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.

    I would lose things. One1, my parents bought me a brown coat with a matching separate2to protect me from the snowy weather. They had3to buy me a coat with a hood(连衣帽) because they knew my weakness but I begged and promised that I would not lose the hat.

    One day my father came home from work and asked me if I would4my new coat and hat. Upstairs I rushed two steps at a time,5to put on a fashion show. I pulled on the coat but I couldn't find the hat. I6looked under my bed and in the closet, but it was7. Maybe he wouldn't8that I wasn't wearing it.

    I flew9and spun around10on a stage, posing, smiling and modeling my new coat. “How pretty! More pretty with the matching hat!” he said. “I just want to show you the coat.” I said, still dancing around the hallway and trying to avoid the subject of the hat. I knew the hat was11.

    12, my father seemed to have forgotten it, laughing and playing with me.13, in the middle of his laughing, he slapped me hard on the face. His14stung me deeply. I stood there, holding my hand to my burning cheek and15. Then he took my new hat16his pocket. He had found it lying on the street, and as he looked at me over the top of glasses, he said, “Maybe now you'll learn not to be17.”

    I'm a grown woman now, but I18lose things. What my father taught me that day was not a lesson of19. I learned not to20his laughter any longer, because even his laughter hurt.

Be a Traveler, not a Tourist

    Last summer, I had just enough money saved to buy a golden ticket—— a 3-month train pass that would take me to the furthest reaches of Europe. Excited for my journey, I 1all the necessities — 2the guidebook.

    While the 3of the Internet was definitely a contributing factor to my4, this was not the only reason I decided to fly 5.

    To be honest, I find the guidebook 6a journey—like a bossy aunt who is always telling you what to do,7she doesn't always know what's best.8has taught me that there is a clear 9between a tourist and a traveler.

    While waiting in a queue to see Michelangelo's Statue of David in Florence, I met a man who showed me his 10of "Top 20 Things to do in Italy" and told us11that he'd "seen" everything Italy has to 12in just four days.

    The problem I had with this man's way of 13was that he was too 14the information provided by his guidebook. He was 15in the so-called "must-sees" and blind to all that was happening somewhere else.

    So, guidebook-less as we were, I traveled to Estonia. Arriving for no good reason, I had no option but to16some friendly faces for advice. I 17myself and asked them what was happening around town. When this resulted in an 18to a beautiful Estonian home by a river where I enjoyed a 110-degree wood-stove sauna(桑拿), 19picked forest-mushrooms and the good 20of my five new-found Estonian friends,  I was most glad I had left our bossy aunt at home.

    I always come across random acts of kindness in my life. Many years ago, I was 1Costa Rica when I found myself in an 2situation: my credit cards and bank cards went out of 3 abroad, and I only had $5 to my 4.

    I had no way to get money. I didn't know anybody in this country. I only knew basic Spanish, and besides the cash the only 5I had was a return ticket to my country in almost two 6. Back then, there was no such thing as mobile phones, and7email was very limited. To find help, I decided to go to the countryside. With the only coins I had, I 8the bus terminal(终点站)and found a village, which 9almost the exact amount. About 4 hours later, I arrived at Santa Rosa Abajo at midnight.

    I knocked door to door,10in my very poor Spanish that I was a foreigner travelling in Costa Rica with no money but I 11to stay here for over ten days. I begged them for a 12－such as cooking , cleaning and looking after their kids, anything like that. Everybody 13, “oh my, but so poor are we that we have no 14 food or space. Maybe you can try the next 15.” And they'd point me to another house.

    16, I arrived at a Chinese restaurant. The owner of the restaurant was very 17. She gave me food and called the Red Cross to come to 18me. With the help of the Red Cross, I spent my19days in Costa Rica.

    This is one of the best trips I've ever had, because I realized that when you're in a position to be able to 20, it actually makes you feel happy.

    We have five fantastic children. As they've grown older, from high school to college and so on, we found ourselves cleaning out our home of furniture only to replace it with something new. We had this living room set (一组) 1 a sofa, love seat and chair go 2 a couple of the kids, dragging it up the stairs to their third floor apartments and back down again to the next apartment. Our son was the last to have the set when 3 he asked for a place to 4 it because he was going out of town for a semester. We told him we would 5 it for him in our garage. So we picked the furniture up and 6 it back to the house.

    One day, while at 7, I heard a couple of people talking in the hallway. A mother and her two children were 8 out of their own house by her husband, with 9 but the clothes on their backs. Some warmhearted people found them a place to stay, but no belongings, clothes, food, or furniture.

    Our colleagues and I 10 all we could to help her. I went to the store and bought some clothes for the children and some 11 essentials. I came home that day after work and looked at the furniture in the garage sitting there, 12. I called my son and told him what I wanted to do. He agreed.

    The next 13 was to the mother of two. She came to my house within an hour to pick up the furniture and the bag of clothes. She said she would 14 the furniture as soon as she would be able to.

    I looked at her and said, "15 you are done with the furniture, give it to someone else in16."

    She cried, 17 by the generosity and thanked everyone greatly for all that 18 did to help. It makes me so happy to know that the 19 that grew with our family was being 20 to good use.

After 49 years on the job, Marge Moore still mops and sweeps her bus every day and washes it on weekends. Every winter is a1for Moore, just because she needs to2her kids on time. Besides, she has to drag her blow-dryer to3 the transmission (变速器) when4 cold.

Even with vacations, Moore still gets 5 to work as a bus driver for Virginia Beach public schools. She's seeing some6students grow up and have kids, whom Moore also took to school.

"Moore's absolutely7. There's a reason she hasn't8 a day," people said," she's just 9by her love for kids." She is earning a little 10as her term of service inches closer to the half-century mark.

The COVID-19 has seriously interrupted her school11. When learning is virtual, Moore works to deliver food to 50 families, who wouldn't12 have it. Her consistency is13, and she was nominated (提名) for the " Recognizing Inspirational School Employees Award". The14 will be announced in the spring.

Moore isn't sure when she'll quit. "If I didn't 15it, I wouldn't be doing it," she said.