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.

    In my living room, there is a plaque(匾) that advises me to “Bloom(开花) where you are planted.” It1me of Dorothy. I got to know Dorothy in the early 1980s，when I was teaching Early Childhood Development through a program with Union College in Barbourville, Kentucky. The job responsibilities required occasional visits to the2of each teacher in the program. Dorothy 3 in my memory as one who “bloomed” in her remote area.

    Dorothy taught in a school in Harlan County, Kentucky, Appalachian Mountain area. To get to her school from the town of Harlan, I followed a road 4around the mountain. In the eight-mile journey, I crossed the same railroad track five times, giving the possibility of getting5by the same train five times. Rather than feeling6by this drive through the mountains, I found it depressing. The7level was shocking and the small shabby houses gave me the greatest feeling of 8.

    From the moment of my arrival at the little school, all gloom(忧郁)9. Upon arriving at Dorothy's classroom, I was 10 with smiling faces and treated like a queen. The children had been prepared to show me their latest projects. Dorothy told me with a big smile that they were11poke greens salad and cornbread for “dinner” (lunch). In case you don't 12 , poke greens are a weed type plant that grows wild, especially on poor ground.

    Dorothy never13reports of exciting activities of her students. Her 14 never cooled down. When it came time to15for the testing and interviewing required to receive her Child Development Associate Certification, Dorothy was16. She came to the assessment(评价) and17in all areas. Afterward, she18me to the one-and-only steak house in the area to19her victory, as if she had received her Ph.D. degree. After the meal, she placed a little box containing an old pen in my hand. She said it was a family heirloom (传家宝), but to me it is a treasured symbol of appreciation and pride that cannot be 20 with things.

    That day the college entrance exam 1were out at 11: 00 a. m., but I didn't know that. A friend of mine said my 2 remained the same as those I got last year. So I went into deep depression. My hard work 3 and I cried a lot in the bathroom. 4I motivated myself and came to the classroom at 5: 30 p. m. without 5the afternoon activities.

    Just then the headmaster came to our 6 and asked who Snehal Tanwar was. Hearing this I 7slowly and said" It's me". He said that I'd gotten the high score of 665. For a while my mind got struck and I asked him to 8 ; so I told him my hall ticket(准考证) number and waited for the result 9. He checked it in front of me and congratulated me. No words to 10 my excitement and I hugged my friends who were sitting beside me. My11were rolling out and I could not be able to speak a 12word and couldn't control myself. 13 in the class stood up, shouted my name and 14me. I was feeling on top of the world.

    15I was not the person who got the highest score in our high school. It was my best friend who attained the top. He was sitting beside me and at the moment he cried and hugged me tightly16I got my tears out again. I 17very happy and couldn't express the feeling of that moment Just 18the situation, the moment when both tears and happiness 19. Success is achieved by us. It was the best time in my life and of course, the 20moment. I was so happy not only for myself but also for my best friend.

    William Franklin came to my class half a year ago. But from his first day here, he 1 himself in his own world and he never spoke to others. As his teacher, I tried to start a talk with him but 2. It seemed as if he just didn't want to break his3.

    After the Thanksgiving holiday, we received the news of the4 Christmas collection of money for the5 in our school. "Christmas is a season of6, "I told my students. "Some poor students in our school might not have a7 holiday. By giving a little money, you will help8 some toys, food and clothing for these needy students. We will9  the collection tomorrow."

    The next morning, 10, I found out almost everyone had11 this matter except Willard Franklin. He came up to my desk with his head down. 12, he dropped two coins into the small box. "I don't need milk for lunch," he said in a13 voice.

    After school I couldn't help sharing what had14 in the morning with our headmaster. "I may be wrong, but I 15 Willard might be ready to become part of our class. "I am 16 to hear that, "he nodded. "And I just received a list of the poor families in our school who most need 17. Here, take a look at it. "

    As I sat down to18, I found Willard Franklin was at the top of the list. At that moment, I felt I really 19 Willard for the first time：a cold face with a warm heart. From this20, I also learnt that whether rich or poor, every child has a kind heart.

    Songs bring us through our life. Each time I listen to my favorite song Reach, I'm deeply 1 by its lyrics: "If I could reach higher, just one moment touch the sky..." When we hear this 2 song sung by Gloria Estefan, we can 3 imagine how she managed to return to the stage after her serious back injury. In 1990, this Cuban singer was 4 down in a terrible traffic accident, and the doctor 5 that she might never walk again. But Gloria did not 6 and kept on working hard toward her 7. Just one year after the disaster 8, she stood up again and 9 this encouraging song at the Atlanta Olympics.

    Whenever I think of Gloria, a 10 crowds in my mind. When I entered university, naturally shy, ordinary looking, and with 11 scores in my lessons, just like an ugly duckling. I seemed to be the 12 outstanding one in my class. Continuous failures drove me into 13. "Am I to take a back seat to everyone else?" 14 to give in to such a fate I spared no effort to work on my lessons and joined in many 15, such as English speech contests and dramas. I just wanted to catch every little chance to 16 myself. My continuous efforts finally paid off. I received some 17. More importantly, I 18 courage and confidence to face any difficulty in my life.

    19 is just like farming. You 20 what you sow. Once you have a dream, don't hesitate. Keep moving!

Insight Without Sight

    At the age of eighteen I couldn't wait to get my first job, which meant I made the first step toward adulthood.

     But it was difficult to get a work permit. One day I was dropped off by my parents at the 1, where applicants took their physical tests for work permits.  Although I had night blindness, my vision was clearer during the day, which helped me walk2by myself.  Then the doctor began the3. He looked into my eyes with a bright light. "I4your parents take you to an eye specialist," he said, "I suspect you have a retinal(视网膜) disease. If you do, you'll never5a day in your life…"

    My parents did take me to specialists. After much time and money spent seeking an6result, it was determined that I had an eye disease that slowly7a person of sight. But still, during daylight, I could walk without8. I could read, but not for hours. My eyes began to 9and words slipped off the page when I read more than a few pages. However, no matter how tired my eyes became, I never gave up reading. I knew the10of great writers as well as I knew the most popular music stars. Their words were powerful, which11me to try writing. Soon writing brought me a lot of12each time I completed a paper.

    Then an important phone call from an editor changed my life. An article I13 appeared in a local newspaper. The newspaper, to my14, continued to print my work. Next, a book series published several of my essays. I got interested in writing and15up with each acceptance. On the pages, readers never knew of my blindness16I chose to present it. For me, finding my voice through writing gave me the pride and satisfaction I17so many years ago. Now, I have numerous essays and articles in18.

    Should I be thanking that misguided doctor? By falsely predicting that I could never work a day, he fueled my19into success. He set the bar too20 and focused on what I wouldn't be able to do. Yet I proved what I could do.