5 . An important person who has made a huge impact on my life is Savannah. Savannah is my twin sister and my life would be completely different without her. Everyone always thinks it’s amazing to have a twin and it is but it’s also not. People always beautify having a twin. They say it’s natural to be good friends, which is true, but nobody ever talks about the negative side of it.

People also say things like “Who’s the smarter twin?” As twins, we are constantly getting compared. In the second grade, she got admitted to a class for advanced students. In 6th grade she was put into advanced math. I finally got put into advanced math for 8th grade but it still wasn’t enough because by then she was in a class that was two years ahead and mine was just one. So people called me the dumb twin.

I played soccer from the ages 5-9. I quit when I was 9 because people decided Savannah was better and I didn’t want to hear it anymore. She still plays. We also played softball together when we were 10-11. I quit that too mainly for the same reason.

One day when I was in 7th grade, Savannah, our friends and I were at top golf for one of their birthdays. We were almost done playing. My friend Allison said, “Savannah, how does it feel to be losing to the unathletic twin?” Allison didn’t play any sports either, but since she wasn’t a twin, she wasn’t getting compared to anyone.

I could write a million stories about who’s the prettier twin? Who’s the uglier twin? Who’s the funnier twin? It never really ends. Even though we get compared, I still love Savannah and she has made such a huge impact on my life.

As I’ve gotten older, it has less of an effect on me when people compare us. I have realized that there is always going to be someone out there comparing us and there is nothing I can do about it. I am growing into my own person.

6 . We are familiar with an old saying that “Clothes make the man”, which means good-looking outfits may possibly make a person better respected and look more like a true gentleman.    1    . Naturally, he may be well respected and gracefully treated even though he doesn’t seem so respectable as others imagine. Instead, if a man is poorly or commonly dressed, he can’t avoid being looked down upon and unfairly treated,    2    . As far as these people are concerned, what one wears is taken as an essential signal of status and an expression of characteristics. Consequently, clothes do seem to help make a good impression on others, and gain more respect.

    3    . I think the good impression one leaves on others based on clothes doesn’t last long. Only good internal quality and beauty will impress people forever and never fade.     4    . On the contrary, when people who are fascinated by a person’s clothes eventually find out that he is an undesirable person, they would think he is pretentious and may even treat him with contempt (蔑视). On top of this, people who attach too much importance to clothes would waste their time and money on it. Besides, it adversely affects their effort on the things that really matter.

In summary,     5    . Nothing can count more than good internal quality in building up the man. Therefore, only one’s internal beauty and knowledge are more decisive of a person’s value.

8 . Grandparents are known as great companions (陪伴) and often give their grandchildren lots of love. Being a grandparent is a big job, but grandparents have a lot of experience. In many cultures, grandparents are looked up to as a source of wisdom (智慧).

Some kids live far away from their grandparents so they stay in touch by phone, through email, and with letters. Other kids live close to their grandparents, making it easy to visit often. And still other kids live with their grandparents.

Sometimes, the family is sharing the grandparents’ house and sometimes the grandparents move into the family’s house. Any change can be difficult to adjust (适应) to. But after the adjustment period, you might find you enjoy having someone else in the house and a new person to spend time with. If your grandparent needs help, you might be the one to lend a hand. And your grandparent might be able to help you by playing a game with you, telling the best stories or fixing you a snack after school.

Quite a few kids live with grandparents who take care of them in place of their parents. Kids who live with grandparents might miss their moms or dads and wish they could live with them instead. The grandparent may find it difficult to keep up with a kid and all of his or her needs. In this situation, both the kid and the grandparent should work together. Loving and caring for each other can be the glue that keeps everything together.

And one more thing: You might want to put the first Sunday after Labor Day on your calendar. Why? It’s Grandparent’s Day!