I met my art teacher Ms. J in the seventh grade and she changed me.

In her first class, she encouraged us to _________ what art meant. During the discussion about facial structure and paintings, she _________ the “golden ratio(黄金比例)”, a beauty standard and explained how Da Vinci applied it to his works to ensure they were visually(视觉上)attractive.

I couldn’t help but think that if my _________ had been measured against the “golden ratio”, my score would have been low.

I was born with a facial disfigurement(缺陷)and my face looked _________. After regular appointments with _________, my face was changed many times with little improvement. I _________ seeing myself in the mirror.

People’s strange tones and curious expressions kept telling me that I was _________. Worse still, my photo appeared in a magazine with big letters “Face similar to works of Picasso” right below. I felt ashamed.

I told Ms. J about my _________ and how my face was compared to Picasso’s painting.

“Art isn’t about what you see but about what you _________.” She comforted me and told me that our __________ appearances were our signatures that we left in the world, which set us __________ and made us beautiful. And then she showed me a picture of an old man with long white hair. “You see, Da Vinci doesn’t look too pretty, but his works __________ beauty on us,” she added.

I was touched by her words, and I wondered why I had never thought this way.

“Being compared to Picasso may seem like a shame, but it’s a(n) __________. You are unique and you are a masterpiece.”

       Today, when I look into the mirror, I will remember the words of my teacher, “Beauty is subjective” and I get to know my appearance is my __________.

     It takes me years to __________ that beauty is more than a cold calculation.

Martin Strel knows a thing or two about rivers. He has been swimming in them ______ he was a young boy. Although he holds five world records in marathon swimming, he is best known for using his sport to raise ______ of water pollution. After years of swimming in dirty water, he decided he had to do ______. He began to swim to ______   “peace, friendship and clean water”. He hopes to see ______ laws strengthened.

So far, he has swum in many of the world's most famous rivers. In 2000,he ______ to swim in Europe's second longest river, the Danube. He swam 1,866 miles in 58 days and ______ a world record for long-distance swimming. In 2002, Strel swam in the Mississippi River and ______ a distance of 2,360 miles in 68 days. In 2007, he swam 3,274 miles of the Amazon River in 66 days. Most of the ______ in the Amazon comes from harmful chemicals used in gold mining and oil leaks from ______ maintained boats. He became very weak and ______ 42 pounds. In order to continue swimming, he had to be carried in and out of the _______.

Still, Strel plans to ______ swimming for peace, friendship and clean water, but he would prefer to do it in the ocean. ______, the world's rivers are simply too dirty. He ______ a day when everyone can go swimming in clean water.

We were five minutes into the worse airstream I’d ever experienced when we approached Boston’s Logan International Airport in a severe winter storm. I _________ the woman next to me and said, “Hey, would you mind _________ with me for a few minutes? I’m really_________.”

“Sure. My name is Sue,” the woman replied, _________ warmly. “What bring you to Boston?” I started to explain that I was on a business trip. Then the plane shook _________, and I said quickly, “I might need to _________ your hand. ”

Sue took my hand in both of hers, _________ it, and held on tight. She was so _________ — “Yep, this is a little uneasy, but we’ll be on the _________ safely soon,” she told me. Then I asked her what’s her __________. “I’m a retired physical education teacher, and I __________ women’s volleyball,”she said. Immediately, I could see what an __________ coach she must have been.

Sue and I talked — about our families, our vacations, our love of the ocean — until the plane finally __________.

When we said __________, I gave Sue a big hug and my card. A few days later, I received a __________. “I have to admit that I was just as __________ as you were but did not say it, ”Sue wrote. “I just __________ your hand as hard as I could. Thank you for helping me through this very scary __________.”I told my friends about Sue. I explained how __________ she was to me, and what I learnt. It’s OK to ask for __________ from a stranger if you need it.