【推荐2】A few years ago, I was leaving the kennel (养狗场) where I worked, only to find a baby goat at the end of the driveway. The kennel’s owners are well-known animal rescuers and I figured someone outside left him over the fence.

I’m an animal lover and I’ve brought home dogs, cats, horses, chickens and fish, but never goats. The tiny kid was too cute to resist. I named him Quincy, and with the help of some experienced friends, bottle-fed him in my bathroom. Quincy proved to be quite special. When he was about a week old, l tapped my fingers on the bathroom floor and said, “Lie down.” I was amazed when he dropped down. I was even more amazed when he did it three times in a row.

A quick study, Quincy learned to lie down, bow and turn in a circle in no time. He is house-trained, jumps in the back of my SUV when I say “load up”, and spends the day wandering with my dogs whom he considered as his brothers and sisters. He knows he name of everything I feed him apples, water, carrots and strawberries.

I love lo train animals and often take my dogs lo shows where they can perform their tricks. Quincy did bis first show when he was just six weeks old. He knew only a few tricks then, but he did them perfectly and never misbehaved or got nervous in front of the crowd.

Now he has a whole inventory. He’ll shake hooves (蹄), come when called, walk on a rope, wave, smile for the camera, and more. Quincy and my dogs perform regularly at schools, nursing homes and charity events, Quincy can even “read” his tricks off hint cards, which always earns the most applause.

It’s hard to believe that the goat kid nobody wanted turned out to be one of the smartest animals I’ve ever had.

【推荐1】One of my most beloved possessions is my black, spiral-bound journal. It is a thin, wide-ruled, simple journal with no lock or key that I found at the dollar store. The journal has no monetary (货币的) value but instead holds its value of capturing my daily moments of gratitude.

The concept of a gratitude journal originated when my little brother began his gratitude journal. Although he is only twelve, he has truly grasped the concept of gratitude. I remember one of his journal entries saying, “I am thankful for my dog because I love walking her in the park”. A simple walk in the park makes my video game enthusiastic brother grateful and joyful.

Seeing how my brother could practice gratitude daily, I was inspired to start my own gratitude journal. Initially, writing in my gratitude journal was such a struggle. On the most typical, dry days when I sat at my desk for hours studying for the SAT, what was there to be grateful for? At one point, I found my gratitude journal to be a pointless concept and I lost belief in my gratitude journal. In the time when I chose not to journal, I realized how plain my life was. I missed savoring every moment and taking delight in the little aspects of my life that made me smile.

I decided to continue writing in my gratitude journal once again. Even though I was not learning in a classroom over the summer, I still learned in a different manner. The journal has acted as a reflective, personal space for me to recall the past. The simplest moments of my life that were once overlooked are now the highlights of my day.

【推荐2】Miss Gorgers taught physics in a New York school. Last month she explained to one of her classes about sound, and she decided to test them to see how successful she had been in her explanation. She said to them,“Now I have a brother in Los Angeles. If I was calling him on the phone and at the same time you were 75 feet away, listening to me from across the street, which of you would hear what I said earlier, my brother or you and for what reason?”

Tom at once answered, “Your brother. Because electricity travels faster than sound waves.” “That's every good,” Miss Gorgers answered; but then one of the girls raised her hand, and Miss Gorgers said. “Yes, Kate.”

“I disagree,” Kate said. “Your brother would hear you earlier because when it's 11 o'clock here it's only 8 o'clock in Los Angeles.”

【推荐3】For the first time in Hong Kong's history, an entertainer has been written into middle school textbooks. He is considered one of the best actors in Hong Kong. Yes, he is Chow Yunfat.

The example of his long hard struggle for success has been used in a chapter in a Hong Kong middle school textbook. Using his experience, students can learn to make the most of their time and to grab every opportunity to succeed.

On hearing about this, Chow said joyfully, "I really hope that my experiences can make young people understand that one should not be afraid of difficulties and setbacks(挫折), for they are the only way to success."

Indeed, Chow has travelled a long and difficult path to reach his success. In 1955, he was born into a poor family in Hong Kong. When he was 17, he had to leave school. He worked in a number of jobs——as a postman, camera salesman and taxi driver. These experiences paved the way for him to play all kinds of roles later in life.

Chow broke into the film industry in the late 1970s. He was one of the hardest working actors and starred in a number of popular TV dramas and films including "Shanghai Bund" (《上海滩》)and "A Better Tomorrow". Since 1985, he has won many awards including Taiwan’s Golden Horse Awards and Hong Kong Film Awards.

In 1995, he went to Hollywood. Although he was already in his 40s, he had to learn English. He even put chopsticks in his mouth to practise pronouncing certain sounds. His film, "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon", began to gain him more fame and recognition around the world. In 1998, the mayor of Chicago set aside January 12 as "Chow Yunfat Day."