As a high school coach, I did all I could to help my boys win their games. I cheered as hard for 1 as they did. A dramatic 2, however, following a game in which I was a referee, changed my 3 on victories and defeats.

    It was a league championship basketball game between New Rochelle and Yonkers High. New Rochelle was 4 by Dan O'Brien, Yonkers by Les Beck. The gym was 5, and the noise made it impossible to hear. The game was well played and 6 competed. Yonkers was 7 by one point as I 8 at the clock and discovered there were but 10 seconds left to play. New Rochelle, 9 the ball, passed off and shot. The ball 10 around the rim (篮筐边沿) and off. The fans 11. New Rochelle recovered the ball, and tapped it in for what looked like victory. The noise was 12.

    I looked at the clock and saw that the game was over. I hadn't heard the final buzzer (终场哨) because of the noise. I 13 with the other official, but he could not help me. So, I 14 the timekeeper, a young man of 17 or so. He said, “Sir, the buzzer 15 before the final tap-in was made.” Yonkers won!

    I had to tell O'Brien the sad news. His face 16. The young timekeeper came up and said, “I'm sorry, Dad. The 17 ran out before the final basket.”18, like the sun coming out from behind a cloud, O'Brien's face lit up. He said, “That's okay, Joe. You did what you had to. I'm 19 of you.” The two of them then walked off the 20 together, the coach's arm around his son's shoulder.

    Life will be peaceful if you always do kind things. I teach my daughters to develop a habit of 1 others. The little acts of 2 give you chances to provide service for others. They can make you feel how 3 it is to be kind and helpful.

    We 4 in a rural (乡村的) area. Most of what we 5 is beautiful nature. One of the exceptions to the 6 is the rubbish that some people throw out of their car windows as they drive along the rural roads. One of the few 7 of living there is short of 8 public services，such as rubbish collection，which is common in the 9.

    A helping behavior that I practice regularly with my daughters is 10 rubbish in our neighborhood. My daughters often have a match to see who can collect the most rubbish. They will often say to me in a(n) 11 voice, "There's some rubbish，Daddy—12 the car！"And if we have time, we will often get out of our car and pick it up. 13 it may seem strange, we do it. In fact, we 14it. We pick up rubbish in parks, on sidewalks, almost anywhere.

    One day I saw a stranger picking up rubbish on the road. I stopped. He 15 his head and smiled，"I saw you doing this with your family. It's a good 16 to protect our environment."

    There are many other ways to 17 kindness for others. You may share a dinner with a beggar，visit 18 old people in the nursing home，or help the blind 19 the street. You can think of something that can be finished 20 but helpful. It is fun, self­satisfying, and what's more, it can set a good example. Helping others is helping yourself.

    Shayla Mitchell, 16, was diagnosed with the terminal stage of cancer. As a father, Mitchell always stayed home to care for her. He said the 1 1eft them financially worse off. Then a group called Growing Hope 2 in with $1,800 to help with his living costs.

    3, he wanted to pay them back. In his 4, he had once been a 5. So at age 40, Mitchell took up the 6 again, participating in two fights in Fairfax. Mitchell was 7 out in the first and second rounds, but he still 8 to raise $ 20,000 that he gave to Growing Hope. During this time, he 9 his daughter. “I fell into a dark bottom,” Mitchell said, and for six months, he did little but 10.

    One day, Mitchell 11 upon a Mark Twain quote- The two most important days in your life are the day you are born, and the day you 12 why. “After I read that quote, I was going to spend the rest of my life helping kids with 13 and their families,” he said.

    Mitchell thought of creating a foundation, though boxing did not seem 14any more for fund-raising, due to his age. Then he found that 15 could be a source to raise money. In the Corps Marathon, he cut a striking figure on the course. 16 by this success, he set his sights higher. He 17 each of the miles of the race to a different child with cancer, and he carried their 18 with him. Years after his daughter's death, Mitchell now 19 up in the morning knowing his 20.

    I always preferred to take on more than I should when I was a young man. At times, it was to prove to myself that I could1it. At other times, it was to please someone and gain2for my efforts. This sometimes led to3or frustration.

    When I was an IT manager after college graduation I was4to work with a wealth customer and be a go-between(中间人) for my company. I took on the assignment(任务)5, thinking that this might be my time to shine.6, the customer's demands proved to be more than I could do with. And the company chose to7the customer and try to meet his unreasonable requirements rather than stick to what we had8offered in the agreement. As you can imagine, this led to a lot of unexpected9and arguing with some of the staff who10to do anything outside their own work. I remember walking into my office one morning, opening my laptop and11the blank screen for long, thinking to myself: What should I do? That was a (n)12time in my life and then I finally had to give up my first job and13that company sadly.

    Perhaps, I thought then, I could find the14 that didn't involve dealing with difficult people and difficult situations. But later I realized: Is this15in our modem world? No, of course not. Now, I know, I shouldn't run away from the16I faced in life: I had to learn how to deal with them. I17not persevering(坚持) in my job. We should train ourselves to look at things from a18point of view, because that is far better than being19in the bad circle depression. I've come to20 that when faced with difficulties, I should not give up, but persevere.

    When I was in school, I joined an undergraduate program to chat with specific patients and then discuss it with others. On one special visit, I1entered a darkened room to find an elderly man lying in the bed. When I moved a little closer to the bed, I realized that he was quite 2, but also very confused and anxious. He3wanted to communicate something to others. He seemed weak, and I couldn't tell if he was in 4, or just scared. He obviously didn't want me to leave.5 I felt so lost and uncomfortable that I had to leave the room after a couple of minutes.

    The next time I was at the hospital, I was asked to make follow-up visits with the same6of patients. I expected my time7 the confused man to be just as short as the last time if he was even still alive. As I arrived at the 8, his daughter was there chatting with him. He was sitting up in the bed and looked a bit better than before. I introduced myself to the daughter and explained to her that I had come by before.9 the patient, I then suggested that I was certain he didn't 10 me at all.

    To my surprise, he 11 me immediately. "I remember you. You were the 12 !" he said excitedly. I thought he must be 13 me for someone else, but he then accurately told me enough details of our first 14. I was so confused about that. During my first visit to this weak patient, I did absolutely15 to help this man but 16. Then he explained that my 17 last time gave him hope to live, I must 18 that a stranger in hospital whose name I even didn't know changed my attitude to the life with a single19, It makes me want to offer whatever kindness I can to others, and I try to recognize and 20 the kindness that others offer to me. Obviously, we couldn't know the impact our actions, or even just our presence, has on life.

Earth Day Birthday

April's parents are environmentalists. And because April happened to be born on Earth Day, all her birthday1had an Earth Day theme.

On her eighth birthday, there was a "Throw-Out Blowout". She and her friends had a garage sale and2the money to charity. When she turned nine, it was a "Tree Spree"—they planted trees.

"This year I want a3birthday party," April told her friend Bailey as they walked home from school. Then after dinner, April told her parents she would like to4her own party this year. They suggested a "Print Sprint" and collecting newspapers to recycle. But April insisted on going to Maze Craze (疯狂迷宫)instead. Her parents agreed finally.

April couldn't5for her birthday! She and her friends would have great fun. No shovels（铁锹）. No collecting recyclables. They wouldn't have to think one bit about the6.

On that day, April and her friends gathered in the parking lot outside Maze Craze. They7plastic bottles, snack boxes and waste paper everywhere on the ground. "Even though I want a non-Earth Day birthday, I couldn't have8knowing this mess out here." April frowned (皱眉).

Her parents fetched some trash bags from their car. The kids started to work. Before long, they had collected three bags with bottles, cans, and paper to9. April looked at the bags and smiled. It felt good to do something for the earth. And with everyone giving a10, it didn't take long.

"Happy Earth Day, everyone," said April. "Now I'm ready for Maze Graze."

"Happy birthday. April!" shouted her friends.