I had gone from being a daughter in my parents' home to marrying and being a wife. Within a year of marrying, I had a child and a new1—mother. It seemed that I was 2defined in relation to someone else. I was somebody's daughter, somebody's wife, somebody's mother. So, where was Jane? More 3 who was Jane?
In between having four more children, 4 my husband as he started a business, and serving in our community, I 5 Jane. Sometimes, I wondered if there was anyone to seek. Did I6 outside my relationship to others? I didn't 7
And then I wrote a short story aimed at children. I typed it and sent it out. To my great 8, it was accepted. I wrote more stories. Many of them were 9, but I still kept writing. And, in writing, I found my _10 I also found that people listened. I wrote of mothering. I wrote of living with depression. I wrote of living on a 11 budget while my husband's new business struggled to survive. And thus I became an 12person, looking for and finding the words inside me. I shared those words with others. I knew that I could make a 13 through those words. Shy by nature, I'm 14 to speak in public. However, through my writing, I can 15 those words. I can touch others by sharing my thoughts and feelings, as well as my experiences and struggles.
"I didn't know you 16depression," one friend said after reading my article on living with depression. That opened a(n)17 between us on how depression can be as weakening as any physical disease. We laughed and cried together as she shared her own experiences. Our friendship 18_ . At the same time, with my newfound independence increasing I became more 19_ . Additionally, I had a sense of 20 when I knew I was helping someone else.
A series of massive thunderstorms had damaged our area recently. Heavy rains, high winds and lots of lightning had caused flash flooding and 1 trees. I had spent the afternoon picking up branches out of my yard. Then, just before I was getting ready to walk my dogs, the2came on my television and phone that another storm was3our way.
I took my dogs outside 4. Huge clouds were rolling in while thunder 5 over the hills. The darkness seemed darker and scarier than usual 6 I knew what was on the way. That was when I saw it: the really7 light, up high, at the far end of the meadow ( 草 地 ) behind my house. I smiled. The first of the fireflies (萤火虫) had appeared for the summer at just the time I needed to 8 its light. Soon a few others were blinking their lights as well. It 9 me how far their light traveled in the darkness of the night and how they didn't seem 10 at all by the approaching storm. I spent an extra few minutes 11my fireflies and taking in their message of12before heading in to get ready for the storm. As I did, though, I noticed that the darkness no longer seemed so 13 and that my fear had been replaced with14.
Life does have its share of15, some caused by nature and some caused by us. We can't go through life being scared of them,16. We are here to share our love. We are here to 17our light. We can ride through the storms, 18after them and make this world a better place. Take a(n) 19from the fireflies. Let your light shine. It may seem tiny, but you will be amazed at how far it can be seen and how20it can drive the dark away.
I moved to a new city and took a job in marketing. I didn't really understand whether it 1 me. I enjoyed doing things that I felt had 2 —I could see their benefit and feel their impact. As the months passed, I felt it just wasn't for me. I needed to find a way out.
A job advertisement for a(n) 3 for a new youth magazine came at exactly the right time. I applied and was 4. My role was to help teams of young people edit their 5 and help them with their work. I had assumed the magazine would be a(n) 6 of games and dull reviews, so I was 7 when one of the first pieces written was about social welfare. 8, I found something I was interested in.
I felt a 9 in me straight away. I had a purpose again. Days were lost to discussing hot topics and 10 the words of their strong and opinionated(坚持己见的) voices. 11 in their world, I could see myself making a difference to the team's 12 ability. As our website hits 13 and the work shifted to reflect what our 14 wanted, I developed a greater 15 of what young people might want to read.
The biggest change the job brought, 16, was to my well-being. It is rare you find yourself in a job you love, one that you are happy to 17 each day. I was thriving(充实) in this 18 environment, inspired by the talented young people I was helping to 19 their careers.
Now, I realize that there are jobs that will keep you happy, 20 and inspired.
The Person Who Influenced Me the Most
I opened the box and took out the shining gold bracelet, "For me?" I could barely talk. "Yes, of course," said my Aunt Estelle. I really shouldn't have been 1 because she was like that, unexpected and golden.
When I was younger, I knew that I could always go to my Aunt Estelle for comfort, advice and 2. She was my best friend and my guardian angel. I could always be honest with her and tell her anything that was on my mind. She also knew when I was trying to 3 something. Aunt Estelle gave me advice when it was sought and guided me 4 many difficulties.
Last December, I was faced with one of the most difficult choices I ever had to make in my life. She was dying of cancer and I was 5 to go to Israel for two weeks for a research project. 6 I sought Aunt Estelle's advice but for the 7 time I didn't like her response. When I went to the hospital to visit her for what turned out to be the last time, she was waiting for me with a book about Israel on her bed and made it very clear that she 8 me to go —that it was her greatest wish for me to go—how could I refuse her. Aunt Estelle was the most unselfish person I ever knew and would not even consider my 9 about going. She called me 10 I left for Israel to tell me that she loved me and that she would always be with me.
I went to Israel and had the time of my life. When I returned, my parents 11 me up. I told them I couldn't wait to tell Aunt Estelle about my journey. They became 12 and I knew before they said the words that she had died. Aunt Estelle's unselfishness was her greatest 13.
The gold bracelet she gave me for my sixteenth birthday was the one that I had always admired on her. Each time I look at it I am 14 of an even greater gift from my aunt, the gift of her love. Whenever I find myself becoming too self-centered and overlooking the needs of those around me, I recall her selflessness and 15 to follow her example to make the needs of others a priority.
I work as a waiter at a hotel. Last night, an elderly white, seemingly 1 couple entered the restaurant. My co-worker greeted and seated them in a friendly way. We usually take charge of our own 2, but when we are busy, we help each other out.
I was3 the customers at another table when the elderly husband 4 to me that they were ready to order. I usually find it 5 when people go out of their way to make their order, especially when we are super busy. But once I took the couple's 6 I understood why.
The husband began ordering, stuttering (结巴) to a degree I'd never heard before. It was very clear that he had a 7 disorder. I could tell the wife had told her husband very extensively what she wanted, as a(n) 8 for him to practice ordering. It took him quite a while to order. Meanwhile, she was just sitting there, looking proud and 9 despite her husband's endless stuttering.
Honestly, the whole thing just did something to me. It was beautiful and made me realize that a huge part of love is 10, patience and support. She could have made the order and made things a lot easier for her husband and avoided the 11 from other tables, but she didn't. However, she supported him and was proud to see him 12 the order.
The whole thing also reminds me that life isn't always 13 for everyone. These rich people seemed to have everything, but they also have 14 they have to face daily. But I've learnt that life isn't about waiting for the storm to 15, it's about learning to dance in the rain.
It happened on a rainy Saturday morning last month. My wife Catherine and I were driving along what some people called moose (麋鹿) alley. It was so 1 that there were few cars on the road. 2, something happened. A moose jumped out across our path. I had been driving for years and was good at driving. In order to 3 knocking into the moose, I made a quick turn to the other lane. If I had not done that, the moose might have been killed, and my wife and I might have got 4, too. A few seconds later, when I 5 and looked back in my rear view mirror, the moose was getting up and then ran into the bush. Shaken but 6, we both looked at each other with a surprised expression.
From then on, I often thought about the relationship between humans and 7. We know that animal species have appeared and disappeared 8 since life began on the Earth. This is a (n) 9 phenomenon. However, animal species have been 10 at a much faster rate for about a century now 11 human factors such as pollution.
Certain philosophers and scientists keep repeating that if we don't save animals, how we will be able to save ourselves. A better 12 of animals gives us a better understanding of our own species. The13 to protect animals and nature in general14 the value of a society. And all animals play roles in nature and have a right to 15. Therefore, I think we should try our best to save endangered animals, because humans cannot live on the Earth alone.
In life, we often succeed and fail for reasons. Sometimes they are entirely out of our 1. We can work harder than anyone else and still not be 2. We can be incredibly nice and love someone deeply, but they may not love us 3.
The truth is that life is not4. That is a tough 5 to swallow for many of us. In fact, some people 6 after being hit by even one unfair blow. But if we let life's unfairness 7 us, we will never receive the beautiful blessings that life has 8 for us.
My first 9 marriage felt very unfair to me. No matter how hard I had tried, I couldn't make the relationship 10. But I didn't let it discourage me from wanting a happy marriage. And finally, I met my Mr Right.
What I've learned over the years is that we can do all the things that 11 a good outcome, but get quite the opposite. When we face life's seeming unfairness, our 12 needs to jump in. When life doesn't go 13 plans, we should keep trying, and doing the right thing. 14 that life is neither fair nor straightforward. If we remain confident, we can drive our unfair experiences away and use them for our 15.
When I was a little boy, I would play outside for hours on sunny summer days, and then have a deep and peaceful sleep at night. Sometimes, I'd have some vivid dreams, making me1for a moment. I would stare out into the darkness to see if anything was there and then 2over and go back to sleep. I can still remember a few times when I woke up, 3 out into the darkness, and actually saw someone there. It was Mom 4 over me as I slept. Each time she 5 told me to go back to sleep and I closed my eyes again, feeling 6 and loved.
I never asked Mom why she watched me sleep from time to time, but after seeing my own children 7so fast, I think I know why. She wanted to catch a moment in time and 8 it in her heart forever. I just9 that she carried a lot of those moments with her into Heaven when she 10 at only 55.
Last night I was sleeping lightly 11 I suddenly felt someone near me. I opened my eyes and saw Mom's 12 standing in the room, smiling at me, and then she was gone.
Now some may say that this was just a dream, a wish or part of an old13. To me, though, it was 14that Mom's loving spirit was still watching over me. To me, it was evidence enough to know that one day I would be 15 with her and everyone I have ever loved.
Trust in their love. Know that your own life can be full of love, too. Then joyfully go out and live it with a brave heart and a smiling soul.
It's not easy to achieve success. I deeply believe that it is worth taking time and 1 to prepare for big tasks, especially after my first experience of giving a 2.
I will never forget how difficult it is to give my first speech. It 3 me a whole day to prepare for the topic and write a suitable speech. I searched for information online for a long time so I could 4 that my manuscript (手稿)was perfect. I tried to recite it, but I soon found that it was even 5 than I thought it would be.
Asking for help is a useful way to deal with a hard task. I turned to my teacher, who gave me lots of 6 that were of great help to me.
On the day of my speech, the microphone was broken. I was so 7 that I forgot my speech. 8, the host helped me calm down so that I was able to go on, though I didn't feel like the speech was very successful.
But I learned a lot from this 9. It showed me that I hadn't prepared well enough, I hadn't practiced enough and that my “roots” had not grown deeply enough. 10 in the world follows natural rules, like the growth of bamboo-the more time we spend preparing, the deeper our roots grow, and the greater success we will have.
A terrible thunder storm had hit our area recently. Heavy 1, high winds and lots of lightening had caused flooding and knocked down trees. I had spent the afternoon 2 branches out of my yard and throwing them away. Then the 3 came over my phone that another storm was 4 our way.
Huge clouds were rolling in while 5 boomed over the hills. The darkness seemed darker and 6 than usual because I knew what was on the way. Then I saw the 7 blink (闪烁) of light, up high, at the far end of the field behind my house. I 8. The first of the fireflies had 9 for the summer at just the time I needed to see his light. Soon a few others were 10 their lights as well. It 11 me how far their light traveled in the darkness of the night and how they didn't seem bothered at all by the 12 storm. I spent an extra few minutes 13 them before heading in to get ready for the storm. And I noticed that the 14 no longer seemed so frightening and that my fear had been 15 by joy.
Life does have its 16 of storms, which is normal and unavoidable. However, we can't 17 life being scared of them. Take a 18 from the fireflies then. Let your light 19. It may seem tiny but you will be amazed at how far it can be seen and how 20 it can drive the dark away.
