Seven years ago, I began accompanying my father to the local market to sell vegetables we harvested from our farm. At the beginning , I did what I could to1him while I also communicated with other participants in the market.

    As time went by, I increasingly2the craft of gardening,3I began planting a garden of my own to4a seller myself. The market soon became my5for many summers to come. The sellers in the market were6and more than willing to share their gardening experience. Many sellers were the new generation of farmers and acquired knowledge through the experience of their7. The years I participated in the market helped me grow, taught me many new skills and opened doors to success I8imagined.

    Responsibility came rather quickly as I 9to manage my own gardening business. There was a huge of work being self10. I had to do everything by myself. I learned that self-discipline(自我约束) and time management were important in order to11a productive garden. Rising 12in the morning at 4 a. m. to arrive at the market with my13produce ensured I would be there to greet early 14 .

    The market opened a door of opportunity I never dreamed of. It15me to make a profit to start a greenhouse business. It is a(n)16feeling when I see the seeds come out and raise them as they continue to17until they are ready for sale. I've learned18because it is impossible to rush Mother Nature! It takes time and work to make the plants grow and become mature. It is not an overnight19. Several weeks are required for the plants to be ready, but the 20is worth all the time I spend and all work I do.

    Were you happy and a little worried at the time? I thought so. Soon it would be the holidays, but before that, there were year exams. All the1had been working hard for some time, reviewing their lessons for the exams. If they didn't 2, they would have to retake them in September. There were usually a few who 3, but Jane didn't want to be one of them. She had worked hard all year, 4 just before the exams she was working so hard that her sister Barbara was 5about her. She went to bed too 6. The night before the first exam, Barbara 7 that she have an early night and take a 8pill. She promised to wake 9 up in the morning.

    She was not relaxed. As she was falling asleep, Jane was afraid that she might oversleep. Her 10 kept jumping from subject to subject. At last, with the help of 11, she went to sleep. In no time（不久）at all, she was sitting in the examination hall, looking at the examination 12 , but she couldn't answer any of the questions. 13 around her was writing pages and gages. 14she thought hard, she couldn't find anything to write 15. She kept looking at her 16. Time was running out. There was only an hour to go. She started one question, wrote two sentences, 17 and tried another one. With only half an hour left she wrote another two sentences. By this time she was so worried that she started 18. Her whole body shook. It shook so much that she 19 up. She was still in bed and it had all been a 20 dream. A minute later, Barbara called her name.

    The moon had gone behind a cloud and there weren't many stars in the sky. As I took a glance(一瞥)at my neighbor's house, I saw a flame (火焰)in his 1. I thought he was having a midnight fast food so I went back to my2.

    Soon, there was a 3 smell in the air and I guessed something was wrong. 4, I jumped out of bed and went downstairs to 5. I saw fire coming out of my neighbour's kitchen. Right away, I 6"Fire! Fire!" But there was no one nearby to 7 my shouts for help.

    I 8into my house, called the Fire Department and went back to my neighbour's house. I rang the doorbell, hit on the door and 9 my neighbour's name but there was no 10. I managed to 11 the house and rescued a cat and a rabbit.

    I tried to throw water through the kitchen window 12 it was no use; the fire was too strong. 13, a fire engine arrived and soon the firemen put out the fire. They arrived just 14 as the fire was going to 15 to the other rooms in the house.

    When my neighbor came back, he was 16 because his kitchen was burnt down, but he thanked me for calling the Fire Department and for saving his 17. He wanted to give me some money in return but I did not 18 it.

    Weeks later, my neighbor repaired and restored his kitchen. He 19 me to see his new kitchen and there he gave me a medal(奖章) that he had 20 ordered from a factory. It made me feel very happy.

    On the Iraq-Syria border, a pack of wild dogs circled a group of American soldiers for food. The1of the pack was a gray-and-white dog. The soldiers2him Nubs. Nubs was shaking and3able to stand. Marine major Brian Dennis looked closer and saw that there was a knife wound4his chest.

    Dennis couldn't5seeing the dog suffer. He and his men immediately treated the wound, and gave Nubs oral medicine. Nubs pulled through but was still6The next day, the team had to leave. Ten days later, Dennis's unit was back and so was Nubs. He was still7, but the men fed him and played with him.

Before long the unit once again8an outpost (前哨) 70 miles away. Nubs, slowly but9tracked them far into the trackless wasteland until the men lost10of him. Two days later, beyond Dennis's11, he saw Nubs just outside the outpost. The dog had12him across 70 miles of frozen desert to meet the friend who had saved his life. From then on Nubs and the men slept in the same place, and ran around in the same ruins.

    Until a(n)13came down from above that they should not be allowed to have pets, Dennis decided to make sure the dog14continue to live the good life. So he quickly15$4,000 from his family and friends to fly Nubs to16.

    A month later, when Dennis and the dog were17in California, at first Nubs didn't recognize the guy.18within seconds, the dog flew into Dennis's arms,19up again and again to lick his friend's face.

    A little care and concern in the middle of war will not save a20world. But small stories, like the story of a soldier and a dog, hold a promise of a harmonious world.

    It was 1933. I had been laid off my part-time job and could no longer make my1to the family larder(食品贮藏柜). Our only income was what Mother could make by doing dressmaking for others.

    Then Mother was2for a few weeks and unable to work. The electric company cut off the power3we couldn't pay the bill. Then the gas company cut off the gas. Then the4company. But the Health Department made them5the water back on for reasons of sanitation(卫生设备) The cupboard got very bare. 6we had vegetable garden and were able to cook some of its7in a campfire in the backyard.

    Then one day my younger sister came tripping8 from school, saying: "We're supposed to 9something to school tomorrow to give to the poor."

    Mother started to blurt out, "I don't know of anyone who is10poorer than we are," when her mother, who was living with us at the time, shushed (嘘) her with hand on her arm and11.

    "Eva," she said, "if you12that child the idea that she is one of the poor folks'13 her age, she will be one of the poor folks' for the rest of her14. There is one jar of that homemade jelly15.She can take that.

    Grandmother16our last jar of jelly with some tissue paper and a little bit of pink ribbon, and Sis17to school the next day18 carrying her" gift to the poor”.

    And, 19if there was a problem in the community, Sis just naturally assumed that she was supposed to be part of the20.

    Confidence has nothing to do with your figure. I learned this recently.

    Every day I'd look in the mirror, hate what I see, and repeat the words1, "I am beautiful." Sometimes I'd even grit my teeth (咬紧牙关) to2the words out. But I3saying it, no matter what.

    It was at the4of my friend that I began this5. He said he wanted to be friends with me because of my6and gentle character. Besides, he also saw me as beautiful and it7him that I couldn't see it in myself.

    For a long time, I had8that my weight made me a second-rate person. Years of being fat and years of being9had caused me to build a cocoon (茧) around myself. I10thought that if I stayed quiet, maybe I would be safe. I put myself in layers of11, my heart breaking a little more with each wedding invitation. I12hoping for my true love, believing I wasn't good enough.

    It wasn't until I met him that I was determined to be happy on my own and things began to13. He pointed out my14personalities and excellent qualities and made me repeat them out loud. I laughed at first because it felt15, but I kept at it every day.

    Then one day, a(n)16thing happened. Staring into the mirror, I realized with a(n)17that I believed it! He wasn't18and it was true-I'm beautiful! The layers of my cocoon suddenly disappeared. And nowadays, I learn to love myself and keep19no matter what my dress size is. Indeed, confidence comes from20.