When you live in a seasonal environment, you can learn that both outdoor and indoor activities have their place. As the seasons1 so does your mood. Certain activities become more or less attractive2 the weather and the length of the day.

    Spring is a time of the year when the world starts to3 from its winter sleep. During this season, I enjoy going on long walks through parks and watching the world come4.

    Many consider summer to be the top of the year. The city comes into full swing5 the weather becomes warmer and warmer. During the summer, I prefer to spend the daytime anywhere that is air-conditioned. This 6include the library, a shopping center or a movie theater. I often enjoy spending the7evenings sitting on the wide balcony of my house and having drinks with my friends.

    Fall, with the8 of the leaves and the summer heat gradually 9is probably another 10 time to go on long walks during the day. I love to be 11during fall and see the life of the city returning to its hibernation (冬眠). Another12to go outside during autumn is to 13the last days of warmth until the next year.

    Winter14 the shortening of days and cooler weather. Outdoor activities tend to become less 15 and sinking down on the sofa with a good book becomes my16 activity. It is not enjoyable to spend time outside if it is too 17I only choose to go outside when I want to go skiing.

    So, my 18to spend time indoors or outdoors is vastly dependent on the19. Different seasons 20different activities and therefore it is Impossible to choose whether I would spend all of my spare time indoors or outdoors.

    I enjoy reading all of moving ideas from the wonderful site about people giving on their birthday. So, I1this would be my chance to experience the joy of giving on my special day.

    My husband took me to the Olive Garden, where we often had meals, and our 2was very nice. We had a great dinner experience there. Then Karina brought our 3I knew it was my time to give4she came back to the table to get our credit card, I placed the gift bag on the edge of the table and 5said, "I want to6you with a gift 7my birthday, "Oh, the8on her face! She said." No, not for9! It's your birthday!" Then she said, "Can I open it in front of you? "And I said that would be 10

    The first thing she 11 was the color of the gift bag which was purple. Purple is her favorite color, She actually12a purple tie! She opened the card and said, "It's Christmas in July. "As she was taking the gift out of the13 she said she was excited. It's wonderful to give to someone who is 14to receive! She opened the box and saw it was a purple mug(杯子). Inside the mug was a smile card and forty five dollars, a dollar15each year of my life. After seeing the16 she looked at my husband and said we did not have to 17a tip. He just 18her words and left her the tip anyway.

    Karina was so19 what she had received. I thanked her for receiving my gift. I am thankful to God for another year of life and the 20to see that every day is a great day to give.

A Good Man

    It's a late Saturday afternoon in early March, and I am sweating in search of the only gift my son wants from Los Angeles: a 1 to the homes of the stars such as Brad Pitt and Jet Li.

    A cheerful taxi driver says, “No problem. Map sellers are everywhere!” When the taxi stops, a fellow 2 with a thin folded sheet and says: “Ten dollars.”

    Ten dollars! With absolute 3I inform him, “That's too much.” The map man leaves. I begin walking, certain I'll find a (an)4 star map soon.

    I am 5. There's hardly anybody on the street. There don't seem to be many real stores, just cars and bars. No maps. No stars. Blocks pass. The sun begins to sink. At the edge of West Hollywood6fellow wanders ahead, selling star maps to some teenage girls.

    Ten dollars7. Forget it. My son will 8.

    That night, I call my wife. “Did you get one of those maps to the stars? He's been talking about 9else.”

    This10is hard to ignore. It's late. At all-night markets: no maps. I head back to the hotel. Morning is coming. There will be one last11. After I check out, I take a taxi. But at nine in the morning, map sellers are 12 to be found.

    “You know,” says the driver, “The guys with the maps just aren't up yet!” He's right.

    “Forget it. Let's go to the airport.”

    “Well,” says the driver, “I could 13 you one if you like.”

    Sure. Trust this guy? I might as well throw cash onto the freeway. But exiting the taxi, I14 my last chance. I hand him $13 and my business card. Three weeks pass. I've15 on the star map. My son has stopped mentioning it.

    Then one afternoon, sticking out from under piles of flyers, there it is: a big white envelope. There is a small note. I can hardly read it16 I make out a few phrases一“forgive17 “taxi's been down” and, finally, “here's map for your son.” There's no return address. It's signed, “kind regards, M.”

    I hold the note in my hand18 what my son said to me when I got back from Los Angeles.

    “Did you meet any 19 Dad?” he asked.

Now I know what to tell him.

    “Yes, I did. I met a guy named M.”

    If you never 20 anybody, you'll never find the good guys.

    Many years ago, I was working in an office in Halifax, Nova Scotia. We had a large 1that looked out over a busy street. I was standing by it one day when a woman in a 2car looked up and made eye contact. Naturally I 3. As she turned and tried to identify me, a quiet laugh 4 my lips. My co-workers began taking an interest, and stood back watching the 5 I received, and laughing happily. Then the stress of work was 6 away.

    Christmas was approached, and job 7were announced. Several of my co-workers were losing their jobs, and everyone was8. While I was working a night shift, a red jacket, a box of foam(泡沫橡胶)packing and strips of tape in the corner attracted my 9. They could be Santa's jacket and beard! Then I folded a red file into a 10 and tied the beard to it. The next day I walked 11 down into the office in the costume. My co-workers 12 around me and laughed for the first time in weeks. Suddenly, my boss came up to me, 13, shook his head and then left. I feared 14. Then the phone rang.

    With a bead of sweat 15 my forehead, I entered the boss' office. 16, he laughed: "Thanks, Mike! It's been hard to enjoy the Christmas season. Thanks for the laugh. I 17 it."

    That evening, I stood 18 by the window and waved at my fans, with my heart 19 with joy. For a few minutes of that day, we'd been able to forget our 20.

    Axel Winch was born nearly 13 weeks prematurely (早产地). He 1 2 pounds, 12 ounces and had bleeding in his brain, vision and hearing 2. After a week in the 3 in Grand Junction, where parents Melissa and Adam Winch live, he 4 a life-threatening intestinal (肠道的) condition. Doctors 5 to airlift (空运) Axel and Melissa more than 200 miles to Children's Hospital in Aurora.

    His health remained 6 over the next few weeks as his lungs shut down. "There were many times we didn't think he was going to 7." Adam said. 8, support was on the way. Melissa, 39, is a police officer. The police department in Grand Junction 9 officers in Aurora. Soon, members of the Aurora police department 10 the hospital with offers of help. One brought them banana bread. A detective gave the 11 a place to stay.

    But then things got 12 again. After weeks of caring for Axel in Aurora, the couple had to briefly return to Grand Junction on two separate 13. First, their house had been under contract and they had to 14 in two days. The second time, Melissa's 15 had run out, so she had to return to work for a few days. They hated having to abandon their son, who had improved but was still facing 16 surgeries.

    "We were afraid he was going to die while we were gone," Adam says. Aurora police Mike set up a 17 for his officers to spend time with Axel—when his 18 couldn't he there. They 19 the parents photos of themselves asleep with Axel and updates from the nurses. After four months in the hospital, Axel was 20 enough to go home.

    Experts say boredom is good for kids. It forces them to be creative, 1their imaginations, and helps them discover new things. A（n）2in point is 13-year-old Luke Thrill from Dubuque, Iowa.

    Luke was 3 of playing video games and riding his bike, so he decided to build a tiny house in his back yard instead. He made money from cutting lawns and4exchanged some services, such as gaining the help of an electrical engineer5 sweeping his garage. Luke also 6 spare materials from his grandmother's house and other 7 materials from his neighbors for some of the windows and the door.

    The 89-square-foot home cost $1, 500 to build and 818 months. Inside there's a kitchenette, a back sitting room, a table and a mounted（镶嵌的）TV, and an upstairs bedroom can be easily9by stairway.

    Although Luke did the10and learned how to do all the work, he had his father's 11 throughout the project. Greg Thrill was very happy that his son learned to stay on12and deal with grown-ups. 13, he had some simple rules when Luke14 the house: "You15the money. You build it. And you own it."

    Luke is now in love with16. He has a YouTube channel and hopes to 17other kids to start building. 18, he wants to build a bigger tiny house to live in, but for now, he19 in his new home a few nights a week, does homework there, and uses it to take a20from his twin brother.