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　　I know I should have told the headmaster at the time．That was my real 　　1　　．

　　He had gone out of the study for some 　　2　　, leaving me alone．In his absence I looked to see 　　3　　 was on his desk．In the 　　4　　 was a small piece of paper on which were written the 　　5　　 “English Writing Prize 1949．History Is a Serious of Biographies(人物传记)”．

　　A(n)　　6　　 boy would have avoided looking at the title as soon as he saw the 　　7　　．I did not．The subject of the English Writing Prize was kept a 　　8　　 until the start of the exam so I could not 　　9　　 reading it．

　　When the headmaster 　　10　　, I was looking out of the window．

　　I should have told him what had 　　11　　 then．It would have been so 　　12　　 to say：“I’m sorry, but I 　　13　　 the title for the English Writing Prize on your desk．You’ll have to 　　14　　 it．”

　　The chance passed and I did not 　　15　　 it．I sat(参加考试)the exam the next day and I won．I didn’t 　　16　　 to cheat, but it was still cheating anyhow．

　　That was thirty-eight years 　　17　　 when I was fifteen．I have never told anyone about it before, 　　18　　 have I tried to explain to myself why not．

　　The obvious explanation is that I could not admit I had seen the title 　　19　　 admitting that I had been looking at the things on his desk．　　20　　 there must have been more behind it．Whatever it was, it has become a good example of how a little mistake can trap(使陷入)you in a more serious moral corner(道德困境)．

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　　It was a bright spring afternoon when Freda told me she wouldn’t need me any more．I had just finished my four-hour work－　　1　　 up and down the stairs of her three-story home, cleaning the floor and washing the dished．She was 　　2　　 jeans and a sweater, sitting at the table I had just 　　3　　, a pile of papers spread around her．Her husband’s 　　4　　 was going to be reduced by thirty percent, and they were trying to live as if it had 　　5　　 happened．I felt sorry for her, but I also felt a sense of 　　6　　．

　　I had been cleaning Freda’s house for five years and had 　　7　　 an unexpected relationship with the family．It was not just 　　8　　 I had become an expert at scraping(刮掉)dirt stuck to their wooden floor 　　9　　 that I had learned exactly how to place toys on the girls’ beds．It was 　　10　　 than that, for I felt I had become a part of their 　　11　　．

　　Freda stayed at home with the kids, 　　12　　 I would often see her in the morning 　　13　　 them to school．And I’d be there when they 　　14　　 home at lunch for sandwiches and piano practice．I had 　　15　　 them grow up．Now I was fired, but the 　　16　　thing was that I still wanted to keep scraping away the dirt and dust for the family．

　　I left Freda’s house that day, wondering about the 　　17　　 of my relationship with my clients(主顾)．Who am I 　　18　　 them? As a matter of fact, I’m 　　19　　 an employee－the lowest kind of employee．But I’m also a trusted 　　20　　 of the family．I can’t help worrying about what happens around me．

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　　On a hot summer day in late August, I sought shade and a cool drink at a waterfront cafe on a Greek island．Over a hundred degrees in 　　1　　air．Crowded．Tempers(脾气)of both the tourists and waiters had 　　2　　to meet the situation, making it a rather quarrelsome environment(环境)．

　　At the table next to mine sat an attractive, 　　3　　couple, waiting for 　　4　　．They held hands, whispered, kissed, and laughed．Suddenly they stood, picked up their 　　5　　 and stepped together 　　6　　 the edge of where they were sitting to place the table in the sea water．The man stepped 　　7　　 for the two chairs．He politely 　　8　　 his lady in the knee-deep water and then sat down himself．All people around laughed and cheered．

　　　　9　　 appeared．He paused for just a second, walked into the water to 　　10　　 the table and take their 　　11　　, and then walked back to the 　　12　　cheers of the rest of his 　　13　　．Minutes later he returned carrying a bottle of wine and two glasses．Without pausing, he went 　　14　　 into the water to 　　15　　 the wine．The couple toasted(祝酒)each other, the waiter and the crowd．And the crowd 　　16　　 by cheering and throwing flowers to them．Three other tables 　　17　　 to have lunch in the water．The place was now filled with laughter．

　　One doesn’t step into water in one’s best summer clothes．Why not?

　　Customers are not served 　　18　　．Why not?

　　Sometimes one should consider 　　19　　 the line of convention(常规)and enjoy 　　20　　 to the fullest．

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　　I returned to Abuja, the capital of Nigeria, after college graduation．I had been there before my mother became a minister．

　　Two weeks later, I told my mother I was bored．She said, “Here’re the car keys．Go and buy some fruit．”　　1　　, I jumped into the car and speeded off．

　　Seeing me or rather my 　　2　　, a boy sprang up(跳起来), 　　3　　 to sell his bananas and peanuts．“Banana 300 naira．Peanut 200 naira!”

　　Looking at his black-striped bananas, I 　　4　　 to 200 total for the fruit and nuts．He 　　5　　．I handed him a 500 naira note．He didn’t have 　　6　　, so I told him not to worry．He was 　　7　　 and smiled a row of perfect teeth．

　　When two weeks later, I 　　8　　 this same boy．I was more aware of my position in Nigerian society．I should 　　9　　 this country as the son of a 　　10　　．But it was hard to find pleasure in a place where it was so 　　11　　 to see a little boy who should have been in school selling fruit．

　　“What’s up?” I asked．He answered in 　　12　　 English, “I…I no get money to buy book．” I took out two 500 naira notes．He looked around 　　13　　 before sticking his hand into the car 　　14　　 the bills．One thousand naira means a lot to a family that 　　15　　 only 50 000 each year．

　　The next morning, security officers told me．“In this place, when you give a little, people think you’re a fountain of opportunity(机会)．”

　　　　16　　 it’s right, but this happens everywhere in the world．I wondered if my little friend had actually used the money for 　　17　　．

　　After six months’ work in northern Nigeria, I returned and saw him again standing on the road．

　　“Are you in school now?”

　　He nodded．

　　A silence fell as we looked at each other, then I 　　18　　 what he wanted．I held out a 500 naira note．“Take this．”

　　He shook his head fiercely and stepped back 　　19　　 hurt．

　　“It’s a gift, ”

　　I said．

　　Shaking his head again, he handed me a basket of bananas and peanuts．“I’ve been waiting to 　　20　　 these to you．”

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　　The child in the hospital bed was just waking up after having a throat operation．His throat 　　1　　, and he was afraid．However, the young nurse 　　2　　 by his bed smiled so 　　3　　 that the little boy smiled back．He 　　4　　 to be afraid．The young nurse was May Paxton 　　5　　 was deaf．May Paxton graduated 　　6　　 the Missouri School for the Deaf near the year 1909．Three years 　　7　　 she went to see Dr．Richardson about 　　8　　 nurse．Dr．Richardson was one of the founders of Mercy Hospital of Kansas City．　　9　　 had never heard of a deaf nurse．She told May that her 　　10　　would be very low and that the work would be 　　11　　．However, May said that hard work did not frighten her．Dr．Richardson was 　　12　　 her, and accepted May as a student nurse．

　　Dr．Richardson never 　　13　　 her decision．　　14　　, she was so pleased with May’s work that she later accepted two other deaf women as student nurses．The 　　15　　 was Miss Marian Finch, who was hard of 　　16　　．The second was Miss Lillie Bessie．These three were 　　17　　 “the silent angles of Mercy Hospital” during the 　　18　　 they worked there．

　　Dr．Richardson often 　　19　　 her faith in the girls’ ability to learn nursing．She wrote to May, “For three years, you have been with us…It is wonderful to me that no man, 　　20　　 or child ever, to my knowledge, made a complaint(投诉)against you…”

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　　In English the 　　1　　 of words does not always represent the sound．So people say/raIt/　　2　　 spell it “right”, or “write”, or even “rite”．Combinations of letters(like “ough”)may be pronounced in 　　3　　 ways．And some words just seem to have 　　4　　 many letters．

　　For 　　5　　, things are a little bit easier, thanks to the work of Noah Webster, 　　6　　 teacher who graduated from Yale University in 1778．As a young man he had 　　7　　 the British in the American War of Independence, and he felt that 　　8　　 English in the newly independent United States should have a distinctive “American” look．

　　So he began his 　　9　　 on American English．His first book, the Elementary Spelling Book, 　　10　　 simplifying the spelling of English words．The book was very popular．By the 1850s, it was 　　11　　 one million copies a year, making　　12　　 one of the most popular schoolbooks ever．

　　　　13　　 of the suggestions were quickly used, 　　14　　 “center” instead of “centre”, “program” instead of “programme”, and “flavor”　　15　　 “flavour”．Others, 　　16　　, such as removing silent letters like the “s” in “island” or the final “e” in“ examine”, were not．

　　Webster is best 　　17　　 for An American Dictionary of the English Language, 　　18　　 first appeared in 1828．It introduced lots of new American words, with information about their pronunciation and 　　19　　, and, of course, the new spelling．The British criticized the dictionary, but it quickly became a standard reference book in the states．Today, Webster’s dictionary is 　　20　　 the most important dictionary for American students．

　　After the First World War, a small group of old soldiers returned to their village in Britain．Most of them managed to 　　1　　 fairly well, but one-Francis Binstering, who had been wounded and never recovered his 　　2　　－was unable to work regularly．　　3　　 he became very poor．Yet he was too 　　4　　 to accept anything from the people in the village．

　　Once these old soldiers held a reunion dinner in the home of Jules Grandin, who had made 　　5　　 money．Grandin produced a curiosity(稀奇的东西)－a large old 　　6　　 coin．Each man examined it with 　　7　　 as it passed around the long table．All, 　　8　　, had drunk wine freely and the room was full of noisy talk, 　　9　　 the gold piece was soon forgotten．Later, when Grandin 　　10　　 it and asked for it, the coin was gone．

　　One of them suggested everyone be searched, 　　11　　 which all agreed, except Blustering．“You 　　12　　, then?” asked Grandin．Blustering said with a red face, “Yes, I cannot allow it．”

　　One by one, the others turned out their pockets．When the coin was 　　13　　 to appear, attention was ?focused? on poor Blustering．Under the 　　14　　 stares of his friends, he walked out and returned to his home．

　　A few years later, Grandin had his house repaired．A workman found the gold coin．　　15　　 in dirt between planks(板)of the floor．Hurrying to Blustering’s home, Grandin apologized to him．

　　“But why didn’t you allow yourself to be 　　16　　?” Grandin asked．

　　“Because I was a 　　17　　,” Blustering said brokenly．“For weeks we had not enough to eat and my pockets were full of 　　18　　, that I had taken from the table to 　　19　　 home to my wife and 　　20　　 children．”

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　　It was our second day in Tokyo．And we were 　　1　　 in the large underground station and did not know which train to take to get back to our hotel．My friend, Haima, and I stood 　　2　　 the faces of the Japanese walking 　　3　　 us in the busy station．We finally zeroed in on a young girl who looked 　　4　　．Though she stopped, it was 　　5　　 she could not understand a word of English．

　　Seeing our faces fall in 　　6　　, she expressed herself by gestures, asking us to wait．We watched curiously as she stopped several people and talked with them in Japanese 　　7　　 she found one who could speak and understand English．This person asked us in poor English 　　8　　 we wanted to go and then spoke in rapid-fire Japanese to the girl．

　　She was 　　9　　 her head and saying “Hai! Hai!”．He 　　10　　 on after telling us we were in the wrong station．　　11　　 the girl, mot only did she stay on, 　　12　　．Thanking her for her 　　13　　, we rushed off to buy 　　14　　．

　　I have never seen 　　15　　 go out of their way to help a lost person in Delhi, usually just 　　16　　 to give directions and moving on．Little did we realize 　　17　　 there were going to be many more such 　　18　　 in the following days that would totally change our preconceived(怀有偏见的)ideas about the Japanese．

　　However by the end of this of this 　　19　　, few of my old opinions about the Japanese being poker-faced, serious,　　20　　, formal and so on existed．

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　　Two friends visited the zoo together．The zoo was very large and it was 　　1　　 to go everywhere．They had to decide where to go and which animals to visit as their time was 　　2　　．So both of them agreed not to 　　3　　 after choosing a 　　4　　 at every fork(岔路口)．

　　A road sign at the first fork 　　5　　 one way to the lion area and the other to the tiger hill．They decided on the former after a 　　6　　 discussion because lions were “the king of the grassland”．The second showed a division going separately to the panda and peacock．They 　　7　　 panda as it was the nation’s treasure and went its way．　　8　　, they made choices all along the way and each choice meant 　　9　　 what they couldn’t help regretting．But they had to make it, and 　　10　　, for it brooked(容忍)no delay．If they hesitated(犹豫不决)they would miss 　　11　　．Only 　　12　　 decision could offer more chances for sightseeing and 　　13　　 possible regret．

　　Life is 　　14　　 like this－choices often occur that one has to make．For example, between two 　　15　　 jobs, two fascinating wooers(追求者)．To get one you 　　16　　 give up the other－you can get half of it．If you 　　17　　 weighing the pros and cons and calculating gains and losses, you will most likely 　　18　　 empty-handedness．Don’t be sad about it．　　19　　 you have got half of the desirable things in life－something that is 　　20　　 to come by(得到)．

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　　Last summer, I traveled to Meixian County with my friends．It is a small county at the foot of Taibai Mountain in Shanxi Province．We stayed there for one week and I 　　1　　 my vacation because of the beautiful scenery at the top of the mountain．?

　　I will 　　2　　 forget the day when we climbed the main peak(山顶)．The 　　3　　 in that area changes very quickly：it was sunny in the early morning when we set out, 　　4　　 it began to rain heavily when we were only half way up．Soon, we were all 　　5　　 and some of us wanted to go home．They said：“There is nothing 　　6　　 here．We came to see the scenery, 　　7　　 the pouring rain!” However, the guide 　　8　　：“Since we have got wet already, why not just go on with our journey?”?

　　So we carried on up the mountain and, 　　9　　 we even noticed, the rain stopped and the sun was smiling again．When we reached the top of the peak, the view was unique．The sky was 　　10　　 and the air fresh．The gentle wind made us feel cool．All the clouds were just like waves in the ocean, 　　11　　 and falling under our feet．We could only see the peaks of mountains, as if they were 　　12　　 floating sparsely(稀疏的)in the ocean．It was a really magical experience．

　　While we were enjoying the scene, the guide said 　　13　　, “You see, I knew that there would be no rain above the clouds．” It is 　　14　　．While it may rain below the clouds, the sun is still there above them．

　　You will never see the sun 　　15　　 you don’t try your best to climb to the top of the mountain．If we had stopped and gone home when the rain was very heavy, we would never have seen the beautiful scenery 　　16　　 the clouds．I think this is also true in 　　17　　．

　　As the song says：“You won’t see the rainbow unless you have gone through the thunder and storm．” I think in the 　　18　　, whenever I have any difficulties in my life, I will remember the 　　19　　 from the top of Taibai Mountain and the 　　20　　 which touched my heart deeply：there is no rain above the clouds．