It might have been a really bad stressful day, feeling trapped inside by the cold and snow which surrounded us.My husband got dressed and 1that he was going outside to build a giant snowman.

       At first he stood alone ， 2massive amounts of snow.Soon after a neighbor joined in.Then we reluctantly put on our snow gear and3outside.It wasn't long4we were smiling and enjoying the 5of snow that Mother Nature had provided.Others came to our yard one by one to give a  6in the making of our giant snowman.

       In the end we all stood back and7at what we had created.He was eleven feet high, twenty­five feet around at the base and 8with many household items supplied by various9 ． People drove by and smiled.Some even stopped just to enjoy his10 ．

       With the passing of time, the spring made its 11back into our yard and the snowman changed form12 ． In a final effort to save what we created for just a little bit 13 ， somebody stopped by and changed the snowman's 14to look like a rabbit.As I prepared for the start of another week, I decided to 15my e­mail before going to bed.I found a (an) 16message that contained the subject line：17the snowman.

       The e­mail said：your neighbor looks on in disbelief！Now you people are relishing(享受)the sounds and smells, along with18of spring.But I am sure people will never forget the 19energy displayed in Mr.Snowman.You and your family keep it up, as this is what the world needs now.More power to you and your loved ones, keep  20with the world around!

       Perhaps it was more than a snowman we built that day.The message seems clear.Our environments will turn out to be what we make of them.The possibilities are endless and the choice is ours.

Notes：

①reluctantly adv.勉强地，不情愿地　②disbelief n ． 不相信

Are you the type of person who always says “yes”？I've come to learn that it is very important to learn to say “no”．It's okay.People are still going to like you.They may even respect you more because they know you are honest.

I'm not saying to say “no” to someone who really needs your help.I'm talking about turning down that meeting that you really do not want to attend or that birthday party that you don't want to be a guest at.

Think for a moment how you feel when you say “yes” to something that you really don't want to do.If you're like I once was，you can't sleep at night and you think about it too much.It weighs on your mind.You try to find ways out.Whatever you're saying to yourself，if you really wanted to go，you wouldn't have all of these thoughts.

So，why not just say “no” from the beginning？Maybe you feel like if you don't show up at the meeting (by the way，it is not one you must attend)，your boss isn't going to like you or your coworkers won't respect you.Maybe you feel as if your mom，dad or sisters won't love you as much if you don't do everything for them what they ask every occasion.

If these people are your true friends，family members，or a good boss，they will like or love you the same no matter what.People treat you the way you teach them to，and if you're someone who always says “yes”，then that's what they're expecting.

        You need to do what is right for you.Of course we do have real obligations in life to fulfill，but we do not have to do everything others want us to do.

       The earth is dying before us yet we sit and watch. If the TV or the game system breaks, we run off to the stores to get it fixed immediately no matter what the cost. Why aren't we willing to fix our earth? Are our televisions and game systems more important to us than where we live? Where shall we continue to live, until the end of time?

      The earth is our home and cannot be replaced. We must take care of it. We have come up with so much technology that limits us instead of helping us. Take that game system we run to repair. What does it do? It occupies kids' time! The earth has already given kids plenty of entertainment in the forms of fields and hills, forests and plains, water and land. However, instead of using what the earth has given us, and helping kids by giving them exercise as they run around, we decide to ruin kids' minds with game systems that glue them to the screen for hours, and make them ignore their homework and chores. We have polluted this earth by making these things which do not even help us in any way!

       We have already messed up this world. We have ruined the air, water, and animals that it has so willingly provided for us. We need to stop this destruction of life and bring back the world we had before. It will not be easy, but everybody can help! What about something as simple as turning the lights off when you leave a room? Recycling what can be recycled? Picking up litter? Donating money to an environmental organization? None of these things are very hard. We can't just always say, “Oh, the earth is a mess. Ah, well, those big companies that are polluting so much can stop and fix it.” Instead, we need to help out. It's not only those big companies; it's everyday things that we do too that are ruining the earth. So stop and think about what you can do to make a difference to our world!