I began to grow up that winter night. My mother said we might soon 1America. We were on the bus then and I was crying. I remember I could not bear the 2of never hearing again the radio program for school3 to which I listened every morning.

    I don't remember myself crying 4 this reason again. In fact, I think I cried very little when I was saying5to my friends and relatives. I just thought about all the places I was going to see—the strange and6places I had known only from books and pictures. The country I was leaving never to come back was7in my head then.

    The four years that followed 8me the importance of optimism, but the 9did not come to me at once. For the first two years in New York I was really 10 —having to study in three schools as a result of family moves. Mother remarried, and things became even more11for me. Some time 12before my stepfather and I got used to each other. I was often sad, seeing no end to “the13times.”

    My 14in the family increased a lot since I knew English better than everyone else at home. I wrote letters,15out forms, translated at interviews with Immigration officers, took my grandparents to the doctor and16there, and even discussed telephone bills with company representatives.

    From my experiences I have learned one important 17: almost all common troubles eventually 18away! Something good is certain to happen 19when you do not give up, and just wait a little! I believe that my life will turn out all right, 20 it will not be that easy.

    An 18-year-old student at Stanford University was struggling to pay his fees.Not knowing where to turn for money,he came up with a bright1.He and a friend decided to host a musical concert on campus to2money for their education.

    They 3out to the great pianist Ignacy J.Paderewski.His manager4a guaranteed fee of $2,000 for the piano recital（独奏会).A deal was5and the boys began to work to make the concert a6.

    The big day arrived. But 7,they had not managed to sell enough tickets.The total8was only $ 1,600. Disappointed,they went to Paderewski and explained their plight (困境).They gave him the entire $ 1,600,plus a9for the balance $400.They promised to honour the cheque at the10possible.Paderewski tore up the cheque,11the $ 1,600 and told the two boys to keep the money they needed for the fees.The boys were12,and thanked him heartedly.

    It was a small act of13.But it clearly marked out Paderewski14a great human being.15should he help two people he did not even know?We all16situations like these in our lives.And17of us only think “If I help them,what will happen to me?”The truly18people think, “If I don't help them,what will happen to them?” They don't do it19something in return.They do it20they feel it's the right thing to do.

    Goran Kropp was a Swedish adventurer and mountaineer. In 1972, at the age of six, with his father's help, he1 Galdhopiggen, the highest mountain in Northern Europe. twenty-three years later, he stood on the highest peak in the world, Qomolangma. His journey to the2shows just how independent, persistent (坚持的), and determined this 3 man is.

    4most people arrive at the foothills of Qomolangma by some sort of modern 5, Kropp bicycled 7,000 miles from his home in Sweden. Traveling by bike was not 6. He stopped many times to 7 his bike because rough roads caused mechanical problems for him. In addition, he was run after by dogs, stung by hornets(马蜂) and was caught in the rain several times before he 8 the base of the mountain.

    Kropp9 to climb Qomolangma the same way he traveled to the mountain: without the10of others and without modern conveniences. Unlike other 11 Kropp climbed the mountain without a guide or helper. He did not 12bottled oxygen to help him13 at high altitudes, and he carried all of his 14himself in a pack that weighed about 140 pounds.

    It took Kropp 15tries to reach the top of Qomolangma. The first time, he had to 16 only 350 feet from the top because the weather was too dangerous. Just a few days earlier, at that same level eight climbers had 17because of a sudden snowstorm in the mountain. He felt deep sorrow for them, but became more 18. The mountaineer waited out the storm, 19, and tried again a few days later. This time, he was 20. After he walked down the mountain, he got back on his bike and rode the 7,000 miles back to Sweden.

    Yesterday evening I was watching the evening news on television. The news was about a1for scientific discoveries. The announcer, whose name was Ralph Story,2something that caught my 3. "All great discoveries," he said, "are made by people between the age of twenty-five and thirty." Being a little over thirty myself, I wanted to 4with him. Nobody wants to think that he is past the age of making any 5. The next day I went to the public library, spending several hours looking up the 6 of famous people and their discoveries. Ralph was right.

    First I looked at some of the 7discoveries. One of the earliest, the famous experiment that8that bodies of different weight 9at the same speed, was made by Galileo(伽利略) when he was 26. Madam Curie(居里夫人) started her research that led to a Nobel Prize when she was 28. Einstein(爱因斯坦) was 26 when he10his world-changing theory of relativity. Well, 11of that. Yet I wondered if those "best years" were true in other 12.

    Then how about 13? Surely it needed the wisdom of age to make a good leader. Perhaps it 14, but look when these people 15their careers. Winston Churchill(丘吉尔) was elected to the House of Commons at the age of 26. Abraham Lincoln(林肯) 16the life of a country lawyer and was elected to the government at what age? Twenty-six.

    But why don't best years come after thirty? After thirty, I 17most people do not want to take risks or try new ways in their lives. Then I thought of those famous people18Shakespeare and Picasso. The former one was writing wonderful 19at the late age of fifty, 20the latter was still trying new ways of painting when he was ninety! Perhaps there is still hope for me.

    Lori was suspended (暂停)from school for having cigarettes in her locker. She told her dad, "I don't know how they got there! I was just putting them in my pocket to take them to the principal when a teacher 1 and sent me to the office." Dad had a hard time 2 that Lori didn't know how the cigarettes got into her locker, 3 only she had the key. He also found it hard to believe that she was putting them in her pocket to take them to the principal. He felt disappointed that Lori would 4 to him because they had always been such a close and loving 5. He was also worried that she was beginning to 6 her life by getting involved in smoking, drinking, and drugs.

    Dad felt like 7 and punishing and letting her know how disappointed he was.

    8 , he decided to look for the positive. It is never difficult to find, if you are willing to look for it. As he got into Lori's 9 he could understand that she was probably having a tough time deciding how to 10 with family values and still be part of the crowd. He also realized that the only reason Lori would lie to him would be because she loved him so much that she wouldn't want to disappoint him.

    With this 11 , Dad approached Lori. Instead of scolding and punishing, he kindly said, "Lori, I'll bet it is really difficult trying to 12 how to stick up for what you believe and yet not be called a 13 by your friends.

    Lori felt such 14 as she said, "Yes, it is."

    Dad went on, "And I'll bet that if you would ever lie to us, it would be because you love us so much that you wouldn't want to disappoint us." Lori got tears in her eyes and could only nod in 15. Dad added, "Lori, we would be disappointed if you did something that would 16 you. But if you don't know that you can always tell us anything, then we aren't doing a good enough job in letting you know how much we love you — 17Lori gave her dad a big 18 , and they just held each other for a while.

    They never did directly discuss the problem of smoking and lying. Over a year has gone by, and Lori seems to delight in letting her mom and dad know every time she 19 the temptation(诱惑)to do something contrary to her 20. She also feels proud that she is influencing her friends to stick up for their belief.

The college entrance examination is just around the corner. Homework and tests will keep many of you up late at night, and you may plan to make up for your lost sleep during the weekends. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} is it useful? A study published in the journal Current Biology completely has changed {#blank#}2{#/blank#} people used to think. It shows that the habit of sleeping in on weekends doesn't fix the damage done by a lack of sleep during the week. Even {#blank#}3{#/blank#} (bad), it may damage your health.