It was in my high school science class. I was doing a task in front of the classroom with my favorite shirt on.

    A1 came, “Nice shirt.” I smiled from ear to ear. Then another voice said, “That shirt belonged to my dad. Greg's mother works for my family. We were going to2that shirt away, but gave it to her3” I was speechless. I wanted to hide.

    I4 the shirt in the back of the closet and told my mum what had happened. She then dialed her5“I will no longer work for your family,” she told him. That night, Mom told my dad that she couldn't clean anymore; she knew her life's6was something greater.

    The next morning she7with the personnel manager at the Board of Education. He told her that without a proper education she could not teach. So Mom decided to8a university.

    After the first year in college, she went back to the personnel manager. He said, “You are9 aren't you? I think I have a10 for you as a teacher assistant. This opportunity deals with children who are mentally challenged with little or no chance of11” Mom accepted the opportunity very12

    For almost five years, as a teacher's assistant, she saw teacher after teacher give up on the children and quit, feeling13 Then one day, the personnel manager and the principal14 in her classroom. The principal said, “We have watched how you15the children and how they communicate with you and admire your hard-working16over the last five years. We are all in agreement that you17 be the teacher of this class.”

    My mom spent more than 20 years there18her career, she was voted Teacher of the Year. All of this came about because of the19comment made in the classroom that day. Mom showed me how to handle20 situations and never give up.

    For years, I followed the materialistic standards around me. I thought that without the purses, shoes, and all the other “1” things, I would not be as pretty, smart, or important as others of my age.

    As a freshman (新生) of my high school, I thought top social status could be gained by doing everything to 2. So I became a(n)3 and bought fake (伪造的) designer purses. I felt popular and important, and I4 it.

    But, my parents couldn't understand my strong 5to be someone just to 6 others. They tried endlessly to convince me that I was hurting myself,7 I wouldn't listen. I felt 8 with this way of my life until one day I looked at myself in the mirror and saw someone with makeup and the product-filled hair wasn't me. That person was 9.

    So I quit cheerleading and 10 swimming again, something I had loved for eight years before high school. I also attended my school's top vocal (声乐) performance group, and 11 myself whole-heartedly to community service.

    I wrote articles in my school newspaper that questioned the materialistic 12 of many students at my school. I started 13 my limits academically, which I14 considered less important than improving my social status.

    I found a new group of friends who15 me, unlike my old friends. I found I no longer needed to impress others materialistically. Starting over was 16. My classmates looked at me as if they didn't know me.

    I am to 17 the materialistic culture. I am confident, talented, and optimistic. I know who I am. I'm motivated to explore even more of my 18 as a student and a member of my community.

    I took one of the worst 19 in my life but I turned it around and 20 something beautiful——a life that fits me, with meaning and happiness.

    My kids and I were heading into the supermarket over the weekend. On the way, we spotted a man holding a piece of paper that said, “1 my job. Family to Feed.” 

    At this store, a 2 like this is not normal. My 10­year­old noticed him and made a 3on how bad it must be to have to stand 4 in the cold wind. 

    In the store, I asked each of my kids to5 something they thought our “friend” there would6.They got apples, a sandwich and a bottle of juice. Then my 17­year­old suggested giving him a 7.I thought about it. We were 8 on cash ourselves, but...well, sometimes 9from our need instead of our abundance is 10 what we need to do! All the kids 11something they could do away with for the week. 

    When we handed him the bag of 12 ， he lit up and thanked us with 13eyes. When I handed him the gift card, saying he could use it for 14his family might need, he burst into tears. 

    This has been a wonderful 15 for our family. For days the kids have been looking for others we can 16！Things would have played out so 17 if I had simply said, “No, we really don't have 18 to give more.” Stepping out not only helped a brother in 19 ， it also gave my kids the20 taste of helping others. It'll go a long way with them. 

    On March 25, 2010, Kate and David heard the words every parent dreads: Their newborn wasn't going to make it. Their twins- a girl and a boy- were born two minutes apart and 14 weeks premature, weighing just over two pounds each. Doctors had 1 to save the boy for 20 minutes but saw no 2. His heartbeat was nearly gone, and he'd stopped breathing. The baby had just moments to live.

    "I saw him gasp(喘息), but the doctor said it was no 3 ," Kate told the Daily Mail. "I know it sounds 4 , but if he was still gasping, that was a sign of 5 . I wasn't going to give up easily."  6 , the couple knew this was likely goodbye. In an effort to 7 her last minute with the 8 boy, Kate asked to hold him.

    Kate 9 the boy from his hospital blanket and ordered David to 10 his shirt and join them in bed. The first-time parents wanted their son to be as 11 as possible and hoped the skin-to-skin contact would   12 his condition. "We were trying to make him 13 ." Kate said. "We explained his name and that he had a 14 that he had to look out for and how hard we had tried to help him."

    A 15 showed itself eventually, Jamie gasped again-and then he started 16 . "We were the 17 people in the world," David told today.

    Now, the twins are happy and healthy. The Oggs only recently told the kids the story of their 18 . "Emily burst into 19." Kate said. "She was really upset, and she kept 20 Jamie. This whole experience makes you cherish them more."

I had a terrible experience last year. One night my younger brother, Chase, was driving us home from our weekly cleaning of the church. We were both getting 1 , so we picked up a couple of energy drinks at a gas station. Then we jumped onto the freeway and 2 home.

The ride was fine. My brother was focused, so I 3 my eyes. I woke up when we were close to our exit. But the car 4 turned to the right. I did not care at first because Chase often played jokes. Then I 5 it was not a joke at all.

I shouted my brother's name at the top of my 6 . He woke up from his sleep in time to slam on the brakes, though the brakes did little to 7 us down. We crashed into a streetlight, 8 us hit the dirt hill of the off-ramp (出口匝道).

Then I 9 something white and bright shoot toward my chest. It hit me and left me breathless but 10 me from the dashboard (仪表盘). The streetlight swung around, hitting two other 11 and then crashed back onto the hood of our car. One inch 12 to us, Chase and I wouldn't be here today. A kind man 13 us out of our car, and the policeman came to 14 us. They said there were no broken ribs (肋骨) and no internal bleeding.

Our dad 15 on the scene in his car and drove us home. From that day on, we never drove while we were sleepy or tired again.