Facial expressions carry meaning that is determined by situations and relationships. For example, in American culture (文化) the smile is in general an expression of pleasure. Yet it also has other uses. A woman’s smile at a police officer does not carry the same meaning as the smile she gives to a young child. A smile may show love or politeness. It can also hide true feelings. It often causes confusion (困惑) across cultures. For example, many people in Russia consider smiling at strangers in public to be unusual and even improper. Yet many Americans smile freely at strangers in public places (although this is less common in big cities).Some Russians believe that Americans smile in the wrong places; some Americans believe that Russians don’t smile enough. In Southeast Asian cultures, a smile is frequently used to cover painful feelings. Vietnamese people may tell a sad story but end the story with a smile.

Our faces show emotions (情感), but we should not attempt to "read" people from another culture as we would "read" someone from our own culture. The fact that members of one culture do not express their emotions as openly as do members of another does not mean that they do not experience emotions.

Rather, there are cultural differences in the amount of facial expressions permitted. For example, in public and in formal situations many Japanese do not show their emotions as freely as Americans do. When with friends, Japanese and Americans seem to show their emotions similarly.

It is difficult to generalize about Americans and facial expressiveness because of personal and cultural differences in the United States. People from certain cultural backgrounds in the United States seem to be more facially expressive than others. The key is to try not to judge people whose ways of showing emotion are different. If we judge according to our own cultural habits, we may make the mistake of "reading" the other person incorrectly.

   I have been teaching the tenth-grade English for four years. Needless to say，I love my subject and promise to one day pass my love of literature on to my future students. Well，I must admit，I have made more than a difference. I have changed the way students perceive（感知）literature and have even inspired some to become English teachers.

One student in particular is named John. I met him last year when he was a student in my English class. He sat in the back often，saying very little. However，I sensed that he was taking in all that I taught. John was never absent nor was he late. He seemed very mature for his age.

As the year progressed，we read lots of poetry and various stories about different cultures and real-life experiences. I have always wanted literature to speak to my students so that they could find related connections which would finally give them that motivation（动力）to read，write and interpret. While reading and writing poetry，John wrote some beautiful poetry that spoke of his experiences in America.

On the last day of school，students were asked to write a brief autobiographical essay and to dedicate（献给）it to someone he or she thought was significant in his or her life. John dedicated his essay to me and used clip art that decorated the dedication with roses.

He stated in the essay that "Some people you meet in life are flowers，but then there are those who are roses. Ms. Hopkins，I just want you to know that you are a rose in my life and I have enjoyed every minute of being in your class. You have shown me that I have a purpose in life and that I am a poet. I will never forget you." Tears streamed down my eyes. I had had a particularly hard personal life that year but somehow that letter made it worth the struggle.

Making a significant contribution to someone's life is something money could never buy. Teaching allows teachers to make a positive difference in the life of students.

   At 7a.m.on October 2，2016，I got up，feeling excited and nervous. The first thought in my mind was，"Today's game is my first _____ football game." I'd played before but not like this，not in pads（防护垫），not with a helmet on my head and my heart started beating faster. I _____ finished breakfast and left for the field.

The whole time on the bus，I felt sick and nervous. Finally，I reached the field. ____that white numher7 jersey（运动套衫）for the first time made me feel ____ .I felt like football was my fortune.

We stood there. By the look on our faces，you could see who had _____ before and who hadn't. To me，it felt like a war. I was a（n）_____ soldier going into battle. Now I know that feeling was fear. We had _____ ，but not the real game. In training，we took a form and knew each other. In the _____ you don't know your opponent's strength. Everything just happened _____ you know it was happening.

We did warm-ups and some of us couldn't ______ to play，jumping around and yelling. Others stood still waiting for the direction. The referees（裁判）came out. We knew the game ______ came. As a captain，I went out for the coin toss to see which team would get the ball first. Campus Magnet won the coin toss. They ______ to receive.

Soon the game ______ and I caught up with the ball carrier and ran at a full speed. I lowered my shoulders and ran to his side with all my _____ ，knocking him down and at the same time knocking my ______ out. I rose to my feet and ______ what I had done. I'd made my first tackle（阻截）.I was ______ my dream，feeling renewed. That tackle encouraged me，giving me strength，______ and the desire to go on.

We ______ that game--8 to 6. That year we went undefeated, ______ every team on our schedule, and I was rated the best receiver in our division.