Around twenty years ago I was living in Seattle and going through hard times. I could not find 1 work although I had a lot of experience and a Master's degree.

    To my 2, I had to drive a school bus to 3my family. At the same time, I had some4 with different companies but they all5to say I did not get the job. I went to hit bus barn(车库), feeling6.

    Later that afternoon, 7 doing my rounds through the town I had an inner wave rise from deep 8 me and I thought “Why has my9 become so hard?”

    Immediately after this internal(内心的)scream, I 10 the bus over to drop off a little girl. As she11 she handed me an earring saying I should keep it 12somebody looked for it. The 13 was stamped with words “BE HAPPY” Then I struck me. I had been putting all of my 14into what was wrong with my life rather than what was 15!

    One night there was a phone call for me from the 16at a large hospital. She asked me whether I 17 do a one-day training for 200 hospital workers. I said 18 and got the job.

    My day with the hospital workers 19very well. I got a great 20and many more days of work. To this day I know that it was because I changed my attitude to life.

    One day a rich man was invited to dinner at the home of one of his friends. He did not know what “to1the wine, meat and chicken he had just bought.” Certainly he could not2them to the servant. Then he had3 idea. He called up the servant and4to him.

     “I'll be away for the whole evening, and I'll leave you to look after the house. In the cupboard there are two bottles filled with5 Be careful about it. You'll be killed if you take even a6of it. There is also some meat and chicken in the cupboard. Take care of them.”7these words the rich man left the home.

    8the master turned his back, the servant opened the cupboard and began to enjoy all the nice things in it. He 9the two bottles and ate up the meat, the chicken and10he found in the cupboard.He was11and soon fell12

    At mid- night the rich man returned home. He looked into the cupboard and to his great13 all his wine and food were14 He was mad with15and called the servant up. “Oh, Master,” the servant began to say16the rich man could open his mouth; “while you were away, the neighbor's black cat stole into our kitchen and ate up everything in the cupboard. I know you would be angry with me. I was so17that I drank the two bottles of poison to kill18” There were tears in the servant's eyes. “Oh, Master,” he continued, “Please don't get angry with a 19man. I'll soon be dead." The rich man, of course, did not20a word of his story. But again, he could do nothing about it.

The Change of Bossy (好指挥人的) Lily

    I am a helpful person. However, my classmates used to call me “Bossy Lily”.

    One day, the class shouted again, “Bossy Lily, bossy Lily!” My teacher, Ms. Flora sent me to sit in the 1 for a while to quiet the class. I didn't understand why the class got 2 when I tried to show Mike how to handle the record player. I was only trying to 3 I also couldn't understand why the teacher had sent me to the corner. I was taught to always help my 4if they didn't know something. I thought the class was 5 in their judgment of me. I thought the teacher was wrong in 6 with them.

    When everyone was excused for break, Ms. Flora kept me in. I 7 I was in serious trouble, but I still didn't understand how my 8 could have caused the teacher to react like this.

     “Why am I here and not at break?” I asked Ms. Flora. The teacher didn't say a word.9 she placed a word puzzle in front of me. Surprised as I was, I got out my pencil and 10 to solve it. It was 11 with many words I didn't understand. I raised my hand for help, but Ms. Flora 12 me. I 13 with the word puzzle until I was about to give up. But I was not a quitter, so I stayed with the challenge. Soon I had solved the problem 14my own. I was so proud I did the puzzle by myself that I raised my hand high to get Ms. Flora's 15. Ms. Flora picked up the finished puzzle and 16.

    “I'm glad that you learned this important 17 from me.” I was 18. She hadn't done anything. Now she was taking the credit for my hard work!

    “Now perhaps you have learned to let other students make discoveries 19. After all, that is the fun of 20.”

    In that moment, I decided that I would never do anything that would cause them to call me “Bossy Lily” ever again.

    Life will be peaceful if you always do kind things. I teach my daughters to develop a habit of 1 others. The little acts of 2 give you chances to provide service for others. They can make you feel how 3 it is to be kind and helpful.

    We 4 in a rural (乡村的) area. Most of what we 5 is beautiful nature. One of the exceptions to the 6 is the rubbish that some people throw out of their car windows as they drive along the rural roads. One of the few 7 of living there is short of 8 public services，such as rubbish collection，which is common in the 9.

    A helping behavior that I practice regularly with my daughters is 10 rubbish in our neighborhood. My daughters often have a match to see who can collect the most rubbish. They will often say to me in a(n) 11 voice, "There's some rubbish，Daddy—12 the car！"And if we have time, we will often get out of our car and pick it up. 13 it may seem strange, we do it. In fact, we 14it. We pick up rubbish in parks, on sidewalks, almost anywhere.

    One day I saw a stranger picking up rubbish on the road. I stopped. He 15 his head and smiled，"I saw you doing this with your family. It's a good 16 to protect our environment."

    There are many other ways to 17 kindness for others. You may share a dinner with a beggar，visit 18 old people in the nursing home，or help the blind 19 the street. You can think of something that can be finished 20 but helpful. It is fun, self­satisfying, and what's more, it can set a good example. Helping others is helping yourself.

    Jane's mother worked on the farm from dawn till dark and she just could make ends meet. To make Jane live a1life, she was very careful about spending money.2, Jane didn't understand her. Every day she was busy with her 433while Jane was studying at school, so they had little time to enjoy themselves.

    One day, she realized Jane was unhappy and even 44to her, so she decided to go 45with Jane to make Jane happy.

    On Sunday morning they went happily to the snowfield. Since they were 6in white clothes, the manager advised them to buy ski clothes. He said 47there was an accident, they might be easily 48in their ski clothes. They couldn't 49them, so she refused.

    Then they went skiing in their white clothes. They were skiing happily on the 10when suddenly the snowfield began to11. It was a snow slide(雪崩). They ran a long way and

    12the snow slide finally, but they couldn't find their way. Later, a helicopter was flying above,13people on it couldn't see or hear them. Jane was14because she had hurt her head seriously and15dropped on the snow. Just then an idea struck her mother. She pierced (刺破) her own wrist16and let bright red blood drop on the snow. A red SOS was written. At last Jane17, but her mother died.

    Every time I18the blood dropping on the snow, I feel19. I believe anyone who hears the tragedy will20Jane's mother for her selfless love to her daughter.

During my last stay in France, I got used to biking down a quiet road. Round a corner, I 1 a little house. In its yard, there was an elderly woman. I waved at her as I went by, and she must have thought I was some 2 tourist, because she didn't wave back.

The 3 thing happened the second day. But on the third day, the old woman 4 a wave, and by the fourth day, she nearly got out of her chair as I5 to her.

"Good morning, Madam!" It became a small ritual(礼节) between us.

On my last ride there, however, I didn't' t6 the lady there. Back at my house, I told Roger, the gardener, of my missed7

"She has a bad leg and has gone to the hospital for8 , " he said.

"Who is she? "I asked.

"The 9 road used to be a railway, and the lady's husband was once the stationmaster," Roger explained, "Several times a day, 10 a train passed, the couple would see passengers waving to them excitedly. 11 , the station was moved away. Everything is 12 except for this couple. She has 13 the trains and the waves. And you just brought them back to her14 ,"

By reaching out, in a way that cost me nothing, I had given more than I had15 .