When an important holiday comes, I usually think of what gifts to buy or prepare for my family members. It is the act【小题1】(it)rather than the things you buy that matters. Either a small present, a text message or a phone call can mean a lot to the receivers.【小题2】, I had never got anything from my son, who is【小题3】university student. Parents never forget to celebrate their children's birthday, but their children seem to be very forgetful. They seldom do something in return.

Life is unpredictable, and you never know what will happen tomorrow. When my son came back during the summer vacation, my wife and I, as usual,【小题4】(meet)him at the station. On arriving home, much【小题5】my surprise, my son took out a fashionable wrist watch and gave it to me,【小题6】(say)it was a birthday gift for me. You can imagine how【小题7】(surprise)and excited I was at that moment!

Some people say children get too much care and love from their parents,【小题8】they never express thanks for. It is natural for people to have such concerns and【小题9】(worry), but things may not turn out as badly as【小题10】(expect).

Christmas is no fun when you're poor. Twenty years ago I was a young, 【小题1】（struggle）, substitute（替补） teacher whose calls into work had been few. Money was tight, bills were due and my wife and I couldn't even afford 【小题2】 (get) Christmas gifts for each other. The only gifts we could get for our children were a few soft toys that I had found 【小题3】（sell）at half price in the supermarket. I opened the door and brought in the gifts I 【小题4】（hide） in our old car's trunk. Then I handed 【小题5】to my son and daughter. I watched with a sad smile 【小题6】they did their best to tear off the wrapping（包装） paper. As they pulled out t heir toys, though, I noticed their eyes lit up and they jumped up and down. My daughter【小题7】（happy） hugged her toy and then hugged her Mom and me as well. I laughed as I watched my children play with their toys 【小题8】hours, and Thanked God for the 【小题9】（great） bifilar ever been given. Till today I still treasure 【小题10】gift of pure love that my son and daughter gave me that day.

One morning, I told my husband jokingly that he’d dropped the ball because by that moment he 【小题1】 (make) me coffee and I was having trouble getting motivated to start the day. My five year old son overheard me and asked what “drop the ball” meant. I told him it was just something like making a mistake. A few minutes later, he came into our bedroom holding an overflowing coffee cup 【小题2】 a dishcloth underneath it to catch the drops. He said to my husband, “You dropped the ball, but I picked the ball up,” and he handed me the worst tasting, most watered down but 【小题3】 (sweet) cup of coffee ever.