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

    We have a1school of about 30 students. It is really full of2and pressure as most of the kids get good3and try to be the best ones. It's4except that a lot of us middle kids felt really pressured. We got the feeling that we are so selfish—it's every man for5.

    6,my friend and I set out to find a way to7the culture. We decided doing things for others was the only way to8our depression（沮丧）about school.

    On the first day of school we put a9folded into a heart into one of the leaders' lockers with a piece of paper that 10“ Buy yourself a snack.” We11to give away small gifts every day. We didn't know the 12it would have.

    People went 13over it and everyone was talking about who it might be doing the acts of kindness and 14that they should do something too. It is so much fun to see the 15on everyone's faces now! Lots of other people have started sharing16now too: Chocolate bars, cookies and money left17in the vending machine（自动售货机）.And lots of notes are on the thanks board saying: “thanks to whoever started.”

    Now I actually expect to go to school to have the chance to18people up. I hope kindness will19to the other schools.20anybody is struggling with being depressed  At school and work, I totally suggested doing acts of kindness.

    My previous home had a stand of woods behind it and many animals in the backyard. That first year, I1 feeding peanuts to the blue jays, then the squirrels. The squirrels had no2 coming up right to me for them. As the months went by, the rabbits saw that I was no 3and didn't escape. When I threw carrot slices(薄片)，they even came for a nibble(啃).Slowly they came to4 me, and by the end of the year they were eating out of my hand.

    That second year, the rabbits5 me, and one would even sit up for slices! While I was feeding them, I 6 that a groundhog who used to run away was now taking an7interest in this food situation. I carefully extended a long8, with a keen eye on those teeth, and 9,there were times I would have the groundhog sitting next to a rabbit, both munching(津津有味的咀嚼) on carrots. A few months later, while 10,she would even turn her back to me.11when she was facing away, I reached out and 12scratched（搔）her back with my finger, She didn't move.

    By year three, the rabbits and the groundhog were back. The groundhog 13didn't have a problem with me scratching her back, and I got an idea, I'd always14,while slicing up carrots, that the end looked like a cap.15one day, just to see what she would do ,I gently 16 one on top of the groundhog's head. Again, not a 17,The next time, I had my camera ready to record what you see here, one of several dozen such pictures,18she had a slice to eat, she never 19 the one of her head. It was a fair 20 —I got a pleasure, and she had yet another tasty treat.

    For me personally, I could write for days about many different situations where adversity (逆境)1my life. Now let me tell you one experience where I almost let adversity2.

    We had a glass studio, which was located 50 feet from our home. A couple of years ago we experienced an 3winter; we had a lot of snow and ice. The4of the ice and snow5the roof on our studio, taking with it one of our sources of income.6it did fall down, we got on the roof and tried to 7the snow and ice, but when you have 5 feet of ice and temperatures of minus 20 Celsius, it was pretty8to do.

    We had a partner come in to help us try to9the roof by supporting. In the end, there was 10that could be done. The roof came down. We had moved a lot of our goods and tools from the studio11 we lost a lot also: glass, kilns, work benches, to name only a few of the items. It was a 12experience.

    Here we were in the middle of winter with our studio collapsed. We couldn't work as we had almost 13all the material in a building we were not using. We could have done one of two things: we could simply say that we can no longer 14 our glass business. Let me tell you that this was certainly a thought that15our mind. Or we could find a way to get our studio back up and running.

    We picked the16option. We had a large barn that we were not using. So we renovated (翻新) the barn17our working area and today we have a nicer studio than we 18 had. If the adversity we were19had not happened, we probably would20be working in the old studio—a studio that was less efficient.

    Designer Susan McLeary is taking the jewelry world by storm with her jewelry made from living plants. She uses real succulents（多肉植物）collected from her 1 to create wonderful headpiece, necklaces, rings bracelets, and other pieces of bio-jewelry that literally 2 on you.

    Each piece from McLeary's 3 can be worn for two to four weeks before the plants begin to 4 in their metal base. When this happens, wearers can 5 remove the succulents from their metal base and re-pot them to keep in their homes. The jewelry bases can still be 6 as usual. If the pieces are worn for special 7 like weddings, the potted plants become all the more 8.

    McLeary, who has worked with leading floral designers（花艺设计师）across the US, has spent years 9 her two loves — plants and jewelry — and 10 her own style. Before she was a florist, she made jewelry for friends. 11 one of her friend got married, she was asked to design some wedding flowers 12 some jewelry. As she had her friend's flowers in her hands, she knew she had got her idea. She still loves 13 for weddings, but she has found that she enjoy creating floral wears and floral 14 even more.

    She makes each piece by hand, and 15 she can pay careful attention to composition and color. Each jewelry piece is made with 16 sourced plants from a family owned greenhouse and jewelry bases 17 by other small businesses.

    There is no doubt that the floral jewelry adds more fun and more 18 sights to there occasions. Of course, the wearers can also 19 their time by taking care of the plants on their metal base. McLeary's beautiful designs are 20 on her Easy store, which ranges from $ 20 to $ 300.

    We1hamburgers and Coca Cola at the counter. When our2came, I started walking towards an empty table. By bad luck, my purse strap(带子)got 3 on a chair and the tray(托盘)that I was holding slipped4my hands and went flying in the air. The tray, and its contents,5on a man who was just about to6a bite of his sandwich. I stared, greatly 7, as the drinks soaked(浸湿)his white shirt.

    Then I8my eyes and prepared myself for his burst of9. Instead, he said “It's OK” to10me before he disappeared into washroom.

    Still shaky and unsure11to do next, my friends and I went to a table and sat there, trying our best to look12. A moment later, the man came out of the washroom and13our table. My heart almost stopped14. I thought he was going to ask for my father's15and call him.

    To my surprise, he merely smiled at us, handed us some cash and said, “16yourself new hamburgers. ”He then walked17without even finishing his food.

    He could have made what was already an uncomfortable situation worse,18he chose a different way and gave us a reason to believe that there is still19in this world. I'll never20his actions.

    Greenberg was a lucky guy to enter Columbia University on full scholarship. But just before junior year（大学三年级）, Greenberg's1 changed. One day his vision “2 up” and later he was diagnosed (诊断）with glaucoma (青光眼）. Then doctors operated on Greenberg's eyes.3 , the surgery didn't work. Greenberg was going blind. He was so 4that he refused to see anyone.

    As Greenberg's best friend, Arthur persuaded Greenberg to go back to Columbia and5to be his reader. Arthur read6to him every day, taking time out from his own study, and Greenberg7 scoring straight A's. Still, he was8about getting around alone and relied on his friend.

    Then, one afternoon, Greenberg and Arthur went to Midtown Manhattan. When it was time to go back to campus, Arthur said he couldn't9him because of an appointment. Greenberg10. They argued, and Arthur walked off, 11 Greenberg alone in Grand Central Terminal.

    Greenberg, who was completely12, stumbled (蹒跚）through the rush-hour crowd. He took a shuttle train west to Times Square, and then transferred to an uptown train. Four miles later, he13 at the Columbia University stop.

    At the university's gate, someone14him. “Oops, excuse me, sir. ” Greenberg15 the voice. It was Arthur's. Greenberg's first reaction was16, but in the next second, he realized what he had just17 and realized, too, who had made it possible.18, Arthur had been with him the whole way, using one of the most19strategies（策略）.

    Blindness doesn't make Greenberg fail to appreciate the20 of life. He always says he is the luckiest man in the world.