Bill was a 15-year-old young man. One weekend he went to the forest with his friends Russell and Jim to catch and collect rare butterflies.

Russell was the only one who had been to these woods. They had been there for 20 minutes and were deep into the forest. Russell and Jim stuck together, while Bill drifted to their left. He tried to stay within eyesight of them, but he was also watching for snakes.

As he went forward, suddenly a beautiful bird with a long tail flew by and caught his eyes. He followed behind to take some photos. But when he was done and glanced over for his friends, they were gone.

He shouted, but the thick woods only swallowed his cries. The last time he saw them, it looked like they were continuing in a straight line. So he turned to go back, but an hour later he was even more lost. He kept walking, though, figuring he would find a way out.

He walked, stopping to rest now and then, until it started to get dark. The woods became a horrible place where there were various sounds. The sounds reminded Bill of the horrible stories he had read. He felt scared but he didn’t cry because he kept telling himself he was a brave man. Fortunately it did not got cold, which was good because he had nothing to warm himself up. Suddenly he heard the engine sound of a helicopter. But rescuers couldn’t see him through the trees, and he wasn’t going to run through the woods in the dark. He just prayed they would find him the next day. So tired was he that he lay down under a tree and fell asleep.

I have kept a watch from my grandfather. When I was a schoolboy, the watch hung by my grandfather’s bed. The case was gold. It was a splendid watch and I often stared at it longingly sitting with my grandfather. He would often ask about my progress at school. The day I told him my success in the examinations, he was overcome with pleasure.

He took off the watch and wound it. “It was given me for fifty years of faithful service with my firm,” he said proudly. I held the watch, feeling its weight. As I was leaving him, he said, “And you’ll not forget what I told you?” I was suddenly moved a lot.

Arriving home, my mother was to hold it in trust until she considered me old enough to look after it, but I protested so strongly that she finally agreed to hang it where I could always see it. The summer ended and it was time for me to enter the new school. I never made friends easily there. One boy, Crawley showed off his possessions. His bicycle was new; his boots were of the best hide; everything, in fact, was better than ours—until he brought a watch. Crawley said his watch was absolutely the finest watch.

“I have a better watch,” I announced. “Well, show it to us, ”Crawley said sneeringly. “I’ll bring it this afternoon,” I said. “Then you’ll see.” I rode my bike home, wondering how I would persuade my mother to let me take the watch. Luckily, she stepped outside and I slipped the watch into my pocket.

I rode my bike fast to school after lunch, excitement through me.

When I said my mother couldn’t let me bring the watch, they burst into laughter.

I cannot remember a point in my life when I desire anything other than becoming a teacher. As a child I played school with my little cousins and friends just so I could practice for my future career. But what I didn’t realize as a child was how expensive my dream was. I came from a poor family, and it seemed as though we always struggled to make ends meet. My dream of attending the University of Connecticut seemed so out of reality but I wasn’t willing to settle for anything less.

At the beginning of my senior year in high school, I began applying to colleges, but in my heart I had already made my decision. The University of Connecticut was the one. But a huge hurdle(障碍) stood between me and the dream—lack of financial resources.

At first, I was ready to give up. I mean, who was going to give me, the average high-school girl, that kind of money? I wasn’t the smartest person in my class, not even close; but my heart was in the right place, and I was determined. I knew that scholarships were only given to the really smart kids, or so I thought. I applied for every scholarship I could get my hands on. What did I have to lose? And then my teacher told me about the financial aid system. I applied, but l didn’t think I would qualify for that either. After the holidays, my friends started receiving their acceptance letters from colleges, and I eagerly anticipated mine. Finally, a letter arrived from the University of Connecticut. Feelings of fear and joy overwhelmed me, but I was ready. I opened the envelope with trembling hands as tears filled my eyes. I had done it! I had been accepted to the University of Connecticut I cried for a while, feeling both extremely excited and afraid. I had worked so hard to get accepted; what if I was denied admission because of my financial status?

I had been working a full- time job.

At last, a letter arrived.