A group of boys stood around a tree. "What a tall tree!" they said to each other, "It would be1to climb to the top!”

    The group of boys then decided to play a game to2 who could climb to the top of the tree first. Their mothers were sitting not far away, looking on at their3as they played.

    One of the climbers was an 8-year-old boy named David. He was the shortest child in the group4thought he would win.

    Then the game started. All of the boys tried their best to climb as high as they could. Although the other boys climbed faster than David in the beginning, he5 the top of the tree fastest in the end.

    His mother was6 She asked him, "David, how did you reach the top of the tree so7?"

    It was easy, "David said, The other children. 8 looking down as they climbed. When they realized how high they were, they were afraid of9I, however, looked only up. When I saw how close I was, I kept going higher and higher10I reached the top."

    It is true in life that if we just keep going forward without looking back, we are more likely to reach our goals.

    Sam and his friend Bob, both 5, entered a painting competition. Bob won! Sam felt blue and left 1_.

    As soon as Sam 2 home, he told Papa, "I worked hard on my picture. I made it the best I could. I wanted to win. "

    "You did work hard, "said Papa. "3 is a fine picture. Ill hang it in my office. "Mama gave Sam a hug and said, "I hope you congratulated Bob."

    Sam shook his head, "Bob was too busy getting his photo taken. "Then he went to his room. He sulked (生闷气). He didn't feel like doing anything. Some time later, he got very 4. He wondered what Bob was doing. He remembered the fun they had, painting their pictures together

    He decided to do something, 5 he took out some paper and his painting set. He painted another picture, one 6 a ship in it. He knew Bob loved ships.

    Under the ship, he printed in big red 7: C-O-N-G-R-A-T-U-L-A-T-I-O-N-S!

    That was the biggest word he knew.

    That afternoon, Sam walked to Bob's house and gave Bob the 8.

    "Thanks," said Bob. "I love ships. What's the 9 word?"

    "Congratulations," said Sam.

    "Wow! Thanks again," said Bob. "This is much better than getting my photo taken.

    And happily they went to ride bikes together.

    Friendship is much better than 10, isn't it?

    When I was about 14, I had a friend who liked to tell me my shortcoming(缺点). For example: I was very short, I wasn't a top student, I talked too much, I was too proud and so on. I became so angry that I couldn't1her all last. I ran to my2with tears in my eyes.

    He listened to me3and asked, "Are the thing she says true or not? Jane, didn't you ever4what you're really like? Go and make a list of everything she said and mark the points that are5. Pay no attention to the other things she said. "I did as he told me. To my great surprise, I discovered that about half the things were true. Some I couldn't change, like being very6. But many I could and I wanted to change. For the first time, I have a better understanding of myself.

    I brought the list back to Daddy. He7to read it. "That's just for you," he said,"You know8than any other person the truth about yourself. When9said about you is true, you'll find it will be of help to you. Don't shut your ears. Listen to them all, but only hear the truth and do what you know. It is the right thing to do.

    Daddy's10has returned to me at many important moments. In my life, I've never had a better piece of advice.

    One day, a woman bought a parrot from a pet store. However, the woman decided to 1the parrot to the store the next day. "This bird doesn't 2." she told the pet store owner. "Does he have a 3?" the owner asked. "Parrots enjoy watching themselves in it." So the woman bought one and left.

    The next day, she came back, saying that the bird still didn't say anything. "How about a ladder (梯子)? Parrots love ladders, "the owner said. The woman bought a ladder and left.

    But the next day, she was back a 4time. "Does your parrot have a swing? No? Well, once he starts 5, he'll talk a lot happily, "the owner said. The woman then bought a swing and left.

    When she walked into the store the next day, she began to cry and said 6, "The parrot died." The pet store owner was7what she said. "What? I'm sorry. Tell me, did he ever say anything?" he asked. "Yes, right before he died, "the woman answered, "in a 8 voice, he asked me weakly, 'Don't they sell any food at that pet store?'"

    Sometimes we forget what's really necessary in life. We sometimes have lots of things to do 9, but we forget to deal with the most important things first. We have to remember to "10the parrots" in our lives.

    Now people can pay by scanning (扫描) their faces while shopping. Is it 1 to pay by scanning other parts of our bodies? Amazon has a new technology that scans 2.

    The technology can tell if the person is the right one by scanning his or her hand. The scanner examines things such as finger prints. It then sends a picture to a certain center which can decide who the person is.

    In September 2019, Amazon made a payment system for a US supermarket. People can pay3 by scanning their hands under a machine. Their hand scan is connected to their bank cards, so they can pay successfully. It's quite convenient, especially for 4 people. With this new technology, people 5take their cards with them. They just scan their hands.

    I was a teacher at a kindergarten three years ago in the city of Atlanta. One day, a little boy ran fast on the playground. Then I saw him1into a little girl and she fell down.

    Like many other common stories, the story 2 go on like this. The girl began to cry, but the little boy just looked at the little girl 3. Then the girl ran to me and complained about the boy.

    She would ask me 4 the boy.

    Then let me tell you what 5 next. The little boy laid himself down on the floor quickly.

    Then 6 stood up and walked to the little girl. He pulled 7 the little girl and said, "I'm sorry. It seemed that we knocked into each other. I hope it didn't hurt you. "The little girl looked surprised, 8 she still stood up and said, "Oh, sorry!" Then they walked away.

    9surprised I was when I saw what the boy did! Though he was just 10 little boy, he stopped a bad result from happening in a very simple way. The wisdom (智慧) of children always surprised me.

    My dad left my family when I was 6 years old. I had to live with my mom from then on. As a single mother, my mom had to work for 1of us in the city. She worked hard to 2 our rent (房租) and my school. As a result, there wasn't much money left for 3 things.

    One day, my best friend 4 me to his birthday party. My mom had just paid the rent and we didn't have much money left, so I could not afford a 5 I just brought a birthday card. I was old enough to understand, but still felt sad.

    To show my 6, I arrived at my friend's house early. My friend's mom knew my family's predicament(窘境), so she took me to a room 7 and showed me some new toys. She let me 8 one and write my name on it. I was 9and touched by her kindness.

    I'm 37 now. 10my mom is no longer single and our family isn't poor anymore, I am still grateful to my friend's mom for what she did. That act had a big influence on me.

    Will you put others' needs before your own? What 1will you get if you do? Here is an experience of mine.

    It was a wet day and I had a2time. I was busy and everyone I talked to was in a bad mood. What's more, I went out without breakfast and I left my3 at home. So I couldn't get lunch and was terribly hungry.

    When I finished my work，I4 to ask my wife to meet me at the door with some money so that I could quickly go to buy 5 .Then I quickly made my way home in hope of eating my 6 meal of the day at 5:00 p.m.

    As I was halfway home, my wife told me by phone that a friend of ours was in 7and needed a lift(搭便车)home. My mind said," I will get him 8I get the meal." But my mouth said," All right, I'll give him a9 ."

    He jumped in the car with a smile on his face and repeated how 10he was that I would drive him home. He told me he usually walked home from his company but that day the 11stopped him from making that journey.

    12was a mess(混乱). A drive to him normally took 10 minutes, but that day it took 30 minutes.

    Now you would guess the person that I was helping is a 13friend of mine. But, in fact, he is a friend of a friend.

    I wonder if I will ever see this person again, but I feel glad I was there when he14 me.

    So you will feel yourself helpful and useful when you15more about others.

    A crowd gathered recently to hear a popular jazz band. The music was good and the musicians were very bright. However, most people had come mainly to see a 9-year-old player called Jose, who was born blind. 1Jose couldn't see anything, he still began playing the drums when he was only 4. He showed an amazing ability, and before long he was playing the piano as well. By the age of 5, Jose had formed his own jazz trio (三重奏). So many music lovers are 2 this young man.

    Jose's parents, along with everyone, are surprised by his marvelous talent (非凡的天赋)." I didn't know jazz before, he got me into it." said his father. "I didn't know how to explain how it happened. It's like the jazz was already 3him."

    Many professional musicians have noticed his deep understanding of this special form of music, and they hope to perform with Jose. Singer Vero says the4thing about Jose is not his age or his disability, but his ability of being completely free as a true artist should be. He shows other musicians how jazz music should be played.

    As Jose's fame spreads, he has more5to perform. He has traveled throughout Bolivia and into Brazil and Peru.

    Jose is a common little boy at home, and he goes to school and does his homework. When he begins playing the piano or drums, his musical talent becomes quite clear. Hose has proved that nothing will keep him from doing what he loves best. He encourages others to look past their own obstacles (障碍)and 6for their dreams.

    I'm a member of my school's debate team.1, we had a debate about an important topic. For a long time, there has been a ban (禁令) on using smartphones during class. The school's administration (行政) was thinking about changing the rules.2, they had different opinions over this issue. So they asked the debate team for help.

    The debate team was divided into two sides. I was on the side for changing the rules. The other side was for 3 the ban. We were given a week to prepare our arguments.

    Our side made several good points. First, students can use their smartphones for 4. Students can do research, look up new words in the dictionaries, and use a calculator with their phones.

    Also, changing the rules world teach students self-discipline (自律). If any students use their phone in class for other purpose, it should be 5_. Students can easily learn why following rules are important.

    Finally, changing the rules would make the teachers' job 6. They wouldn't have to collect and return phones every day. They also wouldn't need to wait for students to take out and put away various school supplies. Everything they need is on their phones.

    Our side convinced some of the teachers to change their minds. A week later, the administration voted to change the rules.