Virak Mao moved from Cambodia six and a half years ago. He was an exciting and 1 12-year-old boy，looking forward to his new life in Canada but fearful he wouldn't make friends, 2 since he didn't speak English. What great progress he has 3 since then.
First of all, he got over those early difficulties and 4 friends. Mao not only mastered 5 but won the Grade 9 French award. At school, he 6 to organize school events. Mao also 7 at school, such as cleaning the library and helping others . Mao had wanted to be an engineer 8 after struggling with chemistry, he discovered a new passion for 9. At his Buddhist temple, Mao is a leader and 10 those who came to Canada for the first time to work hard. He also 11 in cultural dancing with other temple members, donating any 12 they raise back to the temple to buy supplies for the poor. Since the summer of 2011, he has held a job at a clothing store to help 13 his family. In June, Mao 14 from C.W. Jefferys and is now in the business management program at Ryerson University.
He is also the first winner of a new scholarship 15 by the Graduate Business Council with the purpose of helping a student, 16 wants to improve his community and in 17 of money. Awarded the scholarship in June, Mao spoke about the 18 of the award. “I was so excited. It was a huge relief for me,” he said, adding he would buy textbooks and school supplies with the award. “I am really 19 they raised this money to award me the scholarship. I just have no words. Anyone who works hard gets well 20.”
Christmas 1940 makes me misty-eyed every time I think about it. In the hard times, people 1 one another. We 2 food, clothing, bedding and household items and gave them to the needy.
That Christmas we students found ourselves 3 toys we collected and lading packages for 4. As we presented the gifts, we saw 5 in many faces, especially those of the children.
We had a few more 6 to make on Christmas morning. The air was heavy and frozen to the bone. For several hours, we knocked on doors. But as the cold hours passed, our 7 gradually faded.
When we 8 headed home, someone 9 a small house down a canal bank. None of us knew who lived there, 10 we wondered if there were 11 . We still had a doll, two trucks, some small toys, chocolate Santas and a box of groceries. We decided to make one last visit. When we knocked on the door, a young woman answered it, looking at us 12. Three small children watched from behind her skirt—a little girl of about 2, and boys perhaps 4 and 5 years old.
“Merry Christmas,” we 13 as we bent down and handed the gift-wrapped packages to the children and the box of groceries to the 14 , whose eyes widened 15 . She slowly smiled, then quickly said, “Come in”.
The room was 16 as the children looked at their mother, wondering if the gifts were really for them. The little girl 17 her doll, and the boys grasped the trucks as they sought a(an) 18 . She put her arms 19 them and said in a 20 voice, “I told you Santa Claus would come.”
Everyone has experienced ups and downs in his life, and I am no exception. I am an aerospace engineer from India. I was told by my relatives, close friends and others that it was1for a non- IT student to pursue a master's degree in IT and graduate from a US university.
I had never taken courses2to computers or programming. I was never interested in being a3, but things changed. Computers became my companion and I4how dependent on them I was. I5imagining the back end processes happening inside the CPU and they amazed me. That's why I6 to pursue a master's degree in IT.
At first, it was rather too7. Coming from a middle-class family, the huge cost per credit was a big8. My English accent was terrible. Most9, the course seemed impossible at first. But I never 10
I got a few offers, but I decided to choose my university 11it promised its students to help them learn practically. During my first month, it was difficult to understand the Americans' 12and finish my assignments. But I never gave up. I 13two miles to the university every day so that I could use my travel money to buy a meal. I started looking for 14and I got an offer to work as a student assistant, which meant lifting benches and chairs every day.
I took it as a(n)15, and I believed that hard work was my strength. Right now I am graduating with a GPA of 3.96/4 and a job offer from a multinational company that has asked me to start right after 16
If you think you can never achieve something, you need to 17yourself and start working on your 18 Hard work always pays off. To be 19 you need to start from somewhere and always question yourself about the limits of how far you would go to 20your goals.
Mary and I , together with our husbands, helped look after our neighbors' children this weekend. Our1have two children aged 3 and 6 and my husband and I chose the six-year-old child. What a pleasure! We2last night with Mary who invited us to have dinner. They were looking after the 3-year-old boy for 3at their dining table.
The 3-year-old child was 4his parents who were overseas for the weekend. When he saw his sister he 5with tears flowing on his face. I had “Plan B” in the back of my head. When I saw that the child was6and my friends who were looking after him were also 7 I offered to take both of them with us.
I thought another8for the night wasn't the best idea, so we 9made a decision to go back to our own house. Then I 10the child's overnight bed 11 and we came back home together. I had a12night as the boy was awake 5 times through the night, crying for his mommy, and it took a while to13him down.
Mary and her14came over this morning with their own children who are under 2 years old15I could have a short16 At noon, they left. I had just got to get through the17baths and dinner, and18 their parents would be back.
At night, both my husband and I were tired but we thought it was good to have “Plan B”, and how happy we were with such 19friends that invited us for dinner, and were thoughtful enough to20me a break this morning.
When I was 12, I really liked snowmobiles. My brother Cody and I 1 together all the time. One 2 day, my cousin, Brittany, was here, and we decided to ride our really old, yet fun snowmobile. My mom was 3 about it at first but thought that we were4careful. So we went out just as usual and my brother carefully checked everything we 5before we rode. We got on: my brother in front,6 then my cousin Brittany and I in the 7 We were riding around in the back of the woods on the edge (边缘) of the field. Our faces were 8and became red,9we didn't care .We were having tons of 10! We had gone around the woods three times when we were coming to the edge that 11 the gravel road (碎石路). There was a driveway there and then a field across the road.
I 12 my cousin shouting, “Faster! Faster! Cody! Go faster!” As she was shouting. I was 13 the gravel road in front of us. It was coming closer and closer but we still moved with a 14 speed. Just then. I knew something was 15 I looked up at my brother and could feel he was 16 starting to worry. We went through the driveway and I watched as we sped across the road. Then, BOOM! We hit the ditch (沟) and flew through the17for a short second and then hit the ground like a18 that had just fallen from the sky. At this point, there was nothing we could do. The snowmobile tipped and we all 19. We all felt frightened.20 we didn't have any serious problems.
It is not often that a person has sympathy for someone who stole from him / her. But when Chrissy Marie read the note written by the brother of the “1” who took her butterfly wind chime(风铃), her heart2.
The young boy 3 the note and left it on her doorstep. Chrissy4 a photo on Facebook of the note and the US＄5 the little boy5.
The note read: “I am6 that we stole your wind chime. Our mum died and she liked butterflies. My sister 7 it to put by our window. I am sorry this is the only 8I have. Please do not be mad at us. Jake.”
Chrissy Marie wants Jake and his sister to know she is not9 Now Chrissy wants to find Jake and his sister and10their money.
Chrissy 11 to Jake via her Facebook message: “Well Jake, I hope you can come to get your money 12. I had three of those wind chimes. And I am not mad at all.”
Chrissy is13 to the area, so she doesn't know many people. She tried to 14who Jake is or where he lives, but 15
“I have knocked on a few doors nearby. But I can't 16 far because of my injured leg.” she wrote. “I asked my neighbour,17 she didn't know anyone named Jake.”
Chrissy understands how 18 it can be to lose a mother. She said, “Obviously, the boy felt 19 for what his sister did.”
Chrissy has been surprised by all the20 her post got, and she hopes it won't scare Jake off.
One morning, the door to the classroom opened and a new teacher, Mrs Cosby, walked in. She looked too 1 to handle us. And we sure gave her a 2 time，but she never lost her temper. And then came the last day of the first month. She 3 a bunch of papers”. We4the worst—a test. But oh no, it was something that totally 5 us.
Mrs Cosby asked us to come to the front of the class, and gave each of us a piece of 6, on which she had written what the student had been 7 at during the last month. You see, no one had ever 8 us. No one had ever liked us. We were constantly told what good - for - nothing Students we were. And here,9 ， was someone who had been 10 us closely for a month. We made things as difficult for her as we could. And yet she could find something 11 to say about each of us.
Mrs Cosby did this every12 from then on. Each month we got a piece of paper that emphasized our 13 She commented on my courage, how punctual I was, how good to 14 arguements if I wanted. Her positive attitude transformed our class. We did not want to 15 her feelings anymore. We actually started to 16.
And then came the day of our graduation. Mrs Cosby hugged us and told us with tears in her eyes how 17 she was of us. Then she 18each one of us a book. All the encouraging words through the years were there, in hard covers.
She said, “I want you each to keep this book and if ever during your life you feel unworthy, 19this and read how good you are. You can be anything you want to be 20 you believe in yourself. Promise me you'll remember that!”
It was a Christmas break from school almost 40 years ago. I had spent most of the morning like any boy would, 1outside in the snow and enjoying the sunlight on the 2 day of the year. I liked stepping through the snow, making snowballs to 3 the trees, and watching the smoky breath float (飘) out of my 4. After a while, though, the 5 got to be too much and I went 6.
It was warm in the house. I 7 my wet coat and put on my favourite blue sweater. Then I walked into the 8. My mom and grandma had just 9 baking two loaves of Italian bread. Mom looked up, smiled at me and asked me what I wanted for 10. I smiled back and pointed to the delicious bread. Mom laughed, 11 a slice off the bread, and buttered it for me. Then she told me to go sit 12the stove (炉子) in the living room. Taking my slice with me I sat in my favourite chair, and felt the gentle heat from the stove 13 my little body. It was a moment of pure 14. I felt so good and so loved that I 15 it to this day.
Our daily 16 and love are all we need in this life. They are all we need to 17. Anything else is just an extra blessing to be used to make this world a 18 place for us all.
Be thankful for the daily bread that fills your 19 and for daily love that fills your soul. Then go out and with great joy 20 your bread, your blessings, and your love with the world.
Long ago I came to the city near my hometown to find a job. I met all kinds of 1 and so I used up all my money soon.
One day, I 2 a bus quietly at dusk when most people got off work. Suddenly, a 3 cried loudly, “Someone has 4 my money!” I felt 5, because his money was in my 6. Some people suggested the bus be 7 to the police station, but some were against it 8 they were in a hurry to go back home. The whole bus was very 9. The driver then 10 the bus by the road and turned on the lights to 11 the money. At that time, one passenger said, “Turn off the lights and give the thief a chance to take out the money.” Then the bus got 12. When I was still struggling (斗争) in mind whether to take out the money or not, the lights were on again. There was no 13 on the floor. Someone said again, “Give him one more 14 .” Then the lights were off again. My heart kept beating fast. The lights were on again but they got the 15result. The passengers were in heated discussion again. At that time, someone said again, “Give him the 16 chance!” Suddenly I felt 17 and took out all the money when the lights were off again.
For many years I have felt 18 to the one who gave me three chances to 19 my mistake. When the first and second opportunities come, you may not be prepared well or don't have enough 20 to act. When the third opportunity comes you should know clearly what you should do.
I had offered to watch my 3-year-old daughter, so that my wife could go out with a friend. I was getting some work done in my study while she 1to be having a good time in the other room. No problem, I figured. But then it got a little too2 and I shouted, "What are you doing?" No response. I3my question and heard her say, "Oh…nothing." Nothing?
I got up from my desk and ran out 4the living room, where I saw her running across the hall. I followed and watched her as her little behind（小屁股）made a quick5into the bathroom. I had her6! I told her to turn around. She 7. I pulled out my big Daddy voice, "Young lady," I said, "turn around!"
8, she turned toward me. In her hand was what was left of my wife's new lipstick. And every square inch of her face was9with bright red! As she looked up at me with fearful eyes. I heard10voice that had been shouted to me as a child. "How could you… You should know…How many times have you been 11…What a bad thing to…" It was just a matter of my picking out which old 12 I was going to use on her so that she would know what a bad girl she had been. But 13 I could let loose, I looked14 at the sweater on her. In big 15 it said, "I'M A PERFECT LITTLE ANGEL (天使)!" I looked back up into her tearful eyes and, 16seeing a bad girl who didn't listen, I saw a little angel full of17that I had come dangerously close to18. "Sweetheart, let's take a picture so Mommy can see how 19you look." I took the picture and thanked God that I didn't 20 the chance to prove what a perfect little angel he had given me.
In 1952, my daddy traveled with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. This meant he would 1 a lot of time away from home.
As 2 came near，he called my mother and 3 why he would not be celebrating the holiday with us. Money was tight and he didn't have a way to get back to his4 .Though she was 5, mother knew he was right. When she told us the news, it really 6 me, and I went to bed on Christmas Eve with a 7 heart.
When we 8 up on Christmas morning, Santa had come. I still remember what gift we9 that year. We were all happy with our gifts, so we went outside to play. As we were10 I looked up and thought I saw my daddy in the distance I ran inside to tell mother. She did not11 me and told me not to make up stories. My mother12 it just wasn't possible. 13 I was sure it was Daddy！I turned to go back outside when I heard familiar footsteps. Daddy was home！As I 14into his arms, daddy explained that he had tried 15to get home for Christmas, but without success. At last, a group of the workers had decided to drive. But the 16 guy lived miles away. So daddy started 17 on Christmas Eve until he arrived home. He had walked all night！
Though the 18that year were wonderful, the best gift was not found in the19 . Daddy's special surprise made this my most20 Christmas.
When I think about what my hero means to me, I realize that most of my special memories and feelings toward my hero come from the little things he does every day. My hero is not a celebrity or such a recognizable face. My hero is not a national hero or a multi – millionaire. He has never saved me from a burning castle or an avalanche（雪崩）, but he does 1 me and tell me to have a good day. He is just an 2, quiet man, whom I honor.
My dad is my hero because he is brave, skilled, and 3. I know many people say their dads are their heroes, but my dad teaches me about becoming a man, which is extremely important for a young boy.
Respect goes a long way with my dad, as does patience. As a(n) 4, my dad must deal with people every day, some of whom are nice and some are not. Either way, he 5 his well-mannered attitude.
Dad is not afraid of many things, or if he is, he doesn't tell me 6he wants to seem tough. He may not be a big guy but since he works with his 7 all day, he is very strong. Dad works outdoors in all kinds of 8 but the worst thing he has to do is 9 up and work in an attic (顶楼) in the middle of the summer. Trust me, this is the 10 place you will experience as an electrician and when you come back 11, what is in your lungs will make you 12 for hours.
My dad and I have a very good 13. We talk about almost everything. We go hunting, fishing, and everything a dad and son would do. My dad and I enjoy 14 most because it gives us time outdoors together and there is nothing like that. He has 15 and taught me everything I need to know about 16.
I am 17 to be the son of Mike C. , and would not have it any other way. People come up to me all the time to 18 me I have a good dad. It makes me feel 19 that a lot of people think so 20 of him. He is a good teacher of my life and would do anything for me. This is why my father is my hero.
William Butler Yeats, a most famous Irish writer, was born in Dublin on June 13, 1865. His childhood1the harmony that was2of a happy family. Later, Yeats shocked his family by saying that he remembered "little of childhood but its pain". In fact, he3excellent taste in art from his family — both his father and his brother were painters. But he finally4literature,5drama and poetry.
Yeats had strong6in the coming of new artistic movements. He set himself the7task in founding an Irish national theatre in the late 1890s. His early theatrical experiments,8, were not received9at the beginning. He didn't lose heart, and finally enjoyed 10in his poetical drama.
11with his dramatic works, Yeats's poems attract much12notice. The subject matter includes love, nature, history, time and aging. Though Yeats generally relied on very traditional forms, he brought modern13to them. As his literary life14, his poetry grew finer and richer, which led him to worldwide15.
He had not16a major public life17winning the Nobel Prize in 1923. Yet, he continued writing almost to the end of his life. Had Yeats stopped writing at age 40, he would probably now be18as a minor poet, for there is no other example in literary history of a poet who19his greatest works between the ages of 50 and 75. After Yeats's death in 1939, W. H. Auden wrote, among others, the following lines:
Earth, receive an20guest:
William Yeats is laid to rest.
Let the Irish vessel (船) lie.
Emptied of its poetry.
I used to hate running. It seemed too hard, and expanding my comfort zone was not something I like. In fact, I wouldn't have become a runner if it weren't for my husband Charles. He had been a serious competitive 1 for many years. After our marriage, he wouldn't stop talking about how much he 2 it. So he picked it up again, and after about a year, I started to 3 him at the track. Just a few weeks later, Charles signed us 4 up for a five-kilometer race. I 5 about doing it because it was too soon.
The 6 sent a signal. Thousands of runners pushed forward. The first kilometer was 7. I was already breathing heavily and painfully aware of the group of runners 8 me. Charles was trying to 9 me, to get me focused on something 10my discomfort.
After another minute I saw the three-kilometer 11. "Painful" couldn't 12describe how I felt. And there was pain, so much pain. I rounded a 13, and saw both sides of the street 14 with people watching the race, all 15 the runners up. I tried to keep my 16 going. I knew that if I actually 17 this race I would have achieved something. So, I 18 up and went on.
Finally I passed through the finish line. A volunteer put a medal around my neck. I 19 held my medal, walking to the post-race celebrations with Charles. My lungs and my 20 zone both expanded.
A Game of Light and Shade
It was a sunny day. I had gone up and down the tower when, outside the door at the foot, a blind man came toward me. In a moment, he disappeared up the stairs. I looked at the sign that said "To the Tower", and decided to 1 him.
I caught up with him in the ticket office. There I was 2 to see the attendant (工作人员) selling him a ticket as if he were any other visitor. Then, with the ticket in one hand and 3 the wall with the fingers of the other, the blind man reached the stairs 4 to the hallway.
"That man is blind. What would a blind man climb up the tower for?" I said to the attendant, expecting him to show some 5, but he didn't answer.
"Not the 6 certainly," I said. "Perhaps he wants to 7."
I bought a ticket and 8 up the stairs. The man hadn't gone as far as I 9. A third of the way up the tower, I heard his 10. I slowed down and followed him at a little 11. He stopped from time to time. When he got to the balcony, I was a dozen steps 12. As I reached it, I saw him at the corner of the tower.
At last, after ten minutes, I 13 him. "Excuse me," I said as politely as I could, "but I am curious to know 14 you came up."
He smiled. "Coming up the stairs, you will notice how not just light but sun 15 into the tower through the narrow windows here and there, so that you can feel the 16—the cool stairs suddenly become quite warm—and how up here behind the wall there is 17, but as soon as going opposite a window you can find the sun. There is no 18 so good as this for feeling the difference between light and shade. It is not the first time I've come up."
The blind man seemed quite 19 just like a child who was enjoying his favorite games. He told me the truth that blind men can also find the beauty in life 20 they cannot enjoy the sights of the world.
My wife and I moved into our home two years ago. We had a 1 with a lot of rocks. Very often when we have flowers, Denise or I would plant some between the rocks, just to 2 some color to the area.
Last summer, I found a tiny little plant in the yard that I could not immediately 3. I knew I didn't plant it and Denise said she didn't either. We decided to let it continue 4 until we could find out what it was.
Weeks passed and as I made my way back to the strange 5, it appeared to be a sunflower. I decided to 6 the weeds around it. As I pulled rocks from the area to get to the weeds, I noticed something 7. The sunflower had not started where I saw it begin. It 8 had begun under a big 9 and grown under and around it to reach the 10.
That's when I 11 that if a tiny little sunflower didn't let a big rock stand in its 12 of developing, we also have the 13 to do the same thing. If we believe in ourselves like that little sunflower, we can reach where we 14 to go and get what we need for growth.
We need to 15 ourselves knowing we have the ability to achieve our goals. Like the 16, it knew it had the ability to get over the rocks because it had 17 in itself that it would succeed. Stand tall like the sunflower and be 18 of who and what we are, then the environment will begin to 19 us. We will find a way to go under or around any “rocks” in order to 20 our goals.
A little girl has become famous in her neighborhood after drawing messages of hope on her family's garage door during lockdown (疫情封闭).
Mom-of-two Christine has been letting her six-year-old daughter Eilidh turn their black shiny garage door into a1 art project with chalk. Twice a week since April 2020, Eilidh has let her imagination run 2, covering the space with mermaids, dolphins, Spiderman, and dinosaurs. She has this week3 it with a rainbow, flowers, and some 4words. Eilidh has a little wooden chair she can stand on to help her 5 higher up, and her artist mom gives her 6 with things she needs.
Her drawings came to people's7, and an admiring fan club has begun leaving boxes of chocolates on their doorstep. 8 mom Christine said: "Whatever comes into her head she draws it9. It could be quite10. It depends on what is happening around her. She is just drawing outside to make people11."
Christine has already12 one broom (扫帚) by cleaning the garage. When it rains, the chalk is washed away, and Eilidh starts again13on the next dry day.
Eilidh is now loving being back at 14 as lockdown in Britain eases. And one thing is for sure – this little girl is no doubt superior in her15 classes.
From my earliest childhood memories, my mother was my entire world. Each Sunday morning, I would be1by sweet smells around the house. Watching my mother2food was attractive. She was totally3so I never asked questions, and her behavior in-formed me that this wasn't a good time to4. My sisters and I would be seated at the5 and wait to get a taste of the cake.
The family meals kept us6together and gave us an opportunity to connect with each other. No subject was7as we ate. My father was an extraordinary storyteller and liked talking almost everything with us!8l, we possessed a gift of speech, like him.
My mother's life revolved around cooking for her9: She took it very10, no time for errors. There were no ruined meals or smoke clouding the11. l would always purposely observe her while she cooked. She was a12mother. She knew the economy of words, so when she gave chore13,we listened intently, to carry out the assigned task with success.
Looking back, my mom was the best version of herself. She exhibited excellent14is kills! There wasn't a measuring cup to be found. Cooking made her15! And her family made sure she was generously16after each amazing dinner course. Her dedication to cooking set me a good example. Driven to perfection and a model mother, I17at 8 that I would make nice food such as sweet potato pies like my mother.
Everyday, I am so thankful for my mother. Although she has been18for years, I think she is always by my side. Each time I cook, I prepare a lot of the food I grew up eating. My mother's focus on food19taught me a valuable lesson: Whatever your goals in life, perform them to the best of your abilities. Her20has allowed me to approach everything do with dedication.
It was already half past seven and I was running late again for the dinner appointment with my wife, Eleanor. We had 1 to meet at the restaurant at seven o'clock. I felt a little uneasy, but to my 2, I had a good excuse: A business meeting had run over and I'd wasted no time getting to the dinner.
When I arrived at the 3, I apologized and told Eleanor I didn't mean to be late. She screamed, "You never mean to." Well, I could 4 she was angry. "I'm sorry but it was not 5." I said. Then I told her about the business meeting. 6, my explanation seemed to make things worse.
Several weeks later, when I 7 the situation to my friend Ken Hardy, he smiled, "You 8 a classic mistake. You're 9 in your own way of thinking. You didn't 10 to be late. But that's not the point. What is 11 in your communication is how your lateness affected Eleanor. "
Thinking more about Ken's words, I 12 recognized the root cause of such disagreement. It's the result of the action that really 13. I should have started the conversation by expressing how my actions 14 Eleanor and saved the discussions about my intention for later, much later and even never.
Later on, after talking to Eleanor and really 15 her experience of the results of my lateness, I've managed to be on time a lot more frequently.
Waiting for the airplane to take off, I was happy to get a seat by myself. Just then, an air hostess came to me and asked, "Would you mind1your seat? A couple would like to sit together. " The only 2 seat was next to a girl with her arms in casts (石膏绷带), a black-and-blue face, and a sad expression. "3 am I going to sit there." I thought immediately. But a soft voice spoke, "She needs help." Finally, I 4 to move to that seat. The girl was named Kathy. She was injured in a car accident and now was on her way for 5. When the snack and juice arrived, it did not take me long to 6 that Kathy would not be able to 7 herself. I considered 8 to feed her but hesitated (犹豫), as it seemed too 9 to offer such a service to a 10. But then I realized that Kathy's need was more 11 than my discomfort. I offered to help her eat and although she was uncomfortable to accept, she 12 as I expected. We became closer and closer in a short period of time. By the end of the five-hour trip, my heart had 13, and the time was really better spent than if I had just sat by myself. I was very glad I had reached beyond my comfort zone to sit next to Kathy and feed her. Love sometimes flows beyond human borders and removes the fears that keep us 14. When we are trying our best to 15another, we grow to live in a larger and more rewarding world.
