When I woke up on Thursday morning I found I caught a cold! I had 1 all over! At around 11 am, I went downstairs and 2the dog out to the little park close to my house. There I saw a3 of a person in a black sleeping bag,4 under the shade of some trees.
I was all achy and 5but I still let my dog play a bit and even threw the 6for her sometimes, her 7thing in life. We played and she had a great time 8back and forth with her prize ball which she likes best but I was9getting tired.
Nevertheless, the fellow 10rough was on my mind and I decided, since it was a fairly hot day, that I would come back and 11him a big glass bottle of 12water I keep in the fridge, plus some sandwiches, snacks, tooth brush and toothpaste in the bag13a little wash cloth. I thought it would be a good time to 14my first gift.
I became15about making the food for hint Then I went out excitedly again. I went, close, but not quite up to the sleeper, not wanting to16him, and said, “Here is some water, sandwiches, and a little something else for you,” and the sleepy fellow17his head and said a sleepy “thank you”.
When I went back into the house, something was 18I had no 19any more, no aches any where, eyes clear, stomach ache gone. All I had done was to bring a little something to20a rough sleeper.
Learning to Accept
I learned how to accept life as it is from my father. 1, he did not teach me acceptance when he was strong and healthy, but rather when he was 2 and ill.
My father was 3 a strong man who loved being active, but a terrible illness 4 all that away. Now he can no longer walk, and he must sit quietly in a chair all day. Even talking is 5. One night, I went to visit him with my sisters. We started6about life, and I told them about one of my 7 . I said that we must very often give things up 8we grow—our youth, our beauty, our friends—but it always 9 that after we give something up, we gain something new in its place. Then suddenly my father 10 up. He said, "But, Peter, I gave up 11! What did I gain?" I thought and thought, but I could not think of anything to say. 12 , he answered his own question: "I 13 the love of my family." I looked at my sisters and saw tears in their eyes, along with hope and thankfulness.
I was also 14by his words. After that, when I began to feel irritated (恼怒的) at someone, I 15 remember his words and become 16. If he could replace his great pain with a feeling of love for others, then I should be 17 to give up my small irritations. In this 18, I learned the power of acceptance from my father.
Sometimes I 19 what other things I could have learned from him if I had listened more carefully when I was a boy. For now, though, I am grateful for this one 20 .
The job of raising children is a tough one. Children don't come with an instruction manual(说明书).And each child is1.So parents sometimes pull their hair out in frustration，not2 what to do. But in raising children，what we do is 3 by our culture. Naturally then，American parents teach their children basic American 4.
To Americans, the goal of parents is to help children5 on their own feet. From 6 ， each child may get his or her own room. As children grow, they get more7 to make their own choices.8choose their own forms of entertainment，as well as the friends to9them with. When they10young adulthood，they choose their own jobs and marriage11.Of course，many young adults still12their parents' advice and approval for the choices they make. But once they “leave the 13” at around 18 to 21 years old，they want to be on their own，not14 to their mothers' apron strings(围裙带).
The relationship between parents and children in America is very informal. American parents 15their children as individuals—not as extensions of themselves. They16them to achieve their own dreams. Americans praise, encourage and give their children the 17 to succeed. When children become adults，their parents becomes more like18.But 19 to popular belief，most adult Americans don't make their parents pay for room and board when their parents come to 20them. Even as adults，they respect and honor their parents.
When you are five years old, your mother is your everything. She is your1, friend, nurse; the only person you rely on2with your hopes, dreams, and wishes. But for me, this was not the case.
My mother suffered from 3problems that would keep her in bed for days, leaving me to care for her and look after myself. This situation4me to grow up much faster. While I knew my mother was sick, I felt deep down that we could5it and everything would be okay. 6, in 1997 everything went terribly wrong, and my life changed forever.
Adoption is a7word to a five-year-old, but when I realized that my own mother had signed me over to8, I felt it was the worst betrayal. I suffered from shock, anger, and confusion as I attempted to adjust to my new family. No longer could I trust anyone since the person I had loved more than all else had9me. Hearing people tell me that she did it in my best interest, I felt it even more10. I could not forgive her and always11 how she could reject me like an old sofa.
However, the more I got older, the more I began to understand how12 our situation had been. We had been13 on boxes of noodles, and at one point we14 lived in our car. I was once passed from drug-addicted cousins to mentally unstable neighbors as my mother15 to try and save me from what our lives were becoming16 each day passed.
17 recently have I begun to understand why my mother gave me to strangers. 18, she really did save me. She loved me more than anything, so she wanted me to have a chance in life, 19 she could no longer offer me. I now know my life has been a special 20only because she was selfless enough to give me up.
I watch her and her mother decorate her college dormitory room. Everything is in place, 1 and arranged. I closely watch that which I would have in the past 2. I know that this time is 3. As half of her room has been nicely decorated, I begin to 4 that her room at home is no longer hers. It is now ours, our room for her when she 5.
I 6 myself thinking of when I held her in my arm for the first time in hospital. One day old, so 7, so beautiful, so totally dependent on her new 8. All thoughts went through my mind as I 9 her eyes, her nose and her mouth. Time passes 10.
She looks up now, catching me 11 at her, causing her to say to her mother. "Mom, Dad's looking at me funny."
The last few days, I touch her arm, her face—12 that when my wife and I return home, she will not be 13 us. I have so much to say, but no 14 with which to say it.
She says, "It'll be all right, Dad. I'll be home from 15 soon." I tell her she will have a great year but I say little else. I only hold on to our good-bye hug a little longer, a little 16.
My wife' eyes follow her 17 she leaves us. Mine do not. I know that what she is welcoming is exciting and 18. I remember what the world looked like to me when everything was 19.
When I walk to the car with my wife at my side, my eyes are wet, my heart is painful, and I realize that my life is 20 forever.
When I settled(定居) in Chicago，my new city seemed so big and unfriendly. Then I had a 1 problem and had to go to hospital for a 2examination.
It seemed a small 3 compared to the one I was about to face, but things started to go 4 right from the beginning , not having a car or5 the city, I was depending on the buses to get me from A to B, 6I'd left myself plenty of time, soon it was 7. I was going to be late, because I had mistakenly boarded a bus that was taking me in the 8 direction.
I 9 the bus and stood on the road not knowing what to do, I looked into the eyes of a 10 , who was trying to get past me, 11 , instead of moving on, she stopped to ask if I was 12. After I explained my 13to her, she pointed to a bus stop across the street, where a bus would take me back into the city to my 14. Sitting there waiting, I felt 15that someone had been willing to help. 16, hearing a horn(喇叭)nearby, I looked up to see a car with my new friend 17 at me to get in. She had returned to offer me a 18 to the hospital.
Such unexpected 19 from a passer-by was a lovely gift to receive. As I climbed out of the car at the hospital and turned to thank her, she smiled and told me not to lose 20, for all things are possible.
Frederick the Great, King of Prussia, was seated in his room when a petition (请愿书)was brought to him. The King had just returned from hunting, and the glare of the sun, or some other1, had so dazzled (使...目眩)his eyes that he found it difficult to 2 a single word of the writing.
So he called the servant boy. The poor boy 3 a poor reader, huddling (挤在一起) several words together 4 they were syllables of one long word, which he must get through with as speedily as possible. "Stop! Send me that little girl sitting there by the fountain." The girl 5 pointed out by the King was the daughter of a royal 6, who had come to help her father weed the flower beds. She was somewhat 7 but took courage when the King told her that he only wanted her to 8 for him, as his eyes were weak.
Ernestine, the little girl, was 9 of reading, and often many of the neighbors would10 at her father's house to hear her. Those who could not read themselves would come with their letters from friends or children, so she formed the 11 of reading various sorts of handwriting promptly and well.
The King gave her the petition, and she rapidly 12 the opening lines to get some13 of what it was about. It was from a poor widow, whose only son had been14into the army, although his health was delicate. His father had been killed in battle.
Ernestine read the petition with so much 15, and in tones so pure and distinct, that when she had finished, the King, into whose eyes 16 had started, cried excitedly, "Oh, now I understand what it is all about; but I might never have known its 17 had I trusted to that young gentleman. As for you, my young lady," continued the King, "I know you will ask no better 18 than the pleasure of carrying to this poor widow my order for her son's immediate discharge."
How happy Ernestine was! Because of her good reading the poor widow 19 her son. Ernestine also 20 did the servant boy good for, sorry for his bad reading, he began studying in earnest and finally became a lawyer.
When Emma and her family go out to dinner, they always go to their favourite restaurant. It is an Italian restaurant, and they 1 go there once a week. Emma always chooses ravioli (意大利馄饨), and her little brother Josh always 2 spaghetti (意大利面) with meatballs. Their 3 like to try different things.
One week when they were getting ready to go out to dinner, Emma's father 4 they try the new restaurant in town. Emma and Josh both looked 5. The new restaurant was Lebanese (黎巴嫩的). All Emma and Josh 6 about Lebanese food was that it was mainly chickpeas and grape leaves.
"You might actually end up 7 it if you give it a try," said their mum.
Their dad added, "Let's try it once, and if you don't like it, we will 8 to our tried and tested restaurant next week."
When they arrived at the 9 restaurant, a host led them to a 10 and a server came over shortly. The server 11 them what some of his favourite meals were. Emma and Josh were 12to learn that the restaurant served something similar to ravioli, 13 it served a meatball dish. Emma asked for manti and dumplings. Josh 14 kibbeh and meatballs.
After Emma and Josh took the first bites of their 15, they stopped for a while before 16 anything. Emma was thinking that the manti tasted different than ravioli, but she didn't think it was 17. Josh was thinking he kind of liked the kibbeh.
They each took a few more bites, and then they both said, "You were 18, Mum. This food is pretty tasty." When they 19 the meal, Emma and Josh said, "We think we have another 20 restaurant."
Expect the unexpected
"Nothing is ever easy!" A couple of days ago, my grandfather was1 his favorite expression. The following day, as I completed my work, I2a bee on the skylight (天窗). Though the skylight was particularly high, I thought 3the bee would take only five minutes. An hour later, the bee still remained. What had changed was that the room was messy and that I was 4from looking up into the sunlight. I didn't expect to waste an hour on an insect so5, but by doing so, I understood what my grandfather meant.
It is not only time we tend to underestimate-we don't 6 unexpected costs. We often imagine what work in our 7, but seldom consider negative things that could 8us. However, it is important to remember that things might not go as 9, which is normal. It is 10 acceptable to feel challenged-even a simple task, because that is part of life.
If you accept that, life might seem more11. In middle school, I thought high school might be easier because I could choose the12 I wanted to take. In high school, I thought 13 might be easier because I would have a 14 suited for myself. Yet each time, I was wrong and15. After accepting school wouldn't be easy, I found myself with a more16 attitude.
Certainly, there should be preparations to take 17and time into consideration. It can help you 18your goals in a better way. However, there is no19 to blame ourselves when something stands in our path. Maybe we cannot see a bee coming our way, but we can give ourselves the 20 time to catch it.
During my second year at the city college, I was told that the education department was offering a "free" course, called Thinking Chess, for three credits. I 1 the idea of taking the class because, after all, who doesn't want to2a few dollars？More than that, I'd always wanted to learn chess. And, even if I weren't 3 enough about free credits, news about our 4 was appealing enough to me. He was an international grandmaster, which 5 I would be learning from one of the game's 6. I could hardly wait to 7 him.
Maurice Ashley was kind and smart, a former graduate returning to teach, and this 8 was no game for him；he meant business. In his introduction, he made it 9 that our credits would be hardearned. In order to 10 the class, among other criteria, we had to write a paper on how we plan to 11what we would learn in class to our future professions and, 12, to our lives. I managed to get an A in that 13 and learned life lessons that have served me well beyond the 14.
Ten years after my chess class with Ashley, I'm still putting to use what he 15 me："The absolute most important 16that you learn when you play chess is how to make good 17. On every single move you have to 18 a situation, process what your opponent(对手) is doing and 19 the best move form among all your options." These words still ring true today in my 20 as a journalist.
Being good at something and having a passion for it are not enough. Success 1 fundamentally on our view of ourselves and of the 2 in our lives.
When twelve-year-old John Wilson walked into his chemistry class on a rainy day in 1931, he had no 3 of knowing that his life was to change 4. The class experiment that day was to 5 how heating a container of water would bring air bubbling (冒泡) to the surface. 6, the container the teacher gave Wilson to heat 7 held something more volatile (易挥发的) than water. When Wilson heated it, the container 8, leaving Wilson blinded in both eyes.
When Wilson returned home from hospital two months later, his parents 9 to find a way to deal with the catastrophe that had 10 their lives. But Wilson did not regard the accident as 11. He learned braille (盲文) quickly and continued his education at Worcester College for the Blind. There, he not only did well as a student but also became a(n)12 public speaker.
Later, he worked in Africa, where many people suffered from 13 for lack of proper treatment. For him, it was one thing to 14 his own fate of being blind and quite another to allow something to continue 15 it could be fixed so easily. This moved him to action. And tens of millions in Africa and Asia can see because of the 16 Wilson made to preventing the 17.
Wilson received several international 18 for his great contributions. He lost his sight but found a 19. He proved that it's not what happens to us that 20 our lives-it's what we make of what happens.
The measure of a man's real character is what he would do if he knew he would never be found out. -Thomas Macaulay
Some thirty years ago, I was studying in a public school in New York. One day, Mrs Nanette O'Neill gave an arithmetic 1 to our class. When the papers were 2 she discovered that twelve boys had made exactly the same mistakes throughout the test.
There is nothing really new about3 in exams. Perhaps that was why Mrs O'Neill 4 even say a word about it. She only asked the twelve boys to 5 after class. I was one of the twelve.
Mrs O'Neill asked 6 questions, and she didn't7 us either. Instead, she wrote on the blackboard the 8 words by Thomas Macaulay. She then ordered us to 9 these words into our exercise-books one hundred times.
I don't 10 about the other eleven boys. Speaking for myself I can say:it was the most important single11 of my life. Thirty years after being introduced to Macaulay's words, they 12 seem to me the best yardstick(准绳), because they give us a 13 to measure ourselves rather than others.
14 of us are asked to make 15 decisions about nations going to war or armies going to battle. But all of us are called 16 daily to make a great many personal decisions. Should the wallet, found in the street, be put into a pocket 17 turned over to the policeman? Should the18 change received at the store be forgotten or19? Nobody will know except 20. But you have to live with yourself, and it is always better to live with someone you respect.
Cassidy Bradley is sitting at a table with her classmates in a special nutrition 1which teaches children how to eat healthily, make smart food2and how doing so3 their health.
Sitting 4 Cassidy is Jayden Randolph. He says he loves eating hot dogs, but he says he is also learning how to eat5. J'adore Carter smiles and says she is learning about eating healthy food, too. Get Fresh is part of the program Families, Food and Fun 6 at William Perry Elementary School with the hope of creating 7 change in the health of the community by 8 Type 2 diabetes(糖尿病).
"Over the long term, we hope to sec the number of students with diabetes 9 now that this program is in place," says Krystal Moyers, community outreach director at Augusta Health.
The program taught to elementary schoolers at William Perry 10 nutrition education, fresh produce tastings and family nutrition programming.
By bringing nutrition education into the classroom, kids enjoy learning about a fruit or vegetable that11 in season every week and then take home information about that food12 they can share with their parents, including recipes.
During the program, kids learn about how foods affect the body, how 13 activities help keep us healthy, what14 to use when cooking and then all this healthy learning is 15 by making a fun dessert.
To make it 16 the whole family will enjoy together when they get home, parents learn how to cook17 meals in the school's kitchen.
“I think it's great," says parent Rebecca Campbell. "It gives families a chance to learn how to do different things in the kitchen, and it'll give children an opportunity to help out, too, 18 I think children are more 19 to eat things that they have helped to20
Sometimes, the best gifts from Parents don't come in boxes. When I think of the first 1my father had given to me, it would be a love of 2. He is not usually an observer of life, but he can be thoughtful and3. He is always right in our study reading and gave me a love of 4. He has been totally deaf in one ear since he was two years old, so we 5 listen to music. In my childhood, storybooks were king—not songs.
The second is 6 all. Even when my sister and I were little, the 7 around the dinner table was noisy but adult-level. Your8didn't matter. If you 9 an opinion, you had to present your case and give evidence. He treats everything the same, 10or adult, cleaner or CEO.
The greatest gift to us, however, was that he took 11 in our brains but not our 12. He always told us reading enriched the minds which was more important than looks. I know most successful women had fathers who13 their intelligence and maybe I will be. My father said my mother was the most 14 person he had ever met. He still says that. They met while camping out in a golden autumn. Trees was15 in sunshine and a girl was reading under one. Impressed by the 16, he approached and told her that she 17him of Jane Austen's Emma, then mistakenly quoted the book. She 18 him and he was in19 from that moment.
Over the years, my father taught me never to stand still and accept the way things are; I should fight for20 and I will continue to follow his lead.
If failure is like a day without the sunshine, I'll still smile at it, as clouds may be dancing in the sky. Success does not 1 every person, just like the sun doesn't shine every day.
Do you give up your plan to go hiking just because the weather isn't as good as you had hoped? No, of course not. I would rather go on trying no matter what I 2 and enjoy on the way to my destination. Actually, failure is like a naughty boy who plays with us on the way to our goals. Not only does he want to 3 us, but he wants to help us become braver. The more we 4, the braver we'll be.
If failure is the 5 without the moon, I'll still smile at it, as stars may twinkle on us still. Of course, we all like the moon, but should we ignore the stars? There is always something more important than 6. In other words, we shouldn't only focus on whether we succeed or fail. In fact, we learn a lot from failure. It is really helpful. The more we learn from failure, the 7 we'll be.
If failure is a bird without 8, I'll still smile at it. Flying isn't the only thing a bird can do. If we can't be 9 by the wide blue sky, why don't we 10 adapting ourselves to the forest through our beautiful singing? Failure 11 us that we should believe in ourselves. We may fail in one area, but we may 12 in another. Maybe we'll find that we have a talent for something we never knew about before. Who knows?
Life is like a box of chocolates, and you 13 know what you're going to get. Just keep on trying. The process of trying is much more valuable than the 14.
Smile at 15 and smile at life.
By the end of the 20th century, TV show producers had begun to turn to the cheapest performers available — their audience. It seemed that anyone who wanted fame could 1 it. And some people wanted it far too much.
Richard and Mayumi Heene, 2 , launched a large balloon 2,000 meters into the air and then called a TV network to say that their six-year-old son, Falcon, was inside it. Planes were re-routed and Denver International Airport was briefly 3 . However, Falcon was later found to have been hiding in the family's garage the whole time. The" balloon boy" incident turned out to be a hoax (骗局) and the Heenes were 4 of doing it in the hope of landing their own reality TV shows. Instead, they got a fine and a short sentence each — but they were certainly 5 for a while.
So do we want fame? Research suggests that a large number of us do. According to one recent survey, 30 percent of adults regularly daydream about being famous and 40 percent of us expect to 6 some kind of fame in our lifetimes. Perhaps a better question is: should we want to be famous? Do we really want every 7 of our private lives exposed in newspapers and discussed on television? Some people, such as talent show contestant Susan Boyle, seem ill-euipped to deal with this kind of 8, despite their talent. Boyle gained international fame for her extraordinary singing voice after appearing on TV talent show Britain's Got Talent and her first album became the fastest-selling of all time in the U. K. But the sudden fame didn't seem easy for her at first, and after the final of the show, Boyle was 9 to a private psychiatric clinic.
Furthermore, people who achieve fame often don't seem to like it once they have it. A survey of celebrities found that they worry about the press, critics, threatening letters, the lack of privacy, and the 10 on their children. These are hardly worries that 11 people have to deal with. They also, 12, worry about what would happen if they were no longer famous. And there are plenty of people to ask about that. Take, for example, Donato Dalrymple, a fisherman who rescued a boy from the sea and enjoyed the media spotlight for several months afterwards. When it ended, however, he 13 his job as a toilet cleaner." I know I'm a nobody," he said when the attention had 14.
"When the person has to go back to everyday life, there's a sense of 15 loss and being cheated out of something," says Dr. Robert Cancro of the New York University School of Medicine.
On a freezing January evening, Ashley Austrew sat in her car in an Omaha parking lot. She was working up the 1 to go into a comedy improv (即兴表演) class. For 20 minutes, the 33-year-old journalist and mom of two sat with thoughts of 2: "I can't do this. I'll be the worst one." Then she turned off the engine, took a few deep breaths, and went 3.
For Austrew, 4 improv was the first small step to improve her self-esteem. She lacked confidence and didn't have the courage to try anything 5. So she made a list of all the things she was afraid to 6 and then asked herself, “What if I didn't let my excuses win?” Improv was her biggest 7.
Her fear 8 as soon as she walked into the class. Her classmates were also 9, and she discovered that she was 10 capable of earning a few laughs and making new friends. Over the next two years, Austrew went on to deal with other what-ifs, including writing a book. "Self-esteem is like a muscle--you have to 11 it constantly," she says.
Some people are 12 with a seemingly unshakable positivity, but most of us need to learn how to 13 ourselves up by our own hands. Thankfully, like Austrew, we can learn to feel 14 about ourselves and 15 our feelings of hope.
One day during my holiday in Thailand, I was 1a mountain near a river when I heard a(an) 2 crying as if it was quite 3. Turning around and looking down, I immediately recognized that something was 4, and ran down to the edge of the near bank. There I saw Ma Shwe with her three-month-old calf (幼患) 5 in the fast-rising water, and it was a life-and-death struggle. Her calf was floating and 6 with fear. Ma Shwe was getting as near to the far bank as she could, holding her whole body 7 the rushing water, and keeping the calf pressed against her huge body. Every now and then the rushing water would sweep the calf away.
There was a sudden 8 in the water and the calf was washed over the mother's body and was gone. Ma Shwe turned 9 to reach it and pressed the calf with her head and trunk (象鼻) against the rocky bank. Then with a huge effort, she 10 the calf in her trunk and tried until she was able to 11 it on a narrow shelf of rock.
Just at this moment she 12 back into the river. If she were 13, it would be certain death. I knew, as well as she did, that there was one 14 where she could get up the bank, but it was on the other side from where she had put her calf.
While I was 15 what I could do next, I heard the sound of a mother's 16. Ma Shwe had 17 the river and got up the bank and was making her way back as fast as she 18, roaring (吼叫) all the time, 19 to her calf it was 20.
One morning in early fall, I spotted a pair of wild geese on our pond. The beautiful sight caught me by 1, because we had never seen geese there before. I wondered where they came from and why they'd 2 our pond. As the days passed, I couldn't 3 getting a closer look and started talking to the geese. They craned their necks and raised their heads 4 but seemed to realize I was a friend and not an enemy. I felt 5 we were bonding.
One day as they were feeding in the grass near the driveway, I discovered the reason for their 6—the male had a broken left wing. He was 7 to fly, and his lifelong mate would not leave him behind. I marveled at the 8 between them.
I asked a wildlife biologist friend what I should do. He explained that sometime a broken wing will heal by itself and suggested letting 9 take its course.
10 the first day of November, I was working in the vicinity (在……附近) of the geese with my tractor. I caught some 11 from the corner of my eye.
Both geese were running towards the pond, wings beating 12. The geese gained enough altitude to clear a neighbour's house, and then 13 back towards me, flying no more than 50 feet over my head as if to say goodbye. Then they were out of sight.
I grew 14 them during their stay at our pond, and I miss them. I'll never forget their 15 to each other. We could all learn a lesson or two from this pair.
Chloe Smith is a 6-year-old. girl from Atlanta, Georgia. One day, while taking a walk with her father near their home, she 1 something shiny under a pile of rubbish. She picked up the 2 to take home, as she often did on her treasure-hunting walks. Chloe was later 3 to discover she had found a stolen Olympic gold medal.
The medal belonged to former canoeist (划艇运动员)Joe Jacobi, who won gold while 4 for Team USA in the 1992 Barcelona Olympic games. The medal, along with other personal belongings, was 5 in May of 2016 when someone broke into Jacobi's can Though police managed to ,6 some of his stolen items, they hadn't been able to find his 7 Olympic medal. It may have been lost forever, if not for a 6-year-old girl's treasure--hunting 8.
Chloe's dad had seen Jacobi's story on the news, and 9 realized it was his stolen property. He found Jacobi's email and sent him pictures of the treasure. After 10 the medal, Jacobi was astonished, just speechless.
Chloe was11 to give it back after speaking with Jacobi on the phone. 12 , Jacobi promised to speak to her class when school begins again this fall. The 13 of this little girl reuniting an Olympian with his beloved possession is 14 .When we talk about character and doing the 15 thing, Chloe represents the Olympic values in every sense of the word.
