I sit at that same desk, and stare at the blank sheet in the typewriter. I wait patiently for ideas to come to me, exam questions for a test I will give my students tomorrow. My wife is off to a reunion somewhere, but I am not alone. Our two children keep me company. Ten-month-old Edward cooperates to some degree. But our 22-month-old daughter Meghan’s plan has conflicted with mine. She follows a daily routine that is both time-consuming and challenging. Her constant companion is Dumpty, a shapeless doll.

Within 15 minutes she appears before me with her shoes and socks in her hands. “Don’t even ask, Meghan. Not today.” I know the pattern. First the shoes and socks. Then the stroller (童车). And pretty soon we’re in the park. She’ll want me to pick her a dandelion (蒲公英). Hearing my words, she reaches up to the typewriter keys and depresses four of them at the same time. “No, thank you, Meghan. Daddy’s seen your work. He’ll do it himself.”

Then she rests her head on my leg, just as she did when she first learned to walk. Finally she leaves, upset. I watch her sit on the floor and try for several minutes to put on one of her socks.

Seeing me looking, she pats the chair, the comfortable one we sit in together to watch TV or to read, and quickly gathers her books: The Poky Little Puppy, The Magic School Bus, The Cat in the Hat, and even that ancient copy of National Geographic with the penguin on the cover…She’s got them all. With her free hand, she pulls my arm.

“No, Meghan,” I say angrily. “Not now. Go away and leave me alone. And take your library with you. “That does it; she leaves. She makes no further attempt to bother me. I can finish the test easily now without interruption-no one trying to climb onto my lap; no extra fingers helping me type.

I see her standing quietly, tears running down her cheeks.

I decide to do something.

George's mother was very poor and was sick. Instead of having bright fires in winter, she had nothing to burn but dry sticks, which George picked up from under the trees.

One fine day in July, his sick mother sent him to the woods. He was to stay there all day, to get as much wood as he could collect.

It was a bright, sunny day, and George worked very hard, so that by the time the sun was high, he was hot, and wished for a cool place where he might rest and eat his dinner. While he hunted for a spot about the bank he saw among the grass some fine, wild strawberries.

"How good these will be with my bread and butter!" thought George Lining his cap with leaves, he set to work eagerly to gather all he could find, and then seated himself by the river.

It was a pleasant place, and George felt happy and satisfied. He thought how much his mother would like to see him there, and to be there herself, instead of in her dark room in the village.

George thought of all this, and just as he was lifting the first strawberry to his mouth, he said to himself. "How much Mum would like these!" and he stopped, and put the strawberry back again. "Shall I save them for her?" said he, thinking how much they would refresh her, yet still looking at them with a longing(渴望的) eye.

"I will eat half , and take the other half to her", said he at last, and he divided them into two heaps(堆). But each heap looked so small, that he put them together again.

"I will only taste one." thought he. As he again lifted it to his mouth, he saw that he had taken the finest and he put it back. "I will keep them all for her." said he with great happiness, and he covered them up nicely ready to take home.

He stood up and started to get more and more wood until the sun was beginning to sink.

Just after he had thrown down his wood, he heard his mother's weak voice calling him from the next room.

My little brother is a five-year-old boy named Tex. When it comes to being funny and lovable, he is the best. But when it comes to keeping secrets, he is the worst!

It just so happened that my parents’ wedding anniversary was near Valentine’s Day (情人节), and they planned to celebrate by going away for a couple of days. But at the last minute, my dad came home from work with bad news.

“I’m afraid our trip will have to wait. The shop assistant has the flu, so there will be no one to manage the grocery store if we go.”

“It’s OK,” my mom said, biting her lip. “We’ll have lots more anniversaries to celebrate.”

That was when I came up with the idea to surprise my parents with an extra-special cake. Luckily, the grandmother of my good friend Ollie, a very generous person who lives right next door, was an amazing baker with a kitchen full of most of the stuff you need to make a yummy valentine-anniversary cake.

I called Ollie if she and her grandmother could help me make a valentine-anniversary cake. I wanted to surprise Mom and Dad after dinner tonight. As usual, Ollie was happy to help me. Then, I asked my mother if I could go to Ollie’s and promised I would be back soon. Once I had my mom’s permission, I looked for perfect ingredients (原料) and a perfect heart-shaped pan just to make my cake more interesting and tasty. As I packed all the things I needed, I noticed Tex was glued to TV, which I thought was a perfect opportunity to leave secretly.

As I went out for Ollie’s, Tex stopped me, asking where I was going. I whispered to him I was going to make a cake for Mom and Dad’s anniversary. He wanted to join in. “You can stay here and make cards. But remember, we won’t say a single thing about the cake until after dinner.” I said seriously. He nodded without hesitation. Ollie’s grandmother was extremely helpful, who helped me make a beautiful valentine-anniversary cake, and I brought it home secretly.

I was about to hide the cake in the kitchen when Tex yelled, “Mom”.