Dante Gabriel Rossetti was a famous 19th-century poet and artist.One day,he was1by an elderly man.The old fellow had some sketches and drawings that he wanted Rossetti to look at and tell him if they were any good,2if they at least showed3talent.

    Rossetti examined them carefully.After the first few, he knew that they were4,showing not the least5of artistic talent.But Rossetti was a kind man,and he told the elderly man as6as possible that the pictures were without much7and showed little talent.He was sorry,but he could not 8 to the man.The visitor was9 ,but seemed to10 Rossetti's judgment.

    He then11for taking up Rossetti's time,but12to ask whether he would just look at a few more drawings—these done by a young art student.Rossetti looked over the second batch of sketches and immediately became 13 over the talent they14 .“These,”he said,“oh,these are good.This young student has great talent.He should be given every help and encouragement in his15 as an artist.He has a great future if he will work hard and16it.”

    Rossetti could see that the old fellow was deeply17 .“Who is this fine young artist?”he asked.“Your son?” “No,”said the old man18 “It is me—40 years ago.If only I had heard your19then!For you see,I got discouraged and gave up—too20”

    Last Friday night I was leaving Joe's art class and heading to Roscoe for dinner with friends. Instead of taking the highway, I1to drive down Roscoe's little main street. Roscoe s is a fairly 2town, though it does have a traditional main street. I3 that people there had already put up their holiday 4There were few cars in the street so I look ray time driving5and enjoying each light. Yes, it was the first week of November and6 not close to Thanksgiving Day, but they were still pretty.

    The next day, I walked into a kid's store to 7chiffon (雪纺绸) flowers for a hat I was knitting (编织). An employee came out of the back room8some beautiful holiday decorations. She saw me and9explained that she wasn't really decorating for Thanksgiving for fear that I would10her. There was just a weekend event that 11some holiday cheer, but afterward all the decorations would be taken down. Her12confirmed the fact that holiday decorations were clearly important13her. I knew she was just following the decorating14Put it up—take it down-put it up again.

    After a deep 15about the two events, 1 have decided that this year I'm just going to16what I see. It doesn't matter what holiday it is or if it's up or down at the “correct” time.17ifs pretty, ifs going to make me delighted. Sometimes, I think we make ourselves a little 18 trying to follow rules that are not really important, or trying to be 19 or not to stand out in the neighborhood. This year I'm going to see the holiday decorations wherever they are and whenever they are and just be20.

    A young man had a traffic accident and got his arms removed. He had to 1 his brother, who stayed with him for years. Except for 2 with his toes, the man could do nothing else. However, one day his brother 3 with him and went away, 4 him   heartbroken and at a loss what to do.

    5, an accident befell (降临) a girl. One night the stove in her kitchen was overturned, resulting in a fire which took her 6 away. Having 7 her sister's offer to help her, she determined to be 8. She tried 9 and soon learned to be self-reliant. “Though my wings are broken, my 10 can still fly,” she wrote in her diary.

    One day, the young man and the girl were both 11 to a TV talk-show program. The man told the hostess about his 12 future, while the girl was full of enthusiasm (热情)for life. They were both 13 to write something on a piece of paper with their toes. The boy: My14 arms are my arms. The girl: Broken wings, flying hearts.

    They had both 15 the same sufferings, but their different 16 determined the nature of their lives. Unexpected disasters can happen at any time. How you 17 the disaster is the true test of your character. If you choose to complain or escape, difficulties will 18 wherever you go. However, if you choose to be 19, difficulties will turn out to be a fortune on which new 20 will arise.

    A talented actor, producer, and singer, Will Smith is a success. In fact, his huge success can1back to some valuable lessons life taught him early on.

    Once Will's father2him an outdoor project. He had to rebuild a long 3wall in the yard. He had to4concrete and place one brick at a time, eventually covering the entire wall. Will felt surprised at their father's demand5 he couldn't even think of completing a project as big as this. However, with the 6of "one brick more", he completed it in six months. Will who7was so pessimistic about the job, felt a sense of 8 , and so did his father. Even today when Will thinks that he won't be able to do 9, he looks back to it and10himself, "one brick at a time."

    As a refrigeration engineer, Will's father often11stores to install freezers. Will mostly12his father. During one such visit, both Will and his father were installing a freezer in a supermarket basement and the employees had 13a rat killing solution across the floor. Both Will and his dad went in 14the place for the compressor(压缩机), and they found a dead rat. Will's dad had to 15the exact place where the rat had died; his dad, 16 even the slightest hesitation held the dead rat with his bare hands. He removed the17and fixed the compressor. This taught Will that one should never 18 about life. this made him realize the value of 19and hard work.

    Every successful man is shaped right from his 20. To achieve dreams, one should be disciplined and determined.

    Hailey is an ordinary nine-year-old girl, but her kindness is rather uncommon and awe-inspiring(令人惊叹的). The little girl has made it her task to help the 1 in her community by giving them a place to 2. While most other kids of her age are 3playing with toys, Hailey picks up 4 to build tiny shelters for people living on the streets.

    Hailey's kind spirits 5 four years ago, when she and her mother bought a homeless man a sandwich. She 6 that she wanted to do more in terms of providing 7 for the homeless. So she came up with the idea of starting a 8 to grow and donate fresh vegetables.

    "I was 9 that it would last a week," Hailey's mother told non-profit Together Rising. But it's been four years and she 10delivers food to the homeless constantly. " With her mother's help, Hailey 11 a grant(拨款) from Together Rising 12 she was awarded $ 3,000 to help her get started. "We can't think of a better 13 than our Hailey. She's proof that no person or act of kindness is too 14 to change the world," said Glennon Doyle Melton, founder of Together Rising.

    The wooden homes that Hailey is building will 15 a front door, windows and solar panels.

    16 , she does most of the work herself, under the guidance of her grandfather, who is a(n) 17. She is currently halfway through her first home, which she 18 to give to Edward, the homeless man who inspired her 19. Once she's done, Halley said she wants to 20building more sleeping shelters in Bremerton's Tent City.

    "Smile!" I shouted, flashing a bright yellow poster at a crowd of people in Seattle.

    We were 3,000 miles away from home on a Random Acts of Kindness road trip. Our1was to try out our new "Smile!" signs and see how much kindness and joy we could2

    We weren't sure how people would3our signs. It's so easy to walk past a busy crowd, lost in your own world,4to make eye contact with strangers and feeling5while surrounded by hundreds of people. I6raised up a sign and shouted, "Hi there!" to a young couple. They looked over,7, then read my sign and broke into smiles. They even nudged (轻推) a person beside them, gesturing to our sign so their friend could8, too.

    This might9, I thought.

    Before long, our signs were10. Tourists wanted photos with us. Strangers stopped to ask us about our11and we told them the story of our Acts of Kindness road trip. The famous fish vendors (小贩) changed their12from "FISH! FRESH FISH"' to "HEY! SMILE, EVERYONE."

    Sometimes I'd see a(n)13face and feel nervous to show my sign, but I tried not to judge. I'd14be rewarded with a big grin (咧嘴笑),as suddenly a frowning elderly woman turned into my15old grandmother.

    Some people16if they could have a "Smile!" sign to take with them. One bus driver put a sign in his window; a bicyclist that17one of our signs emailed us several years later to say he still uses it whenever he races.

    The signs are more than a(n)18to smile — they're an excuse to connect with19and to remember we're not alone. This world is full of20people we just don't know yet.