The most frightening words in the English language are,“Our computer is down．”You are hearing it more and more when you are 1 ．The other day I was 2 waiting for a ticket to Washington and the girl in the ticket office said,“ 3 , I can't sell you a ticket．Our computer is 4 ．”
“If your computer is down, just 5 me out a ticket”．
“I can't write you out a ticket．The computer is the only one 6 to do so．”
I looked down the counter and every 7 was just standing there staring at the 8 screen．Then I asked her,“What do you do?”
“We give the computer 9 about your trip, and then 10 tells us whether you can fly with us or not．”
“So when it goes down, you 11 with it”．
“That's right, sir．”
12 will the computer be down?”I wanted to know．
“I have no idea．Sometimes it's down for 10 minutes, sometimes for two hours．There is no way we can 13 without asking the computer, and 14 it's down it won't answer us．”
15 the girl told me they had no backup(备用)computer, I said,“Let's forget the computer．What about your 16 ?They're still flying, aren't they?”
“I couldn't tell without asking 17 ．”
By that time there were quite a few people standing in lines． 18 soon spread to other travelers that the computer was down．Some people 19 , some people started to cry and still others kicked their 20 ．
As the train approached the seaside town where I was going to spend my holidays, I went into the corridor(走廊)to stretch my legs．I stayed there a short while, breathing in the fresh 1 air and exchanging a few words with one of the 2 , whom I had met earlier on the station platform(站台)．
When I turned to get back to my seat, I happened to 3 into the compartment(列车车厢的隔间)next to mine． 4 there was a man who many years before had been my neighbor．He was a great 5 ．I remembered it used to take 6 to get away from him once he began a conversation．I was not at all 7 when he went to live in another part of London．We had not met since then, nor did I wish to meet him now, when my 8 was about to begin．
Luckily at that 9 he was much too busy talking to the man opposite him to see me．
I slipped back into my compartment, 10 my two suitcases and carried them to the far end of the corridor so as to be 11 to get off the train as soon as it stopped．The moment the train came to a pause, I called a 12 , who in no time at all had carried my luggage out of the 13 and found me a taxi．As I drove towards my small hotel on the outskirts(市郊)of the town, I breathed a deep sigh of relief at my narrow 14 ．There was little chance that I should 15 into my boring ex-neighbor again．
When I reached the hotel, I went straight to my room and rested there 16 it was time for dinner．Then I went down to the lounge(休息室)and ordered a 17 ．I had hardly raised the glass to my lips when a 18 voice greeted me．I had not escaped from my tiresome neighbor after all!He grasped me warmly by the hand and 19 that we should share a table in the room,“This is a pleasant 20 ,”he said,“I never expected to see you again after all these years．”
Seventeen-year-old Rivertown teenager, John Janson, was honored at the Lifesaver Awards last night for carrying out lifesaving first aid on his neighbor after a shocking knife 1 ．
John was presented with his award at a ceremony which recognized the 2 of the ten people who have saved the life of others．
John had been studying in his room when he heard Anne Slade 3 ．When he and his father rushed outside, they 4 that Anne Slade, mother of three, had been stabbed(刺) 5 with a knife by her ex-boyfriend(前男友)．The man ran from the 6 and left Ms Slade lying in her front garden 7 very heavily．Her hands had almost been cut from her body．
It was John's quick 8 and knowledge of first aid that saved Ms Slade's life．He immediately asked a number of the 9 people for bandages(绷带)，but when nobody could put their hands on anything, his father got some tea towels(毛巾)and 10 from their house．John used these to dress the most severe 11 to Ms Slade's hands．He slowed the bleeding by applying(使用)pressure to the wounds until the 12 and ambulance(救护车)arrived．
“I'm 13 of what I did but I was just doing what I had been 14 ,”John said．
John had taken part in the Young Lifesaver Scheme at his high school．When 15 John, Mr．Alan Southerton, Director of the Young Lifesaver Scheme, said, “ 16 is no doubt that John's quick thinking and the first aid 17 that he had learnt at school saved Ms Slade's life．It shows that a simple knowledge of first aid can make a real 18 ．”
John and the nine other lifesavers also attended a 19 reception yesterday hosted by the Prime Minister before 20 their awards last night．
There was a time when I thought my dad didn't know a thing about being a good father．I couldn't 1 him ever saying the words“I love you．”It seems to me his only purpose in life was to say“ 2 ”to anywhere I wanted to go and anything I wanted to do, including getting a 3 ．Some parents bought their kids cars when they got their driver's licenses．Not my dad－he said that I'd have to get a job and buy my own．
So that is what I did．I got a job at a very nice restaurant and 4 every penny I could and 5 I had enough to buy my car, I did! The day I brought that car home, my dad was the first one I wanted to 6 to．“Look, dad, a car of my own．If you ever want a ride, I'll only 7 you five dollars．”I offered with a smile．
“I see．”was all he said．
One day, there was something wrong with my father's truck．So he needed a 8 to work．The sun wasn't even up when we left the house, 9 it was already getting warm out．It was going to be a(n) 10 day．As I dropped my dad off, I 11 him, dressed in his work clothes, getting his 12 from the trunk(车尾箱)of my car．Watching his sun weathered face, and even from a distance I could tell there were 13 lines than I ever remembered being there before．I realized how hard my dad works for the family．My father is a cement finisher(水泥修整工)．
In that instant, it 14 to me that he actually got down on his hands and knees to sweat over hot concrete to make a living for his family．And he did this day in and day out, 15 hot it got．Never, not once, had I heard him 16 about it．To him we were“worth”it．And never once did he“charge”us for it．
When he closed the trunk, his tools set off to the side, he walked over to my window to 17 me five dollars．I rolled down the window and said“Good-bye, dad．Keep your five dollars．It's my 18 ．Don't work too hard．I love you．”
His 19 met mine, then glanced away in the direction of his waiting tools, he 20 his throat and said,“Oh, and…me, too．”
While attending a conference, I returned to my motel room late one rainy evening．The overhead light outside my door was 1 and I had difficulty finding the keyhole．When I finally 2 to open the door, I 3 around the wall for a light switch．I found a 4 where a switch was once installed…but no switch．
No discouraged easily, I remembered seeing a 5 by the bed when I put away my luggage 6 in the day．I found the bed in the dark and felt around until I found the lamp, but when I switched it on, 7 happened!Now what?
Though I knew that it was dark outside my window 8 the outdoor light was burned out, I thought that 9 if I opened the curtains I might be able to use the light from the 10 to find another lamp．So I 11 my way slowly across the room to the curtains and…no draw-string!
I finally stumbled(跌跌撞撞)around until I found a desk lamp that actually 12 !That evening I discovered in a whole new way just how dark the world can be and how necessary 13 is．
But even more necessary than 14 light is the light that shines from people－the light of love, sympathy and 15 ．Because, for many people, the world is a dark and 16 place．
It is the shining that is important, for someone today just may be stumbling in discouragement or fear and in 17 of some light．
So let your light shine．Whatever light you 18 may be a beacon(灯塔)of hope and encouragement in someone's darkness．And if you feel that your light is 19 a candle in a forest, remember this－there isn't enough darkness in the world to 20 the light of one small candle．