Alia Baker is a librarian in Iraq. Her library used to be a 1place for all who loved books and liked to share knowledge. They 2 various matters all over the world. When the war was near, Alia was3that the fires of war would destroy the books, which are more 4 to her than mountain of gold. The books are in every language — new books, ancient books, 5 a book on the history of Iraq that is seven hundred years old.

    She had asked the government for6to move the books to a 7place, but they refused. So Alia took matters into her own hands. 8, she brought books home every night,9her car late after work. Her friends came to 10her when the war broke out. Anis who owned a restaurant  11 to hide some books. All through the12 , Alia, Anis, his brothers and neighbours took the books from the library, 13them over the seven-foot wall and 14them in the restaurant. The books stayed hidden as the war15. Then nine days laters, a fire burned the16to the ground.

    One day, the bombing stopped and the17 left. But the war was not over yet. Alia knew that if the books were to be safe, they must be 18 again while the city was 19. So she hired a truck to bring all the books to the houses of friends in the suburbs(郊区). Now Alia waited for the war to end and 20 peace and a new library.

    One day, a well-known speaker was invited to give a lecture to an audience of 200. He started his lecture by1a $ 20 bill. He looked around the room, and asked, “Who would like this $20 bill?”2started going up.

    He said, “I am going to3this $20 to one of you, but first, let me do this.” He crumpled up (揉皱) the 20-dollar bill. He then asked, “Who4wants it?” Still the hands were5in the air.

    “Well”, he replied,“6I do this ?” And he dropped it on the7and started to step on it with his shoes. He picked it up. Now it was crumpled and8

    “Now, who wants it?” Still the hands went into the air.

    “My friends, we have all learned a very9lesson. No matter what I did to the10, you still want it because it doesn't decrease in11It is still worth $20, with12we can buy what we need.

    Many times in our lives, we are13, and trampled underfoot by the decision we14and the circumstances that come our way. We feel15we were worthless. But no matter what has happened or what may happen to us, you will never16your value. Dirty or clean, you are still priceless to those who do love you. The worth of our lives is determined not by17we do or who we know, but by who we are. You are18Don't ever forget it.”

    If you19this lesson in mind, it will help you to20again when you fall. Each time it makes you grow much stronger.

    It was an evening in September when I landed in Kuching, the capital city of Sarawak in Malaysia. I was a 19-year-old Dubai-raised kid away from home for the first time to 1 my undergraduate studies.

    I had never travelled alone before. I pushed my 2 and headed to the airport 3 to find a gray car with the name of my university on it.

    As we left the airport, the driver began talking to me. As I am a driving 4 myself, we started talking about cars and driving.

    “Never make a Sarawakian 5,” he warned. “No road rage（路怒）. Very dangerous!” Not long into our 6 the lights of the car behind flashed at us. This continued more aggressively and my driver started to 7. We pulled over to the roadside. My heart was pounding but I tried to put on a(n)8 face as the man from the car came up and made his way to my side of the car. As he reached my window. I 9 it and tried to 10 a smile.

    I looked down at his hands to see that he was 11 my travel bag. It 12 my passport, return tickets, as well as cash and letters for the university. I had left it 13 on the trolley at the airport and this man had been trying to 14 it to me ever since we had left the airport.

    Breathing a huge sigh of 15, I took my bag and 16 this stranger. The man welcomed me to Kuching, wished me luck with my university studies and drove away.

    This act of kindness 17 cheered me up and thanks to this honest 18, the initial self-doubt I had about my decision to 19 so far away from home was 20 with hope and excitement.

    As a child, I started learning to play the piano, my favorite musical 1,but I was forced to give up when I started my middle school 2 I could concentrate more on my studies.

    It's one of my biggest 3to stop practicing the piano when I recall sadly today. During the following years, I kept telling my piano teacher that I would4. However, I didn't keep my promise because I was 5 with my study. 6 I lost touch with my teacher. Some years later, my teacher died. I was very sad because I lost such a good teacher. She was a very warm and gentle person. It hurts me to think she may have been 7 that I never returned. I haven't taken lessons since then but to be honest, I 8 to. Sitting at the piano, I couldn't help recalling many 9-- times of my practising at home and playing before my teacher and one time my teacher 10 me after I played entire pieces of music wrong in front of her colleagues. I was so11 that I could hardly say anything. But her12 helped me ease my shame. These memories, 13, good or bad, never caused my 14 for playing the piano again.

    This thought then led me to think that15is like music, and that we all try to play different 16in the instrument of our life. Sometimes the pitch(音高) is 17when we play it well, but sometimes we are out of tone. However, we all continue to create our own 18style of music. No matter what style our music is, it is 19 that we sing the songs of joy, quietness and love. Though I may never make it back to piano lessons, it doesn't20 that I've stopped making music.

    With his leg lame and his teeth uneven, the boy thought of himself as the most unfortunate child in the world. He 1 played with his classmates, and when asked to answer questions, he always 2 his head without a word.

    One spring, his father brought home some saplings (树苗). 3of his children would plant a sapling and he promised, 'Whoever 4 his sapling best shall get a gift.' The boy certainly wanted to get the gift. 5 seeing his brothers and sisters watering the trees, he 6 an idea: he hoped the tree he planted would die soon. So watering it once or twice, he never 7 it.

    Several days later, he was 8 to find it not only didn't die, but also grew so many fresh 9. Compared with those of his brothers and sisters, his appeared greener. His father kept his 10, bought the boy a gift and said he would become an outstanding11 after growing up.

    From then on, the boy slowly became 12 and confident. One evening, he suddenly13 his biology teacher once said that plants 14 grow at night. Why not go to see the tree?

    When he came to the courtyard, he found his father working near the tree! Immediately he 15: Father had been secretly 16 his tree! He returned to his room, tears in his eyes.

    Decades passed. The boy didn't become a botanist. 17, he became the U.S.18. His name was Franklin Roosevelt.

    19 is the best nourishment (滋养品) of life. 20 it is just a bucket of water, it can make the tree of life grow well!

    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 the4suggests, 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 and11our mind. Sometimes we've gone outside in order to participate in12events. One event we had,13was “Give a cigarette- Take a candy” intending to14smoking.

    At this organization we are friends with each other and are a15community. I have 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 life19I'm sure I'll have a lot of wonderful20about my youth with me getting older.