During the course of a lifetime, we all make mistakes. And, often we take for granted what we have. We think that we surely1what we already have. We also believe that we will never need anyone to2us out from difficult and changing times. Cecilia, not her real name, had a great job, a nice house and everything she3 She was4 not a kind person for several reasons that became obvious5you got to know her.

    It was very clear that she6pity for others who were not as fortunate as she was. She would not help anyone, nor would she even begin to express any7for anyone in trouble. Her8was that they were just lazy or that they were deserving because they had personal problems.

    But, then9the fateful day. Her husband got into financial difficulty, to the point, where he was10to declare bankruptcy（破产）. Now, she found that she was the one who had11 She was desperate for help. She found out that even her12were unwilling to help her but13for her, her husband's family was willing and able to help them through these difficult times despite the fact that she had14them from her life. I wish I could give you a beautiful ending to this story of help but I15cannot. Even though Cecilia was assisted

    16challenging times, once over, she17her true self.

    As we all know, we all need help somewhere along life's18whether we think we will or not. If you have remained19you should try your best to help those that need your hand. If you20through life helping, caring, forgiving, you will always have your own special fan club — it is those who always love and respect you.

Yasmeen's Mehndi

    Mrs. Cross, Yasmeen's social study teacher, announced, “Boys and girls, you have been learning about world customs. Be ready to 1 one of your family's customs tomorrow.”

    After school, Yasmeen dragged her backpack along, thinking about the day's2“I'm the only Indian student in my class,” she thought, “what will everyone think about my family's customs?”

    At home, Yasmeen was3 She opened the kitchen door and saw her mother busily crushing (压碎) henna (指甲花) leaves.

    “Ready for the4tonight?” Mother smiled.

    Yasmeen shrugged (耸肩). Normally, she'd be excited when her aunts, uncles and cousins came to5 the end of the ninth month of the Islamic year. This holy month is observed with prayers and fasting (斋戒) during daylight hours.

    Later, Yasmeen explored the house, trying to get a (an)6for her assignment. She 7her father's Koran (《古兰经》). She quickly turned over the worn pages of her father's holy book. “Maybe I'll take this to school,” she thought. But the Koran isn't a 8

    “Maybe I'll wear my salwar (沙丽) to school. Wrong! Everybody might 9me. Tears filled Yasmeen's eyes as she tried to figure out 10to share.

    Yasmeen walked into the 11 again and watched Mother mix henna powder into a smooth paste (膏), to be used at the party.

    That night all the girls12 their glittering dresses gathered around the sofa to have their hands 13 with Mehndi (henna paste).

    It was Yasmeen's14 Mother drew tiny flower patterns on her hands. Seconds later, “That's it,” Yasmeen shouted out, “Mehndi!”

    “On special Muslim holidays,” Yasmeen15the next day at school, “it's an Indian16to paint women' s hands with Mehndi designs.” Yasmeen17displayed the design on her hands. She also held up a bowl of crushed henna leaves for the class to see and then described how her mother prepared henna paste.

    “18you paint me a Mehndi design?” All her classmates held out their hands.

    Yasmeen's eyes moistened. She had always thought that Mehndi was only something 19in her own country, but now she was far too glad to see this ancient art on hands 20by people of different cultures.

    I volunteer some of my time in order to give back just a little of what I am so blessed to have. This month. I had an unbelievable opportunity to 1 my dream, and step out of my 2 surroundings. I volunteered to go to Guatemale (危地马拉) with an eyeglass.

    Our 3 went to a small town in Guatemala. San Augustin. We 4 our tables and packages of pre-made 5in the dirt courtyard of a clinic, get up the Snellen chart on a wall, and began 6 people. Young and old, they came from many of the 7 town. Most had never had an eye exam before.

    They waited for hours8 in the sun, never complaining. If we could help them out with a 9 pair of glasses they would feel deeply 10. Some only left with eye drops or sunglasses, and 11 these people were grateful.

    We saw over a hundred 12 a day and a good part of those we saw got glasses. We 13over and over from people who knew their eyes 14help that they had not gone to a doctor because it was too 15, or had not got the glasses they needed for the same reason. We saw children who were16 out of school because they could not see the17, and we met women who could not see to thread needles, drivers with 18 seeing road signs.

      We are not doctors, and there were several people we could not help. But for those we could, we watched with pleasure as their lives19. What a gift sight is and what a difference it 20to see clearly.

    Once upon a time a very strong woodcutter（伐木工） went to a timber merchant to ask for a job and he got it. The 1was really good and the work conditions were good ,too . For those2,the woodcutter was determined to do his best.

    His boss gave him an axe(斧头) and 3him the area where he was supposed to work. The first day, the woodcutter brought 18 trees. The boss offered  4to him and told him to5that way .Encouraged by the boss's6, the woodcutter tried harder the next day,7he could only bring 15 trees. The third day, 8he tried even harder, he could only bring 10 trees. Day after day he was bringing fewer and fewer trees. 9 ，he had to go to the boss and apologized to him, wondering whether he was losing his 10 ."When was the last time you sharpened (磨) your axe?" the boss asked. With a(an)11 look on his face, the woodcutter answered, "I had no12 to sharpen my axe. I have been very busy trying to13trees..."

    Our lives are like that. It seems that everyone is14 than ever, but less happy than ever. Why is that ? There's 15 wrong with activities and hard work. But we should not get so busy that we16 the truly important things in our 17 life, such as taking time to read and 18 more time with our family. We all need time to relax, to think, and to 19 .If we don't take the time to sharpen the "axe" , we will become20 and lose our effectiveness.

    When I was growing up, I had an old neighbor Dr Gibbs, a good doctor. When Dr, Gibbs wasn't 1lives, he was planting trees. His house covered an area of ten acres, and his life's2was to make it a forest.

    The good doctor had some interesting theories 3plant care and growth. He never4his new trees, which went against traditional practices. Once I asked why, he said that watering plants did 5to them so that their later generation would grow weaker and weaker. So you had to make things6for them and removed the7early on. He talked about how watering trees made for8roots, and how trees that weren't watered had to grow deep roots9 moisture(水分). He meant that deep roots had to be10. For this reason, he11watered his trees.

    Dr Gibbs12a couple of years after I left home. Every now and again, I walked by his house and looked at the13that he had planted when he was alive. They're extremely tall and big14 they have deep roots now. However, the trees in my garden15 in a cold wind although I had watered them for several years.

    It seems that suffering 16these trees, while comfort and ease never can. I stood there deep in17.

    Every night before I go to bed, I check on my two sons. Mostly I pray that their lives will be 18.But I think that it's time to19my prayer because now I know my children are going to20hardship.

    Long long time ago, in a small and distant 1, there was a place known2 the House of 1000 Mirrors. A small, happy little dog learned of this place and 3 to visit it. When he arrived, he 4 happily up the stairs to the doorway of the house. He looked through the doorway with his ears lifted high and his tail 5 as fast as it could. To his great 6, he found himself staring at 1000 other 7 little dogs with their tails wagging just as fast as his. He smiled a great smile, and was 8 with 1000 great smiles just as warm and friendly. As he 9 the House, he thought to himself: This is a10 place. I will come back and visit it often."

    In the same village, 11 little dog, who was not quite as happy as the first one, was determined to visit the house. He 12 climbed the stairs and 13 his head low as he looked into the door. 14 he saw the 1000 unfriendly looking dogs staring back at him, he growled at them and was 15 to see 1000 little dogs growling back at him. As he left, he thought to himself, "That is a terrible place, and I will 16 go back there again."

    All the faces in the world are 17. When you smile at the world the whole world will 18 at you, and vice verse (反之亦然). 19, it is you who can choose to be happy or to be upset. And what kinds of reflections (思考) do you see in the 20 of the people you meet?