Abbaye, a master artist, was ready to retire in 1392. One day, Bartoli, a rich Italian merchant,  1 him saying, "Could you 2  my portrait on my banquet room wall? It's 20 feet tall.”

    “I'm ready to retire," Abbaye shook his head,“so I'm not  3.”But seeing the disappointment in Bartoli's eyes, he   4  his mind, "Well, there's a possibility if you can find it in your  5  to allow me to explore the  6  of my abilities. Furthermore, already I can see your 7 .So I insist

that while l work your portrait stay 8  even from you!”

    “No problem," Bartoli agreed, though he thought it was  9  ，"Anything you wish, but it must look realistic．”

Immediately the master artist  10  a high curtain in front of the wall, -through which Bartoli couldn't see at all.

A week passed. "How is it coming?" asked the  11   Bartoli.

     “It's coming quite well. You see, a masterpiece  12   quite a while at least.” Abbaye answered from behind the  13   ．

Another three, four weeks passed and  14half a year went by. Bartoli lost his  15 .“Today I must see it!" he shouted.

Stepping from behind the curtain 16  surprised by such anger, Abbaye said calmly," That's fine.

You needed only to request it.” And he  17  aside the 20 - foot curtain.

          Bartoli stared at the masterpiece and then his mouth 18  open. He was obviously so angry that his eyes  19  red. So what was wrong? Abbaye had drawn to his heart's  20  for 20 feet tall. Perhaps Bartoli couldn't tolerate his abstract expression, which Picasso would have been proud of.

    I never forget the single act of kindness that changed my life over 25 years ago. During a vacation trip, I needed to find my 1 to the Greyhound bus station, some 30 miles away. Being a 2student, I had little money to get there.

    I3to call various taxis and shuttle（往返汽车） services but they were all to4or too far away to pick me up. Then, I got one person on the5who managed to make out that I needed a ride to the Greyhound station but only had limited financial 6 and he agreed to transport me! He came to pick me up about 45 minutes 7. The driver was older and I remember8why the shuttle didn't have a meter (计时器) but his ID was there and I could see this was his9. The driver was so kind. He knew I was10so he distracted me with stories and good11. He said I looked like his granddaughter.

    At one point, I asked him why he12so little to the others. Then, he patiently explained that he was13retired and hadn't removed his number from the phone book but when I called, clearly upset, he felt 14to help. This man drove an hour out of his way to help a person he didn't know for a fee that only15his gas, if that! Because of his 16, I knew things were going to be okay. This man's kindness warms my heart every time I think of him. 17 , I didn't get his name and his face has18gradually from my memory but he is on my mind often and I wish I could thank him19 "Thank you Mr. Angel Shuttle-Man! I hope your granddaughter knows what a(n)20grandfather she has!"

Hope in my arms

    Last year, I was invited to participate in a carnival（嘉年华） for Tuesday' s Child, an organization that helps children with AIDS.

    All the children that had 1 at one special room could paint a square on a piece of cloth. Later the squares would be sewn(缝) together to2 a quilt. The quilt would be presented to a man who had devoted his life to the   3 and would soon be retiring.

    The kids were given paints in bright colors and asked to paint something that would make the quilt beautiful. As I looked around at all the squares, I saw pink hearts, blue clouds, orange sunrises and red flowers. The pictures were all bright and 4. All except one.

    One boy was painting a heart, but it was dark and lifeless. It lacked the bright colors that his fellow artists had used. I asked why. He told me that he was very5 and so was his mom. He said that his sickness was not ever going to get better and 6 was his mom's. He looked7into my eyes and said, "There is no hope in my life."

    I told him I was sorry and I could understand why he had made his heart a dark color. I told him that8 we couldn't make him better, we can give 9, which can really help when you are feeling sad. I told him that if he would like, I would be happy to give him one so he could see what I meant. 10, he crawled(爬上) into my lap（大腿）. I thought my own heart would burst for this sweet little boy. He sat there for a long time. Finally he slipped 11to finish his coloring.

    As I was getting ready to12 home, I felt a tug (猛拽) on my jacket. Standing there was the little boy,13. He said, "My heart is changing14. It is getting brighter. I think those hugs really do 15." On my way home I felt my own heart. It too had changed to a brighter color.

    My most rewarding experience throughout the past two years was volunteering at the swimming competition for Special Olympics where a disabled friend of my community took part. This had special 1 for me because experiencing it helped improve my leadership skills, develop my character, and support my community.

    Firstly, my 2 skills developed when I independently directed each swimmer where to 3 at the platform and 4 each competitor when they needed to swim. I had to make sure that the swimmers were 5 and ready to perform. This kept me on my feet at all times and 6 of each event's time and location. I learned each swimmer's name, 7 many of them swam in more than one event.

    Secondly, my 8 was greatly influenced. When I saw the swimmers get their awards for winning each swimming event, I was deeply moved. I was 9 that most swimmers could swim better than I. Their 10 attitudes astonished me, whether they won or lost. This also enlarged my view, offering me the opportunity to 11 people I would normally not run into. I went out of my 12 zone and did whatever was needed to be done, even if it was sometimes difficult to me. It was especially 13 when I saw the glowing faces of the competitors.

    Lastly, I was of 14 to my community by lending a hand to this organization. To be a part of it gave me a chance to improve my community and become 15 with the people living in this area.

    As Winston Churchill once said, “We make a living by what we do, but we make a(n)16 by what we give.” The importance of 17 should be stressed throughout your life. 18, through the many opportunities my community has offered I was privileged to be 19 in this exciting and important event in these competitors' lives. I hope to be a(n) 20 again at this event in years to come.

    A group of homeless children in the Indian capital — New Delhi publish a newspaper. It tells about their own 1.

    It is called Balaknama, which means "children's voice". It is written and 2 by children. About 10,000 people 3 it.

    The children write about poverty, child labor, underage marriages and drugs. When 4 arrive and the team sits down to select stories, lots of fights 5. They argue, "This story will have more impact than that story.” So there are a lot of 6 before the final 7 goes to print.

    The newspaper has 70 8 in several states and 14 in the capital. All of the reporters, editors and managers are 9 children.

    Many of their parents are 10 and cannot read or write. The children now earn money, and many of them 11 classes online that may help them find a job.

    The newspaper is published every month. It has eight pages. In 2002, when it began 12, the newspaper was published four times a year. It has 13 the lives of many of the children who publish it, and hopes to 14 the lives of thousands of others. Non-governmental organizations and charity groups 15 the newspaper.

    Sanjay Gupta leads a group that helps the children and 16 money to the newspaper.

    “They feel very encouraged when people 17 them. I think this is a really 18 tool to empower (使自主) them." said he.

    The newspaper costs about three cents. That is less than the 19 of a small cup of tea in India. 20, the small cost gives the children hope that they will someday have a home and a job.

    If life were a book and you were the author, how would you like the story to go? That is the question that1my life forever.

    One day I went home from the training of snowboarding with what I thought was the flu, and less than 24 hours later, I was in a2on life support with less than twenty percent3of living. It wasn't until days later that the doctors diagnosed me with a4blood infection. Over the5of 2.5 months, I lost the hearing in my left ear and both my legs below the knees. When my parents6me out of the hospital, I7that I had been put together like a patchwork （拼接物）doll and I had to live with8legs. I was absolutely physically and emotionally broken,9streaming down.

    But I knew in order to move forward, I had to let go of the Old Amy and10the New Amy. It was at this moment that I asked myself that significant11. And that is when it12me that I didn't have to be five-foot-five anymore,13I could be as tall as I wanted. And14of all, I can make my feet the size of all the shoes. So there were15here.

    Four months later, I was back upon a16. And this February, I won two Board World Cup gold medals,17me the highest ranked snowboarder in the world.

    So, instead of looking at our18and limitations as something19or bad, we can begin looking at them as a wonderful20that can be used to help us to further than we ever know we could go.