My 4-year-old son now enjoys posting letters. He has formed the 1 of drawing pictures, writing his name on them, and then  2 the artwork in an envelope. He then insists on 3 his handwork to the neighbors, and a mail box he 4 belongs to the elderly couple who live next door. To be 5, I didn't think much of it, but I had 6 to warn my neighbors of the drawings 7 appearing in their letterboxes—I just didn't have the 8 to do so, because I was a little busy recently.

    On Tuesday of last week, I was walking down to school to collect my son when I 9 Mary, my elderly neighbor, 10 at her mail box. She said, “Jodie, is it your little son that has been posting items in my letterbox to me?” I was at once 11, “Oh yes, Mary, it is. I'm sorry. I meant to tell you…” She cut me off, “Jodie, I just love his mail. I've 12 every item he has sent. You don't know how much 13 the letters has made my day. I just love them.” While I was walking down to school after our 14, many thoughts came to me. Mary doesn't have a lot to fill her days, 15 she was a mother to a number of children herself who receives fairly regular visitors. The small 16 of getting some mail—pictures drawn by the hand of a young child—has brought 17 to her days, just as my visit to my grandparents does.

    I have decided that my son should 18 this practice. He should also start sending some items to his grandparents in Perth as well. It will most 19 make their day.

    It's doing the little, simple things that can often make a big 20 in someone's life.

    It has always been my dream to attend college. When I was younger, I would watch TV shows with college students having lots of 1. It looked like a great experience — going to parties,2with friends and letting the good times 3. When I entered high school, however, I started learning the real 4 of college－to get a good education and a well-paid job. Therefore, with a passion for success in life, I expressed my5about attending university to my parents. They were 6 I'd chosen the path, but were disappointed because they couldn't 7the cost. Upset and stressed, I started looking for 8 to pay myself.

    My search for money began online. I went to every free scholarship search engine and spent up to five hours each day looking for scholarships I 9 for. It was hard, but I knew it would 10  when I'd found almost all the scholarships I could apply for, I 11 them by deadline, which gave me a way to prioritize my schedule. After  12 everything, it was time to fill out the applications. Despite the amounts, ranging from ＄100 to ＄40,000, I took each scholarship 13  because together they would fund my goal. With this in my mind, the hardest part began: writing the essays. To14 my writing, I asked friends, relatives and teachers to  15 over my work. Now I've won 16 scholarships and can attend college for free.

    The scholarship search truly made me a 17 person. I learned the importance of setting a(n)  18 and accomplishing it.19 I did have to read several rejection letters, those made me stronger. I'm thrilled I had the opportunity to learn more about my 20 to succeed no matter what difficulties got in my way.

    A nurse took a tired and anxious soldier to the bedside of an old man, “Your 1 is here.” She had to repeat the words several times 2 the patient's eyes opened.

    Heavily drugged with sleep because of the 3 of his heart attack, the old man could 4 see the uniformed soldier. The soldier held the old man's hand, expressing a(an) 5 of love and encouragement. All through the night the soldier sat there beside the bed, 6 him words of love and strength. Now and then the soldier said a few 7 words. Along towards dawn, the old man 8.

    Finally, the nurse offered words of sympathy（同情）, but the soldier 9 her.

    “Who was that man?” he asked.

    The nurse was 10. “He was your father,” she answered.

    “No, he wasn't,” the soldier replied. “I never saw him before.”

    “Then 11 didn't you say something as I took you to him?” asked the nurse.

    “I knew 12 there had been a mistake, but I also knew he 13 his son for his last moment, and his son just wasn't here. Knowing he was too 14 to tell whether or not I was his son, knowing how much he needed me, I15.”he answered.

    When I was a college student, I did a lot of traveling abroad. That was because a professor1me to do so. She said, "Now it is the time for you to travel around the world,2your knowledge through actual experiences and have fun?" I3her.

    Since I started to work for a4company, however, I have done most of my traveling through the Internet. By using the Internet, I have seen the5of many cities on my computer screen. And I have really made business6, too. With the help of the Internet, I have also got7about food in different countries.

    Therefore, I was beginning to feel that actual trips were8necessary when I happened to read a famous chef's (厨师) comment on the Internet. He said, "It is very difficult to have real Italian food in a foreign country, because we enjoy food and the9around us at the same time. So why don't you fly over to Italy and enjoy real Italian 10? "Those words reminded me of my11advice. As information technology12, you might be able to do without making some real trips. But this also means that you will miss the various13 you can get from traveling.

    Today there are people who14 direct communication with others and spend much of their time on the Internet. It is not surprising to see a group of people15not with each other but into their micro phones. It seems as if such people are16by an invisible wall. They seem to be losing out on a good chance to17and talk with other people. I do not think that they are taking good advantage of information technology. We should use information technology as a tool to make our daily18 more fruitful. However, we should never let it 19our time for face to -face communication. Let's make use of information technology more20, and have great fun in experiencing the actual world.

On her 71st birthday in July, Sajean Geer went to spread her husband's ashes near Obstruction Point, inside Olympic National Park.

When she finished, she realised she had got 1 . Geer became worried. Though an experienced hiker, she wasn't prepared to be in the park for such a(n) 2 period of time. She only had her 3 

with her. She had a cellphone, but there is no signal. And worst of all, she hadn't told anyone where she was going because she hadn't 4 to be gone for long. 

She spent that first day trying to 5 her way out of the park but was unsuccessful. Geer remembered the knowledge she'd picked up from several outdoor survival books. One key tip 6 her:it's important to have a positive mental 7 and a fighting spirit that you're going to live through this. 

So she 8 what she needed. She started by constructing a shelter. She walked to a stream three times a day to get fresh 9 and lived on pine needles and even bugs(小虫). 

Ticking off the days, she 10 the six nights she and her dog had spent in the wilderness. All the while, she remained 11 , remembering that motto about a positive attitude. 

Meantime, a friend in Hawaii grew worried when she couldn't 

12 Geer for several days. She contacted Geer's brother, who asked the police to check on her. 13 , a park worker noticed her car and they began to look for her from the sky. Then they found her. When Geer was rescued, she had only a few bug bites, but 14 that, she was in good shape and spirit. 

Now, she views the experience as a good one, allowing her to learn about herself and 15 on what's important in life. 

Growing up in a suburban neighborhood in the Northeastern United States, the advent of springtime didn't hold much significance for me. While it did bring a week-long respite from school, the focus was more on the vacation aspect than the season itself.

For the children in my community, spring was largely an overlooked period. The year was divided into two primary seasons: winter, which offered the thrill of ice skating, sledding, and constructing snow forts; and summer, which allowed us to fully enjoy the beach located a short distance from my home. Spring and autumn were merely transitional periods, marking the countdown to the more exciting seasons.

It's true that as I matured, spring began to hold a certain charm for me, as suggested by the poetic line, "In the spring a young man's fancy lightly turns to thoughts of love," penned by Alfred Lord Tennyson. However, my fascination was more with the romantic notions associated with the season rather than the season itself.

In essence, spring was not a season I paid much heed to... until my journey to China. After spending roughly three months in Beijing, my first Spring Festival made its presence known in an undeniable way. The sporadic fireworks throughout the day and night were a clear indication, but what truly struck me was the apparent absence of the usual hustle and bustle in the city.

The usual throngs of people, streams of vehicles, and the general city noise seemed to have vanished. This mystery was resolved upon my return to work. My colleagues enlightened me that it is customary for Chinese people to travel, if necessary, to reunite with their families during the Spring Festival. Many residents of Beijing are not originally from the capital.

Furthermore, I was introduced to a fascinating aspect of the Spring Festival that continues to astonish me. Regardless of when the holiday commences, there is an almost instantaneous and perceptible improvement in the weather. Spring truly makes its entrance.

The ancient Chinese ability to devise a system that could consistently and accurately herald the change of seasons, year after year, is beyond my comprehension. Yet, they managed to achieve this remarkable feat.