Russ was a lovable kid with a variety of communication challenges－a speech impediment(语言障碍), dyslexia(诵读困难), and auditory(听觉的)problems． 1 today he is walking confidently, standing tall to make an acceptance 2 for having been chosen one of the “Outstanding Young Citizens” in Ocean County, New Jersey 3 his remarkable volunteer service in the town of Toms River．
As I listened, I closed my eyes．I found myself 4 those memorable moments．My mind was full of warm images of Russ as a loving, caring youth, a gentle soul, 5 his challenges．And now, as he stood at the platform, I knew his heart 6 be racing．As Russ continued to speak, I thought about the fateful day when he was diagnosed with all those impairments(损伤)and how 7 his tutors would be if they could see him today．Here he was at twenty-nine, being honored for ten years of service as a volunteer 8 ．Russ was 9 for organizing clothing for the homeless, teaching preschool children about fire safety, and for playing Santa Claus for very sick children by driving up in a fire truck．
Russ thanked his parents for providing him with dignity and for teaching him about morals．Then, pausing for a few seconds, he 10 us by surprise by touching lovingly on the 11 of his nephew, Austin．Austin was just three years old when he died from an incurable disease．At that moment, I had to close my eyes again 12 a different set of tears ran down my cheeks．A silence 13 the room as Russ owed his volunteer award to Austin．He 14 his address by lifting the audience up with these words, “Austin taught me how to love．”
I have never thought of this day． 15 , no one had ever thought that Russ would make 16 as the star of the football team, and he had never been voted “most likely to succeed,” but he 17 to be a true “star” in his community．Russ became a man of strong character 18 his unselfish service to others．With so many impairments, Russ now sees and acts 19 with his heart．His words and deeds inspire everyone who knows him．It is Russ, our son, who has shown us what 20 is．
The film starts out as a normal day at a typical American high school．Friends chat in the dining room and boys play football．
But there's a big surprise when the movie 1 with two students going crazy in the 2 shooting and killing people．
This is“Elephant”．Filmed in just 20 days, it stars real high school kids．American 3 Gus Van Sant had no ready made lines(台词)．The student actors 4 their own dialogue, with Van Sant asking them to base their characters on their own 5 ．
6 it may not sound very high quality, the film won the Palmed' Or(金棕榈奖)for Best Film and the award for Best Director at the Cannes 7 festival in France on May 25．
The film is based on the 8 at a high school in the US, where two boys 9 13 people and then themselves in 1999．
The title of the 10 refers to the old expression about a 11 that's as hard to ignore as an elephant in the house．
The film takes a close look at a few hours in the lives of the victims(受害者)and the 12 ．It shows how high school is a different experience for everyone－fun and friendly, or hard and 13 ．
In many ways, the two boys, who carry out the shooting, act like ordinary 14 ．But, there are hints(暗示)of the 15 they feel inside．One of the boys is bullied at school．The other plays violent 16 games．But Van Sant isn't 17 their killings on either bullying or violent video games．In fact, the film doesn't offer any 18 for why school violence happens．
“I didn't want to 19 anything．It's up to the audience to draw its own 20 ,”said the 51-year-old director．
When I was a little girl, every Sunday my family of six would put on our best clothes and go to Sunday School and then church．The 1 in elementary school would all meet together to sing songs, and then later divide into 2 based on their ages．
One Easter Sunday, all the kids 3 with big eyes and big 4 about what the Easter Bunny(复活节小兔)had brought． 5 all of the kids shared their stories with 6 , one young boy , whom I shall call Bobby, sat 7 ．One of the teachers , noticing this, said to him, “And what did the Easter Bunny 8 you?”He replied, “My mom 9 the door by accident so the Easter Bunny couldn't get 10 because he hadn't got a key．”
This sounded like a 11 idea to all of us kids, so we kept on going with the stories．My mom knew the true story, 12 ．Bobby's mom was a single parent , and she suspected(怀疑)that they just couldn't 13 the Easter Bunny．
After Sunday School was over, everyone went off to 14 ．But my mom announced that we were going home 15 ．At home, she explained that to make Bobby feel 16 , we were going to pretend(假装)to be the Easter Bunny , make a basket of our candies for him and 17 it at church．We all donated(捐赠)some to the basket, and 18 back to church．There, mom hung the basket over the hanger(挂钩)and attached(附上)a(n) 19 ：
Dear Bobby,
I'm sorry I 20 your house last night．Happy Easter．
