My name is Damian Costa. I was born in a small village in Italy in 1952. I spent the first few years of my life there before my family1 to Perth Australia.

    We arrived in Australia in the summer of 1957. I went to 2 and I had to attend special classes to learn English as all the lessons were taught in English.

    We did not have much3, so we lived very simply. My parents worked as cleaners. They earned (挣钱) just enough for us to survive(维持生活) and 4 a little money. My father had always wanted to 5a small restaurant. Finally, 6 ten years of hard work, in June 1967, he managed to save enough and opened our first pizzeria(比萨饼店).

    7business was slow at first, it soon got better. I helped out at the pizzeria after school and at weekends. Just two years after we8 my father decided that we needed a full - time waiter. Then he decided to 9 me the art of making wood - fired pizzas.

    Today we have three branches(分店) in Perth, Sydney and Adelaide. My children have 10 learned how to make pizzas and they quite enjoy it. I hope to pass on the business to them.

    When I was a little boy, I used to be very quiet and didn't have any friend. At that time my parents were very1with their work. I lived with my grandparents in another city. I always thought that2cared about me. Everything changed when I was thirteen years old. A boy gave me a special3a smile.

    It was my4year in the middle school. Everything there was new to me. No one knew who I was. I didn't know them, either. I was too shy to5anyone. Of course I was very lonely. Every time I heard the other students talking and laughing, I felt hurt. I had no friend to talk about my problems. I didn't want my parents to6me.

    Then one day, my classmates were talking7with their friends, and I sat at my desk lonely and unhappy as usual. At that moment, a boy entered the classroom. I didn't know8name. He passed me and,9a word, gave me a friendly smile. I said "Hello" to him. It was the first time that I greeted my10.

    This smile brought me to another world, a warm, bright and friendly world. That smile11my life. I started to talk with the other students and made friends with them. Day by day I became12to everyone in my class. The boy with the most wonderful smile became my best friend.

One day I asked him why he smiled, but he didn't remember that. It didn't matter13all the dark days had gone. I made14progress in my study. I felt my parents' love and began to talk with them. You can imagine how happy they were. Now I believe that the world is what you think it is.15you think you are lonely, you might always be alone. Therefore, smile at the world and it will smile back.

    When I was twelve years old, my family lived next to a forest. Every evening, mockingbirds(知更鸟) would come and rest in the trees and sing. I enjoyed 1singing so much that I decided to catch a young bird. In this way, I 2 hear it sing for me every day.

    I finally managed3 one and put it in a cage. At first, the bird was very frightened, so it fluttered(扑腾)in4 new home all the time. Several days later, it was used 5 in this new home.

    The next day, the little bird's mother flew to the cage with 6food in her mouth. The baby bird looked very happy and ate everything 7the mother brought to it. I was so happy to see this, for the mother knew how to take care of her baby8than me.

    But9the bird morning, I found it died. I was terribly10and cried at once. I didn't know 11happened.

    Arthur Wayne, my father's friend, was a famous ornithologist(鸟类学家). She 12my father at that time.13she knew the whole thing, she explained to me," If a mother mockingbird finds her baby14in a cage, she will bring it poisonous berries(毒梅).She thinks it's better for her baby to die than to lose freedom."

Since then I 15any living animal in a cage. All living things have a right to live free.