This weekend many families in America will celebrate Mother’s Day. The event dates back to   May 9, 1914,     1     America’s President Wilson   established the official     holiday. Some people had begun campaigning for the holiday a few years     2     (early).   Finally in 1914, the president made it official. He declared that each second Sunday in May     3     (dedicate) to thanking the nation’s mothers. He also ordered all government     buildings     4     (display) the national flag on that day. According to President Wilson, this was done “as a public expression of …love …for the mothers of our country.”

Before long, people in other   countries     5     (begin) asking for a similar   holiday to celebrate their mothers. Mexico celebrated its first official Mother’s Day on May 10, 1922. May 10th became their annual holiday because the country preferred a fixed date to     6     that changed.

Other countries are happy to share the day with the United States. Some on the list include Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Italy, Japan and Turkey.

Oddly enough, the U.S. Congress rejected a Mother’s Day resolution at first. Today, though, Mother’s Day is a highly popular holiday. It’s also very successful commercially. Along with giving cards,   candy   and flowers,     7     (take) moms out for brunch is a very popular gesture. America’s National Restaurant Association says Mother’s Day is the year’s most popular day for eating out.

But why do we honor our mothers? Many moms lovingly dedicate their lives to their children. Moms sacrifice time, sleep and often their own dreams. Moms try to provide a strong foundation     8     children   can   build   their   lives. With     9     (love)   care,   mothers guide their children toward adulthood.

When we consider everything our mothers have done for us, how can we not honor them? There’s no need to wait for a national holiday, though. Every day is a great opportunity to tell our mothers     10     they mean to us.

My wife Laura and I were on the beach, with three of our children, taking picture birds near our home in Alaska when we spotted a bear. The bear was thin and small,     1     (move) aimlessly.

Just a few minutes later, I heard my daughter shouting, “Dad! The bear is right behind us!” An aggressive bear will usually rush forward     2     (frighten) away its enemy but suddenly stop at the last minute. This one was silent and its ears pinned back --- the sign of an animal that is going in for the kill. And it was a cold April day. The bear behaved abnormally, probably     3     hunger.

I held my camera tripod（三脚架）in both hands to form a barrier as the bear rushed into me. Its huge head was level with my chest and shoulders, and the tripod stuck across     4     mouth. It bit down and I found myself     5     (support) its weight. I knew I would not be able to hold it for long.

Even so, this was a fight I had to win; I was all that stood between the bear and my family,     6     would stand little chance of running faster than a brown bear.

The bear hit at the camera, cutting it off the tripod. I raised my left arm to protect my face: the beast held tightly on the tripod and pressed it into my side. My arm could not move, and I sensed that my bones were going to break.

Drawing back my free hand, I     7     (strike)the bear as hard as I could for five to six times. The bear opened its mouth and grasped its fur,     8     (try) to push it away. I was actually wrestling with the bear at this point. Then, as suddenly as it had begun, the fight ended. The bear moved back toward the forest, before returning for another attack -- The first time I felt panic.

Apparently     9     (satisfy) that we caused no further threat, the bear moved off, destroying a fence as it went. My arm was injured, but the outcome for us     10     hardly have been better. I’m proud that my family remained clear-headed when panic could have led to a very different outcome.

Tene Konate takes pride in telling relatives about her job driving a 72-ton truck at the Hounde gold mine in western Burkina Faso. She is one of 111 women at the mine     1     (teach) for jobs like moving rocks, or     2     (drive) heavy vehicles which are more traditionally done by men in West Africa. They remain firmly in the minority, however, with women making up just 11 percent of     3     workforce at Hounde which is run by Canada's Endeavour Mining. Konate had struggled to provide for her two young daughters. This     4     (eventual) led her to the mining industry and she acknowledged the mine had changed everything in her life since she worked at Hounde. Konate now lives in a large house in Hounde and can pay for her daughters’ schooling. In the beginning, the mother     5     (train) on how to operate trucks     6     wheels are so large that drivers must climb a ladder (梯子) to get into the cabin. Konate said that the work was tiring     7     she liked it very much. She encourages those around her     8     (forget) gender (性别) and judge colleagues by the quality     9     their work. “As I always say to my     10     (operator), as soon as you cross that gate, we are no longer women. We have become men, because we do the same job.”