I don’t look like the rest of my family. As a matter of fact, I stand out quite a bit with my white skin and blue eyes. When people see us together, it is clear that I am adopted. I am happy to have such a loving and caring family, but sometimes I wish I knew who my birth parents are.

My friends often ask, “Are you sad that you don’t know your real parents?” I know that they are just curious and concerned about me — I’m fine, for the most part — but I feel like there’s something missing in my life, like a giant hole in my heart. My mother listens when I tell her about my feelings, and she feels that it is important for me to be in touch with my culture. Because of this, she and I go to Chinese Heritage Camp (CHC) each year in Snow Mountain Ranch.

CHC is a two-day camp where hundreds of adopted kids like me spend time with each other. We talk about how it feels to be adopted, and we participate in fun outdoor activities. It’s great because we can talk about our feelings without having the conversation get too intense. Confusion, occasional disappointment and anger are no longer strange; they are normal here. It makes me feel like I am not alone, and there is someone out there going through the exact same emotions. Whether we’re talking, laughing, crying, or dancing, CHC is always an experience to remember. I like all of the new people I meet, and I will keep them in my heart forever, because it always feels good to know there are people out there just like me.

In this way, my journey to find my roots continues for several years. I also gradually come out from the shadow of a seemingly inseparable teenager. Camp has changed the way I look at things. Each year seems to open up new surprises, adventures and friendships.

CHC teaches me to learn that being adopted doesn’t mean that I’m strange.

I also sincerely love and thank my parents.

Jane was still sleeping when the phone rang in the living room. She opened her sleepy eyes and looked at the clock on the table. It was already nine o’clock! Although Jane was still very sleepy, she knew she had to get up because her mother was working in her office and she couldn’t expect her younger brother Tom, who was sleeping like a pig, to answer the Phone. She quickly put on a coat and ran to the living room. When she picked up the receiver, on the other end came the warm greeting, “Good morning!”

It was from her father, who was a seaman and rarely came back. Suddenly, Jane’s sleepiness disappeared.

Born in a not-so-rich family, Jane and Tom felt the stress of life, but they were happy to enjoy the family atmosphere. At school, they were straight-A students and took part in various after-school activities. They were the pride of the family.

“Good morning, Dad. Why do you call us so early on the weekend?” Jane said and pretended to be annoyed. “Tom and I have been very nice recently.” “My dear, today is your mother’s birthday, and I have ordered a cake online and it will be sent to our home late in the afternoon. Do remember to take the cake. It is my surprise for your mother.”

Hearing her father’s words, Jane felt a little ashamed. How could she forget her mother’s birthday?!

While she was chatting with her father, Jane looked around the room and saw a lot of dirty clothes on the sofa. The floor hadn’t been cleaned for a few days since her mother had to work all this week.

She looked at the clock again and was sure that she still had enough time to prepare a surprise for her mother.

“Well, Dad, now I’m going to wake Tom up. We will give Mum a surprise, too!” Jane said and hung up the telephone.

Jane hurried to Tom’s room and shared her plan with him.

“Happy birthday, Mum!” Jane and Tom shouted when their mother opened the door.

It’s my honor to be here to share my opinion ...

Li Hua

Music is my first love. I can sit down at my electronic keyboard and forget all about time and space, all about my problems. During the lowest moments in my life, music was my savior. Besides, I would like to thank two volunteer organizations — one is America’s Veterans Services and the other is The Paul Hazelton House for seniors and the disabled.

I was a veteran (老兵). After I got out of the service, I began a career in music, and then became an ironworker for higher pay. A few years ago, the one-bedroom house I rented in Massachusetts was sold. The developer planned to tear it down. The property manager gave me two months rent-free to find a new place to live. It didn’t help because I’d been disabled from an accident at work and was living on benefits. Nothing affordable turned up.

With the help of two friends, I silently and hopelessly packed up my belongings and moved everything — including my electronic keyboard — into storage. I slept in my car, thinking it wouldn’t last long. But weeks turned into months and the months into years. My car had become my home.

The one thing that kept me alive was music. I would lose myself in music. Although I had developed cataracts (白内障), nothing could keep my fingers from finding the right keys.

However, I hit my real low one Christmas Eve. I was driving down a narrow back road to where I would park my car and sleep at night. I turned right and accidentally ran into a wall. My car — my only home — lost its right front end.

At that point, I really had no place to live. Fortunately, Bruce Knight, a retired firefighter, heard about me. He drove me to a homeless shelter in York County where I stayed for 75 days. That’s where I met with case managers from Volunteers of America's Veterans Services. They helped me move into their housing, a place called Huot House. I was able to sign up for Veterans Administration benefits and get the cataract treatment I needed to recover my eyesight.

2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。

Ken Darby, manager of Huot House, told me to move toward life.

I went to volunteer for the “Day of Caring” held by The Paul Hazelton House.

A Change of Heart

It was a cold December and things were tough for my family. Mum had a hard time raising us kids on her own in our small community of New Westminster as dad passed away five years earlier. We relied on social assistance.

Looking back, I realize what Mum went through sending us kids to school. Every morning she would place a new piece of cardboard in our shoes because our soles (鞋底) were worn out. When we got home, Mum would have French toast ready for us. Constant moving was typical for my family in those days, and it didn’t look like we’d be in our current house much longer. Rent was $25 a month, but Mum couldn’t pay it, and we knew we would be forced to leave right after Christmas on the first of January.

The holidays were fast approaching, and we were entitled to $25 for Christmas from social services. Mum said that instead of buying food, she was going to use the money to pay our rent. That way we’d have a roof over our heads for a little while longer. Then she told us that there would be no Christmas gifts.

Unknown to Mum, I had been selling Christmas trees, shoveling (铲) snow and doing odd jobs to earn enough money to buy a new pair of boots. I knew exactly which boots I wanted. They were ten-inch, Top-Genuine, Pierre Paris boots, and they cost $23.

The big day for getting my boots came on Christmas Eve afternoon. I was very excited as I hurried up the road to catch the bus into town. It was only a half-mile walk, but on the way I noticed a house with Christmas lights and decorations. It was then I realized that at our house, we had no lights, no decorations and no turkey or ham for Christmas dinner.

As I continued walking, I began to feel a strange sense of guilt.

The bus drove off without me, and I breathed a sigh of relief.

9 . A case highlights a little-known fact about a poor diet: In addition to being tied to obesity, heart disease and cancer, they can also permanently damage the nervous system, particularly vision, according to a report published in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine.

A teen who ate nothing but fries, chips and other junk food for years slowly went blind. The teen’s problems began at age 14, when he went to the doctor’s office complaining of tiredness. The teen was reportedly a picky eater, and blood tests showed he had anemia and low levels of vitamin B12. He was treated with injections of vitamin B12 along with advice on how to improve his diet.

However, by age 15, he developed hearing loss and vision problems, but doctors couldn’t seem to find the cause—results from an MRI and eye exam were normal. Over the next two years, the teen’s vision got progressively worse. When the boy was 17, an eye test showed that his vision was 20/200 in both eyes, the threshold (起始点) for being “legally blind” in the United States.

Further tests showed the teen had developed damage to the optic nerve (视神经). In addition, the teen still had low levels of vitamin B12, along with low levels of selenium (硒) and vitamin D. These deficiencies caused doctors to ask the teen about the foods he ate. “The patient admitted that, since elementary school, the only things he ate had been fries, chips, white bread, processed ham slices and sausage,” the authors from the University of Bristol in the United Kingdom wrote in the report.

This kind of vision loss is potentially reversible (可逆的) if caught early. However, by the time the teen was diagnosed, his vision loss was permanent. What’s more, wearing glasses would not help the teen’s vision, because damage to the optic nerve cannot be corrected with lenses, said the study lead author Dr. Denize Atan.

Yours,

Li Hua