My mother is a kind and gentle woman. She is very busy from morning till night. As a teacher she works diligently and efficiently. As a mother, she takes good care of us and gives us every comfort. I have an elder brother. He and I both love her dearly and she loves us.

My mother has been teaching maths at a middle school in my hometown. She goes to the school early in the morning and does not return home until late in the afternoon. She loves her students and cares for them. She treats them with patience and teaches them well. For her excellent qualities and very good teaching results, she is always praised and respected by both her students and colleagues alike. And she has been chosen or elected as a model teacher several times.

My mother is a thrifty (节约的) and industrious woman. She never buys expensive or fancy dresses for herself; she goes occasionally to buy some inexpensive and high-quality clothes for us. She never goes luxurious (奢侈的) restaurants to enjoy expensive meals. She lives a busy yet simple life, without any complaints. As soon as she comes hack from school, she sets about doing housework: sweeping the living room and bedrooms or cleaning the furniture, putting everything in good order. Besides, she prepares nice dishes for us to eat. She seems to be on the go all the time. As she has been very busy working hard every day, she looks older than she really is. Her face is wrinkled, and her hair has turned silver white. But she looks as cheerful and happy as ever.

Often she says to us, “Work while you work, and play while you play. That is the way to be happy and gay. If you do not work, you will become lazy and of no use to society.” What a piece of good advice this is! I never forget it and always bear it in my mind. This advice of hers will always serve as a guide to my action. My mother is great indeed, and I always feel proud of her.

When I was a little kid, a father was like the light in the fridge. Every house had one, but no one really knew what both of them did when the door was shut. It seemed that there were not many chances for me to understand him.

My dad left the house every morning and always seemed glad to see everyone at night. He pushed the door open when no one else could. He was the only one in the house who wasn’t afraid to go in the basement（地下室）by himself. Every time it rained, he got the car and brought it around to the door. When anyone was sick, he went out to get the medicine.

He kept busy enough. He swept snow on the road in front of the house. He cut back the roses so the thorns（刺）wouldn’t hurt you when you came to the front door. He repaired my skates, and they went all right. When I got my bike, he ran alongside me for at least a thousand miles until I got the hang of it. He put me to bed early. He took a lot of pictures, but was never in them.

I was afraid of everyone else’s father, but not my own. Once I made him tea. It was only sugar water, but he sat on a small chair and said it was delicious. He looked very uncomfortable.

Every time I played house, the mother doll had a lot to do. I never knew what to do with the daddy doll, so I had him say “I’m going off to work now” and threw him under the bed.

When I was nine years old, my father didn’t get up one morning to go to work. He went to the hospital and died the next day. There were a lot of people in the house who brought all kinds of good food and cakes. We never had so much time being together before.

I went to my room and felt under the bed for the father doll. When I found him, I cleaned him and put him on my bed. He never did anything. I didn’t know his leaving would hurt so much. I still don’t know why.

Dick’s grandmother is very rich. She has many shops. The old woman begins to learn drawing when she is sixty years old. And she loves it very much. She draws a lot of pictures for twelve years.

One day, the old woman is ill. She stays in hospital. Before she dies(死), she says to Dick, “I want to give my picture to a school. Then the students will remember（记得）me. But I don’t know which school I’ll give them to. Can you help me?”

“Well”, says Dick, “You can give them to a blind (盲人) school!”