My brother, Mark, died in a traffic accident four years ago. He was my big brother and 1 looked after me. I am 2today for all of the special times we had as running partners, and times 3 driving to different races, where we had so many 4 about life in general. I 5 these talks terribly at this time of the year.

   6, I am so happy he shared with me the 7of his faith. He was always so 8 to people, and I had been with him many times 9 we pulled over to help someone in need,10 a smile and helping them get back on the road. So I was not 11 when he told me of the time when he was 12 in college. It was the end of the month. To make matters worse, it was Friday and he had no  13 in his pocket for the weekend. Pay day was Monday and he had no gas money to get home to  14my dad and no money to buy food but he had faith that helping others 15helping yourself.

On his way home from classes that day, as he was driving along, he noticed a guy ahead of him  16 his lumber (木材) all over the road as he turned the corner. Mark 17 right over and helped him load the lumber back into his truck. The guy was so thankful and 18 his hand to Mark, and in it was one hundred dollars. Mark couldn't believe his 19. He told him that was unnecessary but the man 20 and off he drove.

    I still think of Mark sitting there telling me that story, with tears in his eyes, and how faithful he was.

    One summer, Aunt Betta and Uncle Bill invited me to travel with them back home to Pennsylvania. I had never been1Los Angeles and was eager to meet our relatives.

    Our first night, we drove through the desert, and then through roads cut through hills. The next day we went through the Rocky Mountains. It was2driving up long inclines（斜坡） with abrupt U-shape turns on the steep hillsides, then driving3slowly with great caution. Beyond Colorado, we drove through miles of 4, where I saw actual food being grown. I5some of the crops.

    In one small town we passed through, Aunt Betta decided I needed new6and took me to a country 7. I was used to8dresses and skirts. Now I had my first pair of jeans, a flannel shirt, shorts and a T-shirt. I loved them all.

    9 we reached our destination. Uncle Bill's aunt had a perfect little two-story house. The first thing I 10was a bed in a cute little room — for me! I looked forward to that. It would be like sleeping in a dollhouse. In the backyard, I saw red things11the back fence. Uncle Bill's uncle said, "I think you never ate a 12tomato in L.A." I hadn't. He 13picked one for me.

    I met all my new aunts, uncles and cousins. My cousins taught me how to do cartwheels (恻手翻) in the big front yard. Country people have more14, I thought.

    All the adults cried when we 15, but I took home all the 16of everything I'd seen. Back in L.A., my lungs hurt when I took a deep breath. I 17 the fresh air. I dreamed of homegrown tomatoes. My country clothes seemed out of 18, but I wore them anyway.

    I was two weeks late starting19, but I told my teachers only that I'd been in Pennsylvania and decided to 20all the rest to myself. If only they could have experienced everything that I did!

    I used to be a very self-centered person, but in the past two years I have really changed. I have started to think about other people 1 I think about myself. I am happy that I am becoming a2person:

    I think my3started when I was at Palomar College. At first, I just wanted to get my4, and be left alone. I thought I was smarter everyone else, so I hardly ever5to anyone in my classes. By the end of my first semester, I was really,6. It seemed as if everyone but me had made friends and was having fun. So tried a(n)7. I started asking people around me how they were doing, and if they were having trouble I8to help. That was really a big9for me. By the end of the year, I had several new friends, and two of 10are still my best friends today.

    A bigger cause of my new11, however, came when I took a part-time job at a Vista Nursing Home. One old lady there who had Alzheimer s disease became my12. Every time I came into her room, she was so13because she thought I was her daughter. Her real daughter never14her, so I took her place. She let me15. That making others feel good make me feel good, too. When she died, I was 16, but I was very grateful to her.

    I think I am a much 17, person today than I used to be, and I hope I will not18these experiences. They have19e to care about other people more than about myself.20who I am today, and I could not say that a few years ago.

Two years ago I was a typical girl with a rather plain life. When1to a local voluntary organization called "Peer-to-Peer" by a poster, I had no idea what this group was about.2, to learn more about it, I decided to attend a3, which changed my life.

    Just like the4 suggests, everyone is considered a peer, including regular members and our leaders. This means we can5our leaders by their first names. We can also ask our leaders for help in6life situations, which we know they will never7 ! When it comes to conversations about awkward topics like love, we are8not to be ashamed of ourselves.

This organization's meetings9in our local library. We usually gather and communicate about10topics concerning our society: education, equality and safety... This kind of communication helps us to make the right choice and110ur mind. Sometimes we've gone outside in order to participate in12events. One event we had,13, was "Give a cigarette -Take a candy" intending to14smoking.

    At this organization we are friends with each other and are a15community. I've also gained a lot of16experience by communicating with people and working in the team.

    With time going by, I have found an abundance of other17organizations such as "Give Good" and "Youth Initiative Center". All of them have18me a great chance to develop my own personality and make my life19. I'm sure I'll have a lot of wonderful20about my youth with me getting older

The famous composer, Rob Stewart, didn't have a good start in this career. However, he achieved a great deal of success as a result of a1. Stewart's parents died when he was eight and he went to live with his2. As a little boy, he fell in love with music and3himself about it by reading through the family collection that his mother kept,4which there were a lot of related books.

Three years later, Stewart's grandfather died, and his mother's sister decided to5him. Her husband was a kind man and6for young Stewart's music lessons. One summer vacation at a Belgian seaside added a second7to his life——the sea. Then he studied to be a naval cadet, but still took time to study8.

In the French Navy, he and two friends found time to9a band, playing the works of Beethoven and other10. Stewart also began composing. On Christmas Day 1892, he had his first chance to11as a composer, which turned out to be a success.

That success12Stewart to write a wedding march, and one of his navy friends13to show it to the famous conductor, Edouard Colonne. When Stewart's friend14with the manuscript, he reported that Colonne had advised Stewart to15his naval career and devote his life to music.

Not long16he was 25, Stewart decided to17Edouard Colonne's advice. He gave his heart and soul to his composing and18a major force in the twentieth century's French music. Because of Edouard Colonne's inspiring19, Stewart devoted his life to music, but Stewart's20friend later admitted that he had made it up. He said he had never ever shown Stewart's manuscript to the famous conductor.

The college entrance examination is just around the corner. Homework and tests will keep many of you up late at night, and you may plan to make up for your lost sleep during the weekends. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} is it useful? A study published in the journal Current Biology completely has changed {#blank#}2{#/blank#} people used to think. It shows that the habit of sleeping in on weekends doesn't fix the damage done by a lack of sleep during the week. Even {#blank#}3{#/blank#} (bad), it may damage your health.