When my son Rob came home from school in tears，he told us two older kids had beaten him up. Rob wanted to stay home from school so he wouldn't have to meet the boys in the future.

We called the school. “We'll be happy to call the boys' parents,”we were told.“And you should call the police.”

The next day was Saturday. Rob happened to look out the window and said in alarm,“There are the boys who beat me up!”Two older boys were standing in front of our house, as if they were waiting for Rob to step outside.

I immediately began to think of what I wanted to say to them, but my wife Bev acted first. She opened the door and said with a smile,“Hi, guys. Would you like some ice cream?”

They looked at each other in puzzlement. But they were children, after all, so they shrugged their shoulders and one of them said,“Sure. Why not?”

They followed her indoors and Bev introduced herself, Rob's younger brother Tony and me. She even introduced the dog Rusty. “And I think you already know Rob,”she said, pointing to our son. Her idea was to help them to see that Rob was a person, not a target. He had a family, he lived in a neighborhood and he even owned a friendly dog.

Bev drew the boys into a conversation while we ate ice cream. She said,“I know there's been some trouble. I think there may be a misunderstanding.”They nodded.

“Rob wants to be your friend,”she continued.“Maybe we can talk about the misunderstanding so you can all be friends.”

They nodded their heads in agreement and we talked. Eventually the boys apologized and said there would be no more trouble.

The headmaster of the school called back the following week and asked about the fighting. “Did you call the police?”he asked.

“No, but we've taken care of it,”I said.

“What did you do?”he wondered.

“We fed them ice cream.”

   I left England for Sydney in September. It was a career move for my husband, and our 20-year-old daughter was feeling adventurous and decided to come, too. However, just before leaving England, my 79-year-old mother suffered a stroke (中风). Being strong and independent, she continued to live at home with the help of social services. But she couldn’t look after the garden. I thought how wonderful it would be if there was an organization offering volunteer help. Friends asked me what I planned to do in Australia, and I told them I would be looking for a volunteer position with a gardening charitable organization. Imagine my surprise when I found just the organization I had been looking for — Easy Care Gardening (ECG)!

There are several reasons why I volunteer for ECG. Firstly, as a newcomer to Australia I meet many people who, like me, volunteer some of their time. We cover a large age range, but all love gardens and helping others.

Secondly, through working with ECG I have been lucky enough to explore Sydney’s North Shore that I might not have had the opportunity to visit otherwise.

Finally, there are all those wonderful people we call “clients (客户)”, but they are more like friends when we visit them often and tend their gardens. What great people I have met, and the stories they have to tell — the family histories, where they come from and the reasons for immigrating to Australia. I find it a privilege to have access to private gardens which, in many cases, have been the joy of their owners for many years. Each one is individual and reflects the character, needs and the history of each family. Indeed, the gardens reflect the multicultural and historical background of Sydney.

   Brownie and Spotty were neighbour dogs who met every day to play together. Like pairs of dogs you can find in any_________, these two dogs loved each other and played_________so often that they had worn a path through the grass of the field between their own houses.

One evening, Brownie’s family_________that Brownie hadn’t returned home. They went looking for him with no_______. Brownie didn’t appear the next day, and, despite their_______ to find him, by the next week he was still missing.

Curiously, Spotty_________at Brownie’s house alone, barking. Busy with their own lives, they just ignored (to pay no attention to) the_________little neighbour dog. Finally, one morning Spotty_________to take “no” for an answer. Spotty followed Ted about, barking strongly, then running towards a nearby wood, as if to say, “_______ me! It’s urgent!”

Ted followed the anxious Spotty. The little dog led the man to a__________spot a half mile from the house. There Ted found his beloved Brownie________, one of his hind legs stuck in a steel trap. Horrified, Ted now wished he’d taken Spotty’s earlier requirement________. Then Ted noticed something quite remarkable.

Spotty had done more than simply__________Brownie’s owner to his trapped friend. In a circle around the__________dog, Ted found some dog food---which was later__________as the remains of every meal Spotty had been fed that________!

Spotty had been visiting Brownie________, in the hope of keeping his friend alive by offering his own comfort. Spotty had obviously stayed with Brownie to protect him from being hurt, snuggling (依偎) with him at night to keep him__________and touching him gently with its nose to keep his spirits up.

Brownie’s__________was treated by a veterinarian and he recovered. For many years afterwards, the two families watched the faithful friends frolicking (嬉戏) ________ chasing each other down that well-worn path between their houses.

My name is Ann. I've been in China in a few years. With the help of Li Hua, a good friend of mine, I've been used to live in China. Li Hua, like other girls, are beautiful and lively. We became friends after we meet each other a few years ago. Although her English isn't easy to understand, but we enjoy chatting and we usually talk a lot about our favorite books. We're all surprised that Chinese culture and American culture are so differently. Now we are planning nice party for next Sunday. There, I will introduce Li Hua to my friends, one of who has been to China several time.

   When I was 17, I paid a long visit to Iowa to see a college I was thinking of attending. While the _______ was fun for the most part, I was feeling depressed and _______. I was realizing that I wouldn't be seeing my family _______ if I went to school here. I was also _______ the forests in Appalachian mountains of my home. I loved how the leaves turned a thousand _______ of green in spring and then became a sea of colors in autumn. I loved the _______ of the forget-me-nots and countless wild flowers that grew on the hillsides.

Here in Iowa everything was _______. The grass looked brown and _______. All that I could smell was a_______ of corn, mud, and pigs. One day I lay down on the ground. Eyes closed, I ________ being back home over and over again. When I ________ opened them, however, I saw something that ________ my soul: a prairie (草原) sunset. It seemed to fill the whole sky from the________. Gold, red, purple and pink clouds all flowed together and________ an amazing picture. It was so huge that I was________. In comparison with it, our mountain sunsets ________. I was filled with wonder and a sense of ________. I realized too that I had been picky and________. This place too had its own special ________

Over the years to come I learned something else. Each of us has a special beauty too —everyone has their own________talents and abilities to share.