My 4-year-old son now enjoys posting letters. He has formed the 1 of drawing pictures, writing his name on them, and then  2 the artwork in an envelope. He then insists on 3 his handwork to the neighbors, and a mail box he 4 belongs to the elderly couple who live next door. To be 5, I didn't think much of it, but I had 6 to warn my neighbors of the drawings 7 appearing in their letterboxes—I just didn't have the 8 to do so, because I was a little busy recently.

    On Tuesday of last week, I was walking down to school to collect my son when I 9 Mary, my elderly neighbor, 10 at her mail box. She said, “Jodie, is it your little son that has been posting items in my letterbox to me?” I was at once 11, “Oh yes, Mary, it is. I'm sorry. I meant to tell you…” She cut me off, “Jodie, I just love his mail. I've 12 every item he has sent. You don't know how much 13 the letters has made my day. I just love them.” While I was walking down to school after our 14, many thoughts came to me. Mary doesn't have a lot to fill her days, 15 she was a mother to a number of children herself who receives fairly regular visitors. The small 16 of getting some mail—pictures drawn by the hand of a young child—has brought 17 to her days, just as my visit to my grandparents does.

    I have decided that my son should 18 this practice. He should also start sending some items to his grandparents in Perth as well. It will most 19 make their day.

    It's doing the little, simple things that can often make a big 20 in someone's life.

    At a gathering, we were all telling stories of our most embarrassing moments. It came around to Frank.

    Frank began to tell us of his childhood. "I1in San Pedro. My Dad was a fisherman, and he loved the sea. He had his own boat, but it was2making a living on the sea. He worked hard and would stay out until he caught enough to3 the family."

    He looked at us and said, "I 4you could have met my Dad. He was a big man, and he was strong from pulling the nets and fighting the seas for the 5. When you got close to him, he6like the ocean. He would wear his old coat and his overalls. No matter how much my mother7them, they would still smell of the sea and of fish."

    Frank's voice dropped a bit. "When the weather was bad he would 8me to school. He had this old truck that was older than he was. 9he would drive toward the school, I would shrink down into the seat hoping to disappear. He would10 right in front of the school gate, and it seemed like everybody11 be standing around and watching. Then he would12over and give me a big kiss on the cheek and tell me to be a good boy. It was so13for me. I was twelve years old, and my Dad would lean over and kiss me goodbye!"

    He14and then went on, "I remember the day when I said 'No' "

    It was the first time I had ever talked to him that15, and he had this surprised look on his face. I said, "Dad, I'm too16for a goodbye kiss. "

    My Dad looked at me for the longest time, and his eyes started to tear up. I had never seen him17.

    He turned and looked out the windshield(挡风玻璃). "You're right, " he said. "You are a big boy....a man. I won't kiss you anymore. "

    Frank got a sad look on his face, and the tears began to18in his eyes, as he spoke. "It wasn't long after that when my Dad went to sea and never came back." Tears were running down Frank's cheeks. He spoke again. "Guys, you don't know what I would19to have my Dad give me just one more kiss on the cheek....to feel his rough old face....to smell the ocean on him....to feel his arm around my neck. I wish I had been a man then. If I had been a20, I would never have told my Dad I was too old for a goodbye kiss."

    I have a home away from home — my school, Hamden High. Sometimes after 13 hours of school and sports, I consider 1 there overnight, sleeping in the band room. But I feel most at home at Room Cl03, the costume shop, which my acting friends and I call home. The couch there has been a second 2 for me.

    I have been on the costume crew for four years. I 3 my first play set in Italy in the 1960s. With the help of my costume teacher, I 4 my first costume successfully. On stage, it sparkled and made the 5 of the queen come to life. I felt 6, realizing that I'd do this forever and help create 7 through cloth and color.

    My costume teacher 8 my abilities to select designs, colors and fabrics that will 9 each character. So she asks me to take charge of the ensemble (全套戏服）. 10 a hard task, I welcome it! I  11 the long nights spent cutting the patterns. I feel like an older sister to the younger  12.Through my four years of theater, I have  13 my theater family and the young actors treat me as their older sister. I would feel  14 each time a family member leaves and we will cry.

    I will leave my Hamden High theater family and make my new 15 at UCONN, a school where I can 16 these feelings again. I look forward to learning new 17 in something I truly love and wish to 18 for the rest of my life. In UCONN, I will also help the actors on stage to 19 as if their characters come to life. 20, I will find a comfortable couch in a new band room to sleep on.

    Greenberg was a lucky guy to enter Columbia University on full scholarship. But just before junior year（大学三年级）, Greenberg's1 changed. One day his vision “2 up” and later he was diagnosed (诊断）with glaucoma (青光眼）. Then doctors operated on Greenberg's eyes.3 , the surgery didn't work. Greenberg was going blind. He was so 4that he refused to see anyone.

    As Greenberg's best friend, Arthur persuaded Greenberg to go back to Columbia and5to be his reader. Arthur read6to him every day, taking time out from his own study, and Greenberg7 scoring straight A's. Still, he was8about getting around alone and relied on his friend.

    Then, one afternoon, Greenberg and Arthur went to Midtown Manhattan. When it was time to go back to campus, Arthur said he couldn't9him because of an appointment. Greenberg10. They argued, and Arthur walked off, 11 Greenberg alone in Grand Central Terminal.

    Greenberg, who was completely12, stumbled (蹒跚）through the rush-hour crowd. He took a shuttle train west to Times Square, and then transferred to an uptown train. Four miles later, he13 at the Columbia University stop.

    At the university's gate, someone14him. “Oops, excuse me, sir. ” Greenberg15 the voice. It was Arthur's. Greenberg's first reaction was16, but in the next second, he realized what he had just17 and realized, too, who had made it possible.18, Arthur had been with him the whole way, using one of the most19strategies（策略）.

    Blindness doesn't make Greenberg fail to appreciate the20 of life. He always says he is the luckiest man in the world.

    I fell in love with Yosemite National Park the first time I saw it, when I was 13. My parents took us there for camping. On the way out, I asked them to wait while I ran up to E1 Capitan, a 1 rock of 3,300 feet straight up. I touched that giant rock and knew 2 I wanted to climb it. That has been my life's passion (钟爱) ever since--3 the rocks and mountains of Yosemite. I've long made Yosemite my 4.

    About 15 years ago I started seeing a lot of 5, like toilet paper, beer cans, and empty boxes, around the area. It's 6 me why visitors started respecting the place less and treated such a 7 home-like place this way.

    I tried 8 trash(垃圾)myself, but the job was too big. I would 9an hour or two on the job, only to find the area trashed all over again weeks later. Finally, I got so 10 it that I decided something had to 11.

    As a rock-climbing guide, I knew 12about organizing any big event. But in 2004, together with some climbers, I set a date for a 13. On that day, more than 300 people 14. Over three days we collected about 6,000 pounds of trash. It was 15how much we were able to accomplish. I couldn't believe the 16 we made --the park looked clean!

    Each year volunteers come for the cleanup from everywhere. In 2007 alone, 2,945 people picked up 42,330 pounds of trash and 17 132 miles of roadway.

    I often hear people 18about their surroundings. If you are one of them, I would say the only way to change things is by 19 rather than complaining. We need to teach by 20. You can't blame others unless you start with yourself.

I went to a group activity, "Sensitivity Sunday", which was to make us more1the problems faced by disabled people. We were asked to "2 a disability" for several hours one Sunday. Some members, 3, chose to use wheelchairs. Others wore sound­blocking earplugs (耳塞) or blindfolds (眼罩).

Just sitting in the wheelchair was a4experience. I had never considered before how5it would be to use one. As soon as I sat down, my6 made the chair begin to roll. Its wheels were not7. Then I wondered where to put my   8. It took me quite a while to get the metal footrest into9. I took my first uneasy look at what was to be my only means of 10for several hours. For disabled people, "adopting a wheelchair" is not a temporary (临时的)    11.

I tried to find a12position and thought it might be restful, 13 kind of nice, to be14 around for a while. Looking around, I15 I would have to handle the thing myself! My hands started to ache as I16the heavy metal wheels. I came to know that controlling the17 of the wheelchair was not going to be a (n)18task.

My wheelchair experiment was soon 19. It made a deep impression on me. A few hours of "disability" gave me only a taste of the20, both physical and mental, that disabled people must overcome.