Monique Marshall knew she had to do something for her mother after her stepfather passed away. Monique's mother, Karin, who is 84 years old, was living in her apartment in New York City 1 , about 2,500 miles away from Monique in Los Angeles.

Monique 2 she had to do something for her mother. 3 , Monique's husband, Demille, was all on board, willing to do anything to 4 Karin in her advanced age. That's when Monique and Demille brainstormed with their friends and neighbors, Pierre and Carmen, who happened to be 5 .

After much thought and planning, they 6 a solution of a "glam garage (豪华车库)". Monique and Demille decided to turn their old and drafty 7 into an apartment space for Karin. But as is always the case with any construction project, they encountered 8 . However, it was nothing too big that kept them from completing the 9 . And the results are 10 !

Karin is in love with her new living space and new city. When Karin first 11 into her glam garage apartment in Los Angeles, she couldn't 12 her eyes.

"It was overwhelming," said Karin. "I was so 13 . Monique had done all the furniture. I didn't have to do anything."

What a wonderful and 14 solution that came about because of love, care and 15 .

Due to the bad weather, the flight 1 made me trapped at the O Hare Intermational Airport. In order to kill time, I 2 up and down the terminal for some exercise. When I passeda coffee bar ,a piece of music 3 into my ears. Following the music, I went into the bar and 4 to find an empty table. Most seats were 5 by people who were attracted by the beautiful music. A young woman was playing the piano 6 .I could only describe it as beautiful classical music. Being exposed to the wonderful music, I totally 7 the annoying wait.

Soon, on a break,I thanked her and she told me that she just wanted to make the wait less 8 .When I sat alone, two women 9 an invitation to let me join them. We had a long chat, sharing our 10 about music, travels and life. Hearing that 11 music, and then meeting such interesting people, who generously shared their wisdom with me, were truly joyous.

These moments were 12 for me. They made me begin to 13 the positive influence of strangers. Over the years, I have met many interesting people who have different occupations 14 .Most of them tend to enjoy life more and are more willing to 15 with people around. Life is not a competition and reaching destinations shouldn't be the only goal.

It was the end of the school day, and I was tired. I grabbed a pile of about 130 exam papers to1 on the train ride home. I'd bring them back the next morning.

My principal (校长) pushed her head into my classroom and said, "Friendly2 ! You need to make sure your word wall is3 by tomorrow morning." She then moved on to the next classroom to4 the message. I sighed and thought, "Are you making a(n)5 ? What a waste of my time!"

My principal was6 about making our school beautiful, while my goal was to get my students to pass the Algebra Regents Exam. She wanted every classroom to have a word wall, where student's works on creative projects would be7 . She brought in beautiful planters (花盆) that8 the hallways with greenery. However, I assume that school and classroom9 aren't important when it comes to learning. To me, spending time and money making our school and classrooms beautiful was just a distraction (使人分心的事). Those things don't10 my students with math.

However, after three years of teaching, I went to graduate school in part to study how resources 11 teachers and students. What my research found 12 me: When teachers 13 their classroom environment resources, their students did better on standardized tests. My principal was 14 . She was creating more than just a beautiful 15 —she was building a welcoming and positive environment for students to learn and teachers to work.

A children's choir (合唱团) from the snowy highlands of Tibet recently1 their beautiful singing to the capital, Beijing.

The Qomolangma Children's Choir was2 in 2020. They recently paid a week-long trip to Beijing to3 their music skills and show their4 to national audiences.

When journalists met the choir on Saturday, the children were 5 the recording of a music program at CCTV in Beijing. Before 6 the program, they received professional 7 from teachers at the Central Conservatory of Music (CCOM). 8 , they also visited scenic 9 in Beijing such as the Temple of Heaven, the Forbidden City and so on. Tenzin Dunyu, a 10-year-old member of the choir, told the journalists that he has been playing the zhanian for five years. The zhanian, a beautiful 10 , is widely used in songs and dances  in Tibet. For him, coming to Beijing and 11 in Tiananmen Square was both a nervous and 12 experience, marking his first journey outside Lhasa. Another 10-year-old member, Tsering Lhamo, has been singing for a year. Her trip to Beijing 13 her horizons, and when it came to what 14 her most, she said she 15 enjoyed the cheerful songs of the choir performed at CCTV. 

Geng Muyao was the choir's16 from CCOM to help the children with training. She17 that the choir was set up by the Tibetan government and18 by CCOM. "Many members were19 of vocal (声 乐的) training due to poor condition, so this choir experience means a lot to them. "she said.

Including children from all over Tibet, the choir primarily shows Tibetan folk culture. Though the members are 20 , the choir has performed at important events, achieving amazing success in a short time.