When I was eight, I wrote my first poem. My mother read and cried, “Buddy, you didn't really write this beautiful poem!” Shyly, but1, I said yes. She poured out her 2.“It was nothing short of talent!”“What time will Father be home?” I asked. I could 3 wait to show my work to him. I spent quite some time 4 for his arrival. I wrote the poem out in my finest flourish(花体字), drew a fancy border around it and 5 I placed it right on my father's plate on the dining table. My father had begun his motion-picture career as a writer. I was sure he would be able to 6 my poem.

    At almost 7 o'clock my father burst in. He seemed 7. He circled the dining-room table, complaining about his employees. 8 he paused and glared at his plate. “What is this?” He's reaching for my poem. “Ben, Buddy has written his first poem!” my mother began. “And it's beautiful, absolutely amaze...” “If you don't mind, I'd like to decide for myself.” Father said. I 9 my head as he read that poem. It was only ten lines. But it seemed to take hours. Then I heard him dropping the poem back on the table. Now came the moment of 10. “I think it's terrible,” he said. I couldn't look up. My eyes were getting 11.

    “Ben, these are the first lines of poetry he's ever written,” my mother was saying. “He needs encouragement.” “I don't know why.” My father held his ground. “Isn't there enough 12 poetry in the world already?” I couldn't 13it another second. I ran from the dining room crying. Up in my room I 14 myself on the bed and cried the worst of the disappointment out of me.

    That may have been the end of the story, but not of its 15 for me. I realized how 16 I had been. I had a mother who said, “I think it's wonderful!” and a father who drove me to hear with “I think it's awful.” Every one of us needs that mother force, from which all creation flows; and yet the mother force alone is 17. It needs the balance of the force that 18, “Watch. Listen. Review. Improve.”

    Those 19 voices of my childhood ring in my ears through the years, like two opposing winds blowing me. 20 the two poles of confirmation and doubt, both in the name of love, I try to follow my true course.

    I always come across random acts of kindness in my life. Many years ago, I was 1Costa Rica when I found myself in an 2situation: my credit cards and bank cards went out of 3 abroad, and I only had $5 to my 4.

    I had no way to get money. I didn't know anybody in this country. I only knew basic Spanish, and besides the cash the only 5I had was a return ticket to my country in almost two 6. Back then, there was no such thing as mobile phones, and7email was very limited. To find help, I decided to go to the countryside. With the only coins I had, I 8the bus terminal(终点站)and found a village, which 9almost the exact amount. About 4 hours later, I arrived at Santa Rosa Abajo at midnight.

    I knocked door to door,10in my very poor Spanish that I was a foreigner travelling in Costa Rica with no money but I 11to stay here for over ten days. I begged them for a 12－such as cooking , cleaning and looking after their kids, anything like that. Everybody 13, “oh my, but so poor are we that we have no 14 food or space. Maybe you can try the next 15.” And they'd point me to another house.

    16, I arrived at a Chinese restaurant. The owner of the restaurant was very 17. She gave me food and called the Red Cross to come to 18me. With the help of the Red Cross, I spent my19days in Costa Rica.

    This is one of the best trips I've ever had, because I realized that when you're in a position to be able to 20, it actually makes you feel happy.

    Tara and Lara were twins. Even their parents found it too hard to find the 1between them so the girls were2in different schools.

    Although they look the same, both the girls differ in3else. They don't have any common favorites. Lara is a night﹣bird and study all the night until she finishes.4, Tara is a morning bird; she used to5early in the morning. In addition, Lara wears light darker colors and modem outfits, while Tara likes light colors and6dresses.

    This wasn't the7with these twin girls. However, they8each other that the opposite one was wrong.

    While both sides have the advantages and disadvantages, the9continues. They fight mainly about10things all﹣day and during the study time. Their parents decided to11to their arguments.

    Lara and Tara blindfolded their12with a black ribbon. Their13brought them to the dining room. In the dining room, a big14was placed in the middle. Lara stood on one side of the board and Tara stood on the other side of the board. Both the ribbons were15. The girls were surprised to see a huge board in between them.

    Now, their father asked Lara, what is the color of the board？ She replied, "It is black!" Their mother asked Tara the same question. She replied, "It is white!"

    They began to argue. While Lara16strongly it was black, Tara was17it was white.

    Now, they were asked to18their places. They both were surprised and shocked. The board with Lara's side was painted black and Tara's was white, which was 19by them. They20that they were right on their own perspective only.

    For my grandpa, Tatay's 90th birthday, our family threw him a big party.

    We 1 the backyard with colorful flags so it would look like the neighborhood parties with which Tatay 2 in his home country of the Philippines. We 3 a big lechon, a roasted pig. And the guests were 4 to wear traditional Filipino clothes.

    5 I was excited to wear an orange patadyong — a Philippine skirt and wrap — my white husband Darren, from Nashville, Tenn., felt 6 in his barong, a shirt woven from pineapple leaf fibers. My aunt had told all the guests to dress in 7 clothes.

    "I feel like this is cultural appropriation," he said，pulling the collar and looking around 8. "I honestly feel uncomfortable."

    I could understand Darren's 9. But wearing a barong to Tatay's birthday party this, I felt, was not appropriation but 10. It filled me with great 11 to see my white husband in the clothing of my family's tradition. I knew my family was 12, too. My uncle lent his clean shirt to Darren. My cousins wanted to 13 photos with him.

    I 14 him by saying he was expressing 15 and a sense of unity with my Filipino family. And we were wearing these clothes as an act of 16 to Tatay. He is losing his 17 —but barong and patadyong and lechon, these are some of the things that 18 in his mind.

    In that barong, Darren's standing next to Tatay 19 that he was making an 20 to understand and connect with my family. And that, to me, was a beautiful thing.

    After all, appreciating different cultures helps understand the world.

    A young student was one day taking a walk with a professor, who was commonly called the students' friend. As they1along, they saw a pair of old shoes2on the road, which they thought belonged to a poor man who was working in a field nearby. The student3to the professor, saying, "Let us play a4on the man: we will5his shoes, and conceal (隐藏) ourselves behind those bushes, and wait to see his anxiety6he cannot find them."

    "My young friend," answered the professor, "we7never enjoy ourselves by8the poor. Since you are9, why not give yourself a much greater pleasure by helping the poor man? Put a(n)10into each shoe, and then we will hide ourselves and11how the discovery affects him." The student did so, and they both hid themselves behind the12.

    The poor man soon13his work, and came across the field to the road14he had left his shoes. While putting on his shoes, he felt something15. He stooped (弯腰) down to see16it was, and found the coin. He was greatly surprised. He then17him on all sides, but found nobody. He then put the coin into his pocket, and his surprise was doubled when he found18coin. He fell upon his knees, looked up to heaven and uttered aloud a fervent (热烈的) thanksgiving, in which he19his sick wife and his children without bread.

    The student was20moved and his eyes were filled with tears.

    A lawyer and a woman were sitting next to each other during a long flight. The lawyer asked her if she would like to play a fun game. The woman was1and just wanted to take a nap(小睡), so she politely refused.2, the lawyer continued to explain how the game3, "Now I ask you a question, and if you don't know the answer, you4me..."

    Again, she politely refused and tried to get some5. The lawyer thought he would easily win the game, so he made another6, "If you don't know the answer you7pay me ＄5, but if I don't know the answer, I will pay you $50."

    This8the woman's attention. Figuring that there would be no9unless she played, she finally10to play the game. The lawyer asked the first question, "What's the distance from the earth to the moon?"

    The woman didn't say a word, reached into her purse, pulled out a five-dollar bill and11it to the lawyer. Now it was the woman's12. She asked the lawyer, "What13a hill with three legs and comes down with four?"

    The lawyer looked at her with a(n)14look. He took out his laptop computer and began15. Disappointed, he sent e-mails to everyone he knew, with no16. After one hour, he17at last. He woke the woman and handed her $50. The woman took the $50 and turned away to get back to sleep.

    The lawyer18the woman again and asked, "So what is the19?"

    Again without a(n)20, the woman reached into her purse for a bill. She handed the lawyer $5, and went back to sleep.