A Love Note to My Mom

    When I was a little girl, I would often accompany you as you modeled for fashion photographers. It was years later that I finally understood what role modeling 1 in your life. Little did I know you were 2 every penny you earned to go to 3 school.

    I cannot thank you enough for 4 you told me one autumn afternoon when I was nine. After finishing my homework, I wandered into the dining room where you were buried 5 piles of law books. I was 6. Why were you doing what I do-memorizing textbooks and studying for 7? When you said you were in law school, I was more puzzled. I didn't know Moms 8 be lawyers too. You smiled and said," In life, you can do anything you want to do."

    As young as I was, that statement kept 9 in my ears. I watched as you faced the 10 of completing your studies, starting companies with Dad, while still being a 11 and a Mom of five kids. I was exhausted just watching you 12. With your words of wisdom in my 13 mind, I suddenly felt unlimited freedom to dream. My whole world 14. I set out to live my life filled with 15, seeing endless possibilities for personal and professional achievements.

    Your words became my motto. I 16 found myself in the unique position of being either the first (woman doctor in Maryland Rotary) 17 one of the few women (chief medical reporters) in my field. I gained strength every time I said, "Yes, I'll try that."

    Encouraged by your 18, I have forged ahead (毅然前行) with my life's journey, less afraid to make mistakes, and 19 meeting each challenge. You did it, and now I'm 20 it. Sorry, got to run. So much to do, so many dreams to live.

    This year I decided to do something to regain my good name as a kindly uncle. My 1 , Tony, had never forgiven me for the dictionary I had bought him as a birthday present last year. His 2 had no reason to be thankful to me either, because the year before, I had 3 their dear son with a pot of paste(浆糊) and some funny pictures. Instead of 4 them into a book, Tony had naturally covered every wall in the house with them. This year, 5, I decided to let him 6 for himself.

We went into a big shop, but Tony was very particular about 7 . Although I tried to show him toy after toy, he was not to be 8 . Then I saw he suddenly became 9 , he had discovered something he really liked: a large tin drum. I was quite happy too— 10 I thought what Tony's mother would say when she saw it. Nobody would get any 11 for weeks! I led Tony away 12 , saying that the drum was too expensive.

    Tony asked for permission to go off 13 and I made the most of my chance to sit down and 14 my aching feet. Fifteen minutes passed but there was still no sign of Tony. I began to get 15 and got up to look for him. I asked a young lady if she had seen a little boy in a grey suit. She looked 16 her helplessly and pointed out that there were so many 17 in grey suits. I was just going to call the police for help, when I saw a strange 18 dressed in strange orange clothes. He was wearing a false beard and had a caveman's axe(斧子) in one hand, and a space gun in the other. It was, of course, Tony, who informed me 19 that he was the first 20 to fly into space.

    Last July, Angela Peters rolled her wheelchair into a nail salon (美容院) at the Walmart shopping center with the idea of 1 her nails. But Peters, who has cerebral palsy(脑瘫), was 2 because the salon was afraid it would be too difficult to properly paint her nails, given that her 3 shook. What was meant to be a day of beauty 4 for Peters was now a disappointment.

    5 nearby was Ebony Harris, a Walmart cashier about to go on her 6 . Harris recognized Peters as a Walmart 7. "She's just like you, me and anybody else." Harris told ABC News, "She wants to look 8. So why can't she?"

    Harris approached Peters. "Do you want me to do your nails?" she asked. A smile 9 across Peters's face. "Yeah!"

    Harris 10 Peters into the beauty section, where they shopped for nail polish. They 11 on a bright blue—a color that would 12 every eye. They then made their way into a(n)13 McDonald's, found a table for two, and set up shop. Harris 14 took Peters's hand into hers and carefully began painting her nails.

    Watching it all with 15 was McDonald's employee Tasia Smith. What 16 her most was the ease and gentleness displayed by Harris, all the while 17 as if they were old friends. Smith was so taken by the 18 that she wrote about it on Facebook: She was so 19 with her. Thanks to the Walmart worker for making this beautiful girl's 20 ! And Peters wrote, "When people do us wrong, we should learn to forgive!"

"Software developer at Unidays, internatsonal speaker and enthusastie learner" is how Jess White describes herself on her blog. But it is not a path she'd originally planned to follow. After completing her psychology degree. White took a Master's in neuro-science (神经科学), fully expecting an academic carcer. But after her interest was raised by the part of the course that involved coding (编码), she decided to take a Master's course in computer science. She graduated with flying color.

Now 27, White hasn't looked back. She joined Oakbrook Finance in Nottingham as a software developer, and stayed for two years, rounding off her time there by winning Rising Star of the Year at the 2018 Women in IT awards. At Unidays, a business offering discounts to students, she works as a back end developer in the maintenance team, "working on the systems and making them better". It's a job she loves. "It's a challenge every day and you never get bored. There is always something to learn." she says.

White believes that some graduates are put off technology careers because they don't realize the range of jobs available, "A lot of people think tech is programing. But there's also design product management—and everything in life is to do with tech these days. Whether it's buying something with your cards or posting something on social media, you can't really avoid it."

A common misunderstanding, she says, is that IT is all about maths. "I'm terrible at maths and it scared the living daylights out of me when I started this because I thought I wouldn't be able to do it," In practice, it hasn't been a problem, and she has found that there are a lot of creative elements in programing. Her psychology background has proved to be a bonus, enabling her to bring a different perspective to her work, purticularly when she has to cooperate with user experience designers.

As for the future, White wants to learn as much as she can and become very strong in the area.

In 2011,a law was born.A kind of ladybug(瓢虫)became the state insect of North Dakota.When the governor 1 the bill into law,four kids stood behind him! 

Jaden,Logan,Megan and Isabel were in first grade 2 their idea for a law was born.Megan and Logan were farm kids and they had been 3 with the ladybug already.They knew that farmers had difficulty in controlling crop-eating pests called aphids and that ladybugs tended to 4 on aphids.The more ladybugs were around,the fewer 5 the farmers had to use.

They decided that this ladybug should be their state insect.This ladybug was of great 6 to the crops on the farm and deserved a place of honor.But they had no idea how to 7 a law.So they asked help from their teacher,who happened to 8 their local state representative.When they all met,he told the kids they would have to present facts and reasons to 9 lawmakers that North Dakota was in need of the ladybug as the state insect.

The students spent much of that first-grade spring 10 ladybugs.There was no doubt that their research was hard work 11 ,they fell in love with it."Even if we hadn't achieved what we wanted," says Jaden,"even if the bill hadn't been passed,I think it was really 12 a lot."

In the fall of their second-grade year,they were invited to speak to a committee.In 13 ,Megan wrote songs for the group to sing,they contacted more experts for support,and they practiced their presentation a lot!They showed up at the state building in ladybug costumes and presented their case.14 ,the bill was passed! 

The students want everyone to know that kids can make a 15 "Whether you are 8 or 80," says Isabel,"you have a voice in your community(社区)."

Some of the most famous and successful people in history battled self-doubt. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} fact, some held this feeling throughout their entire lives, even after their work had been held in high regard by {#blank#}2{#/blank#} public. Here {#blank#}3{#/blank#} (be) two famous people from history who struggled with self-doubt.

John Steinbeck

Even the Pulitzer Prize-winning American author John Steinbeck felt uncomfortable about the praise he got for his work. He wrote in his diary: "I am not a writer. I've been fooling {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (I) and other people." His famous realistic novel The Grapes of Wrath  {#blank#}5{#/blank#} (help) land him the Pulitzer Prize in 1940.

Michelangelo

World-renowned Italian Renaissance artist, {#blank#}6{#/blank#} (sculpt) and architect Michelangelo doubted his abilities before he created his famous painting, The Last Judgement, in the Vatican's Sistine Chapel.

The beginning of Michelangelo's career consisted mostly of sculptures, {#blank#}7{#/blank#} helped spread his name throughout Italy. However, Pope Julius II asked Michelangelo {#blank#}8{#/blank#} (paint) the wall of the Sistine Chapel. In response, Michelangelo refused at first, {#blank#}9{#/blank#} (say) that he was not a painter.{#blank#}10{#/blank#} (final), he accepted the Pope's request and spent four years on the painting.