The day that I met my best friend for the first time, I was anxiously reviewing for an important exam in the local library. Because I kept being disturbed by others, I was unable to make any progress, The last straw was when I heard someone singing behind me. I turned around and gave the person a dirty look. It was a tall girl about the same age as me and she had a slight smile on her face. Standing near the “English Literature” section, she seemed to be looking for a book. “How could she be so selfish (自私的)?” I thought angrily.

I picked up my books, looked into her eyes and said angrily, “Please be considerate in public. I’ve been unable to study because of your terrible singing”

I still hate thinking of that moment. Let me tell you the rest of the story though.

Two hours later, I realized I’d forgotten my most important textbook in the library. What was worse, the library had already closed. I was close to tears. Just then, the phone rang. A soft voice introduced the speaker as Li Hua and asked if I was Jane. After confirming that I was, she told me that she had noticed my book in the library. As my phone number was in it, she called and told me she didn’t live far away and could bring it to me.

Paragraph 1: I sighed (叹息) with relief and agreed to meet her at the store down the road.

Paragraph 2: Can you believe we became best friends?

Emily was a shy and quiet student in Greenfield High School. Emily was known for her quiet behavior and her love for literature, often found lost in the pages of a book during lunch breaks.

One day, as Emily walked through the hallway, she noticed a colorful poster announcing an upcoming English poetry competition. Her heart raced with excitement at the prospect of showcasing her talent, but her mind was immediately flooded with doubts. “What if my poem is not good enough? What if everyone laughs at me?”she thought to herself, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment.

As the days went by, Emily found herself caught between her desire to participate and her fear of failure. She talked with her best friend, Sarah, who had been by her side since they were little. She was known for her outgoing personality and her ability to make everyone feel included.

“You have a gift, Emily, ”Sarah said reassuringly, her blue eyes filled with encouragement. “Don’t let your fears hold you back. You never know what might happen unless you try. ”

With Sarah’s support, Emily decided to take a leap of faith and submit her poem for the competition. As the day of the event drew near, she felt a mix of nervousness and expectation. She spent hours perfecting her poem, carefully choosing each word and line to convey her emotions. She practiced her poem in front of the miror, trying to perfect her delivery and expression.

But despite her newfound confidence, Emily couldn’t shake off the feeling of doubt in her mind. These thoughts consumed her, making it difficult for her to focus on anything else.

It was during one of these moments of self-doubt that Sarah came to her rescue once again. “You’re an amazing writer, Emily, ”she said, her voice filled with warmth and sincerity. “Your poem is going to be incredible. Just believe in yourself. ”With Sarah’s words in her mind, Emily felt a renewed sense of determination.

On the day of the competition, Emily took a deep breath and stepped onto the stage.   

In the end, Emily’s poem won first place.

“Where is it? We’re going to be late!” Janice searched the house crazily for her wallet. “Josh! Did you hide my wallet? We have to be at Grandpa’s for his birthday party!” Josh, Janice’s four-year-old younger brother, smiled innocently at her, but his cunning (狡黠的) eyes gave himself away. She tried her best not to shout. Grinning (咧嘴笑) like a cat, Josh reached under the sofa, pulled out her wallet and held it over his head. Janice grabbed it.

Ten minutes later, they hurried to the train station. Red-faced and sweating, Janice let go of Josh’s wrist and removed the sweat from her forehead. The train arrived. Her smile froze when she realized that the train was packed with passengers. Grabbing Josh’s hand, Janice boarded the train. She commanded, “The train’s really crowded, Josh. Behave yourself, stick close to me, and no monkey business!” Josh nodded, holding tightly to a rail. Janice smiled.

When it was time to get off the train, Janice quickly pushed her way through the crowd to get onto the platform. “We made it!” Janice said, turning around. Josh was nowhere to be seen. The crowd was flooding out, but Josh was not among them. “The train doors are closing,” then came the electronic voice. Soon, the crowd on the platform died down. The last thing Janice saw was Josh’s little anxious face at the train window: Just as Janice was about to call out Josh’s name, the train disappeared from view. “Josh!” Janice screamed.

Janice’s mind was transported back to when she was lost at the zoo. She could still vividly remember the towering figures surrounding her and none of them were’ familiar. “I don’t want Josh to go through that same bitter experience,” Janice let out a sigh.

Janice took out her mobile phone, ready to call her mother. However, midway, she decided against it. Her mother, who was far away in France on business, could do nothing but get restless. Janice paced up and down the platform anxiously.

Just then, Janice received a call from an unknown number.

Having waved goodbye to the lady, they headed for their destination.

My dad was a cleaner in my school. When I was 12, I decided to study hard to have a life different from his.

One day when Dad asked me to play basketball with him, I just replied, “I’m busy. I want to study well so that I can become a rich man. I don’t want to be a cleaner like you, Dad!” He was shocked (震惊的), but I didn’t care and continued studying hard. Finally, I graduated from high school with honors, and decided it was time to break free from my dad and follow my dreams.

“Dad, I got a scholarship to a law school in California,” I told him. “I’ll leave in 3 days.” My dad was surprised but proud of me. As I left for the airport 3 days later, he said, “Son, wherever you go, welcome back home.” I ignored his words and flew to California.

After I graduated, I found a great job there. Later, I was made manager and earned much money. I no longer remembered my father was a cleaner. I had forgotten my dad, who was still cleaning my school. I seldom answered his calls or wrote back to him. I was busy; I still had a lot more to achieve.

With time, the more success I tasted, somehow, the lonelier I became. I felt especially lonely on my 31st birthday. I kept checking my phone, hoping someone wished me a happy birthday. But there wasn’t a single call or message. Later that evening when I returned home from my office, something in my mailbox drew my attention.

“A letter?” I whispered and saw it was from my father. He never forgot to mail me a letter on my each birthday. However, I never took the trouble to read it. “How did I ignore him?” I thought. I brought the letter home and took out his earlier letters. And I opened one. It read, “Wherever you are, I love you to the last drop of my blood. I wish you a happy life.”

I picked up another letter and read it.

Finally, I arrived at my dad’s house and saw him sitting alone in the yard.

By the age of sixteen years old, Ben had always been an outstanding student. He went to great lengths to achieve high grades and managed to keep his parents delighted and proud. Neither of his parents had the opportunity to attend university and it was their biggest ambition that Ben could land a well-paid and decent job as a lawyer. He knew that achieving this goal would make his parents walk on air, but he wasn’t certain whether he would feel the same.

Since he was only a child, Ben had been passionate about computer programming. He taught himself how to use a computer, and by the age of 12, he had been proficient in three difterent programming languages. He did all of this in his spare time. He was quite an introvert (内向的人), so he preferred staying in with his computer, rather than going out socializing with his fellow classmates or playing sports in the brilliant sunshine. It was acceptable with his parents, as long as he continued to focus on his studies.

One day, while reading an article online about a young technology billionaire called Tom, Ben was fascinated by the magical power of technology and the wisdom and imnovation of the young CEO. The inner voice told him that he longed to become a computer programmer. Everything changed for Ben. In the article, the CEO said that his company was trying to create a new and improved way of paying for goods online but that they were struggling with the security system. He said if they could overcome this, they could launch the biggest and best online payment system in the world. It occurred to Ben that he had an innovative idea on how to handle this problem. Thinking that it wouldn’t come to anything, he emailed the CEO, introducing himself and explaining his idea.

He forgot all about it, but then a month later; the most amazing thing happened.

With all these concerns in mind, Ben determined to communicate with his parents frankly.

When I was about four years old, I started washing my face on my own. However, I always ignored the area behind my ears on purpose though my mom would often remind me.

One summer, in July of that year, my mom drove me to my grandparents’ house for our annual summer holiday visit. When we arrived, I was told that Grandma had gone on a trip with her friends and wouldn’t be back for another two weeks. Feeling a bit down, I went to the yard to play while my mom and grandpa caught up on some things. Although I couldn’t hear their conversation clearly, I had a strong feeling they were talking about me based on their gestures and expressions. Later, my mom returned home, and she would come back to pick me up two months later.

After dinner that night, Grandpa asked me to take a bath before going to bed. Since I loved taking baths, I happily agreed. With the bathtub (浴缸) filled with water, Grandpa reminded me, “Just make sure you clean the area behind your ears really well. You wouldn’t want potatoes to start growing there, would you?”

“Potatoes?” I stopped in my tracks and turned back to look at him. “Yes, potatoes. If you don’t clean the dirt behind your ears, potatoes might actually sprout (发芽) and grow there,” he explained, causing my eyes to widen in surprise. “But I don’t have any potatoes behind my ears, Grandpa,” I said as I ran my fingers along the back of my ears. He took a quick glance and replied, “Oh, I see a couple of sprouts: starting right there!” He urged me to get into the bathtub immediately and scrub (擦洗) them away thoroughly.

I nodded, still in disbelief. This was the first time I had ever heard such a thing. Why hadn’t my parents warned me about this before? I wondered, but couldn’t find an answer. Nonetheless, I felt shocked by Grandpa’s warning.

I hurried to jump into the bathtub, carefully scrubbing behind my ears.

“What are you looking at behind your ears?” Grandma asked me curiously.

I had run away from home after finishing high school. My parents had insisted I go to college, but I was tired of school. I hated it. I was determined not to go. And, besides, my father was too strict. I had too many chores to do around the farm. I haled the work!

There had been a quarrel between my father and me. I threw some things into a bag and left angrily, as my father shouted after me, “If you leave, don’t come back!” My mother cried openly, and I had seen those tears during a hundred sleepless nights.

Then it was time to write a letter to my father.

It’s been more than a year now. I’ve traveled east to west. I’ve had dozens of jobs. None of them amounted to very much. Always the same questions: “How much education have you got?” It seems they always want college men for the good jobs.

Dad, you and Mother were right about everything. I know now that the work on the farm didn’t hurt me, and I’m convinced I need college. I’m also convinced that both of you loved me.

Dad, I’ve learned a lesson. I want to come home. I know you said if I left, I couldn’t come back, but I’m praying you’ll change your mind. I want to come home and be a part of the family again.

Give my love to Mother and the girls.

As I folded the letter and put it into an envelope, I felt a refreshing relief. It was as if a heavy load had been lifted from my shoulders. And I had to be on my way home.

I started down the desolate road—the long road home. Fortunately, a car picked me up, and it was good to have someone to talk with. The driver was a salesman and very pleasant.

“Where you going, boy?” he asked good-naturedly.

There was a long silence before I said, “Home.”

“Been away from home long?”

I smiled, a little self-conscious, and said, “One year, one month and two days.”

Having heard my story, he expressed his support for my final decision and told me something surprising.

Finally, I arrived home when. it was completely dark.