I believe different people have experienced different adolescence, I must admit I was still an angry1in my first year of college. My 2 was that my parents didn't please me at all.

    Our finances were 3so I chose to go to a (n)4college and take a bus to classes every day. One day I had a(n)5fight with my father, We both explode into shouts,6 out of the house and missed my bus to school.

    I rushed all the way to school. As I7across the campus toward my class, I suddenly I realized didn't have the 8 that was due: a thought card. My professor asked us to 9 an index card with our names and the dales every Tuesday.10 what was to be on the rest of the card, we could write a thought, a question or something else.

    Now, outside the door, ten minutes later. I took an index card.11 to write something on it, I could only think about the 12 I'd just had with my dad. I wrote “I am the son of an idiot!” then13 into the room, and handed it to our professor.

    Next day, our professor 14 the thought cards and I 15 that he wrote, “What does the 'son of an idiot' do with the nest of his life?” The professor's innocent-seeming question16me to the issue: whose problem is it?17, my thinking began to shift, I realized that I had created a life18 I was not a central figure!

    The 19 of growth wasn't easy or fast. Years later, from a 20student, I became a successful student and then a successful teacher.

    When I first met my new parrot, Chico, his wings had been cut short and he was stuck on the earth just like us humans. When the weather turned nice, I would take Chico outside. I 1 him on a branch of a tree, hoping to make him happier. At first he seemed confused. He walked back and forth on the branch looking 2. He didn't even flap his wings in an/a 3 to fly. Somehow he knew he was incapable.

    One day Chico got especially excited. He paced back and forth and made an 4 amount of noise. Then all of a sudden he stopped and let out an even louder scream. He started 5 flapping his wings for the first time ever—then he lifted off the 6 like a space shuttle! I was amazed and 7. Little did I know his feathers had been growing back, and Chico had been waiting until the moment was ripe for 8!

    Two days later Chico returned. First I tried to 9 him back with food, but he would not come near me. Then I took his 10 and put it away—still he would not come. Finally, I made him a firm promise that I would let him out every day if the weather was nice as long as he did come back. 11, he flew onto my shoulder.

    From that day on, whenever the weather was good I would let him 12 early and he would fly around and be back before dark. The routine lasted for two months 13 suddenly Chico became 14. The vet said that he had been infected with a disease from the pigeons in the 15. Within a few days he died.

    I was very sad. The 16 crossed my mind that if I had not set him free to fly, he would be still alive. But what 17 is there in being a bird if you can't fly?

    Chico made his first 18 for freedom on a late Monday afternoon in April. When will you make yours? You too can take a 19 when the conditions are right, knowing you too, in your own way, were built to fly. If you don't set yourself free, what will be the 20 of your life?

    Anna is a nurse at the National Institutes of Health Center (NIHC). She didn't want the young 1 there, who couldn't go outside, to miss out on the winter 2when it was snowing outside last winter.

    The kids could see the snow 3. But they couldn't 4 it. Many of the kids had a type of immunodeficiency (免疫缺陷) and were waiting to have bone-marrow transplants (骨髓移植). The immunodeficiency put them at risk of infection, 5 while they were having transplants, they were even weaker, so they were6 to go out or be around many people.

    Also, there were kids from all over the world at the center and some of them had 7seen snow in their lifetime. Anna didn't want them to 8 the fun, so she had a(n) 9. Since the patients couldn't go out into the snow, Anna filled up a basin with 10 on her own and 11 it right to them. She made several trips 12 so all the kids would have fresh snow to 13.

    The children made snowballs, 14 the snow with colored pens and made snowmen. One child even 15 Anna with a snowball. They had a very 16snow day.

    After the children's parents knew what she had done for the kids, they 17her. Because of her, the children experienced the 18 brought by snow. One parent said, “My daughter has been at NIHC for almost eight weeks and has hardly been able to 19 her room, so it was so much fun for her to be able to play with the snow.”

    Anna was glad that she could do something to make the children 20.

    I'd never been crazy about Christmas. My husband John and the kids had always done their best to infuse(使充满) me with the holiday 1 , but this Christmas their efforts would be especially 2 .

    My salary had reduced and John's government salary was 3, too. There wasn't much money to go around, and 4 were just impossible. John was 5 a brave face as usual. But for me our financial hardship brought back 6  memories of my childhood.

    “I got a Make and Bake set for Christmas!” one girl shouted. “I got clothes!” another girl said. “What did you get, Lori?” someone asked. “So many presents.” I lied. My parents gave me plenty of love, but love was the 7   thing I had. Mom and Dad always had trouble making ends meet. I'd long since 8  Christmas just wasn't for me.

    John was 9 the tree for just the right branch to 10 the red glass bulb with the “Merry Christmas” writing. It was a precious 11 of his childhood, and he took great pleasure in hanging it on our tree every year. A few days earlier, the tree 12 and several ornaments( 装 饰 物 ) broke, but this one was unique because of the memories it held for him. It was fine if I didn't have any Christmas spirit, but it was a different 13 for John. He took a step back to admire the replacement I'd finally found after endless searching on foot and surfing the Internet.

    I worked hard to make things right for John because I loved to see my Christmas-loving husband full of holiday joy. I 14 one of the tree lights so it shone directly on John's beloved ornament. The words on it sparkled(闪烁). After all this time, I finally understood its 15 . Christmas was the season to show my love for my family. How could anyone not like Christmas?

    As my husband, Doug, stood on the busy New York city street to stop a taxi, I tried to protect my daughter from the cold December wind and rain. I put my head down to kiss her 1 face.

    Frustrated and wet, my husband gave up his attempt to hail a taxi. I knew the feeling. Just after her first birthday, we were told our daughter Katie has a 2 brain illness. Since that moment, Doug and I felt like 3 in a marathon race where the finish line kept disappearing. We knew Katie was running out of 4. It had taken months before we finally had a name for the 5, but we were told only a few specialists in the world knew how to 6 it. Now, as we finally found a brilliant doctor to 7 our girl, we were in a strange city in the cold rain.

    Just at the moment, a middle-aged woman 8 and said, "Pardon me? May I offer you a(n) 9?"

    Before we could say 10, she continued, "It's really no 11 for me. Just get in."

    It was then that I noticed her thick Irish 12 which 13 me up like hot soup. We 14 said, "Thanks! Roosevelt Hospital, please," as we got in her car for the ride.

    "Are you going for the baby?" she asked us.

    I nodded my head, holding back my 15.

    At the hospital we 16 her a dozen times for the ride. As the woman hugged me, I noticed her face was 17 with tears. She promised to pray for us before she left.

    After three more visits to New York and two more 18 surgeries (手术), Katie is cured. But the voice of the Irish Angel still rang as a constant 19 of a tiny ray of light that appeared in our 20 days.

    In the summer before I entered middle school, I read the book They Cage the Animals at Night. It's a story about Jennings, a boy living in various orphanages (孤儿院) with only his stuffed animal (毛绒玩具), Doggie, for companionship. It's a fascinating book, but little did I know how it would 1 my life and the lives of others.

    One day, as I looked across my room at the pile of stuffed animals, a(n) 2 came to me. I would 3 stuffed animals for children like Jennings. 4, I contacted agencies that support those children and they said the stuffed animals would certainly 5 children's spirits.

    I named my project "Cuddle Buddies". I wrote articles for the local and school newspapers, 6 donations of the "buddies"—stuffed animals. My phone 7 ringing; schools, families, and toy factories all wanted to help. Much to my 8, by the second week my living room looked like a zoo. Whenever Mom and I 9 the "buddies" to the agencies, the kids would be waiting there with their eyes down, too 10 to look but shaking with excitement.

    Six years after its launch, Cuddle Buddies continues to 11. Now over 25, 000 stuffed animals have been 12 to agencies worldwide. Simon, a seven-year-old boy in an African Children's Home, couldn't sleep at night after he lost his parents. When asked to choose his "buddies", Simon 13 a panda and soon after was sleeping through the night. I never dreamed Cuddle Buddies would 14 this way.

    Upon graduation from high school, I designed a website, www. cuddlebuddies. net, to 15 the project. The response was 16. More and more people joined me and two dozen Cuddle Buddies 17 were established across the nation.

    This has been a great experience. I've learned how to follow through on an idea and how to18 impact a life. I will go to college with these 19 in mind and continue my work with Cuddle Buddies, even when I 20 a whole new set of exciting academic and nonacademic pursuits.