The day finally came，when I had to leave the warm home where I'd grown up.I ran to the back yard，as tears came up from my heart.Suddenly I1a hand rest on my shoulder.I looked up to2mygrandfather.“It isn't3 ， isit，Billy？”he said softly.

    Gently4myhand in his，we walked，hand in hand，tothe front yard，5a hugered rose­bush sat alone.

    “What do you see here，Billy？” he asked.I looked at the flowers，not knowing6to say，and then answered，“I see something soft and7 ， grandpa.”

    He pulled me8.“It isn't just the roses that are beautiful，Billy.It's that special place in your heart that makes them so.”“Billy，I9these roses when my first son was born.It was my10of saying 'thank you' to God.I11to watch him pick roses for his mother. Then, as a young man of only 20，a terrible war robbed him of his life.” Grandpa slowly stood up.“Never say good­bye，Billy. Never12to the sadness and the loneliness.Instead，I want you to remember the joy and the13when you first said hello to a friend.”

    A year later，my grandpa became very14.Then all members of the family were15back，and I returned to the old house. When it came to my16 ， I took his hand as17as  he had once taken mine.

    “Hello，grandpa，”I18.His eyes slowly opened and said，“Hello，my friend.” With a brief19he died. Suddenly，and truly.I knew what he had20about never saying good­bye—about refusing to give in to sadness.​

    One day, a lady bought some bath soaps from a shop. When she opened one of the packets, she found that it had no soap; it was just an empty wrapper! She made a 1 against the factory and got her money back with a successful claim. That being 2, there was a task before the management of the soap factory. How had this happened? How could they3 that the incident would not occur again?

    After a detailed 4, it was discovered that during the 5 of wrapping, it so6 that one or two wrappers did get through without any soap in them! There was no way to 7 the difference between a full wrapper and an empty one. The process of handling each one separately for this purpose seemed to be very difficult. So, the technical 8 was given the job of finding a method to 9 the problem. The man prepared a detailed report and suggested setting up a computer-based system that would weigh and scan each bar, for the empty packs could not be 10 by a normal x-ray machine.

    The management heard him out and passed the 11 to release some money to buy the new machinery that he had asked for . An 12 worker said, “Excuse me, Sir, 13 my rudeness, but I have a 14 that will cost a tiny amount of what you are planning to spend.”

    The management 15 in the beginning. But 16, they heard him out and agreed to try out his suggestion. The next day, the worker brought a strong industrial fan. He put it at an angle near the 17 belt, on which the packed soap bars were coming through, and 18it on. The few empty wrappers that came through got 19 by the fan! A simple solution for a 20 problem!

    This proves that the educated do not have a patent on good ideas.

    When my sister Diane began playing the violin, she was seven. How did she sound? Terrible. But she didn't 1. At twelve, she asked our parents if she could 2 a full-time music school. They said no. Actually, everyone agreed that my sister 3 talent.

    I was better at my 4. My teacher had told my parents that I had great 5. So my parents found the best piano teacher in the area to 6 me. But the only time he was 7was Saturday afternoons at 3 P. m. Back then, I was 8 about the British TV show “The Avengers”, which was 9 every Saturday at 3 P. p. m. I let nothing take up my “Avengers” hour . So I 10 this amazing opportunity. Today, I don't even have a 11 in my house.

    My sister became an engineer, but she 12stopped making music. When she was in her 40s, she switched （转换）13. She went back to college, got a 14 in music education, and became a music teacher. She starts kids out on their first instrument and gives them all the encouragement and support she never 15.

Recently, she and a pianist pal put on a recital（音乐独奏会）. A big crowd of friends and family 16 for her. As she played, I looked around at the 17. Everyone was 18enjoying the music. It occurred to me that I was the only person who remembered that 7-year-old kid making those perfectly 19 sounds and knew how far she had come, despite 20.

    Talent is important. But enthusiasm is even more important.

"Whoa! What are you doing? " I asked. I had just walked into my daughter's room as she was1a science project. Normally, I would have been pleased at such a(n)2But this time, her project involved much sand.3she'd put some plastic under her work area, it wasn't nearly enough. The sand was4 all over our newly renovated(整修的) floor.

My daughter immediately felt my displeasure and began to5herself. "I used plastic!" she responded angrily. I responded more6, "But the sand is getting all over!"

"Where else am I supposed to do it?" she7.

    Why won't she admit when she has done something8? I felt my9, thinking of the future: what would her life look like if she couldn't admit her mistakes?

    My fear translated into more anger, this time about how10it was for her to admit mistakes. We had a11  She said something that I felt disrespectful to me and I12my voice. Both of us ended up 13terrible. I wished this  14happened before.

    So I thought that I needed a good15to respond to my daughter. For this, I went to my wife, Eleanor, who was truly a master. I asked her how I should have 16it.

"Sweetie," she said, role-playing me in the17with my daughter, "There's a lot of sand here and we need to18it up before it destroys the floor, how can I help?

    That's really a great way to deal with it: first19the problem, next state what needs to happen and then offer to20 . It's simple, right? However, it's really helpful in solving some problems in life.

    My most rewarding experience throughout the past two years was volunteering at the swimming competition for Special Olympics where a disabled friend of my community took part. This had special 1for me because experiencing it helped improve my leadership skills, my character, and support my community.

    First, my leadership skills developed when I 2directed each swimmer where to line up at the platform and 3each player when they needed to swim. I had to make sure that the swimmers were 4and ready to perform. This kept me on my feet at all times and5of each event's time and location. I learned each swimmer's name, since many of them swam in more than one 6.

    Secondly, my7was greatly improved when I saw the swimmers get their awards for winning each swimming event, I was8that most swimmers could swim better than I. It astonished me by their 9attitudes, whether they won or lost. This also expanded my horizons, offering me the opportunity to10people I would normally not come across. I went out of my11zone and did whatever was needed to be done. It was especially 12when I saw the cheerful faces of the players.

    Lastly, I was of 13to my community by lending a hand to this organization in need of 14. To be a15of it gave me a chance to improve my community and become16with the people living in this area.

    As Winston Churchill once said, “We make a living by what we do, but we make a lite by what we give. ”The17should be done throughout your life.18through the many opportunities my community has offered I was privileged to be 19in this exciting and important event in these players' lives. I hope to be a(n)20at this event in years to come.

    Once there was an old farmer, with a horse which was almost as old as himself. He 1 one morning with his young son 2 the horse before it died. Father and son walked, 3 the farmer did not want the horse to be 4.

    They met two men on the road 5 said:"Why are you walking, farmer? You have a horse. It's 6 to market."The farmer knew that this was 7, so he rode on the horse, 8 his son walked.

    Then they met two old ladies. " 9 are you doing up there, farmer? Can't you 10 how tired your boy is?"11 the farmer got down, and his son rode 12 .

    13 , three old men stopped them. One said:"Why are you walking, farmer? 14 . It's too hot for an old man like you to walk today."So the farmer got up 15 his son, and they 16 . 17, a young woman passed them."Why aren't you walking?"she asked. "It isn't 18 to market. Give your poor old horse a rest." So the farmer, and his son, got down 19.

    It is a fact that you cannot please（使喜欢；使满意）20the people all the time.