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.​

    A twenty-three-year Dutch student has enjoyed a short but unexpected holiday in Dubai. Mr Frank Vreede, a business student, had taken a part-time job at Schiphol Airport to help pay for his 1 ,He worked as a baggage handler.

    Last Friday night after a 2 day in the university library preparing for his final exams, Frank was  3  a plane at the airport. He was waiting for the next baggage truck to arrive and he felt tired. He decided to have a 4 rest ,so he sat down in the hold of the plane and shut his eyes-just for a moment.

     5 , while he was sleeping, the plane took off. An hour later, Frank  6  and was shocked to discover that the plane was in the air.  7  was a terrible noise from the engines, and he tried not to  8  It was dark, uncomfortable and very, very cold. Frank knew he could not  9 in the freezing temperatures. It was an impossible situation.

    He decided to make as much 10 as possible. He hit the ceiling of the baggage hold and shouted at the top of his voice.  11  a passenger heard the noise and called a flight attendant, who immediately informed the pilot.  12 the captain understood what was happening, he ordered hot air to be pumped into the hold.

    When the plane arrived at Dubai International Airport, an ambulance was waiting to take a very  13  and frightened Mr Vreede to hospital.  14  examined him, but he was unhurt and was allowed to leave after a few hours  15 spread quickly about this "stowaway". The managing Director of one of Dubai's top hotels offered him a free room for the weekend. " He must have wanted to come to Dubai very much if he was prepared to travel in the hold ! " 16  the MD.

    " 17 been so kind," said Mr Vreede. "I'm really enjoying my stay in Dubai and I'm getting a lot of rest, so I won't fall asleep on the job again. " He also  18  to his boss for sleeping at work  19  working, and promised it would not happen again. "Next time, I'II catch a  20 flight! " said Mr Vreede.

    One day after school I was just finishing up some math homework. My dad came back from work and sat right beside me1over my homework with me. We made corrections 2 After that we3and my dad said,＂ I will always4every moment spending time talking with you.＂

    I remember my Dad telling me his stories of when he was 5My dad didn't have a father6He was always moving from place to place with my 7My dad wasn't the easiest kid to 8He would 9with kids at school, which made my grandma worried. He'd act out to release the anger he had from not having his father present in his10and teenage years.

    At high school, things got a little 11 He made a football team, he did well and didn't get into as much 12as before. He also made many friends13those friends was my uncle. My Dad and Uncle were friends all throughout high school. It was through my uncle14my Mom and Dad met15Later, they got married. After I was born, my dad felt that becoming a 16was an honor and that he would not be17in my life.

    I suddenly looked up to see my Dad18at me. I could see in my Dad's eyes how he longed for a19 like this. I continued to do my math homework and20my Dad say,＂ I love you, always.＂

    Jenna, a popular girl from Westwood Middle School, had graduated first in her class and was ready for new1in high school.

    2, high school was different. In the first week, Jenna went to tryouts(选拔赛) for cheerleaders(拉拉队队员). She was competing against very talented girls, and she knew it would be3for her to be selected. Two hours later, the4read a list of the girls for a second tryout. Her heart5as the list ended without her name. Feeling6, she walked home carrying her schoolbag full of homework.

    Arriving home, she started with math. She had always been a good math student, but now she was7. She moved on to English and history, and was8to find that she didn't have any trouble with those subjects. Feeling better, she decided not to9math for the time being.

    The next day Jenna went to see Mrs. Biden about being on the school10Mrs. Biden wasn't as11as Jenna. “I'm sorry, but we have enough12for the newspaper already. Come back next year and we'll talk then.” Jenna smiled13and left. “Why is high school so14?” she sighed.

    Later in15class, Jenna devoted herself to figuring out the problems that had given her so much16. By the end of class, she understood how to get them right. As she gathered her books, Jenna decided she'd continue to try to17at her new school. She wasn't sure if she'd succeed, but she knew she had to18High school was just as her mom had said: “You will feel like a small fish in a big pond19a big fish in a small pond. The challenge is to become the20fish you can be.”

    It was March 15, 2012. My two brothers were out in the driveway shooting around when they suddenly screamed," The sky! The sky! It's green!" My dad 1 turned on the TV news. There was a tornado heading towards Dexter. I quickly ran up the stairs and seized my most 2 items that I felt I needed. My mom was piling clothing up in the basement to make a fort(堡垒)to 3 us. My dad was still up stairs watching the news. He usually never comes down when there's a bad 4. As my ears heard a loud "pop", I looked up to see my dad 5 full speed down into the basement swiftly 6 the door behind him to join us.

    I for a brief moment thought that I was going to 7. When the tornado was going by it sounded like a heavy train was tearing through our 8.

    Everything started to settle. My dad made his way back up the stairs to see what the damage was. The ceiling(天花板) had fallen down. Everywhere I 9all I could see was pure destruction. In that moment I felt 10, I had no idea what to do, and I didn't know what was happening or what the situation was. All I could think about was that my home was 11 going to be the same again.

    This was the event that caused my family to have a(n) 12 on how lucky we were to be alive and together. Although the tornado wasn't one that was that deadly we felt extremely 13 to be alive. This moment was a scary and life-changing situation, something that I never thought I would have to experience. It just made me think how I should be 14 for everything that I am able to have because you never know what 15 can throw at you, especially when you least expect it.

    Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you are going to get. Each of us fails from time to time. If we are wise, we accept these failures as a 1 part of the learning process. But all too often as parents and teachers we 2 this same right to our children. When I see a child 3 from this kind of pressure, I think of Donnie.

    Donnie was my youngest third-grader. His 4 of failure kept him from classroom games that other children enjoyed. He 5 answered questions ­ he was afraid he might be wrong. I tried my best to build his 6. But nothing changed until midterm, when Mary Anne, a student teacher, was assigned to our classroom. She was young and pretty, and she loved children. My pupils, Donnie included, all 7 her very much.

    One morning, we were working on math problems at the chalkboard. Donnie had 8 the problems with pains-taking tidiness. Pleased with his progress, I 9 the children with Mary Anne and went for art materials. When I returned, Donnie was in 10. He'd missed the third problem. My student teacher looked at me in despair.  Suddenly her face 11. From the desk we shared, she got a container filled with pencils. "Look, Donnie, " she said, kneeling beside him and gently 12 the tear-stained (弄脏的) face from his arms. "I've got something to 13 you." She removed the pencils, one at a time, and placed them on his desk. "See these 14, Donnie, " she continued. "They belong to Mrs. Lindstrom and me. See how the erasers are 15? That's because we make mistakes too. But we erase the mistakes and try again. That's what you 16 learn to do, too." She kissed him and stood up. "Here," she said, "I'll leave one of these pencils on 17 desk so you'll remember that everybody makes mistakes, 18 teachers." Donnie looked up with love in his eyes and a smile.

    The 19 became Donnie's prized possession. That, together with Mary Anne's frequent encouragement, gradually 20 him that it's all right to make mistakes ­ as long as you erase them and try again.