One of the most important lessons I learned from my father took place in our driveway when I was in elementary school. We used to play basketball every day, and he 1that I needed to learn how to shoot and dribble with my left hand. Being naturally athletic, I quickly became frustrated with my lack of left-handed 2. I became very angry, 3 down on the driveway, and began to cry, and my father stood there and looked at me as he waited 4 for me to get over my tears. When I realize that my behavior was not getting me 5, I got back up. He passed me the 6 and I continued to practice. His lesson of 7 giving up and working harder to accomplish my goals was conveyed to me without a word. I 8 became skillful with my left hand, but what I really learned that day was a road map for overcoming my biggest 9 in life.

    10 I was eighteen I was in a car accident, where I broke a vertebra in my spine. I was going to 11 to play soccer, and now I was told that I would never again be able to 12 athletically. For half a year I was not even able to 13 my own clothes. I wanted to 14 school and give up. I wanted to lie down and cry that life was 15, much as I had done in our driveway so long ago. 16every time I felt that way, that earlier memory danced in my mind. I knew that 17 I was patient and continued to work hard, I could overcome this difficulty.

    For three years I continued to go to school, doing three to four hours of 18 rehabilitation every day, with constant support from my parents. And I finally earned my 19 back on the playing field. That lesson in the driveway had 20 me to be on the field, and I owed it all to my dad. I succeeded because of who my father is, and who I am because of him.

    Five years ago I was working in an office. My life was all about dealing with complaints, meeting deadlines and writing reports. I wasn't completely bored 1it didn't excite me. One 2I went out to buy a sandwich. It was sunny and I wasn't 3at work, so I decided to 4 it in the park. I could see a group of people 5a TV programme nearby. They seemed to be arguing about something and everybody looked very6 .

Suddenly I realized everyone was 7me. And then two of them started walking over—towards me! They 8that they were making a short film and one of their actors hadn't 9 . He only had one line in the story, they said. Would I mind 10 the line?

    I could tell they were desperate and although I'd never done any acting in my life, for some reason I  11.

    An hour later we finished. It was really an amazing experience. The people were very 12 and paid me for my time. However, 13 I was leaving, the director of the film came over and 14 me his card. He thought I'd been brilliant and was naturally talented as a(n)15 I laughed but16 to call him some time.

    Well, I did call him. I went for an audition(试演)for another short film with the director. And I got the 17 . Two years later I 18  my office job and I'm now working almost full-time as an actor. I love the work and I'm going back to college next year to study 19 . My life is now completely20, all because of that lunch in the park.

    In our discussion with people on how education can help them succeed in life, a woman remembered the first meeting of an introductory1 course about 20 years ago.

    The professor 2the lecture hall, placed upon his desk a large jar filled with dried beans, and invited the students to 3how many beans the jar contained. After 4 shouts of wildly wrong guesses the professor smiled a thin, dry smile, announced the 5 answer, and went on saying," You have just 6 an important lesson about science. That is: Never 7 your own senses."

    Twenty years later, the 8could guess what the professor had in mind. He 9himself, perhaps, as inviting his students to start an exciting 10 into an unknown world invisible to the 11,which can be discovered only through scientific 12.But the seventeen-year-old girl could not accept or even 13 the invitation. She was just 14 to understand the world. And she 15 that her firsthand experience could be the 16.The professor, however, said that it was 17.He was taking away her only18 for knowing and was providing her with no substitute." I remember feeling small and 19"The woman says," and I did the only thing I could do. I 20 the course that afternoon, and I haven't gone near science since."

A letter to Mum and her mince (肉末) pies

    When I was a little girl, you and I loved decorating the living room and Christmas tree. After 1, we would bake cakes. “Make enough mince pies, because Santa likes them,” you would tell me.

    Christmas Eve came and you would put me on my 2 made bed. I'd fall asleep until Christmas 3. I'd wake up and thrill at the 4 before me. At the bottom of my bed would be loads of presents. I'd scream in delight, 5 tearing the paper open. Running downstairs, I would 6 that Santa hadn't just stopped in the 7 : there were also lots of 8 around the Christmas tree.

    Many years later, the 9 continued. The only thing that 10 was the presents at the end of the bed – I grew out of them.

    One afternoon while we were 11 extra mince pies as usual, it 12 hit me that the extra wasn't for 13. I said, “Those extra mince pies were never for Santa, were they? They were for you!” You never said a word – a smile was your only 14.

    Christmas changed in 1986, when you suffered a 15 brain disease. After 16 throughout Christmas, you passed away on the 29 December.

    Only now am I starting to enjoy Christmas again, and while I don't do the 17 any more, I do have mince pies in the house. I leave one out just for you, as if you were 18 a part of my Christmas. And I make sure I put up the decorations 19 you, and us. Thanks for the 20 memories of Christmas, Mum.

    The most delicious memories happen during the holidays. 1 them are my little girls at the church play, the moment they got their first angel wings, or New Year's snowmen with bright scarves. 2 there is one memory that is a little bittersweet. This story 3 to mind a colorful candy dish and a very little boy. The occasion was sometime between Christmas and New Year when a few candies in a dish 4 dull December day.

    Wrapped against the cold, my then 3-year-old grandson, Justin, and I had dashed from the 5 of my parked car into the building where I had a few work-related tasks to 6. A secretary  7 us as we brushed the snow from our clothes. Then, I 8 myself seeing to the business that had brought us there. But while my grandson's hand remained in mine, his 9 moved to the candy dish sitting nearby.

    As we turned to leave, the 10 woman behind the desk asked the question all children wait to hear.

    "Honey," she said, looking at Justin. "Would you like a candy?"

    The boy looked up 11, his eyes meeting mine. After a slight 12 from me he hurried over to the candy dish. Without hesitation, his little hands grabbed one – and only one – and then he began to  13 his way back to me.

    "Justin!" I said from the doorway, a little loudly as I realized 14 had been forgotten. "15 do you say?"

    The little boy returned to the candy dish.

    "Get 16 one, too!"

    I laughed. The secretary laughed. And 17 little Justin innocently (天真地) laughed at the fun we were having.

    But in that moment, I saw something about Justin that remained long after the 18 of the candy had disappeared. My grandchild was already a person with a lot of 19 in his heart.

    In the years since, I've enjoyed a laugh or two thinking back on that moment. Really, what could be 20?

 Lindsey Stallworth, a high school student from Alabama, is on her way to a promising career in paleontology (古生物学) due to an unexpected discovery on family property. For years, she had been collecting fossils on their land in Monroe County, unaware of significant scientific value. However, her teacher at the Alabama School of Math and Science, Dr. Andrew Gentry, a paleontologist himself, took an interest when she showed him her collection.

" Upon examining the fossil shark teeth Lindsey presented, I quickly identified one cr: became eager to learn about its origin," said Andrew.

Lindsey guided her teacher through the rural area where she had unearthed various relics, including shark teeth. Before long, they encountered an especially significant find on the. grounds:a large bone from a 34- million- year- old whale skeleton! This led the pair to launch the huge project of uncovering the rest of the bones. After two months of hard work, they' ve managed to find the animal's skull·(颅骨),

" Assuming the entire skeleton is present, it may require several years for us to have the entire animal back in the lab," Andrew explained.

 Lindsey secured a research scholarship to persist in her fossil- digging expeditions alongside her instructor. Her enthusiasm for the project was at an all- time high, though she had never imagined a childhood pastime would lead her down this road." We would go out and pick up shark teeth and fossil shells, but we never knew anyone that could tell us anything about them," she recalled." We just thought they were cool."

" The Research Fellows Program allows Lindsey to gain real- world experience in scientific research and even present that research at professional conferences," Andrew said." It's a once- in-a- lifetime opportunity for a high school student to stand out when applying to college and maybe even discover a new career path."