The day finally came, when I had to leave the warm home where I'd grown up. I ran to the back yard, as tears came up from my heart. Suddenly I 1 a hand rest on my shoulder. I looked up to 2  my grandfather. “It isn't 3 , is it, Billy?” he said softly.

    He gently 4  my hand in his, and then we walked, hand in hand, to the front yard, 5 a huge red rose-bush sat alone.

    “What do you see here, Billy?” he asked. I looked at the flowers, not knowing 6  to say, and then answered, “I see something soft and 7 ,  Grandpa.”

    He pulled me 8 . “It isn't just the roses that are beautiful, Billy. It's that special place in your heart that makes them so.” “Billy, I 9 these roses when my first son was born. It was my 10  of saying ‘thank you' to God. I 11 to watch him pick roses for his mother. Then, as a young man of only 20, a terrible war robbed him of his life.” Grandpa slowly stood up. “Never say good-bye, Billy. Never 12  to the sadness and the loneliness. Instead, I want you to remember the joy and the 13  when you first said hello to a friend.”

    A year later, my grandpa became very 14 . Then all members of the family were 15  back, and I returned to the old house. When it came to my 16 , I took his hand as 17  as he had once taken mine.

    “Hello, Grandpa,” I 18 . His eyes slowly opened and said, “Hello, my friend.” With a brief (短迅的) 19  he died. Suddenly, and truly, I knew what he had 20  about never saying good-bye — about refusing to give in to sadness.

    The famous composer（作曲家）, Albert Roussel, didn't have a good start in this career. However, he achieved a great deal of success as a result of a 1 .

    Roussel's parents died when he was eight and he went to live with his  2  . As a little boy, he fell in love with music and  3  himself about it by reading through the family collection that his mother kept,  4  which there were a lot of related books.

    Three years later, Roussel's grandfather died, and his mother's sister decided to  5  him. Her husband was a kind man and  6  for young Roussel's music lessons. One summer vacation at a Belgian seaside added a second  7  to his life—the sea. Then he studied to be a naval cadet（海军学员），but still made time to study  8  .

    In the French Navy, he and two friends found the time to  9  a band, playing the works of Beethoven and other  10  . Roussel also began composing. On Christmas day 1892, he had his first chance to  11  as a composer, which turned out to be a success.

    That success  12  Roussel to write a wedding march（婚礼进行曲），and one of his navy friends  13  to show it to a famous conductor, Edouard Colonne. When Roussel's friend  14  with the manuscript（手稿）, he reported that Colonne had advised Roussel to  15  his naval career and devote his life to music.

    Not long  16  , at the age of 25, Roussel decided to  17  Edouard Colonne's advice. He gave his heart and soul to his composing and  18  a major force in twentieth century French music. Because of Eduoard Colonne's inspiring  19  , Roussel devoted his life to music—but Rousssel's  20  friend later admitted that he had made it up. He said he had never even shown Roussel's manuscript to the famous conductor.

    I learned to do wood work when I was very young.

    I remember I made my first project—a small table when I was 9 years old. I was so 1 of it that I looked upon it as if I had created a(an) 2. It was absolutely beautiful and it had taken me six weeks to3 it. I could hardly wait to give it to Mother Winters as a(an)4. She was the head mistress of our orphanage（孤儿院）, who was always kind but 5 with us.

    As the tables were not dry from the clear coating(清漆), our woodworking teacher told us to wait a few days before taking them to our dormitories. But I was just so 6and happy that I couldn't wait I dashed out like a 7, carrying my table, smiling from ear to ear.

    When I reached the dormitory I placed the little table beside my bed. I was 8 it when Mother Winters entered. She walked over to the table. Running her hand 9 it, she noticed that it was still wet.

    “Were you 10 to bring this home?” she asked.

    “No, ma'am,” I 11 with my head down.

    She ordered me to throw the table out and so I did. After she left, I immediately opened the door to get it back. There was 12 stuck all over. I brushed and cried, but the dirt would not come off.

    I hid the table in my closet and never 13 it. However, a year later during a cleaning-up, it was discovered. Painfully, I had to give the table to Mother Henderson, my houseparent, thinking that she would 14 it away.

    Thirty years later at a reunion, I 15 that Mother Henderson was living nearby, so I drove up to see her. We talked cheerfully for long. As I was about to leave, she asked me to come down to her 16 to get something important. I followed her 17 into a dark corner. She picked something up. 18 she turned around, I could see that she was holding a little table.

    Mother Henderson kept the little table that I had given up for lost so long ago.

    Today, I look at that table with bittersweet memories but full of 19 to Mother Henderson, who kept the table for a young orphan who 20 it so much.

    While high school does not generally encourage students to explore new aspects of life，college sets the stage for that exploration. I myself went through this1 process and found something that has changed my2 at college for the better：I discovered ASL—American Sign Language(美式手语).

    I never felt an urge to3 any sign language before. My entire family is hearing，and so are all my friends. The 4 languages were enough in all my interactions(交往).Little did I know that I would discover my5 for ASL.

    The6 began during my first week at college. I watched as the ASL Club 7their translation of a song. Both the hand movements and the very8of communicating without speaking9me. What I saw was completely unlike anything I had experienced in the10.This newness just left me11more.

    After that, feeling the need to12further, I decided to drop in on one of ASL club's meetings. I only learned how to13the alphabet that day. Yet instead of being discouraged by my14progress，I was excited. I then made it a point to15those meetings and learn all I could.

    The following term, I 16an ASL class. The professor was deaf and any talking was17I soon realized that the silence was not unpleasant.18 if there had been any talking, it would have19us to learn less. Now, I appreciate the silence and the20way of communication it opens.

    There was once a famous king whose name was Tamerlane. Like Alexander the Great, he 1 to become the master of the whole world. So he raised a great 2 and made war on other countries. He conquered many kings and 3 many cities. But at last his army was beaten; and Tamerlane escaped alone from the field of 4.

    For a long time he wandered in 5 from place to place. His enemies were 6 him. He was about to lose all hope.

    One day he was7 under a tree, thinking of his failure. He had now been a wanderer for twenty days. He couldn't  8any longer. Suddenly he saw a small object climbing up the trunk of the tree. He looked more 9and saw it was an ant,10a grain of wheat as large as itself.

    There was a 11 in the tree only a little way above, and that was the home of the ant.

    “You are 12, Mr. Ant,” he said, “but you are carrying something that is too heavy for you.” Just as he 13, the ant lost its footing and fell to the ground. But it 14 held on to the grain of wheat. Tamerlane 15 the little insect. It tried the second time, the third time ... the twentieth time — but always with the same 16. Then it tried the twenty-first time.17, one little step at a time, it climbed across the rough place where it had 18 so often. The next minute it climbed 19 into its home, carrying the grain of wheat. “Well done!” said Tamerlane, “you've taught me a lesson. I, too, will try again,20 I succeed.” And he made it.

    I still remember that the year when I started university. It was a very 1 time for me. Like many other new students I missed my mother's cooking and my friends, got quite homesick想家的 and 2 thought of leaving university and going home.

    The 3 time for many students was getting letters from home, and at first my mailbox was full. But 4 the letters gradually became fewer and finally the day came when I found my mailbox was 5. It made me feel quite miserable痛苦的. Then one day while I was waiting for the postman I saw that I had a postcard in my box. Happily I sat down to read it, 6 that it was from one of my friends. 7 it was 8 of a young woman called Annie and her new baby. I took the card back to my room, put it into my desk drawer and 9 all about it.

    Several days later, I 10 another postcard. This time it was about Antonio, Annie's cousin. Soon later, another card came and then another, 11 full of interesting information about people I had 12 met. I began to really look forward to them, 13 to see what the writer would 14 next. They made me feel 15 unhappy with my own life and I even began to smile. 16 while the cards 17 coming, I joined some societies and made some new friends. At last I was beginning to enjoy 18 life. The postcards had made me feel happy and helped me begin a new life so I 19 all the cards and even now bring them out 20 I feel miserable.