Helen On Eighty-Sixth Street

It's true that we all have dreams and hopes, yet some come true, some don't. There was a vigorous, optimistic girl who had large chocolate-brown eyes that glitter under the sunshine. Her hair was pitch-black, straight, and scented like those shampoo advertisements when models swung their beautiful hair. Unlike most of the Asians with dark skins, her skin was pale, as the icy-cold snowflakes in winter, falling down miserably and pitifully, impressed people so much that was unforgettable. We met by chances like patches of drifting duckweed. We didn't have best-friend-gossip friendship, just normal and not essential. We won't care about each other's lives as primary, because we were merely normal friends that only had team-spirit relationship. However, life changed 180 degrees. We were distributed in the same class again as upperclassmen. Since we didn't comprehend other unfamiliar students, we stayed together and chatted with happy-go-lucky thoughts. Soon, we became best friends. We shared our dreams together: She dreamt to become the top dancer in the world while I dreamt to become a skillful pianist who accompanied when she was dancing. We hid our dreams into a time capsule which was buried near the largest blooming phoenix tree in the school. I truly hoped and believed that our dreams would come true, since we were practicing diligently. Anyhow, I found out that the thought was just too childish after a significant change which promoted me to stop playing the piano--TRANSFER. It wasn't I who transferred; it was she who transferred. Because she was admitting into a excellent dancing school in America, she was about to go abroad. I was so disappointed and deplorable that I couldn't sleep for whole night. I couldn't accept the cruel truth so I tricked myself that it was a dream with nightmare. I only had to knead my face with the fingers and I could wake up, but it was useless. I was still awake in the nightmare. Therefore, I suddenly enlightened and decided to make a great present for her as the souvenir in Taiwan. I weaved a teddy bear around the bottle, clipped a card with a heart as the teddy bear was embracing the heart. I believed that she would still remember me whenever she saw the cute teddy bear was smiling warmly at her, as I was accompanying her through difficulties. I knew, though the dream that we would perform together didn't come true, we would accompany each other in our hearts even the distances were far away.

Thank you, M'am Quickwrite

I do believe that "When the going gets tough, the tough get going" is true. People do indeed get going when facing difficult circumstances because they have the spirits that push them forward-- courage. Maya Angelou said: "Courage is the most important of all the virtues, because without courage you can't practice any other virtue consistently." Courage is the motivation of hope. Hope promotes people to embrace a brighter world. We need courage to create a wonder which will help us to overcome difficulties. Courage arouses the interior power of humans that we have never believed in. The power evokes and firms our confidence that we can succeed to face the difficulties optimistically. Since we do believe in our supernatural power, we are confident that we can overcome the bottleneck. Therefore, we can discover that these people become so tough and strong in spirit due to their courage. Courage push people to do heroic deeds because they believe in themselves that they have the strength to face danger and pain. People turn out to be good because they have the courage to face their defects, instead of eluding them. They know that the way to improve is to reflect themselves and start a revolution, which encourages changes and improvements. Others go so wrong because they don't have the courage to admit their mistakes; they neglect defects intentionally, in order to pretend that they're perfect. Since they are neither courageous nor confident, they are afraid of changes. The changes are unknown, so they may have a terrible result. However, everything needs attempt, if we don't have the courage to face the failure, we can't even touch the edge of success. When we face the sunshine, the shadow falls behind us. Therefore, people need to have courage to face the difficulties, in order to embrace the warmth of sunshine.

A Christmas Memory Quickwrite

"A Christmas Memory" is a story about two unlikely friends. The story reveals something about the nature of friendship and the enduring power of love--even when, to the rest of the world, the friendship seems odd, and the love is not noticed at all. What do friends give each other? Think about your oldest friendship--why do some friendships last while others don't?

I truly love the friendship in A Christmas Memory because Buddy and his best friend's friendship is simple and sincere. The friendship is neither based on wealth nor profits, it's simply sharing and caring. Buddy and his 60-year-old best friend earn money in order to make fruitcakes and give them to whoever they met once or twice, basically, they give fruitcakes to strangers. They both enjoy the process which deepen their friendship every year; yet life is cruel. It's difficult to maintain the friendship perpetual due to the health. Friends give each other warmth, encouragement, and support whenever friends encounter difficulties. Friendship is subtle and hard to explain, since friends just form naturally. When the feeling is right, we can understand that we will become friends. Though I think destiny is held in my hands, but I do believe that destiny implicates my friends. Acquaint with friends, like patches of drifting duckweed, is met by chances. Some friendships last forever, firm and steadfast; yet some friendships are ephemeral, gradually weaken when time pasts. When the friendship undergoes difficulties, challenges, and passing time, the friendship will found into a keen edge which slices every obstacle in front of you. The difference is complicated, but I know that I have friendships which will last eternally. Some friends forget you after they graduate, because they have another group of new friends, and the friendship between you two is past. Some friends still remember you though you both are far apart because they treasure the friendship truthfully and they will think of you in leisure time. My kindergarten partner is my oldest friendship. She is an optimistic, sunshine-like girl who is pretty talkative. Though the distance between us is far and remote, due to technology and Internet, we chat on Facebook and yahoo messenger. We can understand the recent condition of us and encourage and learn from each other on the way to future.The word "friend" is more meaningful than its exterior to me. It means that a buddy who accompanies me that I can vent my grievance, pour out my woes, and share my happiness.  The most important is that I can tell everything to my friends. I don't have to disguise myself under a mask, because they understand me so much that we know each other's emotional feelings. Friends are buddies who understand you and who we can share secrets and cry on their shoulders.

Constructed Response

On a separate sheet of paper, retell the important events of "The Most Dangerous Game" in the order in which the story shows them. Include events that are important to the plot. Leave out details that are not important to the plot.


On a moonless Caribbean night, Sanger Rainsford, a courageous and experienced hunter, was sailing for the Rio and hoped to hunt jaguars. He didn't sympathize the huntees while his partner, Whitney, thought the huntees felt fear when death arrived. Rainsford then heard a gunshot. In order to get a greater elevation, he jumped on the rail, yet the pipe was knocked out from his mouth by a rope. Unfortunately, he fell off the ship and swam toward Ship-Trapped Island because that was where the gunshots from. While he was swimming, he heard 2 pistol shots and a high-pitched, desperate scream. When he finally landed, he found an empty cartridge, followed the hunting boots, and sighted the lights. The first person he met was Ivan, who was deaf and unfriendly. Then he met general Zaroff, who explained that both Ivan and him were Russian warriors, the Cossaks; therefore, they were a little savage. The general thought that hunting was simply bored so he hunted humans. General Zaroff then intimidated Rainsford to join the game, or not Ivan would kill him. If the general couldn't find Rainsford for 3 days, then Rainsford won the game; but the general might bring a pack of hounds during the 3-day survival. On the first night, Rainsford made complicated and confusing footprints to mistaken the general and hid in the tree. Though the general found him, he saved Rainsford's life for another day's sport and smiled evilly. Then Rainsford set up a Malay man-catcher and wounded Zaroff's arm slightly. On the second day, the general brought one of his best hound to smell of Rainsford, yet Rainsford built a Burmese tiger pit and pierced the hound deadly. Therefore, Rainsford's great ability encouraged the general to bring the whole pack of his hounds on the last day. In response, Rainsford set a native trick by hanging the knife on a sapling. Instead of the general, Rainsford killed Ivan accidentally; yet he was still in danger. Rainsford was forced to jump down the cliff in order to escape from the general. At night, general Zaroff was about to sleep, yet Rainsford surprised him by hiding behind the curtains and swimming back to the chateau. Since Rainsford felt that Zaroff was still dangerous, he decided to have a final fight with the general. The winner would sleep in the excellent bed, while the loser would become the dinner of the hungry hounds. Survived in the jungles with difficulties, Rainsford decided Zaroff would never sleep in the comfortable bed. Of course, Rainsford won the battle and killed general Zaroff. Not only to win the game, but also to understand the feelings of huntees, Rainsford is now a real winner who knows to treasure lives.

Villain-Voldemort

Voldemort is a legendary antagonist in Harry Potter series. He is the archenemy to Harry Potter and most wizards or witches don't even have the audacity to speak him name out loud; instead they refer to him as "You-Know-Who". He is well-known for his cruelty and atrocity, basically, he never sympathizes the weak and the poverty. He disdains and scorns the non-pure blood wizards, known as the Muggles, therefore, he's willing to annihilate those wizards. Voldemort has a close yet dangerous relationship toward the protagonist, Harry Potter. He tried to kill Harry when he was a baby, but for mysterious reason he couldn't kill Harry, and the curse was even rebound to Voldemort himself.  Voldemort's ambition is to become all-powerful and immortal, therefore, he makes seven horcruxes in order to scatter his powerful magical skills. He won't be slew unless the seven horcruxes were destroyed. Voldemort fascinates the readers because he's such evil and atrocious that I've never expected before. He can slay his father and grandparents only because he disparages their blood- they are Muggles. He despises people who aren't pure-blooded wizards so much that he can murder his family without any compassion. He aspires to be the most powerful wizard in the world and called himself "Lord Voldemort". He's definitely has racial discrimination and lacks humanism and sympathy. Ultimately, Voldemort is truly a successful character because his personality portrays the dark and evil characteristic lively.