As everyone grows, they realize there will always be someone who is better. I learned this _______ in the second year in high school. The shock this experience brought was so great that I felt my _______ was nothing left. That was all it took；one person _______ everything.

Her name is Jenny. She was the girl who _______ raised her hand and had useful comments  about everything. When teachers needed challenging problems to be answered, they _______ answers from her. And if students needed _______ they went to consult her. I didn't _______ her, but I admitted her presence annoyed me. In the first year, as a model student, I was the person everyone _______ and all the teachers trusted. Then she came out of _______! We also had two __________ together. There I got to see what everybody thought of her. When an exam finished, it became a __________ that she got the top grade and it didn't __________ to my classmates whether I was right there, __________ I also got an excellent grade. They would cross me and __________ her! I was left being ignored. __________ , I didn't feel like trying anymore.

I stopped trying to put on a show because no one was __________ anymore. Later, she was called to make a（n）   __________ at the graduation ceremony and she talked of her hard work in it. I realized all her hard work got her there, not her desire to __________ . It finally hit me that Jenny __________ the attention she got. She showed me how big the world is and how __________ the world I used to live in. I'll do my best because I know it will pay off.

   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.

My name is Zhang Meng.

Best wishes.

Yours sincerely,

Zhang Meng

   Old friends They finish your sentences, and they tell you the truth when you've had a bad haircut. ____ mostly, they are always there for you-whether it's in person or late-night phone calls-in good times and _____. But as the years pass, it becomes increasingly _____ to see each other, to make new memories. ___, my high school friends and I promised to have reunions.

A few months ago, we met up for a two-day _____ in the American Southwest. We grew up together in Maine and have said for years that we should have a（n）_____ event, yet it was often put off or _____ due to schedule conflicts（冲突）. Not this year.

The weekend _____ long talks by the pool, wonderful meals, and a hike that brought the entire group to _____. Not tears of sadness or anger, but a close tie with such physical ______ between us. It's heartbreaking that we can't spend our days together in the same neighborhood. But that's ______. Grown-up life.

The most ______ is the group's adaptability to one another. The time we ______ apart is non-existent. No need to get reacquainted, we jump back in the saddle（车座）and it's as comfortable as ever. Old friends—friends with an ever-present ______ of support and sisterhood, friends that know each other-are hard to come by and yet we ______ today as we were years ago, laughing in the back row of Mr. McKechnie's 9th grade math class.

Life today,______, has no math class. Our world is full of ______, full of fear. Yet it ______ me— now, more than ever—how important it is that we stay ______. We may have questions about our future, but we have true faith in our past, and though this reunion of friends has come to a close, we are already ______ our plans for the next one.

   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.