My 4-year-old son now enjoys posting letters. He has formed the 1 of drawing pictures, writing his name on them, and then  2 the artwork in an envelope. He then insists on 3 his handwork to the neighbors, and a mail box he 4 belongs to the elderly couple who live next door. To be 5, I didn't think much of it, but I had 6 to warn my neighbors of the drawings 7 appearing in their letterboxes—I just didn't have the 8 to do so, because I was a little busy recently.

    On Tuesday of last week, I was walking down to school to collect my son when I 9 Mary, my elderly neighbor, 10 at her mail box. She said, “Jodie, is it your little son that has been posting items in my letterbox to me?” I was at once 11, “Oh yes, Mary, it is. I'm sorry. I meant to tell you…” She cut me off, “Jodie, I just love his mail. I've 12 every item he has sent. You don't know how much 13 the letters has made my day. I just love them.” While I was walking down to school after our 14, many thoughts came to me. Mary doesn't have a lot to fill her days, 15 she was a mother to a number of children herself who receives fairly regular visitors. The small 16 of getting some mail—pictures drawn by the hand of a young child—has brought 17 to her days, just as my visit to my grandparents does.

    I have decided that my son should 18 this practice. He should also start sending some items to his grandparents in Perth as well. It will most 19 make their day.

    It's doing the little, simple things that can often make a big 20 in someone's life.

My First Part-time Job

    It's been a month since the summer vacation started. We had a long holiday1most of us planned to find a part-time job in order to kill the boring time. I've been2 to take a part-time job since I was in junior high school, more to get some valuable3 than money.

    Lots of my friends have had some work experiences and have a more 4life as a result. They always share their work experiences with me. In their work life, they met many 5 but those setbacks made them stronger and everything easier afterwards6 they would also try to do something on their own in their work. I felt somehow 7of myself because I depended on my parents for everything. For this 8I took a part-time job together with my friends. Our9was demanding（费时的）. Sometimes we felt disappointed, made many complaints, and10 thought about giving up. But we11doing it.

    While working, I met some really 12people. There was a warm-hearted old man, who was a security guard. He took good care of us, which made us feel 13 in another city. We were very grateful to him14 I got a bad headache and a high temperature when I was planning to go back. That was 15the hot weather and the hard work. When I was ill, my friends16 me, as if my mother was around. They made me feel deeply about the importance of 17.

    When I got the first salary of my life, I18 how difficult it is to make 19Now, my first work experience in life is over. I 20 lots of things. It's been meaningful.

    At the age of 60, my father was hit by a car when he walked to a nearby supermarket to buy vegetables. After 1 for two months in hospital, he finally woke up. His waking up 2all our family. 3, he didn't know any of us. Doctors said his brain was hurt so 4 that he had lost all his memory. And his mental age(心理年龄) was only five. We were sorry to hear about the bad news.

    Since I was his only child, it was my 5 to look after him. He forgot6 everything, but he did remember he liked sweets. I used the sweets as a way of 7 bad behaviors. I would gave him one sweet 8he didn't sit on the ground, a second for stopping painting on the wall, and another for not trying to put clothes on the dog.

Dad became the 9 child in town. He climbed up the tree to catch a bird and couldn't get down after it 10 away. He broke my window with a ball and 11 our telephone in water like washing clothes. When I told him he was doing 12 things, he would answer smilingly, "I like that!" My son, then aged five, and two eight-year-old daughters, welcomed their 13 playmate. He would happily make them real cigarettes, 14 his sweets with them, and carry them high in the apple tree to15 apples.

    It is eight years since the 16. Dad has accepted the fact that he is the 17 of his three playmates but not a brother. He has also accepted that they grow taller but his 18 stays the same. Though it is still 19 to take care of him, he brings us a lot of fun. In some way I think it is a(n) 20 thing to look after dad like looking after a child. How many people can have the chance to care for a child-like parent?

    When I was in middle school, I tried my best to be popular. However, one afternoon, I had a(n) 1 with my mother, which changed my mind eventually.

    We were sitting in the dining area of a local restaurant. I told her that I wanted to be 2. She asked me why I felt that way. 3, I had never stopped to think about why I felt the need to fit in. I 4 did.

    My mother told me a story. My grandmother made her several 5 sweater vests. Although those were hardly “in style”, my mother really 6 to wear them. What was surprising was that many other female students at my mother's school began 7 sweater vests after a few weeks. My mother had started a 8. What she wore became fashionable because the other students saw the 9 with which she dressed.

    At that time, the information was too much for a thirteen-year-old girl to 10. I didn't believe her. I thought my mother was 11. So I continued to wear the same clothes, seeking popularity as usual — I had not yet seen the 12 at the end of a dark tunnel (隧道)then. However, our conversation that day 13 over and over in my mind.

    I thought long and carefully, and then I 14 that my mother's words might have some 15. I began to check my wardrobe (衣柜) to find which items I'd bought because I truly like them. I also16 my actions, trying to determine how many of them I wore to 17 the crowd. Gradually, I found myself 18 less and less what people thought about me. I was greatly 19.

    The conversation I had with my mother was a 20 lesson for me. Sometimes swimming against the current can only make me stronger.

    Two brothers, Ruby and Harry lived in Spain. They 1 for years to buy their mom a very special Christmas present this year: a BWM 3 Series.

    “Showing 2 to our beautiful Mum who's worked so hard to 3 us everything in life,” Ruby, 30, told the media. “Compared to the 4 she has made for us over the years, this is nothing.” He said the 5 had been in the works for years.

    “My mother wanted a BMW ten years ago, which we never 6,” he said. “We said that one day we would get her one and we 7 a little each week knowing one day we would be able to get her 8 car.”

    Ruby and his brother Harry saved for about five years 9 they bought the car. Their mother appears 10, saying “no” over and over again as the two brothers 11 her to the garage to have a look at a silver BMW.

    “She was just very surprised and couldn't 12it,” he said. “We were sure she 13 loved it.”

    They gave her the car as an early Christmas gift, but also as a 14 to say thank you. It will 15 their mom's current one.

    “She 16us two brothers and worked two jobs for most of her life to 17 us in school and give us everything we 18,” Ruby said. “We watched her go from her 19 job on Friday, get changed and 20 the weekend at a restaurant.”

    He added, “Maternal love is the most selfless love under the sun and we just thought it would be nice to show how grateful we are for everything and remind ourselves that thankfulness is a virtue.”

    I boarded the airplane heading to Barcelona, frightened because in a matter of hours I'd be landing in a country populated by people who all spoke a language which was completely unknown to me. Not only that. I'd be 1 the next two weeks there.

    All the butterflies I had in my 2 immediately flew away because as I arrived at the warm, colorful campus 3 I'd be living for the next fourteen days. I felt like I'd found myself a second 4.Counselors and other staff members welcomed us at the gate, introducing themselves, and just being all round 5 .

    I made my 6 to my assigned room only to find a crying girl and two other girls 7 her down. Little 8 I know how many memories I'd make 9 these three girls, how close we'd become over the next 10 of weeks and how many times the camp director would have to come to our room at 3:00 a.m. and 11 not to send us shopping if we didn't go to bed 12 .

    In the mornings we took Spanish classes and a guy 13he learnt more Spanish over these two weeks than he did for the past year at 14.During the day, I formed life-long relationships with people from all 15 of the globe, and mostly visited the breathtaking Barcelonan beaches.

    Speaking of breakfast, the meals were restaurant—worthy, the 16were endless and people with special food needs were well 17.

    The staff always found some way or another to 18 us, whether it was having a surprise water party at ten p. m. or having an unannounced watermelon—eating contest, they always had 19 up their sleeves.

    By the end of camp, everyone was so sad that they had to leave, there were enough 20 to fill up an Olympic—sized pool.