It's hard being an astronaut's son. I mean, everybody expects you to be special or 1. But I'm just a common student, and I' m common in all kinds of ball games, too.

    I often wonder 2 my father ever had a son like me. He' s so special and so good at 3. So I used to dream about doing something special to make him 4 me.

    In one class, my teacher 5 a Father's Day essay contest to us. He also told us the winners' essays would 6 in front of all the parents and students. After school I walked home, 7 my father, who I would write about in my essay.

    I still remember he stayed by my side in the 8 when I was a little kid and had an awful dream. He surprised me 9 a new puppy dog at my eighth birthday party. He sat and tried to explain the meaning of life to me when Grandpa Bob died. To me, he wasn't a world-famous astronaut, just my dad.

    I wrote about all these 10 in my essay. One of our classmates said, "I believe you'll win the contest, David. You're the only one in our school who 11 write about being the son of an astronaut. "I shrugged(耸肩). I hadn' t shown anyone the essay, but now I 12hoped I wouldn't win. I didn't want to win just because my father was an astronaut.

    I won the second prize. 13 I finished reading my essay, the whole school applauded(鼓掌). I saw my father blowing his nose. I went back to my seat. Dad nodded to 14, cleared his throat, and put his hand on my shoulder. "Son, this is the most 15 moment of my life," he said. It was the proudest moment of my life, too. Maybe I'll never be a great hero or win a Nobel Prize, but just then, it was enough just to be my father' s son.

    I was wandering around the Albuquerque airport. My flight had been 1 , and I heard a(n)2: “If anyone near Gate A-4 3 Arabic，please come to the gate immediately." Gate A-4 was my own gate. I went there.

    An older woman was 4, sitting on the floor. In her 5 Arabic dress, she reminded me of my grandmother.

    “6 to her,” the flight agent urged. “We told her the flight was going to be late, and she did this."

    I spoke to the woman 7in Arabic while putting my arm around her. She 8crying. It turned out that she thought the 9 had been canceled. She planned to be in New York for some medical treatment the next day. I comforted her and suggested 10her family.

    We telephoned her son. In English, I told him that I would 11 with his mother until we got on the plane. Then his son was12. Next we called my dad. They spoke for a while in Arabic and 13 that they had ten shared friends. After that, I called some Arabic friends I14 and let them talk to her.

    She was in a 15mood by then and took some homemade 16— little cakes stuffed with nuts and topped with sugar 一 from her bag and 17 them to the people near the gate. To my amazement, no one 18. It was like a party. The traveler from Argentina, the mom from California, the lovely woman from Laredo — we were all smiling, enjoying the same 19.

    I looked around and thought, this is the world I want to live in. One with no 20. Everyone can be happy anywhere.

About the movie

    It is the {#blank#}1{#/blank#} (finally) part of the Hobbit movie trilogy, and it came out in the US on Dec 17. The main character Bilbo Baggins is {#blank#}2{#/blank#} of fantasy's most famous heroes. In the movie, he helps the dwarves to get their kingdom back from the dragon Smaug, and also fights an {#blank#}3{#/blank#}(expect) group of enemies. He shows that true heroics are not the absence of fear, but {#blank#}4{#/blank#}(have) that fear and doing something anyway.

Difficulties Freeman once had

    He {#blank#}5{#/blank#}(use) be overshadowed (使逊色) by Benedict Cumberbatch, his co-star in Sherlock. He seemed to be unable to take the role in the Hobbit trilogy because of his role in Sherlock.

His personality and habits

    He is known {#blank#}6{#/blank#} being outspoken and {#blank#}7{#/blank#}(describe) as “direct and mean”. He is so old {#blank#}8{#/blank#} he doesn't use computers much, so he prefers his scripts to be mailed to him rather than e-mailed. He doesn't drive, and he's not interested in {#blank#}9{#/blank#}(hang) out with celebrities at clubs. He said he always saw the world in a funny way and {#blank#}10{#/blank#}(learn) not to care about being criticized.

    One day I visited an art museum while waiting for my husband to finish a business meeting. I was expecting a quiet1of the splendid artwork.

    A young2viewing the paintings ahead of me3nonstop between themselves. I watched them a moment and decided the lady was doing all the talking. I admired the man's4for putting up with her5stream of words. Disturbed by their noise, I moved6.

    I met them several times as I moved7the various rooms of art. Each time I heard her continuous flow of words, I moved away8.

    I was standing at the counter of the museum gift shop making a purchase9the couple approached the10. Before they left, the man11into his pocket and pulled out a white object. He12it into a long stick and then13his way into the coatroom to get his wife's jacket.

    "He's a14man." The clerk at the counter said. "Most of us would give up if we were blinded at such a young age. During his recovery, he made a promise his life wouldn't change. So, as before, he and his wife come in15there is a new art show."

    "But what does he get out of the art". I asked "He can't see."

    "Can't see You're16He sees a lot, more than you and I do," the clerk said, "His wife17each painting so he can see it in his head."

    I learned something about patience,18and love that day. I saw the patience of a young wife describing paintings to a person without19and the courage of a husband who would not20blindness to change his life. And I saw the love shared by two people as I watched this couple walk away, their arms intertwined.

    Norman Cousins was a businessman from the United States who often traveled around the world on business. He enjoyed his 1 and traveling.

    Then, after returning to the United States from a 2 trip to the Union of Soviet Socialist Republic (USSR), Mr. Cousins got sick. Because he had pushed his body to the 3 of its strength on the trip, a change began to take place 4 him. The material between his bones became 5.

    In less than one week after his return, he could not 6. Every move that he 7 was painful. He was not able to sleep at night. The doctors told him that they did not know how to cure Mr. Cousins' problem and he might never 8 his illness. Mr. Cousins, however, refused to give up 9.

    Mr. Cousins thought that 10 thoughts were causing bad chemical changes in his body. He did not want to take medicine to cure himself. 11, he felt that happy thoughts or 12 might cure his illness.

    He began to 13 on himself while still in the hospital by watching funny shows on television. Mr. Cousins quickly found that 10 minutes of real laughter during the 14 gave him two hours of pain-free sleep at night.

    15 the doctors could not help him, Mr. Cousins left the hospital and checked into a hotel room where he could 16 his experiments with laughter. For eight days, Mr. Cousins rested in the hotel room watching funny shows on television, reading funny books, and sleeping 17 he felt tired. Within three weeks, he felt well 18 to take a vacation to Puerto Rico where he began running on the beach for 19.

    After a few months, Mr. Cousins returned to work. He had laughed himself back to 20.

I spent two weeks in Kenya as a volunteer in a natural reserve. Our 1 was aimed at protecting wildlife. And we also did other 2 work, helping the local people to improve their living conditions.

I 3 the woods with slow heavy steps, picked up a few traps left by 4 hunters and helped monitor the population of giraffes, which was at risk to illegal hunting. We also 5 sporting equipment to local schools, where you could see their textbooks and classrooms were in 6 condition. We made changes, but sometimes they seemed useless. There are so many problems that need to be 7 such as environmental damage, illegal hunting, and lack of 8 to education. What can one group of volunteers accomplish? These are problems that maybe need to 9 many years to address.

So why choose to be a volunteer? After all, it is unpaid and often very hard work. Even though it is easy to get 10 , most of the time what we are in search of is life's meaning—to spend our 11 well and for a good cause.

These are moments I will 12 for a long time—the salty air, dozens of zebras eating grass, the sunset over the hills. And also the smiles, the waves of local children, the13 sound of laughter among strangers have been 14 impressed in my mind. These are the moments that remind me of how proud I am to have been a volunteer. These are the 15 that will stay with me forever and remind me of a time, a place and a certain destination.