My wife and I were walking through the parking lot at the supermarket the other day. We noticed a huge truck 1 about a foot into the next parking space. There was plenty of room in its own space, 2 the driver had chosen to park very poorly and made sure that 3 could use the space next to his.

    My first 4 was “Why do people act like such idiots (白痴)?”

    “What a 5 that people have to do things like that.” My wife said.

    I stopped and looked around at the rest of the parking lot. There were a good five hundred 6 and 99% of them were parked well. Their drivers had shown the 7 necessary to park in a way that still 8 other people to park.

    “Think about it,” I said. “Only one 9 parks poorly and we start using ‘people' to describe the driver.” The 10 of the matter is that we forget about the thousands of people who behave themselves when we see one person doing something 11.

    I've been 12 for many years, and the percentage of good drivers is always 13 than the percentage of poor drivers. “People” don't necessarily drive poorly, but individuals do.

    My wife and I almost didn't 14 the many cars that were parked well because the car that was parked poorly caught our 15. It is true that we're far less 16 to see the positive side of things if we keep 17 on the negative. Once we fall into this trap, how many of the wonderful things in the world will we 18?

    Our lives are ours to live, and the 19 we see our world is up to us. Remember: the rude person truly is a(n) 20, and not really worth the time or effort we spend thinking about him or her.

    I had just arrived in this Asian country for a one-year teaching position. One day, I took the subway to visit some ancient palaces and temples in the downtown. The following account of what happened to me has taught me much about culture 1.

    Since all the 2 were taken, I stood. Suddenly, I felt someone pulling on my bag. 3 I probably was in someone's way, I moved over slightly. But in one quick motion(动作), I felt my bag removed from my back, and in a flash it was 4. I turned around to see who the thief was. I looked at the people standing behind me, but didn't see my bag or any 5. My heart sank and I began to 6.

    I glanced around the car only to find directly across from me was an elderly lady, and sitting on her lap was my 7. I tried to get it back from her lap. But as I began to 8 it up, she quickly grabbed(抓住) it back and held onto it. I looked around at the people standing beside me, and those sitting beside her, but no one took any 9 of the situation. Trying not to cause a(an) 10, I tried to negotiate through gestures. I used my hands as best as I could, but she 11 my requests for my bag and pointed to my back. She picked up my bag, showing how 12 it was. I finally began to understand. She was holding my bag to13 me.

    At the next stop, a middle-aged woman got on the crowded subway. Another elderly woman sitting down took her bag, 14 it on her lap. They didn't talk; 15 this older woman was more than pleased to sit with this stranger's bag on her lap throughout her journey.

    As the subway pulled into the main downtown station and I was getting ready to get off, the woman 16 handed me back my bag. But 17 I had a chance to thank her, she had disappeared into the crowd.

    Sadly, this considerate custom was more 18 to me than if I had been robbed. Everyone back home had heard of being robbed—that was 19 city behavior—but having a stranger hold onto someone's bag out of 20, in a city of twelve million people—that was truly unusual.

    I moved to a new neighborhood two months ago. In the house with a large 1across the road lived a taxi driver, a single parent with two school-aged children. At the end of the day, he would 2 his taxi on the road. I 3 why he did not park it in the garage.

    Then one day I learned that he had another car in his garage. In the afternoon he would come home 4 work, leave his taxi and go out for his5 affairs in his other car, not in his taxi. I felt it was a 6.

    I was curious to see his personal car but did not make it until I 7 to be outside one evening two weeks 8, when the garage door was 9 and he drove out his “own” car: a Rolls-Royce（劳斯莱斯）! It shook me completely 10 I realized what that meant. You see, he was a taxi driver. But 11 inside, he saw himself as something else: a Rolls-Royce owner and a(n) 12. He drove others in his taxi but himself and his children in his Rolls-Royce. The world looked at his taxi and 13 him a taxi driver. But for him, a taxi was just something he drove for a living, Rolls-Royce was something he drove for a(n) 14.

    We go to bed every night and 15every morning as parents or children, not as bankers, CEOs or professors. We go for a 16 as close friends or go for a vacation as a 17. We love life as it is. Yet often, we base our entire happiness and success on how much bigger and better a 18 we have. And we ignore our Rolls-Royce, by 19it dusty in our garage. We should focus more on 20 we are than what we do!

    Last weekend, I had some extra time before going through security to catch my flight at the airport. While wondering what to do, I decided it was the1time and place to look for an act of 2 to do!

    One of the magazine stands outside the security check area had flowers3. I told the clerk that I'd like to buy flowers for someone else, and she could4who to give them to. She looked a little5, so I explained perhaps she could hand the smile cards with the flowers to someone who seemed to need some to6 .

    At first, the clerk7, “That's8. I can't tell which customer needs encouragement.” But then, I explained a little more about9cards and the concept of doing something kind for a complete stranger, and she10up.

    “I'll never know how it11out,” I said, “but you will have the 12 to make someone's day.” At that point, she started to seem genuinely excited about it.

    She went to take the 13 out of the water. Then I explained, “It's fine to __14them there until the person you want to give them to 15 .”

    At that point, I thought she was somewhere between surprise and delight, __16 it was clear this was not a(n) 17 she had ever gotten from a customer before.

I 18 the flowers, said goodbye, and headed for the 19 line.

    I'll never know how it turned out, but I was in good 20 for the rest of the morning.

Finding Home

    "I hate New Orleans! I wanna go home!" I 1 to my mother as we moved boxes. 2 , going home was not easy because my home was 1, 100 miles away.

    I was born and 3 in northern Virginia. Virginia was my home, and I never expected that to 4. In 2014, my family experienced a tragedy (悲剧), so my parents decided to move to my mom's hometown of New Orleans.

    Only three months after my parents made the 5 to move, I found myself moving boxes into our new house. My announcement to my mother that I 6 the new environment was partly motivated by how hot it was, but it was mostly due to the fact that I felt like my entire life had been turned upside down. 1,100 miles away from everyone and everything I had ever known, I was 7. To make matters worse, I was starting high school in two weeks Beginning high school is a scary 8 on its own.

    I spent my first few months in New Orleans, 9 wanting to go home to Virginia. But after a few months of missing home, I 10 that I had a choice. I could continue thinking about how much I missed my old home, 11 I could start trying to build a new home right here. I chose the latter.

    As soon as I stopped giving all my 12 to how much I missed Virginia, I was able to begin accepting the love that people were already giving me. I joined some clubs at school, which gave me the chance to make friends. My neighbor taught me how to cook some New Orleans food, and I found a wonderful 13 of fellow cooks and neighbors. Overall, I seized every possible opportunity to 14 myself and to rebuild my life.

    Because of my resilience (复原力) in creating a new home for myself and the 15 that people have shown to me, home is right here.

    I was a shy girl and I was afraid to talk to people I didn't know. I enjoyed the1 of exploring nature. 2, at school I had to spend all day in the company of others. My3was reading. I spent a lot of time studying and was 4  good grades. My only failure was Spanish — I'd get all As on my written work and tests, but Ds and Fs on the5 part.

    Eventually I went to college. During my third year of college, I had6of being shy and determined to change my outlook and behavior. One day while at school, I noticed an advertisement for7on the local classical music radio station. I had8listening to classical music, and I could easily pronounce names such as Tchaikovsky and Chopin.

    I had no background in radio, and absolutely no hope of getting the job. The idea of9thousands of listeners in "radio land" terrified me. However, I10survived the interview. I was given brief descriptions of symphonies（交响乐）and a public service announcement to read, and a list of composers' names11 . It wasn't hard for me. I left the recording session（录音场次）with a sense of relief and a sense of12. About two weeks later I actually landed the job. It was a13 job, but I grew to14 it greatly. I began to feel comfortable talking to people.

    Although I now spend many hours each week talking with people, I'm15basically a quiet person. Perhaps it is my soft voice and my16nature that helps draw people out when they respond to my questions when I17 them. My former shyness is a18, as I can relate to people who feel discomfortable when they talk to reporters. I still enjoy moments of loneliness and the19found in nature. But I'm also glad I decided to make a20in my life that has opened many doors and opportunities that I never knew existed.