From my second grade on, there was oneevent I feared every year; the piano recital(独奏演唱会).A recital 1 I had to practice a boring piece of music and performbefore strangers. Each year I 2ask my father if I could skip therecital “just this once”. And each year he'd shake his head, muttering(嘀咕) 3about building self－confidence and working towards a 4.

      So it was with really great5that I stood in church one recent Sunday, videocamera in hand, and 6my 68－year－old father sweating in his shirt 7risingto play the piano in his very first recital.

      My father had longed to play music since childhood, but his family was poor andcouldn't 8 lessons. He could have gone on regretting it, 9toomany of us do. But though he was rooted in his past, he wasn't10there.When he retired three years ago, he 11 his church music director totake him as a student.

      For a moment after my father sat down at the keyboard, he 12stared downat his fingers. Has he forgotten the 13？ I worried, remembering those splitseconds14ago when my mind would go blank and my fingers would 15.But then came the beautiful melody(旋律)，from the 16fingers thatonce baited(装饵于)my fishing lines. And I17he had been doing what music teachersalways stress：18themusic and pretend the others aren't there.

      “I'm19of him for starting something new at his age，” I said to my son Jeff.

      “Yeah,and doing it so20 ， ”Jeff added.

       With his first recital, my father taught me more about courage and determinationthan all the words he used those 30－plusyears ago.

      Sure, it's good to get along with your teacher because it makes that time you spend in the classroom more pleasant. And yes, it's good to get along with your teacher because, in general, it's smart to learn how to relate to the different types of people you'll meet throughout your life.

      But really, there's one super－important reason why you should get along with your teacher. Kids who get along with their teachers not only learn more, but they're more comfortable asking questions and getting extra help. This makes it easier to understand new material and do your best on tests. When you have this kind of relationship with a teacher, he or she can be someone to turn to with problems, such as problems with learning or school issues, such as bullying.

       As a kid in elementary or middle school, you're at a wonderful stage in your life. You're able to take in lots of new and exciting information. Apart from that, you're able to think about all this information in new ways. Your teacher knows that, and in most cases, he or she is thrilled to be the person who's giving you all that material and helping you put it together. Remember, teachers are people, too, and they feel great if you're open to what they're teaching you. That's why they wanted to be teachers in the first place to teach!

       Some kids may be able to learn in any situation, whether they like the teacher or not. But most kids are sensitive to the way they get along with the teacher, and if things aren't going well, they won't learn as well and won't enjoy being in class.

             A“Gap Year” is a period of time when a student takes a break before going touniversity.It is often spent traveling or working.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}.The advantagesof taking a gap year are as follows：

{#blank#}2{#/blank#}.Althoughyou don't have to go abroad to experience gap years，most gap year students catch thechance to travel abroad.You are able to work out who you are and what you arefor.The experiences of different cultures offer you interesting lessons.

FaceChallenges and Have Fun.A gap year is not only a time to take a vacation，but also a time to face challenges.Gapyear students usually work，volunteeror take service projects.You have to learn how to get along in the realworld.This process isn't always easy，butit is an important part of growing up.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}.

            Save Money and Improve Your College Admission Chances.There's a common thought thatgap years are only for rich students，butit isn't true. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}.Gap year students often take a part－time job.Besides，at the end of a gap year，students are much more likely to knowwhat to study in college.Clear learning goals can keep the students workinghard instead of wasting time and money playing.

Imaginean admission officer trying to admit only one between two students.Both of themare excellent and have high grades.However，onestudent has much practical experience or has volunteered in his vacation.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}