Vincent Van Gogh is often remembered as the painter who cut off his ear in a fit of passion．He was a lonely man who often 1 without food in order to buy paints, a man with few friends and a 2 temper．Van Gogh’s strong emotions not only 3 his life, but his paintings．Many of Van Gogh’s paintings were 4 by warm, yellow sunlight because he loved how it could 5 the world in different ways．His painting Sunflowers for example, is 6 yellows and browns．These colors give the painting a 7 of warmth．However, the sunflowers are 8 dead and dying．
The result is a painting that 9 the warmth of life that Van Gogh loved with the feelings of 10 that were all around him．It is a painting that is warm, beautiful and sad, all at the same time．
Van Gogh’s most famous painting, The Starry Night, 11 this mixture of joy and sadness one step 12 ．It is a landscape full of deep 13 and shadows which showed the sadness Van Gogh was feeling as he was painting, 14 what he was actually seeing．
This is why Van Gogh’s 15 in his painting look more imagined than real．The stars and moon in The Starry Night are 16 bright, their light swirling above the darkening hills．A tree that looks like black fire cuts through the 17 of the night, interrupting its beauty．
Because of his wild emotions, Van Gogh was not 18 during his life．He sold only one painting．However, people today who stand in front of Sunflowers or The Starry Night can 19 the same joy and sadness Van Gogh once did, 20 he painted those deep blues and sunny yellows．
One night I was sitting in my kitchen half-listening as my 15-year-old brother Tommy antagonized(招惹)my 12-year-old brother Kevin．I didn’t pay attention when Kevin 1 up the stairs with the hurt on his face．
About 20 minutes later, I heard Kevin crying inside the 2 ．I knocked on the door and asked, “Hey, Kev, do you want a talk?” No response．So, I grabbed some index(索引)cards and a pencil and wrote, “If you don’t want to 3 , we can write notes to each other．”
An hour later I was still 4 on the floor outside the bathroom with two piles of index cards in front of me．One was 5 and one was cards from Kevin on which he had translated all his unpleasant feelings into words． 6 I read one Kevin’s notes, tears came to my eyes．It said,“ 7 in this family cares about me．I’m not the youngest, and I’m not the oldest, and I’m not 8 ．Tommy thinks I can do nothing and Dad 9 he had the other Kevin as a(n) 10 because he’s better at basketball．And you’re never around to even 1 me．”
It was 12 what he had said about me．I wrote back “I really do love you and I’m 13 I don’t always show it．I am here for you and you are 14 in this family．”
There was no 15 for a while, but then I heard a 16 sound coming from inside the bathroom．Kevin, who had 17 cards wrote on a torn-up paper cup, “Thanks．”
Since then, I try my best to never 18 half-notice my family members anymore．Kevin and I have a closer 19 now, and sometimes when one of us notices that the other is 20 , we’ll smile and say “Write it on a paper cup．”
The famous British inventor George Stephenson was born in 1781 and died in 1848．One of his 1 important inventions was the train．He 2 his first train when he was forty-four years old．When he was experimenting with the 3 engine on the train, he met with 4 from the government, the newspapers and the gentlemen in the country．They said that the noise and the smoke would 5 cows, horses and sheep, that the 6 would burst or that the hot coals from it would 7 their houses．At that time, 8 people believed what they said．
George Stephenson 9 the people that the train could go on small 10 , could pull carriages 11 goods and passengers and there was 12 to them．It was a very 13 matter for him to 14 them believe．However, after 15 , he was able to do it; and the first train that 16 by Stephenson himself 17 what he had said．
The first day 18 the people along the way 19 the noises of the train 20 and saw it running quickly to them, they ran back home as quickly as they could and closed their doors tightly, for they thought it a genius(妖怪)．They did not dare to come out until it had passed．
The famous British inventor George Stephanson was born in 1781 and died in 1848．One of his 1 important inventions was the train．He 2 his first train when he was forty-four years old．When he was experimenting with the 3 engine on the train, he met with 4 from the government, the newspapers and the gentlemen in the country．They said that the noise and the smoke would 5 cows, horses and sheep, that the 6 would burst or that the hot coals from it would 7 their houses．At that time, 8 people believed what they said．
George Stephanson 9 the people that the train could go on small 10 , could pull carriages 11 goods and passengers and there was 12 to them．It was a very 13 matter for him to 14 them believe．However, after 15 , he was able to do it; and the first train that 16 by Stephanson himself 17 what he had said．
The first day 18 the people along the way 19 the noises of the train 20 and saw it running quickly to them, they ran back home as quickly as they could and closed their doors tightly, for they thought it a genius．They did not dare to come out until it had passed．
Sixth-grade schoolteacher Ms．Shelton believed in readiness．Students remembered how she walked in on the first day of class and began writing words of eighth-grade on the 1 ．They quickly protested that the words were not on their 2 and they couldn't learn them．
Their teacher insisted that the students could and would learn these 3 ．She said that she would teach them something that should be given．Ms．Shelton 4 by saying that one of the students in the classroom could go on to 5 , maybe even be president someday, and she wanted to prepare them for that day．
Ms．Shelton said those words many years ago． 6 did she know that someday one of her students－Jesse Jackson－would take them 7 ．She believed that if they were well prepared, they could 8 high goals．
Ralph Waldo Emerson once said,“People only see what they are 9 to see．”If that's true, then it is also 10 that they only become what they are prepared to become．And many things in life is just about getting ready．
“I want to be doing something more 11 with my life than what I am doing now,”a young man once said to me．He 12 what he was doing was just not that important．Other people have said things to me such as,“I only 13 I had a meaningful relationship．”And,“I'd really like to get a better job, but I just don't see 14 ．”
You fill in the blanks．What is it you would like to 15 that isn't happening?Perhaps the answer is that you are not yet 16 ．Maybe you need more time to prepare before you are truly ready for that which you 17 ．
Think of today as another chance to 18 yourself for the exciting future you are looking for．Today is not wasted．If you desire more from 19 , then you can use today as training．For you will experience only what you are prepared to 20 ．Something wonderful can happen．And you can use today to get ready for tomorrow．