My husband, Tom, has always been good with animals, but I was still amazed when he befriended a female grouse (松鸡). It's 1 for a grouse to have any contact (接触) with people. In fact, they're hard to spot, 2they usually fly off when they hear humans approaching.

    This grouse came into our lives in 3. Tom was working out in the field when he 4 her walking around at the edge of the field. She was 5 unafraid and seemed to be 6 about what he was doing.

    Tom saw the 7 bird several times, and she got more comfortable around him. We quickly grew 8 of the bird and decided to call her Mildred.

    One day, as Tom was working, Mildred came within a few feet of him to watch. Tom 9 he didn't see her and kept working to see what she would do next.

    Apparently, she didn't like to be 10. She'd run up and peck (啄) at Tom's hands, then 11 off to see what he would do. This went on for about 20 minutes, until Mildred became tired of the 12 and left.

    As spring went and summer came, Mildred started to 13 more and more often. 14 Mildred felt comfortable enough to jump up on Tom's leg and stay long enough for me to get a  15 of the two of them together. This friendly grouse soon felt 16 not just with our family, but with anybody who walked or drove by.

    When hunting season started, we put a 17 at the end of our driveway asking 18 not to shoot our pet grouse. My father, who lived down the road, 19 warned people not to shoot her. 20, hunters would stop and take pictures, because they had never seen anything like her.

    Our school club “Poets of the Next Generation” is a literary club that was started by our English teacher Mr. Owen. We 1 on the last Friday of every month to 2 about poem and poets that we like. In the club meetings, we 3 select poems that we love, and then read 4 aloud. We also discuss poems in our meetings.

    5 I attended the first meeting, I 6 to write a poem and I had to read it to the club. I was a little 7 at first, but everyone was so nice and friendly that I soon stopped worrying. I once read a 8 about nature in the school courtyard. I chose an old tree and gathered everyone under it before I 9.The club 10 said it was one of the best compositions they had heard.

    Many years ago at Christmas time I parked my car in the town centre on my way to the post office to post my Christmas cards. It was the last posting day for Christmas cards if they were to be1before Christmas.2I came out of the car park I saw a boy who was3and holding his right hand side. I 4some bigger boys had perhaps bullied him and he was in5. I had to go to his aid and see if I could6.

    He told me that his sister who was a7had bought him a Christmas present. It was a mobile phone. He only had it days when he8it and cracked the screen! That's9he was holding his right hand side of his body—his mobile phone was in the upper right hand pocket of his coat. The little guy was extremely 10, tears rolling down his face as he told all this to me. My heart11for him. It was clear he12his present and knew that this was a lot of money for his 13to spend on him, for nurses didn't make much money. He'd been to a phone shop and they'd told him it would be ￡80 to get a new14.

    I had to help, though I was15to make ends meet myself. I searched my purse and gave the boy the only ￡20 I could find and made some16as to why I could only give him so little. I didn't want him to know it was all I had until pay day. I could not17pay for his phone to be repaired but I hope the18he received from a stranger was19that stayed with him when he became a man.

    The Christmas cards not getting posted somehow didn't seem20; greater issues had been addressed with a kindness stamp.

    A friend was cast in The Sound of Music. Tim suggested our daughters might enjoy being a 1 of the musical.

    "You can try out for the band," he said.

    "No, I'm trying out for the show." I answered. But there was one problem with my 2: I'd never been in a musical. And I'd never sung 3.

    My daughters wanted to 4, so we memorized show tunes and prepared to audition (试镜). As our audition 5, I felt nervous and wanted to give up. But I knew 6 would set a bad example.

    "Whether you're 7 or not isn't important-doing your best is who 8," I'd been telling them. Now I had to live it.

    I walked into the audition. To say I was 9 would be an understatement. After all, my last audition had been in high school. I sang my song, trying to look confident. My daughters did a good 10. Then we waited for the result. The good news is that we all 11 it! Not only was I cast-I was a lead!

    To prepare, I 12 to the cat, the shower and the dishes when alone, I knew I'd have to get over my 13of performing in public. After all, this'd be my first time to sing in public. I was a little nervous.

    I told friends and family about the 14. I didn't want the theater to be 15, but I didn't necessarily want it packed either. 16, if it were full, I preferred to fill it myself with 17 faces.

    The show was successful. Friends and acquaintances all 18 us. After that experience, I 19 more auditions and even learned to enjoy singing on stage. And I filled my life with the sound of 20.

Be Happy

    Twenty years ago I was living in Seattle and going through hard times. To my 1 I was driving a school bus to make ends meet although I had a Masters degree. I had been through five interviews with a company and one day they called to say I did not get the job. I went to the bus bay like a zombie(僵尸))of 2.

    Later that afternoon, I had an inner wave, like a scream, "why has my life become so 3?" Immediately after the scream I pulled the bus over to 4a little girl who handed me an earring saying I should keep it in case somebody got back for it. The earring5"BE HAPPY"

    I got angry but then it hit me. I had been putting all of my energies into what was wrong with my life rather than what was right. I should be grateful for what I had. I decided to make a list of 50 things I was 6 for.

    At first it was hard, then it got 7. One night there was a phone call for me from a 8 who was a manager at a large 9. She asked me if I would do a one-day lesson for her 200 hospital workers. I said yes and 10 my job as a driver.

    My day with the hospital workers went very 11. I got a standing ovation(热烈鼓掌)and many more days of 12. To this day I know that it was because I changed attitude 13 gratitude.

    I spent the next year conducting training workshops and then decided to go back to Scotland where I had lived 14. One month later I met my wonderful English wife and best friend of 15 years now. We live in a small beautiful cottage.

    "The only attitude is gratitude" has been my motto for 15 now and yes, it completely changed my life.

    Sometimes the best gifts are the smallest ones that add up into something big over time.

    Lily saw her grandfather, who has Parkinson's disease, was struggling to1his cup without spilling (溢出) and started2a picture for a cup that has three legs. Her father also3to spill drinks on his keyboard,4Lily realized that this invention was for everybody and for all kinds of uses. She drew a sketch and finally created a5for her grandfather at her grandfather's house with6materials: a plastic cup and plastic.

    Soon her aunt took her to a pottery (陶瓷) studio, where she was able to7a cup for her father, who found the cup very8. He suggested that she start9her cups. At that time, being only nine years old, Lily didn't know10what her father had meant11taking the cups into production. But she was12and willing to give the idea a try.

    Later, Lily's father took her to visit the13of pottery, Jingdezhen, China, to start creating more cups, and they started a movement to help14the project. And as Imagiroo was set up and started attracting more15, Lily needed to find a company in America to help her produce her cups,16 was one of her company's biggest17. But six years after Imagiroo was18, her company is successful. Certainly Lily's father is a big part of their business.

    It can start with something19, like Lily's first drawing of her cup, and become something bigger along the way with hard work and determination. It may be one small thing to you, but to someone else it can make a big20 .