dogs were due soon. A few days later, we took a surprise trip to the countryside when the little dogs were born. I would admit that all my previous ______ reappeared after watching a group of blind things, but it was too late. Among screams of ______ we chose one of the little dogs as ours.

We attempt to ______ our kids in a healthy way—I didn’t realize the added dimension of love and ______ that a dog would teach my kids. On a hot day, Timmy cut short his outing to check if Odie, the dog, had enough water. When Odie was sick, my elder son made fresh soup and ______ fed it to him.

My children no longer talk about leaving home ______ there is the troublesome issue of who will take the dog. They quietly learn how to give and receive love. If having a dog means linking my children even closer together, it will be a mother’s prayer ______

2 . I had a deadline (截止日期) for a huge project at work. When I’d picked up my son that afternoon, I bought a roast chicken for dinner. I _________ that’d save me an extra hour to _________ my project.

It was 6:00 p.m., and I was typing, making good _________. Then my sons, Nathan and Jordan, came in and said they were hungry. Soon my 18-year-old daughter, Julia, made the same   _________ .

Suddenly I couldn’t help _________. “You can put the roast chicken in the microwave by yourself,” I nearly shouted. “I think you’d realize I’m busy and just take some _________.”

Twenty minutes later, a plate filled with food appeared on my _________. I smiled. “Sorry I screamed at you guys. I’m just so _________ of being ATF around here. I mean All Things Food. If it’s food-related, it _________ falls to me. Since we eat three times a day, it’s a __________ job. Now I am so busy and have to __________ my project in two days.”

Then Julia said, “Mom, for the next two days, we’re ATF. We will __________ the load to help you.”

The next two days, my children prepared the meals and __________ them to me. Then I took a __________ , and got back to work.

To my great joy, I finished my project __________ . I’m grateful to my children. They showed me that it’s our joint duty to take care of each other.

3 . What makes a home? Love and sympathy and confidence. It is a place where kindly _______ exist among all the members of the family. The parents take good care of their children, and the children are interested in the _______ of their parents. Thus, all of them are _______ together by affection, and they find their home to be a _______ place in the world.

But for me, sometimes I can't feel the love from my father and can't feel the warmth of the home. _______ happen between us frequently.

“BANG” the door caused a protest. “Never _______ this house again!” shouted Father. With tears welling up in my eyes, I rushed out of the house and ran along the street.

A young father who held a child in his arm walked _______ me. I felt as if I saw my _______ from another space: happy and harmonious.

But now I don't know _______ it is because I have grown up or because Dad is getting ________. We are just like two people coming from two different worlds. It feels like there is an iron ________ between us that can never be opened.

I wandered the streets, ________ a destination in my mind. My heart was ________ on this hot summer night. As I walked on there were fewer and fewer people in the streets, until I had only streets to keep me company. When I finally reached the high rise apartment block in which I lived, I saw that the light was still ________.

I thought to myself, “Is Father waiting for me, or is he still angry with me?” After a long hesitation, I opened the door and instantly tears ran down my cheeks. I suddenly realized that the iron door that I had ________ between us did not exist at all because love is second to none.