When you live in a seasonal environment, you can learn that both outdoor and indoor activities have their place. As the seasons1 so does your mood. Certain activities become more or less attractive2 the weather and the length of the day.

    Spring is a time of the year when the world starts to3 from its winter sleep. During this season, I enjoy going on long walks through parks and watching the world come4.

    Many consider summer to be the top of the year. The city comes into full swing5 the weather becomes warmer and warmer. During the summer, I prefer to spend the daytime anywhere that is air-conditioned. This 6include the library, a shopping center or a movie theater. I often enjoy spending the7evenings sitting on the wide balcony of my house and having drinks with my friends.

    Fall, with the8 of the leaves and the summer heat gradually 9is probably another 10 time to go on long walks during the day. I love to be 11during fall and see the life of the city returning to its hibernation (冬眠). Another12to go outside during autumn is to 13the last days of warmth until the next year.

    Winter14 the shortening of days and cooler weather. Outdoor activities tend to become less 15 and sinking down on the sofa with a good book becomes my16 activity. It is not enjoyable to spend time outside if it is too 17I only choose to go outside when I want to go skiing.

    So, my 18to spend time indoors or outdoors is vastly dependent on the19. Different seasons 20different activities and therefore it is Impossible to choose whether I would spend all of my spare time indoors or outdoors.

    Several years ago, our “Mommy and Me” time began. My next-door neighbor and fellow 1, Christie, and I were out in our front yards, watching seven children of about age 6 ride their 2up and down. “I wish I could take one of my children 3alone，”said Christie.

    Then we4a plan: When Christie takes one of her children out, I'll 5 her other three. And when she takes care of two of mine, I'll take 6out.

    The children were very quick to7the idea of “Mommy and Me” time，Christie's daughter, McKenzie, went first. When she returned, the other children showered her with tons of 8. McKenzie was smiling9. Christie looked refreshed and happy. “She's like a 10child when there's no one else around,” Christie shared wife me quickly. With her mother all to herself, McKenzie didn't have to make an effort to gain 11. Just as Christie had noticed changes in McKenzie, I also12something different in each of ray "children during our13times. For example, If am always 14when my daughter, who is15close to me, holds my hand frequently. My stuttering(口吃的）son, Tom, doesn't stutter once during our16since he doesn't have to struggle for a chance to speak. And the other son, Sam, who's always a 17when around other children) shines as a leader during our times together.

    “Mommy and Me”time18us to be simply alone and away with each child — talking, sharing, and laughing, which has been the biggest19. Every child20to be an only child at least once in a while.

    I had reached the age of twenty-eight. Still, I1 whether the letter from my past would make it to me, all these years later. It was a2 writing task from when I was eighteen. The teacher collected our letters to our3 selves in self-addressed envelope with stamps and promised to4 them ten years later. But since so much time had passed, would he even5 ?

    Thinking back on the6 , I recalled giving my future self some advice. When you're eighteen Years old, twenty-eight seems like a7  age, but I wasn't feeling as mature as I believed my younger self had8 me to be.

    When the letter finally reached me, I opened it9 . It began, "How much do you bet this letter will never get to you? "It continued to greet me casually10 we were having an IM (instant messaging) chat. As a senior in high school, facing the11 SATS and college application, my eighteen-year-old self was so12 ! She was apparently not quite happy and hoped I wouldn't worry so much in the future, and that I wouldn't forget to be present and13 my life!

    14 to my belief, my eighteen-year-old self did not have any demands of me, or expectations I might have15 meet. Instead, she wrote, "I'll16 whatever you do. Even if you are not the one I'm imagining now, I'll support you, because maybe17 I'm imagining is someone else, but you're not someone else, you're me.

    I was18 , and tears welled up in my eyes at this19 through time. I had put a lot of pressure on myself to be the best version of myself that I could be.20 , I came to realize what I would have accomplished in ten years would pale in comparison(相形见细)to how I'd feel and who I'd be.

    Last July, Angela Peters rolled her wheelchair into a nail salon (美容院) at the Walmart shopping center with the idea of 1 her nails. But Peters, who has cerebral palsy(脑瘫), was 2 because the salon was afraid it would be too difficult to properly paint her nails, given that her 3 shook. What was meant to be a day of beauty 4 for Peters was now a disappointment.

    5 nearby was Ebony Harris, a Walmart cashier about to go on her 6 . Harris recognized Peters as a Walmart 7. "She's just like you, me and anybody else." Harris told ABC News, "She wants to look 8. So why can't she?"

    Harris approached Peters. "Do you want me to do your nails?" she asked. A smile 9 across Peters's face. "Yeah!"

    Harris 10 Peters into the beauty section, where they shopped for nail polish. They 11 on a bright blue—a color that would 12 every eye. They then made their way into a(n)13 McDonald's, found a table for two, and set up shop. Harris 14 took Peters's hand into hers and carefully began painting her nails.

    Watching it all with 15 was McDonald's employee Tasia Smith. What 16 her most was the ease and gentleness displayed by Harris, all the while 17 as if they were old friends. Smith was so taken by the 18 that she wrote about it on Facebook: She was so 19 with her. Thanks to the Walmart worker for making this beautiful girl's 20 ! And Peters wrote, "When people do us wrong, we should learn to forgive!"

I went to a group activity, "Sensitivity Sunday", which was to make us more1the problems faced by disabled people. We were asked to "2 a disability" for several hours one Sunday. Some members, 3, chose to use wheelchairs. Others wore sound­blocking earplugs (耳塞) or blindfolds (眼罩).

Just sitting in the wheelchair was a4experience. I had never considered before how5it would be to use one. As soon as I sat down, my6 made the chair begin to roll. Its wheels were not7. Then I wondered where to put my   8. It took me quite a while to get the metal footrest into9. I took my first uneasy look at what was to be my only means of 10for several hours. For disabled people, "adopting a wheelchair" is not a temporary (临时的)    11.

I tried to find a12position and thought it might be restful, 13 kind of nice, to be14 around for a while. Looking around, I15 I would have to handle the thing myself! My hands started to ache as I16the heavy metal wheels. I came to know that controlling the17 of the wheelchair was not going to be a (n)18task.

My wheelchair experiment was soon 19. It made a deep impression on me. A few hours of "disability" gave me only a taste of the20, both physical and mental, that disabled people must overcome.

It was a rainy windy October afternoon. Garth stood outside his house with a wide smile. This was 1 weather for testing his new invention—Umbrella Hat. He could hardly wait to see whether it could keep the rain off. He carefully 2 the hat on his head and started walking 3 along the street. It worked!

Suddenly, three boys in his neighborhood appeared and 4 him. Todd, the biggest one, pulled his Umbrella Hat off his head.

"What's THIS?" he asked.

"It's an Umbrella Hat. You can wear it on rainy days and…" Garth said.

The boys 5 , "Will anyone wear that stupid thing?" Todd threw the hat onto the ground and they ran off.

Garth picked up his Umbrella Hat from the ground in tears. "Maybe Todd was 6 …in reality, who would ever need his invention?" He lowered his head and thought to himself.

Suddenly he 7 and saw a lady looking at him. "I was just leaving my house 8 I saw you and those boys. Are you okay?"

Then she saw the 9 Umbrella Hat and asked, "Er… what's that?"

"It's my Umbrella Hat. I thought of it and made it myself…" answered Garth.

"What a creative 10 you have! Don't ever let stupid boys put you down! Keep inventing and one day you will 11 something really great!" said the lady.

"And you have given me a wonderful 12 ," she continued, "I have a gadget (小器具) shop—Gadgets4U—and I'd like to hold a 13 to find the best young gadget inventor in our town. I will display (展示) three best inventions in my shop. I'm sure you will have a(n) 14 of winning a prize."

Garth was very 15 . Gadgets4U was one of his favorite places and the thought of having his invention displayed in that wonderful place was too exciting for words. He suddenly felt much better and could already feel lots of new ideas coming out, waiting to spring into life!