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.

    I became a gardener when I was twelve. My early 1 of gardening may not have originated from my love for nature. It was to 2 my parents.

    At that time, we had a big yard in which a beautiful maple tree stood. But my mother often looked with3at this work of natural art. Those golden leaves seemed like tons of rubbish to her, “something else to 4!” Seeing the neighbors busy with gardening, my father even thought it a waste of time.

    At that age, I always did something 5to whatever my parents did! If gardening were something they found 6.1 would plant a garden!

    I planted some lily(百合花）in the yard. But they failed to7. I continued to plant sunflower seeds and roses. Wild 8joy, I found the first rose bloom. One by one, the flowers bloomed their heads off.9, I was touched by this land of wonder.

    10, my parents showed no interest in my garden. My father even11at me because he found it was 12 to move around my garden to the driveway. To my mother's13 , I put in her vase my real roses which, in her eyes, were simply weeds14flowers.

    Regardless of their 15, I kept on planting my garden and16 to enjoy the pleasure of gardening. Plants make such good companions: they breathe, they bloom, they17to care and love.

    It has been many years since I made my first garden out of my desire to 18my parents. Today I become known as Mrs. Greenthumbs, teaching gardening and hosting a gardening show, which makes my parents feel very 19. And now I could say it is my affection for20 that makes me a real gardener.

    A young man was getting ready to graduate from college. For many months he had 1 a beautiful sports car in a dealer's showroom, and 2his father could well 3it, he told him that was all he wanted.

    On the morning of his graduation day his father called him into his own study and told him how 4he was to have such a fine son. He handed his son a beautiful gift box.5but slightly disappointed, the young man6 the box and found a lovely book. 7, he raised his voice at his father and said."8all your money you give me a book？"and rushed out of the house, 9the book in the study.

    He did not contact his father for a whole year10 one day he saw in the street an old man who looked like his father. He 11he had to go back home and see his father.

    When he arrived at his father's house, he was told that his father had been in hospital for a week. The moment he was about to 12the hospital, he saw on the desk the 13new book, just as he had left it one 14ago. He opened it and began to15the pages. Suddenly, a car key16from an envelope taped behind the book. It had a tag(标签)with the dealer's name, the 17dealer who had the sports car he had 18.On the tag was the 19of his graduation, and the 20 PAID IN FULL.

    Flying on a plane for the first time can be frightening. It can be extra 1 for children who have autism (自闭症). When Linda Diaz was 2 a vacation to Disney World four years ago, she wanted to make flying a 3 experience for her son, Andy, who has autism.

    She called Minneapolis-St Paul International Airport (MSP) to see what could be done. 4, the airport didn't have programs to help Andy. So Diaz 5 the family's flights and 6 drove 1, 500 miles to Orlando, Florida.

    Soon after that drive to Disney World, a program started at MSP. It is to help make flying 7 for kids like Andy. The program is called Navigating MSP. It holds 8 every month for anyone who has 9 about flying. The program is not 10 for people with autism. Airline workers help 11 get used to the airport and planes. It helps them to be less frightened of flying. When they 12 fly, they are not as worried.

    When Andy was 13 years old, his first 13 ride was planned. He went through a practice with his family. George Callow, an officer at the airport, helped the family through the safety checks. Callow said the visiting families got on a plane, 14 it was not going anywhere. It was just for them to 15.

    After the last family arrived, the pilot greeted the families over the speaker, "Welcome aboard our flight to 16." After greeting the pilot and flight attendants, passengers went to their 17. But Andy had other plans. Frightened by his new surroundings, he ran down the aisle (走廊) of the plane, 18 a way out. Volunteers suggested that Andy might be most 19 in the front row. They were 20. Once seated, Andy was quiet and kissed his mother on the face. He felt better about flying now.

    I was born and brought up in Texas and I am a graduate of the University of Texas. However, around my second \rear in law school. I wanted to make a great 1, which was almost unheard of for Texans: I wanted to leave!

    I2this after completing my first year internship(实习期). I knew I wanted something 3and my chance came. A snowstorm blanketed the entire city and thousands of people were4. I overheard that StubHub, a big company from San Francisco, was giving a 5next door to my hotel. I thought if I could get an internship, I could 6the summer and at least see what it was like. Yes, it was a huge leap(巨变). I told myself I was7.

    There was just one problem: I wasn't 8to the StubHub party. But you know I'm the type of person who goes for something she 9. Needless to say, I 10 the party and found my way to the president. I 11 introduced myself and then asked if they had a 12 internship program. Guess what? They 13my request to be an intern, even though no such program 14.

    Although the legal department didn't have a15position for me, the experience has16my life. Working for a great company in San Francisco, I'm incredibly 17for making my decision to leave Texas.

    By leaving Texas, I learned that it is so much more18to try the unfamiliar than to stay in the 19. Exploring the unfamiliar is how you'll understand what 20 your life. I say, dive in head first.

    Do birds have a favorite color? It's probably not a question you've ever 1 but a project designed to answer that question led to two British schoolboys 2 the Young Scientist Award of the year after presenting their 3 to a group of judges.

    The boys' 4 to find out whether birds have a(n) 5 for a particular color came purely from scientific curiosity. Both of them are very 6 about nature and the power of colors in things, 7 they worked as a perfect combination and 8 a citizen science project that didn't require fancy equipment.

    The boys 9 bird feeders in their back gardens. Each garden had five feeders, colored blue, green, red, yellow and transparent. They made sure to change the position of the feeders regularly, 10 it affected the results and then placed a 11 for an hour each morning, afternoon and evening across all four seasons to 12 birds visiting each feeder. They collected 13 covering a total period of 400 hours.

    When the experiment finished, they had recorded the birds' 14 to the gardens added up to 3,205, with over a third being to the 15 feeders. It was a conclusive win for blue. The pair believe that blue is 16 to birds because of its familiarity, while red and yellow are often 17 of poison in nature.

    Later, the boys considered 18 for their findings, such as using the less popular colors of red and yellow to 19 bird strikes on planes. There seems to be quite a strong connection between the 20 of planes and the number of bird strikes.