I lost my flat by accident, and then I discovered my car needed a new engine. That meant I would have to spend ￡ 1，000 to get the car back on the  (1)  . I suddenly found that I needed, first, somewhere to  (2)  and second, something to travel around  (3)  ．

I was trying to decide what to do when I  (4)  the advertisement on a board: Converted(改装过的) ambulance  (5)  ， ￡ 1，600. So I rang the number in the ad and  (6)  to go and see it. It was love at first sight! I made a   (7)  straight away. Two days later I was the   (8)  owner of a converted camper van(野营车)．

At first I was  (9)  . I wasn’t sure whether I could handle it.   (10)  ， gradually I’ve had feelings that I haven’t  (11)  before. Living in my van is just the  (12)  of waking up in the morning, and, for the first few seconds, not knowing   (13)  you are. Then you look out of the window; some strange trees  (14)  you, and some beautiful scenery makes your heart beat  (15)  . Living in a flat in the city I missed all that.

Now I begin to   (16)  what the travelers have been telling us. Living in a van is cheap. No rent. What’s more, there’s the sense of   (17)  my new lifestyle has given me. I love being able to go where I want and when I want. It’s  (18)  to feel that the whole world is your home. It is no  (19)  that so many people are  (20)  their houses and going on the road.

I believe different people have experienced different adolescence.I must admit I was still an angry  (1)   in my first year of college.My   (2)   was that my parents didn't please me at all.

Our finances were   (3)  ， so I chose to go to a (n)   (4)   college and take a bus to classes every day. One day I had a(n)  (5)  fight with my father.We both exploded into shouts.I   (6)   out of the house and missed my bus to school.

I rushed all the way to school.As I   (7)   across the campus toward my class, I suddenly realized I didn't have the  (8)   that was due: a thought card.My professor asked us to   (9)   an index card with our names and the dates every Tuesday.   (10)   what was on the rest of the card, we could write a thought, a question or something else.

Now, outside the door, ten minutes later, I took an index card.   (11)   to write something

on it, I could only think about the  (12)   I'd just had with my dad.I wrote “I am the son of an idiot！”，then  (13)   into the room, and handed it to our professor.

Next day, our professor   (14)  the thought cards and I   (15)   he wrote, “What does the ‘son of an idiot’ do with the rest of his life？” The professor's innocent-seeming question   (16)  me to the issue: whose problem is it?   (17)  ， my thinking began to shift.I realized that I had created a life  (18)   I was not a central figure!

The   (19)   of growth wasn't easy or fast.   (20)   later，from a struggling student, I became a successful student and then a successful teacher.

I have always considered myself a positive optimist, trying to find the best in every situation. Iˈve recently become aware of how two little  (1)   have had a great impact on people.

My son  (2)  to tell me about a house he was interested in.I said, "Honey, I am glad that youˈve found something you like,   (3)  …"There, I continued, "Donˈt you think,with the gas prices, you might want to buy one  (4)  to your work?" As he told me all about the possible house, I could hear the  (5)  in his voice. The moment I spoke the word, BUT, it was  (6)   I pricked a balloon with a needle（针）.I could hear him slowly deflate（泄气）. I  (7)  that if I had used the word AND—"Honey, Iˈm glad you found a house in your  (8)  range, AND Iˈm happy for you."—he wouldnˈt have been  (9)  , and weˈd have both hung up feel better.

My daughter  (10)  at my door dressed like a princess on her way to the prom. I told her how graceful looked and I was  (11)  of the young lady she has become, and I said, "Sweetheart, you  (12)  having a great time, but please donˈt drink tonight." I know she doesnˈt engage in  (13)  behavior; sheˈs responsible and sensible. She looked as though Iˈd snatched her crown. "Mom!" The tone of her voice indicated how Iˈd  (14)  her feel. How I wish Iˈd said, "I want you to have a great time, AND I   (15)  you."

My husband helps around the house. I was  (16)  he had lightened my work load. I told him how wonderful he is, and I used that naughty word again."BUT,why did you  (17)  crumbs（面包屑）all over the counter? "Why?Why?Why didnˈt I say," Thank you, AND I am  (18)  or all you do around the house."

Iˈve been doing some  (19)  . I am going to remove that naughty little word from my  (20)  and replace it with the word AND. This is a decision I intend to keep!

We should show respect to everybody, especially our elders because they are ahead of us – in age, in wisdom and maturity, in experience and education. Our   (1)  have done a lot for us, directly or indirectly and most of us  (2)   everything to their kindness and love.

When we   (3)  them respect, whether it is by bowing to them, or  (4)  them with a smile, or offering them any help they need, it is one way of   (5)  our own love and gratitude to them.   (6)   , elders have also been through all the years you are  (7)   and know a little more about the world than you do.

It is  (8)   that you do not agree with the belief of your elders, but this is nothing new. All younger generations have always  (9)  with their elders and it is these differences that bring changes  in human  (10)  . However much you disagree with them, give them credit for their    (11)    .

With changing times and  (11)   influences, youngsters no longer know what is interpreted as disrespect to elders. Youngsters should   (12)   express their views and if there are arguments, they should not   (13)  their voices.

If there is no space on sofas or chairs, children will immediately  (14)   their places, and sit on the carpet. In buses and trains, youngsters are  (15)   to give up their places to older people. This is not a   (16)  of who has more rights. It is simply that those who are younger have the strength to bear   (17)   , or tolerate unpleasantness, so it is natural to show consideration to those who are older and perhaps at a   (18)  disadvantage.

When you do simple things as a mark of respect, elders become   (19)   that youngsters care for them, and they respond with affection and kindness.

One night, when I was eight, my mother gently asked me a question I would never forget. “Sweetie, my company wants to   (1)   me but needs me to work in Brazil. This is like your teacher telling you that you’ve done   (2)   and allowing you to skip a grade(跳级), but you’ll have to  (3)   your friends. Would you say yes to your teacher?” She gave me a hug and asked me to think about it. I was puzzled. The question kept me   (4)   for the rest of the night. I had said “yes” but for the first time, I realized the   (5)  decisions adults had to make.

For almost four years, my mother would call us from Brazil every day. Every evening I’d   (6)   wait for the phone to ring and then tell her every detail of my day. A phone call, however, could never replace her   (7)   and it was difficult not to feel lonely at times.

During my fourth-grade Christmas break, we flew to Rio to visit her. Looking at her large   (8)   apartment, I became   (9)   how lonely my mother must have been in Brazil herself. It was then   (10)   I started to appreciate the tough choices she had to make on   (11)   family and work.   (12)   difficult decisions, she used to tell me, you wouldn’t know whether you made the right choice, but you could always make the best out of the situation, with passion and a   (13)   attitude.

Back home, I   (14)   myself that what my mother could do, I could, too. If she   (15)   to live in Rio all by herself, I, too, could learn to be   (16)  . I learnt how to take care of myself and set high but achievable   (17)  .

My mother is now back with us. But I will never forget what the  (18)   has really taught me. Sacrifices  (19)   in the end. The separation between us has proved to be a   (20)   for me.

Never been on an airplane? Here’s your chance to   (1)   one for just one US dollar, or even for   (2)  if you don’t have the money. Retired pilot Bahadur Gupta will be happy to show you   (3)  . The plane, which never   (4)  , is giving an opportunity to poor people to

  (5)   what it is like to sit in a jet.

When Gupta started his career many years ago, people from his tiny home villages in India   (6)   asked him what it was like to be in an aircraft. None of them had ever

  (7)    areal airplane and they wanted a look at the aviation industry through Gupta’s   (8)  . For security reasons, Gupta was never   (9)   to take his fellow villagers inside an actual aircraft. But saying no always made him feel uncomfortable and   (10)   and he always wanted to do something that would give them a   (11)   of flying.

Finally, in 2003, Gupta sold some land, bought an old airplane and started offering

  (12)   “flights” to the public, charging them only what they could   (13)  .

To make the experience   (14)   real, the “passengers” are given boarding passes and even shown safety   (15)  . What   (16)   the amazing in-flight experience is when the kids

  (17)   slide down the airplane’s emergency landing slide, which many of the most frequent flyers have luckily   (18)   experienced.

The retired pilot says he hopes all his customers can   (19)   fly in a real plane, but in the meantime he is enjoying putting a(n)   (20)   on their faces.

At my heaviest I weighed 370 pounds. I had a very poor relationship with food: I used it to   (1)   bad feelings, to make myself feel better, and to celebrate. Worried about my health, I tried many different kinds of   (2)   but nothing worked. I came to believe that I could do nothing about my    (3)    .

      When I was 50, my weight problem began to affect me   (3)   . I didn’t want to live the rest of my life with this   (4)   weight any more.

      That year, I    (6)     aseminar where we were asked to create a project that would touch the world. A seminar leader shared her  (7)    story—she had not only lost 125 pounds, but also raised $25,000 for homeless children.

        (5)   by her story, I created the As We Heal(痊愈), the World Heals   (6)  . My goal was to lose 150 pounds in one year and raise $50,000    (10)   amovement founded 30 years ago to end hunger. This combination of healing myself and healing the world (11）     me as the perfect solution.

    (7)  I began my own personal weight program, I was filled with the fear that I would  (8)   the same difficulties that beat me before. While the   (9)   hung over my head, there were also signs that I was headed down the right   (10)  . I sent letters to everyone I knew, telling them about my project. It worked perfectly. Donations began     (16)    infrom hundreds of people.

      Of course, I also took some practical steps to lose weight. I consulted with a physician（内科医生）, I hired a fitness coach, and I b）gan to eat small and   (11)   meals. My fund-raising focus also gave me new motivation to exercise   (12)  .

      A year later, I  (13)   my goal: I lost 150 pounds and raised $50,000! I feel that I’ve been given a second life to devote to something that is   (14)   and enormous.

I fell in love with Yosemite National Park the first time I saw it, when I was 13. My parents took us there for camping. On the way out, I asked them to wait while I ran up to E1 Capitan, a __31__ rock of 3,300 feet straight up. I touched that giant rock and knew __32__ I wanted to climb it. That has been my life’s passion (钟爱) ever since---__33__the rocks and mountains of Yosemite. I’ve long made Yosemite my _34_.

About 15 years ago I started seeing a lot of __35__, like toilet paper, beer cans, and empty boxes, around the area. It’s __36__ me why visitors started respecting the place __37__ and treated such a beautiful home-like place this way.

I tried __38__ trash(垃圾)myself, but the job was too big. I would __39__an hour or two on the job, only to find the area trashed all over again weeks later. Finally, I got so __40__ it that I decided something had to change.

As a rock-climbing guide, I knew __41__about organizing any big event. But in 2004, together with some climbers, I set a date for a __42__. On that day, more than 300 people __43__. Over three days we collected about 6,000 pounds of trash. It was amazing how much we were able to __44__. I couldn’t believe the __45__ we made ---the park looked clean!

Each year volunteers come for the cleanup from everywhere. In 2007 alone, 2,945 people picked up 42,330 pounds of trash and __46__ 132 miles of roadway.

I often hear people __47__ about their surroundings. If you are one of them, I would say the only way to change things is by __48__ rather than complaining. We need to teach by __49__. You can’t blame others __50__ you start with yourself.

Five years ago I was in what I considered the best years of my life: a solid marriage with my love, two beautiful young daughters and a (n)   (1)  woman having an admiring job! I was  (2)   asked, “How do you do it?” It was  (3)  a compliment in today’s pressure-filled world. Yet, something began to  (4)  me. I was busier than I had ever been, but was I   (5)  ? Wasn’t I supposed to be enjoying this time with my children?

This increasingly   (6)   feeling led me to think hard about the question that had once given me a huge source of  (7)  . “How do I do it all?” It was difficult to acknowledge the answer that I could no longer   (8)   in my head. Well, I missed out. And it got worse. I missed out on life. And since I was being totally   (9)  with myself, I acknowledged the （  (10)  , hard truth: I missed out on what really matters in life.

But it didn’t have to be this way.   (11)  , the power of living “Hands Free” changed my   (12)   to life. In the same situation as a driver uses handsfree equipment to   (13)   driving, I decided to go “Hands Free” on life. For the past four years, I have taken small steps to   (14)  “daily distraction” and place my attention on someone or something   (15)  . The results have been profound(影响深刻的). In fact, for the first time in my life, I don’t feel like I am constantly trying to   (16)  . I don’t feel anxious or   (17)  . I am more patient, and more connected with my   (18)  than I have ever been. I am witnessing and  (19)  the simple, joyful things around me that I was too busy to   (20)  before. I am now free to grasp what really matters. And this experience has been too good not to share.