It had been a long time since I had been to Jacksonville, Florida. I had driven to town 1to find the old barber shop where my hair had been cut as a child. As I 2around, I was a little disappointed to see the old buildings had been3with new high-rise ones.

    After walking about a block I saw an open shoe store. Wondering whether I could get the 41walked in. As I stood talking to the salesman, the front door opened and a young man about twenty came into the store in a 5 “I need a new pair of shoes,” said the6As he turned the corner, I was 7to see that the young man had no legs.

    Seeing us 8 the young man said, “When I was a 9my parents used to buy me a new pair of shoes every year. That was such a wonderful feeling—10I have never forgotten.”

    Soon the salesman came with a large box. He put it down on the floor, took out a boot and handed it to the young man. Placing the boot 11his nose, the boy closed both eyes, and took a large breath. I did not know what to say as tears began to roll down his 12.

    Suddenly we heard the salesman shouting to an old man 13who looked in the window from time to time. The young man looked at the old man and then turned to me. “Would you walk out and see what14that fellow wears?” he 15.

    Wondering why, I 16walked to the front door, opened it and asked the old man to17“What size shoes do you wear?” the boy asked the man. “I don't know,” he replied, as he18his old tennis shoes. “I would say nine and a half,” I suggested. “What's your19hiking boot in nine and a half?” the boy asked the salesman. Within a minute. The salesman returned with a pair of hiking boots. The boy 20out, took the boot, placed it to his nose and took a large breath. Once again, tears came to his eyes. “Sir, would you mind trying on these boots?” the boy asked the old fellow.

    In 1952, my daddy traveled with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. This meant he would 1 a lot of time away from home.

    As 2 came near，he called my mother and 3 why he would not be celebrating the holiday with us. Money was tight and he didn't have a way to get back to his4 .Though she was 5, mother knew he was right. When she told us the news, it really 6 me, and I went to bed on Christmas Eve with a 7 heart.

    When we 8 up on Christmas morning, Santa had come. I still remember what gift we9 that year. We were all happy with our gifts, so we went outside to play. As we were10 I looked up and thought I saw my daddy in the distance I ran inside to tell mother. She did not11 me and told me not to make up stories. My mother12 it just wasn't possible. 13 I was sure it was Daddy！I turned to go back outside when I heard familiar footsteps. Daddy was home！As I 14into his arms, daddy explained that he had tried 15to get home for Christmas, but without success. At last, a group of the workers had decided to drive. But the 16  guy lived miles away. So daddy started 17 on Christmas Eve until he arrived home. He had walked all night！

    Though the 18that year were wonderful, the best gift was not found in the19 . Daddy's special surprise made this my most20 Christmas.

Happy Maggie

    During my childhood I experienced greater hardships than most people go through in a lifetime. In my short 17 years of life, I have been1five divorces of my parents. Having a new stepmother or stepfather every few years was2, but the constant moving was worse. My father's cancer diagnosis3 me apart, and his two heart attacks and4 with diabetes put a huge pressure on the family. By age 13, I was5and emotionally scarred. I felt like I had no one to6and that nothing would ever get better. Then I met Maggie, and my attitude towards life changed.

    For many summers, I 7 at a horse-riding camp for people with special needs. We taught children and adults specialized skills8their abilities. For example, we would teach a child with autism(自闭症)9skills, or a child with cerebral palsy(脑瘫) strength-building exercise. Each volunteer was10a specific child during eight weeks. A few weeks later, I was asked to11 another volunteer who was sick. That was the day my12 on life changed forever.

    As I began to work with her, I looked through her file to get more information, which was 13. She had been physically abused as a newborn and throughout her infancy. Her birth parents14her so badly that they caused her a serious brain injury by the age of two. Her skull had been broken, however, the amazing thing about Maggie was her15attitude.

    When I met Maggie, she was 12, and she would say16but "I'm happy!" If you asked her" How old are you?", "I'm happy" she replied each time. Everyone at the camp17her "Happy Maggie".

    My life growing up was a huge struggle, 18Maggie taught me not to get in the way of happiness. Nothing bad in life should be enough to change19I am. She gave me20. If I learned anything from Maggie, it would be, no matter what, be happy.

    I recently asked for a raise from a friend and she agreed.

    I met her at a playground, and told her I 1 another child in addition to my two during the week, and that I wanted to 2 it. She was actually looking for low-key care like that for her 2-year-old and the following week she 3. I threw out a 4 price. I don't know why really, I just tend to do that sort of thing.

    After weeks passed, I 5 it wasn't making much sense for me 6 to continue and I had to address it. In a text I told her I needed to up the price a bit. I 7 that the number we 8 agreed on wasn't covering my time and expenses. I threw out the amount I thought was 9 and fair, and do you know what I said next?

    Thank you.

    "Thank you for letting me feel10enough to be honest."

    What I really wanted to say was sorry. My11 was the exact thing I wanted to 12 for, but I didn't.

    Normally I would have but I consciously 13 "sorry" with "thank you". This 14 made me feel so much more 15. At first I was surprised that word choice could have so much 16 over my feelings, but then it occurred to me that it's not just my 17 that changed, but the actions I take before speaking them. 18 trying to obtain bits of 19 in apologies, I give them to myself. I no longer wait to be 20 when I've done nothing wrong and I feel a greater sense of confidence and worth. I've found the more I honor myself, the more others honor me, too.

Not everyone around is easy to get on well with in your life. I've always tried to keep my 1 from people who are rude, aggressive and mean. But sometimes we can't 2 having contact with people who might not have our best interests at heart.

Last summer, I became involved with a(n) 3 co­worker who was at a bad spot in his life. I had a lot of 4 for him and decided to help him 5 this tough time, so I tried my best to tolerate his rudeness when he lost his temper. However, just like a swimmer drowning in a pool, he grabbed on and ended up drowning me when I 6 and tried to rescue him. His rudeness gradually was out of 7. One night, when I got up to get a glass of water, he started yelling at me to get back into my bedroom. I did as I was told but I was not happy about it. He 8 my change in mood and asked what was wrong. But when I told him his behavior toward me was 9 and that I was very hurt by the way he had treated me, he was surprised. He could not understand his actions had a bad 10 on me. He told me he didn't have anything 11 me and that there was no need for me to 12 it. I used examples from his life of things that had hurt him and then tried to make the 13 that the same things also made me unfriendly. I said, "I always treat you with patience, understanding and kindness, but you haven't treated me with 14 respect." He was silent after listening to my words. What I had said might 15 him.

People only change if they want to change. I didn't know whether he would change his opinion or not in the future.

Bathed in two cultures from childhood, moving around the world and experiencing different cultures has always been my thing. When I was in high school, I heard about students in my class wanting to take the SAT test and study abroad in the USA. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}. Actually, what I wanted to experience most was the European lifestyle and cultural mix.

 I used to travel a lot around Europe with my parents as a little kid, and also not forgetting that the French Language is one of my mother tongues, France seemed therefore like a top choice for me. French universities have a good reputation and the French capital is internationally well known for its cultural history. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}. My university was one of those small cities and I also got the chance to obtain a scholarship which made it easier for me to start my studies.

 {#blank#}3{#/blank#}. Opportunities are offered to develop our network and explore the business world. The university participated as a partner in international networking courses leading to a European Master's degree, a double degree, or training abroad.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}. So, if you are an international student who came to France for studies, you can take the chance to explore another country for a term and study in English. I remember wanting to take this opportunity in my first year of my college life and try the program which back then offered students the chance to go on an exchange with Linnaeus University in Sweden. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}.

A.I applied and was lucky to get accepted

B.But I was not that attracted to studying there

C.You can find a lot of student-friendly cities as well

D.Besides, all these universities have their own unique advantages

E.The university I chose was small but used to invite business chiefs and directors

F.Because there are many universities with good reputation which attracts students

G.Plus, all French universities work with several countries to offer an exchange program