As a child, I started learning to play the piano, my favorite musical 1,but I was forced to give up when I started my middle school 2 I could concentrate more on my studies.

    It's one of my biggest 3 to stop practicing the piano when I recall sadly today. During the following years, I kept telling my piano teacher that I would 4. However, I didn't keep my promise because I was 5 with my study. 6 I lost touch with my teacher. Some years later, my teacher died. I was very sad because I lost such a good teacher. She was a very warm and gentle person. It hurts me to think she may have been 7 that I never returned. I haven't taken lessons since then but to be honest, I 8 to. Sitting at the piano, I couldn't help recalling many 9—times of my practising at home and playing before my teacher and one time my teacher 10 me after I played entire pieces of music wrong in front of her colleagues. I was so 11 that I could hardly say anything. But her 12 helped ease my shame. These memories, 13, good or bad, never caused my 14 for playing the piano again.

      This thought then led me to think that 15 is like music, and that we all try to play different 16 in the instrument of our life. Sometimes the pitch(音高) is 17 when we play it well, but sometimes we are out of tone. However, we all continue to create our own 18 style of music. No matter what style our music is, it is 19 that we sing the songs of joy, quietness and love. Though I may never make it back to piano lessons, it doesn't 20 that I've stopped making music.

    It was a busy morning, about 8:30, when an elderly gentleman in his 80s came to the hospital. I heard him saying to the nurse that he was in a hurry for an appointment (约会) at 9:30.

    The nurse had him take a 1 in the waiting area, 2 him it would be at least 40 minutes 3 someone would be able to see him. I saw him 4 his watch and decided, because I was 5 busy — my patient(病人) didn't appear at the appointed hour, I would examine his wound. While taking care of his wound, I asked him 6 he had another doctor's appointment.

    The gentleman said no and told me that he 7 to go to the nursing home (疗养院) to eat breakfast with his 8. He told me that she had been 9 for a while and that she had a special disease. I asked if she would be 10 if he was a bit late. He replied that she 11 knew who he was, and that she had not been able to 12 him for five years now. I was 13, and asked him, “And you 14 go every morning, even though she doesn't know who you are?”

    He smiled and said. “She does not know me, but I know who she is.” I had to hold back my 15 as he left.

    Now I 16 that in marriages, true love is 17 of all that is . The happiest people do not 18 have the best of everything; they just 19 everything they have. 20 isn't about how to live through the storm, but how to dance in the rain.

    It's amazing how one dollar can change the culture of a school.

    We have a small school. There are 1 about 30 middle school students. It can get really 2 and stressful as most of the kids get good grades and 3 to be the best they can be. It's good except that a lot of us middle school kids felt pressured.

    My friend and I, 4, set out to find a way to change the 5 . We believed doing things for others was the only way to get ourselves over our 6 about school .

    On the first day of school we 7 put a dollar folded into a heart into one of the senior's lockers with a note saying, “ Buy yourself a snack, and share 8.” We hoped to do that every day. Little did we know the 9 it would make.

    People went 10 over it and everyone was talking about 11 it might be doing the acts of love and 12 that maybe they should do something too. Nobody knew it was us but it is so much fun to see the 13 on everyone's face now ! Lots of other people have started to 14now too: chocolate bars, cookies, people 15 their lunches with other kids.

    My friend and I also put 16 quotes in all the lockers to encourage others. And now I actually 17 school and the chance to cheer people up. I hope it will 18 to the other campuses in the region. 19 anybody is struggling with being depressed about school or work, I totally 20 doing a kind act.

    The year I went to college was a very difficult transition(过渡期)for me.  1is probably true with many people, I got quite homesick and2thought about going home.

    Although the3time for many students is getting4from home, my mailbox was frequently 5. One day when I went to the mailbox, there was a postcard6out at me. I sat down to read it, 7a note from someone back home. 8I became increasingly puzzled as9postcards were like this：It was a full news report about a woman named Mabel and her newborn baby. I took the card back to my room and10about it.

    Several days later I11another postcard, this one12news about Maybelline, Mabel's cousin. Soon after, another card arrived and then another, 13full of news of different people. I began to 14 look forward to the next one, 15to see what this author would come up with16. I was never17.

    Finally, the cards18coming, right about the time I had begun to feel19about college life. They had been such a happy distraction(调剂)that I have20all the postcards and still bring them out to read whenever I need a lift.

    One of the most important events in the modern Olympic Games is the Marathon(马拉松)race. The race 1 one of the great events in Greek history.

    In 490 B C. about 10,000 Greeks 2 against the Persian army at a place called Marathon. It is 3 that the Persians were ten times as4 as the Greeks. However, where there is a will, there is a way.5 the brave attack of the Greeks, the Persians were badly beaten and6away from the plain of Marathon. When the Persians had run away, a soldier, who was the most famous7in Athens, was 8 to carry the good news to the city and he was also asked to march at full speed.

    Although he had fought through the battle and 9many wounds, the soldier at once started off toward the 10 city 11 was twenty-six and a quarter miles from the plain of Marathon to the Marketplace of Athens, 12 there the elders of Athens had gathered 13 for news. He ran and ran over 14 and across plains. As he went on, his lips became 15 and his breathing hard, but when he thought of the 16 of the people of Athens on hearing the news, he 17 harder than ever.

    At last the elders of Athens heard a great shout and saw a soldier staggering(蹒跚) toward them.” Rejoice! Rejoice! We won!” said the soldier, and fell down 18.

    In19of this noble soldier and athlete, we have in the modern Olympic Games the Marathon race,20 the athletes run this same distance.

    Tears clouded my eyes as I stood in our washing room, holding Brett's jeans and shirt full of burn holes.

    Tired and defeated, I 1 to the floor. The clothes were just one more thing Brett had 2. He often got almost everything in the house out of 3. Many windows in our house needed repair due to his breaking 4 to steal money when he chose to live on the street. Yet none of this could 5 the emotional damage Brett had done to our once quiet home.

    Brett came to live with us when he was 12 years old. During the next few years I had dealt with Brett as 6 as possible, but inside I was shouting, "I don't want him in my house another day, Lord! I just can't 7 him!" Having wiped my tears, I continued 8 him as before.

    When Brett was nearly 18, he landed again in Juvenile Hall (少管所). After that, my husband and I had to send Brett to a boarding school for helping 9 teens.

    At the 10  ceremony, each graduate held a white rose to give to the person who had 11 the most to him or her.

    Brett spoke 12 to his parents and then spoke to me, "You did so much. You were always there. No matter what my mom and dad, I was their 13. But you, although 14 enough by me, always 15 me such love. And I want you to know I love you for it."

    16, I stood as Brett placed the white rose in my hand and hugged me 17.

    At that moment, tears 18 in my eyes again, this time not for disappointment but for 19. Although I had struggled with silent 20 toward my stepson, Brett had seen only my actions. Love is action. We may not always have positive feelings about certain people in our lives, but we can love them.