1 . The men of influence in our lives are our fathers, brothers, grandfathers, uncles, and friends and they play an important role in our lives. They lead by example, teaching us how to move physically through our world, how to be strong in the face of adversity, how to be wise, and how to provide for ourselves and our families.

My dad taught me how to have natural fun, playing baseball in the middle of the street, in his stocking feet. Today my dad continues to influence me in positive ways. He has faced a challenging health problem over the past few months and has carried on with his life in much the same way as he did before his illness, going about his daily business a bit slower and needing to take more rests but still living his life the way he wishes to.

My grandfather taught me the value of being trusted. My father-in-law influenced my life in a different way. He was quiet, loving and a man of power. When he spoke, I listened, as he did not speak unless he had something to say.

My loving husband has encouraged me to be strong and independent, to think for myself, and not to look to him for permission. My husband has also taught me to adapt with him to the ever-changing reality of his journey with illness, and he has met each one with courage and dignity. I have learned much from the men who have had an influence on my life. For all that I have learned and for the role they played and continue to play in my life I am forever thankful.

2 . I remember the day when I first learned to ride a bike. It was a frightening, yet fun experience. My grandfather was the one who taught me and he helped me when I got hurt. The first time I got on a bike, I had no idea what I was doing, and just about everything went wrong. My grandfather told me to just put my feet on the pedals (脚蹬子) and start cycling. He also told me he would hold onto the back of the bike the whole time, yet he didn’t.

As soon as I started trying to balance myself, he let the bike go. I happened to look back just then. I was scared to death that I was going to fall and hurt myself. When I was scared, my mind went blank from cycling, and I just wanted to get off. I forgot how to use the brakes (车闸) and fell right off the bike. My grandfather kept encouraging me to get up and try again, and after about 15 minutes, I finally stopped crying, got up and tried again.

As soon as I started riding again, my pants got caught in the chain, and I fell flat on my face and hit my nose. My grandfather decided to call it a day and try again the next morning. The next morning I woke up brightly and early, and was very eager to try to ride my bike. My nose felt better, so I wasn’t that afraid of falling anymore.

Although I knew there were a range of difficulties on the way to mastering the skills in riding a bike, I believed I could do well with my grandfather’s help. After all, riding a bike was indeed what I wanted to do eagerly.

5 . “Have you checked the oil in the car?” my father used to say to me, his way of “Hello, hope you are well.” Sometimes our phone calls would begin with a question about the oil and end with a question about the oil, with not a lot in between.

Fathers have a lot of love to give, but it’s often offered by means of practical advice. In my experience: It’s mostly about my car. “How’s the car running?” “Did you get it serviced?” My car — an old green Toyota Corona bought for $500 — was where my father showed his love.

Why can’t we fathers just say “I love you” or “It’s great to see you”? The point is: that’s exactly what we are saying. You just have to translate from the language that is Fatherlish. Listen closely enough and the phrase “I love you” can be heard in the slightly longer “I could come around Saturday and repair your chair.” The words “You made my life better from the moment you were born” may be hardly heard, but the main meaning is there in the more common “I’ll hold the ladder while you get the leaves down from the roof.”

When I was 17, I went on my first road trip — a friend and I in that old car. My father stood on the corner on a cold morning to say goodbye. “Highways are dangerous,” he said, “so don’t try overtaking anything faster than a horse and buggy. And take a break every two hours. And every time you stop for gas, you really should check the oil.” At the time we thought his speech was pretty funny and would sing “horse-and-buggy” every time I tried to overtake some other speeding cars.

Dad’s long gone now. But after all these years, I realize that had I owned a copy of the Fatherlish-to-English dictionary, I’d have understood that the speech my friend and I so carelessly laughed at was simply Dad’s attempt at love.

7 . An eight-year-old child heard her parents talking about her little brother. All she knew was that he was very sick and they had no money. Only a very expensive operation could save him now and there was no one to lend them the money.

When she heard her daddy say to her tearful mother,“Only a miracle can save him now，” the little girl went to her bedroom and pulled her money from its hiding place and counted it carefully. She hurried to a drugstore（药店）with the money in her hand.

“And what do you want?” asked the salesman. “It’s for my little brother,” the girl answered. “ He’s really, really sick and I want to buy a miracle.” “Pardon？” said the salesman.

“My brother Andrew has something bad growing inside his head and my daddy says only a miracle can save him. So how much does a miracle cost？” “We don’t sell a miracle here, child. I’m sorry,” the salesman said with a smile.

“Listen, if it isn’t enough, I can try and get some more. Just tell me how much it costs.”

A well-dressed man heard it and asked，“What kind of a miracle does your brother need？”

“I don’t know，” she answered with her eyes full of tears. “He’s really sick and mum says he needs an operation. But my daddy can’t pay for it，so I have brought all my money.”

“How much do you have？” asked the man. “$ 1.11, but I can try and get some more,” she answered, “Well，what luck,” smiled the man. “$ 1.11，the price of a miracle for little brothers.”

He took up the girl’s hand and said，“Take me to where you live. I want to see your brother and meet your parents. Let’s see if I have the kind of miracle you need.”

That well-dressed man was Dr Carlton Armstrong, a famous doctor. The operation was successful and it wasn’t long before Andrew was home again.

How much did the miracle cost？

9 . Friends play a very important part in everyone’s life. Friendship usually develops during childhood. New friends are made when you progress through school. Those friends that you make as a student can usually last long. Friends influence your development, maturity( 成熟) and sense of responsibility (责任). A familiar opinion is “You can tell a lot about a person by knowing who his friends are.” Friendship is based on common interests. If you like sports, most of your friends are likely to be active. If you enjoy reading and shopping, most of your friends do the same.

Some people call you their friends for the wrong reasons. These people are not really friends. They are superficial (表面的) only “ friends” on the outside, not the inside where it counts. Superficial friends only want to be your friends if it is to their advantage. True friends are there whether you are rich or poor. It is easy to have many so-called “friends” if you are rich. By this time you should be able to recognize your friends as the real or the “phoney”.

True friends are most special. Sometimes they might not easy to find, so you can consider yourself very lucky if you have one true friend. This friend is eager to help you whenever necessary. He or she knows you would do the same for them. A true friend is someone you can talk to about any subject or problem. You and your true friend have good understanding of each other. True friends support you, take your side, and build up your confidence.