My first lesson is at a meeting. As we settle around the table I hear Meg, who is1a recent operation, talking to Judith, the manager of our project. “Thank you so much for2 my daughters to their dance lessons last week.” “Don't mention it,” Judith says, “It was nothing.”

    Knowing how 3Judith's schedule is, with her work, kids and aging parents, I find her driving Meg's children to lessons unbelievably 4. I am about to say more about this when Donna, another colleague, enters the room5. She apologizes for being late, saying she just hosted a lunch for her friends who are over seventy. “That is so nice of you,” I say, 6 how busy she is, how she doesn't like to cook and clean. “Oh,” she says, waving her hand, “It was nothing.”7, I can still tell the 8in her voice. She did gain a sense of satisfaction from the entertainment offered to her friends.

    Seeing their 9 to help others selflessly, I start thinking about the concept of “nothing”, this way of living—had it really been nothing or are they simply saying that? It 10to me that once I spent a whole afternoon after work helping a friend 11a speech she was going to deliver. I12 her to rearrange the sequence of the stories in the lecture to make it sound more 13. After the fifth try, she finally 14it . She hugged me with15, saying thanks to me. I smiled and said it was nothing.

    Suddenly, I realized that helping someone was really something to me. I learned that giving from the heart doesn't 16 mean sacrifice and hard work. The 17is finding something we love to do and finding someone who18 that something. Our generosity can benefit others19 ourselves. Once you have a good 20of it, it's nothing. And it's really something.

    Scott and his companions were terribly disappointed. When they got to the South Pole, they found the Norwegians（挪威人）had 1 them in the race to be the first ever to reach it. After2the British flag at the Pole, they took a photograph of themselves 3 they started the 950-mile journey back.

    The journey was unexpectedly4and the joy and excitement about the Pole had gone out of them. The sun hardly5. The snow storms always made it impossible to sight the stones they had 6 to mark their way home. To make things7. Evans, whom they had all thought of 8the strongest of the five, fell badly into a deep hole in the ice. Having9 along for several days, he suddenly fell down and died.

    The four who were 10 pushed on at the best speed they could 11. Captain Oates had been suffering for some time from his 12 fact; at night his feet swelled（肿胀） so large that he could 13 put his boots on the next morning, and he walked bravely although he was in great 14 . He knew his slowness was making it less likely that 15 could save themselves. He asked them to leave him behind in his sleeping-bag, but they refused, and helped him 16 a few more miles, until it was time to put up the 17 for another night.

    The following morning, 18 the other three were still in their sleeping-bags, he said. “I am just going outside and may be19some time.” He was never seen again. He had walked out 20 into the snow storm, hoping that his death would help his companions.

    My most rewarding experience throughout the past two years was volunteering at the swimming competition for Special Olympics where a disabled friend of my community took part. This had special1for me because experiencing it helped improve my leadership skills, develop my character, and support my community.

    Firstly, my 2skills developed when I independently directed each swimmer where to3 at the platform and4 each competitor when they needed to swim. I had to make sure that the swimmers were5 and ready to perform. This kept me on my feet at all times and6 of each event's time and location. I learned each swimmer's name7 many of them swam in more than one event.

    Secondly, my8was greatly influenced. When I saw the swimmers get their awards for winning each swimming event, I was deeply moved. I was 9that most swimmers could swim better than I. Their10attitudes astonished me, whether they won or lost. This also enlarged my view, offering me the opportunity to11people I would normally not run into. I went out of my12zone and did whatever was needed to be done, even if it was sometimes difficult to me. It was especially13when I saw the glowing faces of the competitors.

    Lastly, I was of14to my community by lending a hand to this organization. To be a part of it gave me a chance to improve my community and become15with the people living in this area.

    As Winston Churchill once said, “We make a living by what we do, but we make a(n)16 by what we give.” The importance of17should be stressed throughout your life18 through the many opportunities my community has offered I was privileged to be19in this exciting and important event in these competitors' lives. I hope to be a(n)20 again at this event in years to come.

    In the town of Swedesboro, New Jersey, 5^th grade students are determined to make 2,000 paper cranes (纸鹤) by the end of the school year. Their1is to put smiles on kids' faces.

    The idea of 2 the paper cranes started when their3 Tara Milward, read them the story Sadako and the One Thousand Paper Cranes in class. Sadako was 4with leukemia (白血病) at a very young age. She5folding the paper cranes along with her family and friends6 this was a symbol of hope for Sadako to get7one day.

    The students of Harker School wanted to8 Sadako's story. They began buying paper9 paper cranes, and decided to make 2,000! They want to send the101,000 cranes to Hiroshima, Japan where Sadako lived. The next 1,000 cranes are 11 to a local hospital. Wherever a paper crane is made, the students are12that something so simple can help someone 13 hope.

    They are so devoted to the14that they work on it in every minute of their15time to help them towards their big goal of 2,000 paper cranes. To achieve their16 goal, all of the students are coming together and working very17 They are eager to spread the hope to their friends and families, also a18of this extraordinary project.

    The students are 19 by Sadako's story and are making their impossible dream come true. They hope to make a 20 around the globe to show that everyone can make the world a better place.

    When I was in middle school, my father went to my school and drove me home every Friday afternoon. On the way home, we usually talked and laughed. How happy we were!

    One day, my 1 was driving me home as usual. But to my surprise, he didn't say a word 2 the way home. It seemed that he was not very well. "Are you sick Dad?" I asked him. "No, dear. Don't worry," he answered.

    Later at home, I found my father smoking in the balcony(阳台). And I knew he had stopped 3 many years before. Something must be wrong with him. So I went to my mother and told her about my worries. My mother 4 me that my father had been out of work for several days, and he hadn't got a new 5 yet. Hearing this, I felt sorry and 6. Whenever I had 7 , my father always encouraged me. The next day, I made a card for my father. I wrote some words on it to 8 him. My father was moved to tears. He hugged me and said," Thank you, dear. Everything will be fine soon."

    Our parents always take good care of us, 9 some of us never think about them. How selfish we are! As teenagers, we should not only care about ourselves, but also 10 our parents and other people

    All of us in Monte Vista Christian School know we'll one day have graduation photos for the yearbook taken. As the time 1, the girls start to have a 2 about what they'll wear and where to take the photos, while the boys 3 hardly talk about it. As for me, I 4 for my photos to be taken by the sea.

    When I arrived there, I met my photographer, Annie. She asked me to make some poses and I 5 her advice. After that, I asked if she could make me look 6 by taking photos in a different way, 7 I'm less than 1.6 meters tall. To my 8 she responded, "I will make no 9 to make you look like someone you're not. You look good in your own way." She 10 that she wouldn't try to edit the photos either.

    I was shocked by what she said. Girls always 11 to look perfect by using different visual angles. When you go to a photo studio, photographers always try to hide your 12 by telling you to stand in a certain way. And picture editors can easily 13 your look by making you appear any you want to. 14, that's not the case here. Seeing I was 15, Annie explained: "Everyone has his uniqueness. You need to 16 your own beauty. You cannot live in a world of 17 photos."

    It was the first time that I had met a photographer who doesn't 18 photos at all. After the shoot, I saw the photos — they are 19 special and natural. But what's even more special are Annie's 20, which will always stay in my heart.