I was 15 when I walked into McCarley's bookstore in Ashland. As I was looking at all the books on the   1   , the shop owner asked if I'd like a job. I needed to start   2  money for college, so I said yes. I worked after school and during the summer for the lowest pay, and the job helped pay for my first year of college. I would do many other jobs and I   3   made maps for the US Forest Service. But selling books was one of the most satisfying.

    One day a woman asked me for books on cancer. She seemed   4  . I showed her almost everything we had at that time in the  5and found other books we could order. She left the store less  6 . I've always remembered the  7 I felt in having helped her.

    Years later, as a TV reporter in Los Angeles, I   8   a child who was born with his fingers connected(jointed together). His family could not   9   a corrective operation, and the boy lived in shame, hiding his hand in his pocket.

Luckily, I  10   persuading(说服) my boss to let me do the story. After my story was broadcast, a doctor and a nurse called,    11  to perform the operation for free.

    I visited the boy in the recovery room soon after the operation. The first thing he did was to hold up his repaired 12and say, “thank you.” I felt a sense of   13  .

    In the past, while I was at McCarley's bookstore, I always felt that I was working for the   14 , not the store. Today it's the same. NBC News pays me,   15  I feel as if I work for the TV viewers, helping them make sense of the world, not the TV station.

A father noticed his son crying silently. He asked him, "What's wrong, son? "

The boy answered, "My classmates 1 at me, calling me son of a poor gardener. "

The father said, "Come with me, son, and let's plant some2 , it might cheer you up. "They walked to the garden, then the father took out some flower seeds(种子)and said, "Let's carry out an experiment. We will 3 two flowers separately. I will care for one and you'll care for the other. I will water mine with clean water, but you will water yours with 4 water. We shall see the results in the weeks to come. "

The son was happy as he joined his father in planting the flowers. It took them some days to care for5 and watch them grow. Later, the father brought his son to the garden and said to him, "Look at the two flowers and tell me 6 you see. "The boy replied, "My flower looks7 than yours, how is that even possible when your water is cleaner? "

The father smiled and said, "That's 8 dirty water doesn't laugh at a plant from growing. It serves as organic fertilizer(有机肥)to help it grow. You see, son, there are some people who will put you down in life, stop your dreams and throw bad9 on you. Always remember that there is nothing wrong with you, and don't let the bad words make you cry10 , let it encourage you into being a better person. "

Li Na is a middle school student. Last term, while she was watching a clothing show on TV, a kind of traditional clothes called hanfu 1 her eye . How she wished to have her own hanfu!

She told her 2 that she wanted one. Her mom thought for a while and said," You can have one if you make 3 by the end of this term." She felt disappointed(失望的) but decided to make it. After that , she studied 4 than before. Whenever she faced difficulties, she tried her best to 5 them. Sometimes she 6 giving up, but she fought on. Then, in the final 7 , she made great progress. And her mom was 8 with her. 9 , the" big" day came. When she got home one afternoon, she saw a beautiful big box on the table:" Wow, hanfu!" Her wish 10 .

On a sunny Saturday, Li Na wore her own hanfu to a park with her family. There,a lot of people were attracted by her 11 including some foreign children. Li Na introduced hanfu to them 12 . She told them that hanfu—a13 of Chinese culture, is getting more and more popular. That day, she enjoyed the beauty of hanfu and experienced the traditional culture.

Looking back at the 14 days, she thinks she has got a lot more than the new clothes. Whenever she sees hanfu, it 15 her that hard work can help people get what they want.

I have been a writer for the school newspaper the Dagligtale, since my first day here at the University of Alberta. I probably won't work as a reporter after I finish university, but this doesn't mean my experience as a reporter has been useless. In fact, I have learned something important through this job.

I still remember my first news story. It was about the winning of the school baseball team. I came to the celebration and was told to do some interviews (采访). I was afraid. Talking to people I don't know was one of my worries. But I tried my best and did it. I talked to the students, the players and the team leader. It was something I had never dreamed of doing before. This experience made me believe in myself and helped me to improve my social skills (社交技能).

As a student reporter, I have learned to do research and to think carefully about what I read. Finding out the facts is important when you are writing for the school newspaper, but in the Information Age, this is also a useful skill in everyday life.

As a student reporter, I always know that I have a lot to learn. I'm never afraid of asking people for advice. I have learned how to use it to make improvements to myself.

To be a reporter is not easy, but I'm thankful that I have had the chance (机会) to try my hand at it. It has taught me to be a better storyteller, student and citizen. If you are ever given a chance to write for a school newspaper or magazine, take it and learn everything you can!