It was a Sunday morning. I got out of bed as quick as a bunny _____ it was the final of my soccer tournament. I got _____, ate the breakfast my mom had made for me and headed to the car. On my way, I wondered what it would be like to _____ the shiny gold medal in my hands. As I got closer, I saw my team _____ on the field, so once I finally got there, I started rushing towards them.

When the _____ was about to begin, I was already sweating like a pig because it was so _____. When both teams were on the field, the referee blew the whistle which was a _____ of the start of the game. As my teammates passed the _____ down the field, I heard the cheers from the parents in the bleachers (露天看台) _____. The score was zero to zero at half-time and I had a rest by drinking water to get ready for the second half. We ______ the second half but still couldn’t put the ball in the net. The game score was ______ at the end of the second half which meant that we had to go to extra time. Towards the end of extra time, the other team’s defender ______ one of my teammates, which ______ a free kick (任意球). I went up to take the kick. I shook with ______ as the ball went out of the net. It was the end of ______ time, which meant that we had to go to penalties (点球).

I went up to take the first penalty. I was ______ I would miss again, but once I ______ it, I was relaxed as I made it in the top left corner. The final ______ was 4-3 on penalties but we ______. After they gave me the silver medal, I went home and was happy that it was all over and that second place wasn’t that ______.

   You dash through a crowded railway station, tripping over bags, spilling your coffee, only to have the doors slide shut in your face, leaving you breathless on the platform as the train pulls away.

But at least, if you're in France, someone may be playing the piano for you. But it won't be performed by a paid musician, or even a street entertainer playing for coins. It will just be a random passer-by, jamming (即兴演奏) for the fun of it on one of the pianos that the national railroad company, S. N. C. F. , has fixed in nearly 100 stations across France. They are free for anyone to play, and travelers from all walks of life have taken to doing just that.

Gares & Connexions, the S. N. C. F. division that manages its stations, rents the instruments from producer, Yamaha, which maintains them and tunes them every month or two. The first one was set up in the Gare Montparnasse in Paris in 2012.

The music, mixed with the sounds of shouting passengers, screaming trains and rolling suitcases, gives French stations a special soundscape. The amateur (业余的) musicians have included Irish soccer fans and even babies. In 2014, Gares & Connexions and Yamaha organized a nationwide contest called Your Turn to Play, asking participants to submit (提交) videos of themselves using one of the pianos. It drew nearly 900 entries.

Isn't the railroad company taking a big chance? Obviously not. "None of the instruments has been vandalized to this day, or even merely damaged," said Claire Foumon, a spokeswoman for Gares & Connexions. "They are shared and respected by all. " So if you miss a train in Paris one day, perhaps someone will be playing a favorite piece that will ease your pain. Or perhaps you'll sit down and play your annoyance away yourself.

   Sarah grew up on a fishing boat. Her father, _____ to make enough money to buy a house, had _____ her within their only small boat since his wife died.

One morning, Sarah saw a _____ above the sea, which was close to them, and the boat began to rock as waves grew. ____  the mountain of clouds approaching from the south, she rushed below deck (甲板) ,“Dad, _____!”

“What?” her drunken father asked _____.

“Dad, a big storm is coming. We need to get out of here.” She grabbed his shoulders and _____ him.

He got angry, shouting, “What are you doing?”

“Dad, we have to _____ the boat. There’s a big storm coming.”

Her father _____ her at last. He walked to the deck, saw the ______ and fired up the engine.

“Dad, what are you doing?”

“Sarah, ______ we stay here, we will die. We need to go out to the sea. We must ride the waves; that’s our only ______.”

Their boat headed into the storm ______. Above them were black clouds and in front of them were dark waves. It was so ______.

Hours passed. The dark day turned into darkness totally. They held each other for ______, but the experienced fisherman needed no ______ because he had fought many such battles.

Eventually, the waves ______ and the sky brightened. Sarah was ______ and hugged her father, “You did it, Dad.”

They sailed back into the port. Other boats had been destroyed. Their boat was the only one to ______ the storm. Sarah hugged her father again. “Dad, you made it. You ______ us.”

“No, Sarah,” he held her by his arms, “we did it together.”

   Yesterday I was a bit early for a date so I stopped in at McDonald’s for a coffee. I think they make the best coffee. Two very pleasant young girls were working at the counter and the customer ahead was hard to please!

The young girl was sweaty and near tears. I only wanted coffee but I liked lots of milk in it. I really didn’t want to be difficult so I said, “You go ahead and add lots of milk and if it’s not enough, I’ll ask for more.” She smiled. She made a perfect coffee. I left her two pink candies as a tip (小费).

I went to her supervisor and let the leader know how well she dealt with such a difficult customer ahead of me. More of that needs to be done for young people starting out — probably the first job.

I remember how hard it was. I would have run away crying and quit, if it had been me yesterday serving those customers. I’d still be crying too.

Comments posted by molliecat on July 29, 2018

READERS’ COMMENTS

FayBaby wrote: Customer service can be one of the most difficult and thankless jobs at times. Your expression of appreciation (感激) probably made her day.

Mish wrote: How dear you were to lend support there, dear molliecat. Love you!

Kiwicat wrote: My sons both have very unpleasant first job stories of how rude and demanding customers can be. I now always encourage a new cashier or someone to do job training. Thanks for the reminder (提醒物) that we can be more thankful to those who offer front-line customer service.

Mindyjourney wrote: Thank you for helping calm the young worker with your appreciation and thoughtfulness. So many good lessons you have earned are shared. Blessings, dear molliecat.

Once there lived a rich man 【小题1】wanted to do something for the people of his town.【小题2】 first he wanted to find out whether they deserved his help.

In the centre of the main road into the town, he placed【小题3】very large stone. Then he 【小题4】(hide ) behind a tree and waited. Soon an old man came along with his cow.

“Who put this stone in the centre of the road?” said the old man, but he did not try to remove the stone. Instead, with some difficulty he passed around the stone and continued on his way.【小题5】man came along and did the same thing; then another came,and another. All of them complained about the stone but not tried to remove 【小题6】. Late in the afternoon a young man came along. He saw the stone,【小题7】(say) to himself: “The night【小题8】(be) very dark. Some neighbors will come along later in the dark and will fall against the stone.”

Then he began to move the stone. He pushed and pulled with all his  【小题9】(strong) to move it. How great was his surprise at last!【小题10】 the stone, he found a bag of money.