I remember believing in Santa when I was a very young girl. However, as I grew older, I learned many 1 that “proved” his nonexistence. Always2by nature, I was determined to use 3to decide whether Santa Claus was 4.

    The first test5when I was 5, I decided that if I6all night on Christmas Eve, I could see if Santa really came down the chimney7 that was a useless8 I fell asleep that year, and when I woke up, I saw a 9 wrapped present under the10

    At the age of 7, I came up with another test to see if Santa was real. That year, I didn't send out my Christmas letter to Santa because I wanted 11for Christmas. But this turned into a plot. By then, I 12knew Santa wasn't real, but I wanted enough13to support this. That year was 14. Because on Christmas Eve, my mother dragged me to our local Wal-Mart led me around the toy section. I 15 to say a word, but did let my eyes16on a ballet set. I17that “Santa” wouldn't know what I wanted because he shouldn't be able to read my 18However, my mother would know everything that caught my eyes in the store. If I got the ballet set the next morning, I would have my evidence. On Christmas morning, there was the ballet set, sitting under the tree again.19I didn't use it much, my mother ended up returning it a few days later. She20 Santa was generous enough to leave a receipt. That was the end to my task to discover the existence of Santa.

    Jay Chou（周杰伦）was born in Taiwan on January 18, 1979. Now he is one of the most popular singers in China and famous as the king of Chinese popular music.

    Jay was 1 by his mother who was a single mother and a teacher in a high school. Showing 2 in music, little Jay was taught to play the piano at the age of three. 3 he was a third-grade student in a primary school, his mother 4 to give him music lessons every day. She also took him to concert（音乐会）to 5 his taste for music. Those were beneficial to his careers later.

    Jay first entered the music industry when he 6 a talent show as a pianist with his friends. Although his performance wasn't 7, the organizer saw his music 8 and gave him a chance. He was 9 to write music for other singers. During the following years, he 10 many songs and some of them became popular, but almost11 knew him.

    Later, Jay got a 12 to produce an album of his own. In 2000, he released（发行）his first 13, to everyone's 14, which became an instant hit（成功）. Soon he is popular throughout Asia, 15Taiwan.

    Jay16 both Chinese and western music to produce his own music, which is quite different from mainstream Taiwanese music. His songs cover 17 topics. For example, the song Dad I am Back is about family life, and the song Rice Fields18 environmental protection. Taipei Times once named his music Chou Style.

    According to Baidu, the most popular Internet search engine in China, Jay is the number one searched singer in 2002, 2006 and 2007. And Jay was 19 as one of the 50 most important 20 in China in 2009.

    I was nine when I arrived at the Children's Home in Nashua, New Hampshire. I failed third grade that year, and barely 1 it through a second time, and had squeaked through(侥幸通过) fourth grade by the time I reached Pauline Jambard's fifth-grade class at Charlotte Avenue Elementary School.

    I was 2 I wasn't as intelligent as the other kids. 3, Ms. Jambard took an instant liking to me. Of all the 4 in school, reading was my favorite. She would tell me, "Terry, you 5 reading. If you can understand what you're reading, you'll be 6 than most kids." After I read all the books in our program, I started reading the classroom's set of Encyclopedia Britannica(《不列颠百科全书》). And gradually I started to really 7 school life.

    That 8, our school threw a Christmas party for family and community members. My brother and I had no family to 9. I still remember looking up and seeing Ms. Jambard walk through the front door and 10 she was there to see me. I was deeply moved. That was the 11 Christmas of my life!

    After I graduated from Ms. Jambard's class, my brother and I 12, and I lost all touch with my teacher. Years later, I was on a business trip and had to drive through Nashua. I took a chance and 13 Charlotte Avenue Elementary School. I was walking toward her 14 when she came out into the hallway and said, "Terry!" It was as if I had 15 left! I was in seventh heaven on my flight home.

    We have stayed in 16, and I call Ms. Jambard at least once a year. Because of the 17 she instilled(灌输) in me, I went on to have a 18 career in engineering. I don't know if Ms. Jambard realizes how much she 19 me, but I'll never forget her 20 and faith in me.

    During the war, my husband was stationed at an army camp in a desert in California. I went to live there in order to be 1 him. I hated the place. I had never 2 been so unhappy. My husband was ordered out on a long-term duty, and I was left in a tiny shack(棚屋) alone. The heat was 3almost 125 ⁰F even in the shade of a cactus(仙人掌). 4 a soul to talk to. The wind blew non-stop, and all the food I ate, and the very air I breathed, were 5 with sand, sand, sand!

I was so sorry for myself that I wrote to my parents. I told them I was 6 and coming back home. I said I couldn't stand it one minute longer. I 7 be in prison! My father answered my 8with just two lines — two lines that will always sing in my 9— two lines that completely changed my life:

    Two men looked out from prison bars,

    One saw the mud, the other saw the stars.

    I read those two lines 10. I was ashamed of myself. I made up my mind I would find out what was good in my present 11; I would look for the stars.

    I made friends with the natives, and their 12 amazed me. They gave me presents of their favorite artworks which they had 13 to sell to tourists. I studied the delightful forms of the cactus. I watched for the desert sunsets, and 14 for seashells that had been left there millions of years ago when the desert had been an ocean 15.

    What brought about this 16 change in me? The desert hadn't changed, 17 I had. I had changed my 18. And by doing so, I changed an unhappy experience into the most amazing 19of my life. I was excited by this new world that I had discovered. I had looked out of my self-created prison and 20 the stars.

When I look back at the first half of the year. I am amazed by how many challenges I have been through. The biggest one was definitely my high school graduation 1.

When I first arrived in this Czech Republic four years ago, I was just a normal exchange 2who spoke only English, then at the end of the year-Long exchange program, I came up with the idea of 3my high school studies there.

At that time, I was only sixteen and delighted by my new future. What I underestimated was the 4of completing school in the Czech language, which is considered to be one of the most 5languages in the world. As I 6 knowledge of certain subjects I receive the worst marks and people around the world doubted whether I could graduate. However, I practiced all the time. Gradually, I could communicate with others fluently and my 7 grew.

The final exam day came. Thinking about everyone who had helped and supported me along my journey, I felt8and confident.

In May, I received notice that I had 9the exam. At my graduation ceremony, my Czech teacher said very proudly in front of everyone, "One student, she is from China with merely three years of learning Czech, she 10. She deserves a golden folder for the certification. "

My journey through high school was finally finished, though the journey of University is just about to begin, I think I am ready.

Recently, a 15-year-old girl Lynn Sumpter broke the rules by going to a sleepover party secretly. And her 1 gave her a choice between handing over her phone for a month, or giving them access to her social media for two weeks. She chose the latter and the netizens are so 2 of it.

Lynn Sumpter's social media 3 by her parents, Tawnya Ford and Lary Sumpter, began early in November with an instagram (照片墙) post that 4 she had chosen to abandon her social media for two weeks. So her 5 could expect "some amazing Instagram posts, snapchats and tiktoks from her parents". On November 11, Lynn's dad had already begun his 6 exploration to embarrass his teen daughter, by 7 one of his photos, saying "Felt cute. Might delete later". But that was 8 the beginning. From posing in a tight top and 9 a blonde wig (假发) to dancing around in a pair of shorts and a tank-top (背心), it seemed like there was nothing the 43-year-old wouldn't do to 10 .

Over the course of two weeks, Lynn Sumpter's Instagram following 11 from around 2,700 to 12,700 at the time of this writing, so she should probably thank her parents for their 12 punishment. The only question is "Can she 13 dad Larry's creativity?" She'll have to give it a(n) 14 as many of her social media fans are already 15 her to bring dad back.