【推荐3】On a busy Saturday, I was at the mall with my mom. The mall was alive with the chatter of people and the sound of music. Everywhere I looked, there were people dressed in nice clothes, laughing and chatting with their friends.

My mom, on the other hand, wore a simple dress and old shoes. Her clothes looked worn out compared to the others’. As we walked past store windows, I couldn’t help but notice the difference. I saw young girls in bright dresses and boys in tidy shirts. They looked so modern and confident.

Feeling a bit out of place, I tried to pull my mom towards less crowded areas. I didn’t want anyone to notice us or, more specifically, notice her. It wasn’t because I wasn’t proud of my mom. I just felt she deserved better.

As we walked around, we entered a store with beautiful clothes. The fabrics (面料) felt soft, and the designs were fashionable. My mom’s eyes lit up when she saw a lovely sweater. “This would look great on you,” she said with a smile.

I checked the price tag and was shocked. It was much too expensive for us. I knew my mom worked hard to make ends meet. Every penny was made use of in our life. Yet, here she was, willing to spend on a sweater for me.

Looking at her, I realized something. My mom might not have the beautiful clothes or the latest accessories (配饰), but she had a heart of gold. She always put me first, even if it meant giving up her own wants.

Suddenly, I felt a wave of warmth. I hugged her tightly. “Mom, I don’t need the sweater. I just need you,” I whispered. She smiled, “I know, dear. But it’s nice to have dreams sometimes, right?” We left the store, hand in hand, feeling wealthier than ever.

【推荐1】Growing up, I always heard people say work hard pays. I never really understood these words until I reached the age where my parents stopped giving me my monthly allowance and asked me to look for a job.

New Year is a season of good news for merrymakers and entrepreneurial (企业家的) characters. My childhood friend was one of the latter. Mike and I were two sides of the same coin. I was an introvert and a bookworm, while Mike was outgoing and a merrymaker. His added advantage over me was that he came from a family of entrepreneurs. Therefore, while I saw the festive season as another time to enjoy, he saw it as a perfect time to make money. Ironically, I needed this side of him, given my present predicament (困境).

Mike was not of the “work hard pays” school of thought but the “work smart” school. When I told him about my predicament, he saw a business partner. He confided ( 吐 露 ) in me about his business idea — making and selling festive decorations. Having noticed my disbelieving look, he told me he had researched and realized that only one shop sold festive decorations with exorbitant ( 过 高 的 ) price, which meant that there was room for competition. However, I reminded him starting a business, let alone competing with an established enterprise, required capital. He told me, “Not really. All we had to do was make some decorations ourselves.” Upon that, we made some special designs and hit the ground running.

News about our selling decorations spread like wildfire. Mike’s decision to publish brochures advertising our products was a genius marketing trick. Within three days, we had sold about 50 sets of decorations, and as they say, the rest is history.

My parents’ decision to stop my monthly allowance served to teach me the value of work. However, it was my entrepreneurial adventure with Mike that taught me that working smart is better than working hard.

【推荐2】It’s terrible and strange,but I don’t really remember much about the hurricane itself.It all happened so suddenly. I was sitting in my room with my cat, Smartie, on my lap,when the roof just flew off. I was so frightened that I just froze.

Mom cried to get out quickly, but it was already too late by then. The rain was coming down so hard and so fast. Our street turned into a river in seconds. We were going nowhere.

At first,I was pleased we could stay at home, but soon it got really tough. Without a roof,staying inside was too dangerous. We just had drinking water that was sent to us by helicopter, but it was never enough.It was August,so it was really,really hot and it smelled so bad everywhere! 1 just spent the days watching the boats going up and down the street and looking out for Smartie.He had disappeared the moment the storm hit.

Living in the open air,we became breakfast,lunch and dinner for the mosquitoes__But Mom said that whatever happens,we should always try to see the good side of things. It was difficult to stay positive,though.All we had left were the clothes on our backs. But as Mom kept on reminding us,we were all together and safe. Mom’s words made us feel better.I remember us all lying under the midnight sky and looking up at the stars. Because there were no lights,we could see the Big Dipper,and the Milky Way. It was amazing! Despite the disaster, moments like those gave us hope for the future.

Although it was only a few days before we were rescued, it felt like months. We were taken to another town in a faraway county. Thankfully, Smartie came home just in time.None of us knew that we wouldn’t be back for quite a while then.

Now,one year has passed and I’m back home in New Orleans. Some families have yet to return, but many others have come back.Although we are surrounded by reminders of the disaster. we are working together to rebuild our homes and our lives. Now we have another chance to look up at the stars of New Orleans,their beauty inspiring us and giving us confidence to move on.

【推荐3】For the first 19 months of her life, Helen Keller was like other pretty happy babies in every way. Then in 1882, a sudden illness destroyed her sight and hearing. Because she could not hear what other people were saying, the child could not learn to speak. For the following 5 years, she lived in a world of darkness, without sounds or words and her parents could do nothing but let her be.

The person who changed Helen’s world was her teacher, Anne Sullivan, who entered her life. Miss Sullivan had accepted a job, which seemed impossible. She had agreed to teach a blind child who had never learned to act like a human being, because no one had ever been able to guide her in any way. No one could control Helen. She acted like a young animal, rushing wildly around, throwing things, and hitting anyone whom she could reach. Who could believe that such a child could be taught?

But Anne Sullivan was a very special kind of teacher. She had been blind during part of her own childhood and had learned to read Braille, a system of writing that uses raised dots which can be felt by the finger of a blind person. She had learned to see again after several operations, but she had never forgotten the experience of being blind.

Miss Sullivan understood Helen. She loved her and believed she could teach her.

Anne Sullivan could not teach Helen Keller to speak until some other important things had been learned. The little girl had to learn to control her actions and feelings. She had to learn that she could not always do what she wished to do. She had always been able to get what she wished by using force. The teacher had to change such habits without breaking the child’s spirit.

Miss Sullivan’s battle began. Sometimes, there was real fighting between the wild child and the strong young teacher. At last, however, the battle was won by Miss Sullivan, who had succeeded in showing Helen that she loved her and wanted to help her. The child and her teacher became friends. They continued to be friends until the teacher’s death, 50 years later.

The day on which Helen finally accepted Miss Sullivan as her friend and teacher was a great day in Helen’s life. After that the teacher could begin to teach the child language.