Recently, my family and I attended a neighborhood oyster(牡蛎)roast. While standing at the large tables 1 and eating oysters, I noticed a school aged boy across the table from us. He was being 2 oysters and by a man having a great deal of 3 and displeasure trying to swallow them down.

    At first, I thought the man wanted the boy to 4 the oysters and it would stop.  But 5  we stood there, it continued. And with  6 oyster the suffering of this boy becoming more and more  7 as he fought back tears and struggled to swallow them. I  8  learned that the man felt the boy had been impolite and this was his 9 .

    I couldn't watch. I hesitated whether to get involved or 10 . Then I had an idea. I grabbed my daughter and our frisbee(飞盘) 11 walked our way next to the man and the boy, attracting their attention 12. Then we introduced ourselves as not to knowing many 13 there, we invited the boy to come and play frisbee with us.

    The man allowed it and 14 the boy's situation changed. He became friendly and 15. He ran up and down happily to 16 the flying dish. We pulled another child into our 17 and played frisbee for a good 30 minutes together. I was so relaxed to 18 the suffering I was witnessing in that moment. And it made me feel 19 that trying to help in that or any situation where you 20 suffering is the best thing to do.

    Many people think that babysitting is one of the1jobs for young people. They imagine a teenager putting a few well-behaved children to bed and then continuing to watch television until the parents return home to hand over some money. Well, I can tell you how2that thought is.

    I now work all3on Wednesdays for a Ukrainian family with three young boys. In the early morning, I go there to 4the older two while their mother does her jobs or takes care of her six-month-old baby. However, I am also there to5their English by teaching them songs and games in my native language.

    Now, four months later, I get home at the end of the day6exhausted！Babysitting is not a job for the7or the weak. I expected8children who would behave well and listen to me all the time. 9,I don't think those kind of children exist at all. While my two boys are usually polite and calm, they are10children and also like to fight, scream and lose their temper for no real11. I often have no idea why they cry together.

Being a babysitter requires you to play a hundred different12throughout the day. I have to be a friend when I play with the boys, but their 13when I tell them to do something. When they hurt themselves, I have to be their14, and when they fight over15 things like sharing their crayons(彩笔)，I have to be a negotiator(调停者)。 When lunchtime rolls around, I am a(n) 16to prepare the meal and then a maid as I clean up after lunch. Finally, in English, if someone is very17, we say they have the "Patience of God". I think I embody(体现) this 18sometimes!

    Despite the19involved in my job, I usually do enjoy it. Working with children is so tiring that I always feel20after leaving them with their parents at the end of the day！

    One rainy afternoon I was sitting at home feeling so bored.1 feeling sorry for myself, I wanted to meet people and have new2, so I decided to start volunteering. I found a website where I could volunteer on a farm in France.

    Volunteering 3 so many opportunities to have fun and share 4stories. It was the first time for me to work on a farm. It was almost a(n)5holiday as food and accommodation were provided. It was not one6 holiday, however, as I had to 7 fifteen horses and sheep! I soon discovered that I was a(n) 8 farmer but it did not matter because I made some great friends and also improved my9.

    However, you do not 10 go abroad to volunteer. I have had plenty of adventures at home as volunteering can become a11. For example, I love12 so I had a good laugh waving my arms in order to 13my local choir(合唱团). At university, I organized a concert for charity with my friends. It was really 14 to find bands and raise money for a cause.

    It is true that you feel good volunteering but there are also other 15.I once volunteered as a steward (干事) at a charity sports event where the organizers 16 gave me cupcakes from an expensive London bakery to thank me for my 17. I also volunteered in a charity shop so I found loads of nice cheap clothes to 18my wardrobe（衣橱）.

    While this is all fun, my favourite aspect of volunteering is 19and sharing stories. My terrible20  at farming has given me funny stories to tell！

A Love Note to My Mom

    When I was a little girl, I would often accompany you as you modeled for fashion photographers. It was years later that I finally understood what role modeling 1 in your life. Little did I know you were 2 every penny you earned to go to 3 school.

    I cannot thank you enough for 4 you told me one autumn afternoon when I was nine. After finishing my homework, I wandered into the dining room where you were buried 5 piles of law books. I was 6. Why were you doing what I do-memorizing textbooks and studying for 7? When you said you were in law school, I was more puzzled. I didn't know Moms 8 be lawyers too. You smiled and said," In life, you can do anything you want to do."

    As young as I was, that statement kept 9 in my ears. I watched as you faced the 10 of completing your studies, starting companies with Dad, while still being a 11 and a Mom of five kids. I was exhausted just watching you 12. With your words of wisdom in my 13 mind, I suddenly felt unlimited freedom to dream. My whole world 14. I set out to live my life filled with 15, seeing endless possibilities for personal and professional achievements.

    Your words became my motto. I 16 found myself in the unique position of being either the first (woman doctor in Maryland Rotary) 17 one of the few women (chief medical reporters) in my field. I gained strength every time I said, "Yes, I'll try that."

    Encouraged by your 18, I have forged ahead (毅然前行) with my life's journey, less afraid to make mistakes, and 19 meeting each challenge. You did it, and now I'm 20 it. Sorry, got to run. So much to do, so many dreams to live.

    Susie Coodall finally was discovered and rescued. She was a volunteer in the 1 Golden Globe Race accompanying sailors through the 2 every June. On Wednesday morning, Goodall was 2, 000 miles west of South America when her boat was like a drunken man in a strong wind and a broken bar knocked her 3 unconscious. But soon after that she 4 and at once rang the alarm through her emergency system and a series of troubling 5which had recorded her happenings during the journey, were 6 on her Facebook at once.

    Chile's Maritime Center received her 7 and soon ordered a ship to change is 8 to rescue Goodall. Meanwhile, all Goodall could do was wait-trying to keep her boat 9in the waving South Pacific and pumping out water that was 10 into the damaged cabin(船舱), which made her 11 her present situation

    When the Chilean ship finally 12 Goodall, lowering down a small boat to save her seemed13because up to 13 feet waves will 14 the boat at any time. 15 , crew members on board 16 another way-lowered a long thick rope from the ship, and 17 Goodall from her ship to safety. As luck would have it, the chosen method 18 worked.

    Goodall arrived at the Chilean port without any delay. On her Facebook, Goodall wrote: "They were the hardest and loneliest days I've ever had. Actually, all I wanted was a break with to 19 to the busy daily life. But I might as well 20 home instead of giving up."

When I was a kid, my family didn't live a rich life. As a result, we couldn't 1 to eat out in a restaurant. My mother 2 cooked in the evening after she returned home from work.

One day, my mother had a very3 day in the office and was exhausted. After work, she went into the kitchen and started preparing supper for us. When she was frying some eggs, she 4 to concentrate on her cooking and the eggs burned. She wanted to throw them away, but eggs were 5 for a family like mine back then. So she placed them in a plate and6to eat them herself.

After the eggs were put on the table, my father looked at them for a while. But he said 7. He just smiled at my mom and then asked me how my 8 was at school. Then he started eating the eggs. He finished them 9 so that my mother and I wouldn't have to eat them.

Later that night, I heard my mom 10 to my dad for burning the eggs. And I'll never 11 what he said, "Honey, I love burned eggs."

The next day, I asked Dad 12 he really liked burned eggs. He held me in his arms and said, "Your mom had a 13 day at work yesterday and she was really tired. I didn't want to 14 her. Besides, a little bit burned egg won't hurt anyone."

My father was a very 15 man, and I learned to be such a man from him.