Mother's Day, 2017 was the last time that all my three kids would be kids at home. I was1a Mother's Day to remember.

    That morning, I got up early and left for2.The boys and I were going3,not unusual,so I expected the time I'd have with the three of them surrounding me during break. I entered the office after my class,4the crowd for their faces.I didn't find the boys,but wasn't too worried5their classes often ran late.I found a row with plenty of room for all four of us,6spots for my handsome young men.

    The longer I sat there,the more7and angry I got.How could they8their mother on this of all days?I couldn't9my work,only on how I'd been wronged.10the time the last morning class ended,I could hardly wait to get home and give them a piece of my mind.

    Arriving home,I noticed a pile of roses on the ground.I looked closer and saw they were the11of a track made from fresh flowers,which led to our room.As I12the flowers,the door got opened and three13faces greeted me. They let me see what they'd been working on all14.

    15the entire floor were the words,Happy Mother's Day,We Love You.They were spelled out with16.The space was17with sweet of roses and other flowers.They'd asked for a leave and worked all morning,gathering the fresh flowers and18them into a surprise message.

    I immediately realized I'd been much too hurry in my19of the situation.While I had been feeling unloved, they'd spent their time writing a20to show how much they really cared.

    Cleverness is a gift while kindness is a choice. Gifts are easy – they're given after all. Choice can be 1.”

    I got the idea to start Amazon 16 years ago. I came across the fact 2 the Internet usage was growing at 2,300 percent per year. I'd never seen or heard of anything that grew 3 fast, and the idea of building an online 4 with millions of titles was very exciting to me. I had just turned 30 years old, and I 5 for a year. I told my wife MacKenzie that I wanted to 6 my job and go to do this crazy thing that probably wouldn't work since most start-ups don't, and I wasn't sure 7 to expect. MacKenzie told me I 8go for it. As a young boy, I'd been a garage inventor. I'd always wanted to be a(an) 9, and she wanted me to follow my passion.

    I was working at a financial firm in New York City with a bunch of very 10 people, and I had a brilliant boss that I much admired. I went to my boss and told him I wanted to start a company selling books 11. He took me on a long walk in Central Park,12 carefully to me, and finally said, “That sounds like a really good idea, 13 it would be an even better idea for someone who didn't already have a good job.” That logic 14 to me, and he convinced me to think about it for 48 hours 15 making a final decision. Seen in that light, it really was a(an) difficult 16, but finally, I decided I had to give it a shot. I didn't think I'd regret trying and failing. And I suspected I would always be haunted （纠缠）by a decision to not17at all.

    After much consideration, I took the less 18 path to follow my 19, and I'm proud of that choice. For all of us, in the end, we are our 20.

    It was 1972, and I was in second grade. In the classroom the teacher, Ms. Boyette, was 1 aloud to us from Island of the Blue Dolphins. And we had just come to a part of the book where the main 2 was training a wild dog. I was listening, caught up in the 3 of all.

    Not far away from me, there seated a boy who always frightened or 4 others, so I was 5 of this boy. While Ms. Boyette was reading, I looked over at him, for he was someone I was in the 6 of keeping an eye on. I 7 that he was listening too, that he was engaged by the 8 , that he was leaning forward in his seat and listening with all his heart. I 9 at him, open-mouthed. I was 10 with a sudden knowledge that this boy was in fact just 11 me. He was a kid who liked a story. The boy must 12 my eyes on him, because he turned. Then something 13 happened. He smiled at me. 14, I smiled back, unafraid. We were two 15 smiling at each other.

    Why have I never forgotten this 16 moment? Why do I still 17 every detail of it? I think it's because that moment illustrates so beautifully the 18of reading out loud.

    It shows us into a safe room, where everyone involved, the reader and the listener, can have that chance to 19 each other. We humans long not just for the story, not just for the flow of language, but for the 20 that comes when words are read aloud.

    I began to do volunteer work in grade seven. I experienced many meaningful moments, and the most1ones were when I was volunteering as a swimming2at the YMCA in Brockton, Massachusetts. At first, I was a teacher's3."What are we going to do next? "When is the play time? These were just two of the questions I was often4there. On the day of my first class, I thought it was going to be a(n) 5 job. I 6that since I had taken swimming lessons from the age of five, I knew the7about swimming. After all, I was good at all8of swimming! 9, I soon found out there was more about teaching swimming than just knowing how to swim.

    During my first class, I assisted the swimming teacher in teaching a group of five-year-old kids. From that moment on, my10of teaching changed. Teaching is communicating. To instruct children, one has to make the lessons11 and interesting for them to learn. I had to learn many games that would help the children to 12as swimmers. Such as "Red Light, Green Light" and "Blast-Off." I must devote myself to teaching them and set a(n)13example to them.

    I expected to teach a group of children, but it14my students were the ones who taught me how to be a(n)15teacher. Not only was it challenging to learn the children's names, but it was also challenging to16to their many personalities and moods. There were many 17that went along with helping these children, among which was seeing a child18a task that he or she could not do before they met me.19, through the volunteer work, I learned that there would always be rewards by giving, and there would be20by making efforts.

    I used to hate running. It seemed too hard, and pushing outside my comfort 1 was not something I was raised to do.

    In fact, I wouldn't have become a(n)2 if it weren't for my husband Charles He had been a 3 competitive runner for many years. After our marriage, he wouldn't stop talking about how much he 4 it.

    So he picked it up again, and after about a year, I started to join him at the 5. Just a few weeks later, Charles signed us both up for a five-kilometer race. I 6 about doing it. It was too soon.

    But on race day, there I was.

    The gun went off Thousands of runners 7.

    The first kilometer was tough. I was already breathing 8 and painfully aware of the group of runners9 past me.

    After another minute I saw the three-kilometer 10.All I could think of was that I was 11.

    I rounded a comer, and saw both sides of the street12 with people watching the race, all cheering the runners on. I 13 my legs to keep going.

    Then I looked up and saw the clock. The 14 ticking away gave me an incentive(助力). I knew that if I had 15 finished this race I would have achieved something, So, I 16 up, and kicked it.

    I had my arms 17 higher when I passed through the finish line. A volunteer put a(n) 18 around my neck.

    "You did great! I'm so proud of you!" Charles was thrilled that I'd 19.

    "That was amazing! I want to do another race." I proudly hugged my medal as we started to walk to the post-race festivities. My lungs and my comfort zone both20.