Before Father's Day.I found my father was unhappy because he was out of work.I decided to make him happy by buying him a special Father's Day gift.

    One day after school I 1to the Agins which was known for fashions and styles.I told Agins that I was looking for a Father's Day present.

    “Do you think he'd like a2？”she asked.“I think he may.”I told her.

    She3 a Swiss watch and I told her that I would like it.

    “How much money do you have?”she asked.

    “4dollars.”I replied.

    “You're so lucky!” she told me.“It's only $ 11.You still have $ 1 for the5.”She packed the watch and I thanked for my business.and I rode off home with the gift under my arm.

    When my father opened the gift，he was very6.“Where did you get it?”

    “I bought it at the Agins.It cost me $ 11.”I said.My father was shocked into silence.

    Many years later，the watch cost several hundred dollars，7I appreciated (赞赏) how wonderful Agins had been to me.I always felt regretful (后悔的) that I never had a8 to thank her.

    “What really surprises me to this day...my daughter.” My father said，“Letting you have the watch for 11 dollars was unbelievable (不可相信的).But the fact that she let you leave the9with a dollar for the card was a touch (触动) of kindness.I'll never10it.”

    I'm Dave. I'm from the west of Ireland. When I finished university, I1to leave Ireland to find work. Although I2home. I enjoyed living in London for two years. But after that, I felt I needed a3. so I bought a ticket to Ecuador ,a country that many of my friends were talking about. Two months later,4was in Quito，a beautiful city high up in the mountains. First，I explored(考察)the city. Next，I decided to walk on the Camino Real，the most important Inca road. It was hard work. 5the views(景色)were really wonderful. During the walk，there were more and more clouds and it was6to see. Suddenly I heard some magical Irish music. It 7me of home. “How could it be?”I just 8believe it. I thought l was dreaming. The next day, when I came down for breakfast at my hotel. I9found out the truth. 10 was practicing Irish music at the hotel garden(花园). It was an American tourist who was making the magical music of my home!

    It does not always come easy to discover oneself. From a young age, I had already got a strong sense of who I would like to become. 1 an accident made me redefine(重审) myself.

    To me, skating was the most important. There was 2 in this world that filled my heart with such joy. I spent twenty-four hours a week practising my 3 . Having no social life or interests but skating, my devotion(挚爱) brought me first place medals in nearly every  4 .

    Unfortunately, in one show, I fell down and hurt myself 5 . After several X-rays and MRI(磁共振) scans, the 6 told me that I couldn't return to my sport any more. The pain in my back was so hard to stand that even the 7 daily tasks became difficult.

    As my passion(激情) was 8 , I had little sense of who I was to become. However, after eight months of suffering, something had to 9. Instead of wasting my days sitting around painfully, I began to put my 10 into local public service projects. By volunteering  11 a swimming teacher and summer reading teacher for kids, I got an idea of who I 12 to become. After a few months, I put all my heart into developing my interest in the arts. Little by little, I 13 out of the shadow(阴影) and rebuilt my confidence.

    Sometimes, some 14 rocks get in our way. We can choose to stay behind or try to climb over. My accident was a rock that 15 to stop me from reaching success. Today I'm a very confident and positive person.

Young people know how important education（教育）is，but not all of them like school. Read these students' ideas. 

Kate，13 I love school. A lot of my friends and I are in the same school. And I enjoy learning new things. I also like my teachers very much. It's true that sometimes we have too much homework. But all in all，I enjoy my school life. 

Roy，14 School is alright. School can be really stressful（压力大的）at times，but I think it can help me find a good job when I leave school and go far in life. I enjoy some lessons，such as math and science. But I don't like history，but I know it helps us learn. All my teachers are helpful. I have many good friends at school. So I can say yes，I enjoy school. 

Meg，13 School is not fun. I have to get up early to go to school. I like to play out with my friends. What do I need history for?Or geography?We don't need to go to school to get an education. We just need to know how to read，and make friends with people who know things. We can get a real education by learning how to do things and how things work. 

Nina felt nervous this morning. She couldn't believe that she decided to tryout for a talent show. She loved to sing but she disliked singing in front of other people. 

Taking a deep breath, she pushed open the door of the theater and went inside. 

The room was filled with laughing children. Nina saw Luz, James and others from her class. The bright, sunny room left her no place to hide. A few teachers sat on chairs. They waited for the children to become quiet. 

"Hi, Nina!" Luz called out. "I didn't think you would tryout. You are so timid(胆怯的) in front of people. "

"That's not true, " Nina said. "I'm not shy at all. "

"Yeah, right, " Luz chuckled(轻声地笑) and ran off to find a seat. 

One by one the students got up on the stage(舞台) and did their acts. 

"Nina Martinez!" a voice called out. It was Mrs. Brent, the music teacher. Nina rose from her chair. She felt small as she walked to the huge, empty stage. Her face was hot and her shaking hands were as cold as ice. 

"I-I-" Nina began, and then stopped. "I can't, " she said softly. 

"Close your eyes, " said Mrs. Brent gently. "Forget about everyone else. Just sing. "

Nina felt silly, but she gave it a try. She closed her eyes and raised her voice and sang out. Her hands stopped shaking. 

The song was so nice that everybody enjoyed it. 

Nina heard Mrs. Brent clap (鼓掌) loudly at the end of her song. "That's the first time I have really heard your voice, " she said. "You are in the show!"

Nina let out a big sigh(叹息) and smiled happily.