At a gathering, we were all telling stories of our most embarrassing moments. It came around to Frank.

    Frank began to tell us of his childhood. "I1in San Pedro. My Dad was a fisherman, and he loved the sea. He had his own boat, but it was2making a living on the sea. He worked hard and would stay out until he caught enough to3 the family."

    He looked at us and said, "I 4you could have met my Dad. He was a big man, and he was strong from pulling the nets and fighting the seas for the 5. When you got close to him, he6like the ocean. He would wear his old coat and his overalls. No matter how much my mother7them, they would still smell of the sea and of fish."

    Frank's voice dropped a bit. "When the weather was bad he would 8me to school. He had this old truck that was older than he was. 9he would drive toward the school, I would shrink down into the seat hoping to disappear. He would10 right in front of the school gate, and it seemed like everybody11 be standing around and watching. Then he would12over and give me a big kiss on the cheek and tell me to be a good boy. It was so13for me. I was twelve years old, and my Dad would lean over and kiss me goodbye!"

    He14and then went on, "I remember the day when I said 'No' "

    It was the first time I had ever talked to him that15, and he had this surprised look on his face. I said, "Dad, I'm too16for a goodbye kiss. "

    My Dad looked at me for the longest time, and his eyes started to tear up. I had never seen him17.

    He turned and looked out the windshield(挡风玻璃). "You're right, " he said. "You are a big boy....a man. I won't kiss you anymore. "

    Frank got a sad look on his face, and the tears began to18in his eyes, as he spoke. "It wasn't long after that when my Dad went to sea and never came back." Tears were running down Frank's cheeks. He spoke again. "Guys, you don't know what I would19to have my Dad give me just one more kiss on the cheek....to feel his rough old face....to smell the ocean on him....to feel his arm around my neck. I wish I had been a man then. If I had been a20, I would never have told my Dad I was too old for a goodbye kiss."

    As we slowly drove down the street on that cold December evening, we spotted the porch（门廊）light. “This 1be the house." I told our "Positive Teens In Action" group with certainty. We2in front of an older home with the porch light shining. We gathered up our 3 books, walked up the steps, and4on the door. We heard a 5 voice from inside say, "Come in. The door is open." We opened the door.

    There in a rocking chair 6 an elderly woman with a big 7 on her face. "I've been8you,"she said weakly. Ruth was one of our "Meals On Wheels" stops I had9. I had phoned her and told her about it. Going along with me were the10 church members who 11 singing carols（颁歌）.

    We 12 Ruth the basket of delicious food the teens had prepared earlier that evening. Then I asked Ruth what carols she would like to 13Ruth was smiling cheerfully when she 14 singing each song.

    15we hugged Ruth good-bye, she said to me with tears in her eyes, “The day you 16 I was still in bed. l had just finished17 .I asked God if it would be possible to have some Christmas carolers come to my home and18 this year. Thank you for being the 19to my Christmas prayer."

    Wow, what an awesome 20 to have the opportunity to make Ruth quite content!

    A lady wanted a birthday gift from her husband. For many months she had liked a beautiful1, and knowing her husband could 2 it, she told him that was all she wanted. On the morning of the 3, her husband told her how 4 he was to have such a good wife, and how much he loved her. He 5 her a beautiful gift package (纸盒). She opened it and 6 a Bible. 7, she raised her voice and said to her husband, “With all your money, you give me a Bible?” She was so 8 that she left him.

    Many years passed and the lady was very 9 in business. She owned two large companies. She 10 her husband was very old, and thought perhaps she should go to 11 him. But before she could, she 12 a letter telling her that he had died, and gave all of his possessions (财产) to her. She needed to come back and 13 things.

    When she arrived at his house, sadness 14 her heart. She saw the still new 15, just as she had left it years before. With 16, she opened it and began to turn the pages. A ring 17 from the Bible to the floor and a 18 could be seen. She picked it up and found it was the ring she wanted in those days. And on the card was the date of her birth, and the words “LUV U ALWAYS”.

    19 your gift is not packaged the way you want it, it's because it is better packaged the way it is! Always appreciate little things; they usually lead you to bigger things! The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched for they must be felt with the 20.

    I was holding her hand when the man in the white coat came in. 1 both sets of X-rays, he said seriously: Her lungs were filling up with fluid(液体). This meant that 2 I would need to consult with specialists, and stop whatever was 3 into my mother's lungs.

    4, this doctor seemed to have another plan. He began speaking to me about “the quality of life.” He gave me a list of my mother's 5 and then concluded that they added up to the 6 of her life. I had heard the phrase “We can make her 7” too many times. Now I was more 8 than hurt when doctors wanted to kill my mother.

    My mother couldn't walk, talk or swallow after her stroke, but nursing her was not 9. Whenever I asked her if her diseases were too hard on her, she just 10 her head. She was conveying to me her love and understanding beyond 11. And not just to me.

    A young nurse stopped me just before the doctor appeared: “You know, I 12 my new job to your mother: She 13 me to learn to drive, so I would be not 14 buses and I could get to the hospital to work.”

    So, I couldn't help questioning the doctor's 15 of quality of life. How did he arrive at the 16 that my mother should die? Was he making a(n) 17 calculation, that to keep a bedridden(卧床不起的) person alive was costly? He certainly did not “calculate” her endless love, the way it 18 everyone who came in contact with her. If human life is 19 to cost-benefit analyses, all forms of caring for any reason other than self-interest will be 20. Can we do better?

    That day the college entrance exam 1were out at 11: 00 a. m., but I didn't know that. A friend of mine said my 2 remained the same as those I got last year. So I went into deep depression. My hard work 3 and I cried a lot in the bathroom. 4I motivated myself and came to the classroom at 5: 30 p. m. without 5the afternoon activities.

    Just then the headmaster came to our 6 and asked who Snehal Tanwar was. Hearing this I 7slowly and said" It's me". He said that I'd gotten the high score of 665. For a while my mind got struck and I asked him to 8 ; so I told him my hall ticket(准考证) number and waited for the result 9. He checked it in front of me and congratulated me. No words to 10 my excitement and I hugged my friends who were sitting beside me. My11were rolling out and I could not be able to speak a 12word and couldn't control myself. 13 in the class stood up, shouted my name and 14me. I was feeling on top of the world.

    15I was not the person who got the highest score in our high school. It was my best friend who attained the top. He was sitting beside me and at the moment he cried and hugged me tightly16I got my tears out again. I 17very happy and couldn't express the feeling of that moment Just 18the situation, the moment when both tears and happiness 19. Success is achieved by us. It was the best time in my life and of course, the 20moment. I was so happy not only for myself but also for my best friend.

On a recent Wednesday, archaeologists announced a groundbreaking discovery that challenges our understanding of early human capabilities. They have unearthed what is believed to be the oldest wooden structure ever found, dating back nearly half a million years. This discovery at Kalambo Falls in northern Zambia, near the border with Tanzania, suggests that our ancestors were more technologically advanced than previously thought.

The wooden structure, which is exceptionally well-preserved, dates back at least 476,000 years. This timeline predates the emergence of Homo sapiens, as detailed in a study published in the journal Nature. The wood shows evidence of having been cut and shaped using stone tools, indicating a level of craftsmanship that was not previously attributed to these early humans.

The structure, which is thought to have functioned as a walkway or platform elevated above the seasonally wet ground, demonstrates a purposeful construction technique. A collection of wooden tools, including a wedge and a digging stick, were also found at the site, further supporting the idea of a developed woodworking tradition.

Larry Barham, an archaeologist at the University of Liverpool and the lead author of the study, described the structure as involving "the intentional shaping of two trees to create a framework of two interlocking supports." A notch was cut into one log, and another tree was shaped to fit through this notch, providing stability to the structure.

The use of wood by early humans was already known, but it was typically associated with basic tasks such as starting fires or hunting. However, the discovery at Kalambo Falls indicates a more sophisticated application of woodworking skills. Barham explained, "The structure involves the intentional shaping of two trees to create a framework of two interlocking supports," which required a level of planning and execution that suggests a higher cognitive ability.

The preservation of the wooden structure is remarkable, given that wood typically decays over time, leaving little trace for archaeologists to study. The high water levels at Kalambo Falls are believed to have played a crucial role in preserving the structure for centuries.

These findings from Kalambo Falls not only provide evidence of an early human ability to manipulate their environment but also suggest a more complex cognitive capacity among these early humans than what has been inferred from stone tools alone. Barham concluded, "The finds from Kalambo Falls indicate that these earlier humans, like Homo sapiens, had the capacity to alter their surroundings, creating a built environment." This discovery underscores the need to reassess our understanding of early human technological and cognitive development.