For a long time Gabriel didn't want to be involved in music at all. In his first years of high school,Gabriel would look pityingly at music students,1across the campus with their heavy instrument cases.2at school for practice hours3anyone else had to be there.He swore to himself to4music,as he hated getting to school extra early.

    5 ， one day，in the music class that was 6of his school's standard curriculurn，he was playing idly （随意地）on the piano and found it 7to pick out tunes.With a sinking feeling,he realized that he actually 8doing it.He tried to hide his 9pleasure from the music teather, who had 10over to listen. He might not have done this particularly well,11the teacher told Gabriel that he had a good12and suggested that Gabriel go into the musin store-room to see if any of the instruments there13him. There he decided to give the cello（大提琴）a 14. When he began practicing, he took it very 15. But he quickly found that he loved playing this instrurnent, and was 16to practicing it so that within a couple of months he was playing reasonably well.

    This 17, of course, that he arrived at school early in the morning,18his heavy instrument case across the campus to the 19looks of the non-musicians he had left20.

    I used to hate being called upon in class mainly because I didn't like attention drawn to myself. And 1otherwise assigned（指定）a seat by the teacher, I always  2to sit at the back of the classroom.

All this 3after I joined a sports team. It began when a teacher suggested I try out for the basketball team. At first I thought it was a crazy 4because I didn't have a good sense of balance, nor did I have the 5to keep pace with the others on the team and they would tease me. But for the teacher who kept insisting on my " 6for it", I wouldn't have decided to give it a try.

Getting up the courage to go to the tryouts was only the 7 of it! When I first started 8the practice sessions, I didn't even know the rules of the game, much 9what I was doing. Sometimes I'd get 10and take a shot at the wrong direction—which made me feel really stupid. 11, I wasn't the only one "new" at the game, so I decided to 12 on learning the game, do my best at each practice session, and not be too hard on myself for the things I didn't 13"just yet".

I practiced and practiced. Soon I knew the 14and the "moves". Being part of a team was fun and motivating. Very soon the competitive 15in me was winning over my lack of confidence. With time, I learned how to play and made friends in the 16 — friends who respected my efforts to work hard and be a team player. I never had so much fun!

With my 17self-confidence comes more praise from teachers and classmates. I have gone from " 18" in the back of the classroom and not wanting to call attention to myself, 19raising my hand— even when I sometimes wasn't and not 100 percent 20I had the right answer. Now I have more self-confidence in myself.

    My kids and I were heading into the supermarket over the weekend. On the way ,we spotted a man holding a piece of paper that said, “ 1 my job. Family to Feed.”

    At this store, a 2 like this is not normal. My 10-year-old noticed him and make a 3 on how bad it must be to have to stand 4 in the cold wind.

    In the store, I asked each of my kids to 5 something they thought our “friend” there would 6. They got apples, a sandwich and a bottle of juice. Then my 17-year-old suggested giving him a 7 I thought about it. We were 8 on cash ourselves, but… well, sometimes 9 from our need instead of our abundance is 10 what we need to do! All the kids 11 something they could do away with for the week.

    When we handed him the bag of12 he lit up and thanked us with 13 eyes. When I handed him the gift card, saying he could use it for 14his family might need, he burst into tears.

    This has been a wonderful 15 for our family. For days the kids have been looking for others we can 16! Things would have played out so 17 if I had simply said, “No, we really don't have 18 to give more.” Stepping out not only helped a brother in19 it also gave my kids the 20 taste of helping others. It'll go a long way with them.

    My dad and I were enemies. And I was not the only one in the family that made him 1. When he and mom argued, they would make the house a 2 place. They would 3 for hours over the stupidest things.

    My brother and I would clearly get out of their 4, trying to keep their yelling at a distance. Often we'd 5 up in the backyard with the cats which were afraid that dad might 6 them.

    My mom was the 7 person, who was kind, and easily gave you 8. It wasn't that hard to side with her against dad. The 9 didn't change until I was 18 and had a job. My dad was so much older than mom and had become weak 10 could still act up. I was so hating him that I planned for an 11! After one year, I told mom we were all, 12, going to get free of dad. I got her to agree to 13 with us.

    Nobody ever actually said to my dad, “You can't 14,” but it was understood. He stayed behind, alone in the house. From that time on, he seemed to age 15 into a fearful and lonely old man.

    Two weeks later, my dad was hit by a car. In the 16, for the first time, I felt sad and guilty that he was badly hurt and in 17. I had been so angry and so busy 18 everything for my mom, my brother and me but left out the person who needed 19 most. In fact, some people simply don't know how to be their best selves. If nobody 20 to help them get free, there's no way for them to change.

    I, a postman, married Kathy twenty-eight years ago. Our marriage life was filled with quarrels, swearing, throwing pots…—it was too much like 1. So I had an idea that our time as husband and 2 was about up but I didn't expect it would 3 with a fight.

    We were 4 at home one evening after tea, one at each end of the table. I was 5a book, and Kathy just sat there. 6 she said, "I do love you, Harry." I was still in the book and said 7.

    Then, "Harry, look at me." My 8 came up, smiled and went down again to my reading. Maybe I was in the wrong, and should have said something, 9 the book was too good.

    "I'm sure all that reading's bad 10 your eyes," she commented. I went on reading, not looking up. She added, "My dad used to say that only fools read books."

    The words 11 me and I couldn't resist replying, "He only said that because he didn't know how to read. He was 12."

    Kathy never read books. She hated 13 like poison. She sneered(冷笑), "No need to be jealous of you. We've got more sense, and too much to do."

    Then I was upset, but in a 14 way, "Let me read, anyway, won't you? It's an interesting book, and I'm tired."

    She 15 out loud, "Tired? You ought to do some real work for a change instead of 16the streets with that stupid post-bag." She snatched the book out of my 17 and screamed, "Nothing but books, books, books," throwing the book into the fire.

    This really 18 me, so I slapped(掌掴) her across the face, not very hard but I did.

    One day, a month after 19 the book, I came back from work and found a note waiting for me, "I am going away and not coming back."

    We 20 six years after we married.

    The young woman entered the pool where an injured dolphin was swimming. Despite her fear, she felt strong wearing her new leg.

    In her second grade, Maja 1 her cousin, Jasmina. After Jasmina's death, Maja swore she would honor the little girl by 2 with a dolphin, an animal that both girls   3. "Jasmina never got the chance to do it." says Maja, now 32, "so I 4 that someday I'd do it for her."

    In high school, Maja was 5 about sports. She even planned to become an athlete. 6, in 1993, during the civil war in her home country, a bomb 7 her left leg.

    After two years' treatment in the U.S., Maja 8 her first artificial leg. But because it didn't 9 well, walking for Maja was very painful. 10, she managed to graduate from a local high school. Then after receiving a 11 from Saint Francis University, she got a job at an insurance firm and 12 started her own company.

    To relax, Maja 13 often watch the dolphins play at an aquarium（水族馆）near her home. A young dolphin, Winter, who had lost its tail, caught her 14. One day, Maja happened to see trainers fitting Winter with a high-tech 15. When they were done, Winter swam freely in the water. Maja was 16. She managed to find the inventors of Winter's tail. Within ten days, she had a new leg which freed her of the 17 that had troubled her for almost 16 years.

    Now, Maja was ready to keep her 18. She went to the aquarium, lowered herself into the pool and held out a hand to Winter, who approached 19, then swam away. After a few minutes, the dolphin let Maja 20 its back. Finally, the two began to swim around the pool together.