I sit outside of my daughter's nursery school classroom, patiently waiting for her. When the door opens, my daughter runs out with a broad smile. She 1 the excitement of school .

    “How was your 2?”I ask casually, while 3 wanting to hear every single detail. “It was so good, Mommy!” my daughter replies. That's it. That's all I 4.

    On the car ride home, I ask her a lot of questions. She answers me with a few words, but never goes into much 5. Usually she tells me that she wants to 6something else.

    It has only been a few weeks, but I still find it so 7 that my daughter has a whole morning in school without me. I 8 ask the teachers for details and I am often provided with the same 9 answers that my daughter gives.

    Now, three mornings a week, I close her classroom door behind me and she has her own 10. I am given some 11 of her days like apples glued onto paper trees and paint dirt under her fingernails.

    I know she 12 this privacy and the time to 13 a new environment and meet different kids. 14, I can't help but want to know about the details of her days. The ride home is the 15 time that she will provide me with some 16 about her morning.

    When we pull into the driveway, I change the 17 to something else. I am sure that my constant questions annoy her, so I try to 18 them to the car ride after school.

    I am 19 that my daughter doesn't quite know our driving route yet; she can't tell that I sometimes take the long way home, 20 we have those few extra minutes together.

    I lifted my wet woollen gloves to my face and wiped the snowflakes from my eyes. I could not feel my nose and my 1 formed a thick fog in the air. The biting wind was making me 2 I was fed up! I didn't want to be here. I wanted to go home. But Mum and Dad had 3 me to go for a Sunday afternoon walk in the park. I could see my 4 in the snowy path, like a trail of breadcrumbs(一串面包屑) in the forest showing me the way 5. I stopped and listened to my 6. I could 7 the wind crying like a homeless dog hungry for a delicious 8. The once-green tree 9, which used to wave gently in the breeze, had become bare, and the grass was covered with a 10 blanket of fresh snow. Then I saw a broken spider's web shining golden beneath a pale sun. My breath was like silky soft 11 floating up into the freezing cold air.

    Suddenly there was Mum, 12 handing me a big cup of hot chocolate. Her big smile immediately 13 my heart.

    "Here you are, Jo. This will keep you 14," she said as she placed a comforting arm around my shoulders and 15 her cheek against mine.

    I slowly took a mouthful of the hot 16 and felt it slowly dripping down my throat like lava(熔岩) 17down a mountainside. My wet woollen gloves were now warm, not 18. My breath warmed, and I was 19fed up or cold. I was happy and 20.

    I received an e-mail from a good friend last week. Her letter opened with the usual greetings, but then turned sour as she began to 1the pain in her heart.

    My friend doesn't have a good relationship with her parents.2she is an 18-year-old high school student, her parents,3her father, are still trying to control her life.

"I admit I haven't4the level of excellence they expect. As long as I let them down, they always scold(责骂) me." she wrote, adding, "They're never satisfied with what I do. Every time I see them, my confidence gets 5. I feel bitter and annoyed. Sometimes I don't even want to stay with them."

    I understand my friend's6. I know what it's like to have people refuse my 7 and insist I do what they 8 . I know I have to give her a 9. Still, I have to be honest, and try to give her useful 10 .

    I think she needs to find it in herself to 11 her parents. I don't think many of us truly12the power of forgiveness. 13forgiving, we get mad, and that14 is often shown in our words and actions. We want those who have hurt us to be15in some way.

    I still remember something that happened to me in high school. A friend said something 16 about me, and I didn't say a word to her for months. Years later I 17that although my actions seemed18at the time, my hurt feelings were not worth losing a good friend. I regret that I did not forgive her.

    The power of forgiveness is truly 19. Learn to forgive, and when you do so you'll find yourself feeling better. And you can also set yourself 20to experience peace and love.

    Last spring, I was fortunate to be chosen to participate in an exchange study program. In my application letter, I was careful to 1 how much I wanted to see France; evidently, my excitement really came through in my words. Once I 2 that I was going, all I could think about was the fun of foreign travel and making all sorts of new and 3 friends. While traveling was inspiring and meeting people was 4, nothing about my term in France was what I 5.

    The moment I arrived in Paris, I was 6 by a nice French couple who would become my host parents. My entire experience was joyous and exciting 7 I received some shocking news from my program-coordinator (协调人): there had been a death in my host parents' extended family. They had to travel outside France for several weeks. That afternoon, I had to 8 out of one family's house and into another. The exchange coordinator told me I'd have a 9 this time and asked whether I could share a bedroom with an English speaker. To avoid the temptation to 10 my native language, I asked not to be 11 with an English-speaking roommate. When I got to my new room, I 12 myself to my new roommate Paolo, a 13, the same age as I, whom I was surprised to find playing one of my favorite CDs! In just a few hours, we knew we'd be good friends for the rest of the 14.

    I left France with many 15, so when people ask me what my favorite part of the trip was, they are always 16 to hear me talk about my Brazilian friend Paolo and the scores of weekdays in class, weeknights on the town, and weekends 17 France we enjoyed together. I love how people can seem so different, but end up being so 18. The most valuable lesson I gained from studying in France wasn't just to respect the French people 19 to respect all people, for your next best friend could be just a continent away. I would recommend an exchange program to anyone who wants to experience foreign cultures and gain meaningful 20.

    My first job was at a local restaurant, where I worked for seven years and learned so many lessons, especially from a fellow1.

    Helen was in her 30s and had extraordinary self-confidence, something I was really 2. I looked up to Helen 3 she was doing what she loved— 4people better. She always made everyone, customers and co-workers,5and feel good.

    Being a waitress changed my life. One of my6customers was Fred Hasbrook. He always ate an omelet(炒蛋), and when I saw him7, I tried to have it on his table as soon as he sat down.

    Thanks to the newfound confidence I 8from Helen, I dreamed of having my own9. But when I called my parents to ask for a loan(贷款), they said, "We just don't have the money."

    The next day, Fred saw me and asked, "What's 10? You're not smiling today." I 11my dream with him and said, "Fred, I know I can do more if somebody12just have faith in me."

    Before long he handed me checks13$50,000—along with a note that I have to this day. It reads, "The only collateral(抵押品)on this loan is my trust in your14as a person. Good people with a dream should have 15to make that dream come true."

    I took the checks to Merrill Lynch, where the money was provided for me. I16working at the restaurant, making17 for the restaurant I would open. My plans soured, though, and I lost the 18.

    Later I decided to apply for a job at Merill Lynch. Even though I had no experience, I was 19and ended up becoming a pretty good agent. 20. I paid back Fred the $50,000, plus 14-percent annual interest. Five years later, I was able to open my own firm.

    We have five fantastic children. As they've grown older, from high school to college and so on, we found ourselves cleaning out our home of furniture only to replace it with something new. We had this living room set (一组) 1 a sofa, love seat and chair go 2 a couple of the kids, dragging it up the stairs to their third floor apartments and back down again to the next apartment. Our son was the last to have the set when 3 he asked for a place to 4 it because he was going out of town for a semester. We told him we would 5 it for him in our garage. So we picked the furniture up and 6 it back to the house.

    One day, while at 7, I heard a couple of people talking in the hallway. A mother and her two children were 8 out of their own house by her husband, with 9 but the clothes on their backs. Some warmhearted people found them a place to stay, but no belongings, clothes, food, or furniture.

    Our colleagues and I 10 all we could to help her. I went to the store and bought some clothes for the children and some 11 essentials. I came home that day after work and looked at the furniture in the garage sitting there, 12. I called my son and told him what I wanted to do. He agreed.

    The next 13 was to the mother of two. She came to my house within an hour to pick up the furniture and the bag of clothes. She said she would 14 the furniture as soon as she would be able to.

    I looked at her and said, "15 you are done with the furniture, give it to someone else in16."

    She cried, 17 by the generosity and thanked everyone greatly for all that 18 did to help. It makes me so happy to know that the 19 that grew with our family was being 20 to good use.