There was a woman in Detroit, who has two sons. She was worried 1 them, especially the younger one, Ben, 2 he was not doing well in school. Boys in his class 3 fun of him because he seemed so 4.

    The mother 5 that she would, herself, have to get her sons to do better in school. She 6 them to go to the Detroit Public Library to read a 7 a week and do a report about it for her.

    One day, in Ben's  8, the teacher held up a rock and asked if anyone knew it. Ben 9 up his hand and the teacher let him 10. “Why did Ben raise his hand?” They wondered. He 11 said anything; what could he possibly want to say?

    Well, Ben not only 12 the rock; he said a lot about it. He named other rocks in its group and even knew 13 the teacher had found it. The teacher and the students were 14. Ben had learned all this from doing one of his book 15.

    Ben later went on to the 16 of his class. When he finished high school, he went to Yale University 17 at last became one of the best doctors in the United States.

    After Ben had grown up, he 18 something about his mother that he did not know as a 19.

    She, herself, had never learned how to  20.

    When Julio Diaz stepped off the subway platform after work one night, he was simply planning to walk over to his 1 local diner for a meal. But when a teenager boy 2 him with a knife, Diaz knew the evening was about to take a more 3 turn.

    The young man 4 Diaz's wallet, and Diaz passed it over without 5. But just as the robber turned to walk away, Diaz called after him: “Hey, wait a minute. You forgot something.”

    The robber turned around, 6.

    “If you're going to be 7 people for the rest of the night, you might as well take my coat to keep you 8.”

    The teenager looked at Diaz in 9, and asked why he would do such a thing. Diaz 10, “If you're willing to risk your 11 for a few dollars, then I guess you must really need the money.” He told the young man that he'd just been heading out for dinner, and that he would be happy for some 12.

    The young robber decided to take Diaz up on his13, and they headed into Diaz's favorite local haunt (常去的地方) together. As they were sitting at the table, the manager, the dishwashers, and the 14 all said hello to Diaz, and the young man was 15 at his popularity. “You're even nice to the dishwashers!” he exclaimed.

    “Haven't you been taught that you should be nice to everybody?” Diaz asked him.

    “Yes, but I didn't think people actually 16 that way,” the teenager replied. Thanks to Diaz, he was beginning to see that 17 wasn't such a strange phenomenon.

    When the bill came, Diaz told the teenager that he'd have to pay for the meal. After all, he still had Diaz's 18.

    But the teenager slid the wallet back across the table without a moment's thought, and Diaz 19 him to dinner. Diaz also gave the would-be robber a $20 bill to take with him—in 20 for the young man's knife.

    “I figure, you know, if you treat people right, you can only hope that they treat you right.” Diaz said.

    I'm a seventeen-year-old, counting down the days till graduation, just like every other senior in the world. I've1a lot in my short seventeen years of life, but I have also made mistakes. I'm not2. I'm on the path of self-discovery, which as I've come to realize is not3.

    After many years, I still4remember the last time I had to5. At that moment, starting a new6wasn't really that big of a deal. I spent the next four and a half years in Mountain Home. I made four7friends anyone could ever ask for. When I had to8them, I was depressed.

    I soon9that starting a new high school was different from being the “10girl” in elementary or even middle school. It wasn't as easy to gain the “approval(认可)” of my11now as it had been back then. Back in elementary or middle school,12I was a freshman, I had my friends and people I knew. I could very easily13well over ninety percent of my class.14, at this new school, I15no one.

    I've been told over and over by my mom that I'll16have to enter the “real” world and that the17I have over all of these things will soon disappear. What adults18to realize is that every day in a teenager's life is a battle. We're no longer children, but not quite adults. We struggle to19who we are.

    Although I still have about a year and a half left, I honestly believe that being a teenager has been the hardest20in my life, something I'm sure I'll carry with me for the rest of my existence.

    My first job was at a local restaurant, where I worked for seven years and learned so many lessons, especially from a fellow1.

    Helen was in her 30s and had extraordinary self-confidence, something I was really 2. I looked up to Helen 3 she was doing what she loved— 4people better. She always made everyone, customers and co-workers,5and feel good.

    Being a waitress changed my life. One of my6customers was Fred Hasbrook. He always ate an omelet(炒蛋), and when I saw him7, I tried to have it on his table as soon as he sat down.

    Thanks to the newfound confidence I 8from Helen, I dreamed of having my own9. But when I called my parents to ask for a loan(贷款), they said, "We just don't have the money."

    The next day, Fred saw me and asked, "What's 10? You're not smiling today." I 11my dream with him and said, "Fred, I know I can do more if somebody12just have faith in me."

    Before long he handed me checks13$50,000—along with a note that I have to this day. It reads, "The only collateral(抵押品)on this loan is my trust in your14as a person. Good people with a dream should have 15to make that dream come true."

    I took the checks to Merrill Lynch, where the money was provided for me. I16working at the restaurant, making17 for the restaurant I would open. My plans soured, though, and I lost the 18.

    Later I decided to apply for a job at Merill Lynch. Even though I had no experience, I was 19and ended up becoming a pretty good agent. 20. I paid back Fred the $50,000, plus 14-percent annual interest. Five years later, I was able to open my own firm.

Lily loved school. However, there was one class Lily worried about more than any other—art. She didn't know why she just wasn't any good at drawing, painting, or cutting.

Ms. Clay, the art teacher, stood at the front of the room. "Class, next Friday our school is going to have an art competition," she announced. Ms. Clay was a great teacher, and Lily liked her a lot. But this announcement made Lily nervous. "Everyone in the school will create a piece of artwork to show in the library. You can use the different types of artwork we have been studying." Ms. Clay was quite excited when she spoke while Lily found herself sinking lower in her chair.

Lily had the whole weekend to work on her project, but she could not think of anything to do. On Monday, Lily felt frightened, so after school Lily asked Ms. Clay if she could write an art paper instead of doing an art project.

"I understand this project scared you, Lily," Ms. Clay said. "Just remember, you can create any kind of art you want." Ms. Clay smiled at her. "Art is a person's way of expressing his or her feelings—it isn't always painting, drawing, or cutting. I know you will think of something very creative, and I can't wait to see it."

When Lily arrived home, she took out a piece of paper and a pencil. She remembered Ms. Clay's words. "Art is a person's way of expressing his or her feelings." Lily wrote the word "terrified" on her paper. She crumpled (揉皱) the paper and threw it to the side of her desk.

Then Lily stared at the crumpled ball. Suddenly an idea struck her.

Paragraph 1：

Why not create something out of crumpled paper?

Paragraph 2：

On Friday, Lily carefully carried her project into the library.

I remember that it was a fall morning when the orchestra (管弦乐队) teachers came into Miss Newell's third-grade classroom. "You have hands for the viola(中提琴)," Miss Ciano told me. I was excited because my hands were finally good for something. I told my parents I wanted to play, and naturally, they agreed.

Since I first touched the viola, I haven't been able to put it down. Ignoring the difficulty, I am pulled closer to it each day.

Classical music is truly my best friend. It is the trusted friend of every man, woman and child. Various feelings are expressed in classical music. I discovered that when I was eleven and played a cello concerto (大提琴协奏曲) of Bach in a competition, the first movement was joyful, but the second movement was mysterious and full of pain. From the piece, I learned that music expresses not only feelings, but also sudden mood changes. By listening to classical music, I know that someone else shares these feelings. Since I am lucky enough to be able to play classical music, I am comforted by it when I am upset. It gives me a way to escape from my problems for a short period. Classical music can express my joy, sadness and anger.

Now look back at that fall day in the third grade and think how gullible I was for believing that anyone, even music teachers, could tell whether hands were perfect for a certain instrument. I'm certain they told me I had " viola hands" not because they were fortune-tellers(算命师), but because there was a lack of violists in our district. Classical music is one of the best things that ever happened to mankind. If you get introduced to it in the right way, it will become your friend for life.