When I was young，I read many kinds of books，including fairy tales. Most of the books described handsome heroes and beautiful heroines. 【小题1】I believed I had to be beautiful if I wanted to become a great person. It was a hard time for me. Whenever I looked at someone 【小题2】was more beautiful than me，I was 【小题3】（stress）.

As I grew up，I began 【小题4】（realize）outer beauty was not so important to make someone good. I remember a friend of 【小题5】（me）who was so beautiful that every classmate wanted to talk with her. She was proud of that and believed that she could do everything she wanted because she was so beautiful，but she lost friends one 【小题6】one. My poor friend！But she learned a good lesson: inner beauty is more important than outer beauty. After she 【小题7】（learn）that，she changed her attitude and made friends again.

In many novels and fairy tales，such as in Cinderella，the main characters are usually beautiful or handsome. Beauty is representative of good deeds and kindness. In our society，beauty also gives us many 【小题8】（advantage）such as having a good social life，making friends，getting a job，and getting a 【小题9】（promote）.Whenever we look at good-looking guys and girls，we usually form stereotypes（模式化的思想）.We think he or she is a good and kind person. This is 【小题10】cosmetic surgery（整容外科手术）is so popular in our society.

   This is my son Matthew's last night at home before college. I know that this is good news. I feel proud that Matthew will go to a great school. I know that this is his finest hour. But looking at the suitcases on his bed sends me out of the room to a hidden corner where I can't stop crying.

Through the sorrow，I feel rising embarrassment. "Pull yourself together！"I tell myself. There are parents sending their kids off to battle zones. How dare I feel so shattered（感到震惊难过的）？

One of the great gifts of my life has been having my boys，Matthew and Johnowen. Through them，I have explored the mysterious and complicated（复杂的）bond between fathers and sons. As my wife and I raised them，I have discovered the love and loss between my father and me. After my parents' divorce，I spent weekends with my dad in Ohio. By the time Sunday rolled around，I was unable to enjoy the day's activities because I was already afraid of the goodbye of the evening.

Now，standing among Matthew's belongings，I realize it's me who has become a boy again. All my sadness and longing to hold on to things are back，sweeping over me as they did when I was a child.

His bed is tidy. It already has the feel of a guest bed. In my mind I replay the scene that I wrapped him in his favorite blanket. That was our nightly routine until one evening he said，"Daddy，I don't think I need a blanket tonight." I think of all the times when we lay among the covers reading. I look at the bed and think of all the recent times when I was annoyed at how late he was sleeping. I realize I'll never have to worry about that again.

For his part, Matthew has been a rock. He is treating his leaving as just another day at the office. And I'm glad. After all, someone's got to be strong. I'm proud that he is charging into the first chapter of his adult life with such confidence.

   Grandpa began his military career in the Navy in 1939. He joined with his son, Paul. The Department of the Navy kept them fairly close together, allowing them to be in port at the same time so they could visit each other and spend time together. They were both in port in Hawaii when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941. My uncle Paul was among the 1,177 who were aboard the USS Arizona.

After WW Ⅱ, Grandpa left the Navy and joined the Army, where he spent the rest of his career. His duty stations included Alaska, France, Italy, Germany, and the Philippines. When the time came, he worked as a doctor, saving the lives of many young soldiers.

Various European duty stations filled the years between Korea and Vietnam for Grandpa. My grandmother spent her time learning local recipes (食谱) and culture while they traveled Europe's lush (草木繁茂的) countryside, something I'm grateful she passed on to me.

Later, Vietnam War broke out, and Grandpa received a new set of orders, which brought a new set of worries for Grandma. But he still went, and she worried. Grandpa was severely wounded in the early days of the war, a gunshot wound to the early days of the war, a gunshot wound to the chest that grazed (擦伤) his heart. He spent a few weeks in an army hospital in Germany before being flown back the States and being sent to Walter Reed Hospital.

My grandfather was never a man to wait for very long, however, and he soon found a job at ICI Americas. Grandpa retired from ICI in 1988, though to allow another family member to seek employment there as company policy didn’t allow family members to work in the same plant.

My grandfather is such a great man. From his experiences I have learned that we should respect our national heroes; the ones who have died for us, the ones who came back wounded, as well as the ones who came back healthy — because they are all the greatest heroes.