I was at the post office early that morning, hoping to be in and out in a short while. Yet, I _____ myself standing in a queue that went all the way into the hallway. I had never seen so many people there on a weekday. It seemed someone might have made an announcement, _____ customers to carry as many packages as they could and bring them in when I needed to have my own package _____. The queue moved very slowly. My patience ran out and I got _____. The longer it took, the angrier I became. When I got to the counter finally, I finished my _____ quickly and briefly, and then walked past the queue that was then extending past the front door.

“Excuse me,” I said, trying not to be too pushy. Several people had to move _____ to make room for me to get to the _____.

I stepped out, complaining about the _____ conditions. Thinking I was going to be late for my dentist appointment, I headed into the parking lot.

A woman was coming across the parking lot in my direction. She was walking with determination, and each step sounded very heavy. I _____ that she looked as if she breathed fire. It stopped me in my tracks. I ______ myself and it wasn’t pretty. Had I looked like that? Her body language said that she was having a ______ day. My anger melted away. I wished I could wrap her in a hug but I was a ______. So I did what I could in a minute ______ she hurried past me — I smiled. In a second everything changed. She was astonished, then somewhat ______. Then her face softened and her shoulders ______. I saw her take a deep breath. Her pace slowed and she ______ back at me as we passed each other.

I continued to smile all the way to my ______. Wow, it’s amazing what a simple smile can do.

From then on, I became aware of people’s ______ and my own, the way we show our feelings. Now I use that ______ every day to make me ______ that when facing the world, I can try a smile.

   Everyone is affected by certain events or individuals that change their life. 【小题1】 One of them who have had a special effect on me is my volleyball coach.

When I first went to the volleyball training, I found out that my coach was seventy years old. 【小题2】 When she was seventy-three, she still warmed up with us and ran the five-kilometer cross-country races in the sports camp. I’ve never seen her being desperate, exhausted or complaining about something. In addition to this, she also has a great sense of humor and a modern world view. She is an absolutely amazing human being and a great role model. 【小题3】

The coach taught me to control my emotions. She always reminded me that I should never give up and that I needed to believe in myself. She showed that I should take advantage of any opportunity, never be nervous in difficult situations and take it easy. 【小题4】 This wonderful woman has taught us to work as a team and developed a sense of responsibility for our actions in us.

I’m thankful for everything she has taught me. Under her instructions, I became a part of a team which has won a lot of competitions. 【小题5】 She has made a great influence on the formation of my personality and character. Also she has taught me to love volleyball.

I’m still trying to come to her training classes and help her with everything that I can do. Knowing her has been one of the most wonderful parts of my life.

   It was Thanksgiving morning. I was busy preparing the traditional Thanksgiving turkey when the doorbell rang. I opened the front door and saw two small children in rags（衣衫褴褛）on the top step.

"Any old papers，lady？" asked one of them.

I was busy. I wanted to say "no" until I looked down at their feet. They were wearing thin little sandals（凉鞋），wet with heavy snow.

"Come in and I'll make you a cup of hot coffee."

They walked in and sat down at the table. Their wet sandals left marks on the floor. I served them coffee and bread to fight against the cold outside. Then I went back to the kitchen and started cooking.

The silence in the front room struck me. I looked in. The girl held the empty cup in her hands，looking at it. The boy asked in a flat voice，"Lady，are you rich？"

"Am I rich？Pity，no！"

I looked at my worn-out slipcovers（家具套）.The girl put her cup back in its saucer（茶碟）carefully and said，"Your cups match your saucers." They left after that，holding their papers against the wind. They had reminded me that I had so much for which to be grateful.

Plain blue china cups and saucers were only worth five pence. But they matched.

I tasted the potatoes and stirred（搅动）the meat soup. Potatoes and brown meat soup，a roof over our heads，my man with a regular job，these matched，too.

I moved the chairs back from the fire and cleaned the living room. The muddy marks of the little sandals were still wet on my floor. Let them be for a while，I thought，just in case I should begin to forget how rich I was.

   One summer weekend, my wife, son and I entered a running race on mountain trails（小径）. When the race started, our son took off _______, but my wife and I stayed back and ran together, enjoying the scenery. After some time, while running down a narrow, _______ trail, I walked on a big stone and had a _______, and in the process, I jammed my toe pretty hard. I realized I’d got my toe _______, but I didn’t take off my shoe and sock to check my _______. Instead, my wife and I kept running.

____, after going about half the course, I realized my watch on my wrist was _______. Slightly discouraged, I encouraged my wife to go on ahead, and I would _______ to see if I could find it. After running back for some time, I _______ my broken watch off the trail. I picked it up, and quickly put it into my pocket. Then I ________ down the trail. When I was near the end, I saw my son, who had finished 30 minutes earlier and had run back up the trail to ________ me. He ran with me to the end.

As it turned out, both my wife and son had ________ first place in their age groups, but I had no chance of placing. As I sat down to ________ after the race, I decided to take off my shoe and check my toe, and I found that my sock was in blood. Painful and hurt, there was a bright side. I ________ to receive any award in my age group, but the race ________ had a special award which was given to the most injured runner in the race.

So, how does this ________ relate to you and me in everyday life? Although everyone wants to live a life of comfort, the ________ is that we often face pain and ________. However, the key to real happiness is ________pain into something positive. In other words, ________ can make us stronger if we face them bravely.