Mark was a successful lawyer. Since graduating from law school, he seldom went home. Although he loved his mother deeply, he was too busy with his work.

One Saturday when driving to his company, Mark suddenly remembered it was his mother’s birthday. But being occupied with his work, he couldn’t make time to visit his mother who lived 200 miles away. Just then, he spotted a flower shop, thinking the flowers were the best solution.

Mark parked in front of the flower shop where a girl was standing outside. Since Mark was thinking about the note he would send to his mother, he paid no attention to her. After chatting with the shop owner, Mark bought some pink roses and asked the shop owner to deliver the flowers to his mother. “Happy birthday to my mom; love you,” he wrote on the note.

Mark then walked out of the shop, thinking his mother would get the flowers later tonight, and felt satisfied. When walking to his car, Mark saw the girl again. She was crying. Mark couldn’t help asking,“Hey, are you OK? Are you lost?” The girl shook her head. Mark later knew the girl was Mandy, who was eight and lived nearby. Feeling a little worried about her, Mark asked gently, “Can I help?”

Mandy said she wanted a rose for her mom. But she couldn’t afford it. “The flower lady said my coins could buy a daisy, but my mom loves red roses,” she added. Touched by the girl’s words, Mark went back into the shop and bought a bunch of red roses.

“Here you go,” he said. Mandy took the roses, smiled brightly, and thanked him. “Anything else I can do for you?“ Mark asked. Mandy hesitated. Then she said, “Could you take me to my mom? It’s not far but I’m not supposed to go on my own.” Mark nodded. “Sure, lead the way!" Mandy took his hand and walked with him down the street. As they passed by a graveyard, Mandy stopped.

To Mark’s surprise, Mandy directly went inside the graveyard.

After dropping Mandy off by her house, Mark went back to the flower shop.                    

My dear father is an ordinary man I respect, love and admire very much. No one in my life can replace him, it is his physical features and unique personality that make him a gentleman. In my eyes, he is a perfect father. He is not only a great painter, but also good at cooking, singing and repairing small machines in the house. I want to be a man like my father.

Cooking is one of the greatest talents that my father has.

I am greatly influenced by him.

Ali and his younger sister, Zahra, lived with their parents in a poor neighborhood. Their mother was very sick and their father was struggling to find a job, and they had only a little money with which to buy food, as they had not paid the rent for several months, the landlord was breathing down their necks.

One day, Ali took Zahra’s shoes to a shoe repairman to be fixed, but he lost them on the way home. It wasn’t until he got home that he realized he had lost the shoes. He was afraid that his parents would be angry and disappointed, so he begged his sister to keep it a secret.

Zahra agreed, and the two decided to share Ali’s running shoes. Zahra’s school hours were in the morning, so she would wear them first. After school, she would rush back and give them to Ali. He could then run to his school, which began in the afternoon. Although he ran as fast as he could, Ali often arrived late and was warned by the school.

Ali heard about a long distance race that was held for the boys in the city. When he learned that the third prize was a new pair of shoes, he decided to take part. He ran home excitedly and promised his sister that he would win her the new shoes.

The day of race arrived. Ali had a strong start, but halfway through the race he began to get tired and his legs began to ache. Getting more and more exhausted, he thought only of Zahra and his promise to her. Dreaming of the new shoes he would win for his sister gave him strength and he stayed right behind the two fastest runners, determined to finish third. Suddenly, as the finishing line drew near, another runner collided(碰撞)with Ali from behind and he crashed to the ground.

Ali looked up and saw the other boys running ahead. Refusing to give up. He ran as fast as he could. He dashed across the finishing line and won the fourth prize. Thinking he would let his sister down, Ali couldn’t help crying. Just then, he suddenly heard the announcement from the broadcast that he won the third prize as the runner who knocked Ali down was disqualified for breaking the rule. Holding the shoes close to his chest during the award ceremony. Ali felt happy as he eventually won the shoes for his sister.

Filled with pleasure, Ali walked home quickly.