I’m a newspaper reporter．I don’t have 1 money, but I meet a lot of interesting people．Some are rich, 2 are poor．One or two are dishonest, but the others tell the truth most of the time．On the whole, I like my job and I am good at it．I type fast．I have a good 3 ．I don’t talk, but I’m a good 4 ．I’m probably the best listener in the entire city and I 5 stupid．I have a very stupid face．People look at me, and then they explain things to me very slowly．Other reporters ask people a lot of questions and 6 them angry, but I just look stupid and soon I am getting a lot of 7 ：many uninteresting ideas, many irrelevant(不相关的)facts, but always 8 interesting news for my newspaper．
I have a method for 9 news from the ordinary men in the street．Let me give you 10 ．Yesterday afternoon I needed information about recreation for elderly 11 people in the city．I went to the park, sat on a bench 12 the sun, and waited．Soon, an old lady came and sat next to me．She carried two large paper bags and an old handbag．I sat quietly beside her for about ten minutes, and then I 13 a chocolate bar slowly．I made a lot of 14 with the paper wrapping．Next, I offered her a piece of my chocolate．After that, she told me about 15 ．She doesn’t have real home．She and two friends sleep in the bus station; on warm days she comes to the park with her few belongings in two paper bags．Later, we went to a restaurant for a cup of coffee and a sandwich．I 16 , of course, I didn’t 17 any notes．I asked her a few questions about recreation, but she wasn’t interested in 18 ．She needed money and a place to live in, she said．She told me a lot about the bus station．I gave her a dollar and some 19 ．Finally, I 20 her in the park, went back to the office, and typed up some notes for my newspaper．
I’m a newspaper reporter．I don’t have 1 money，but I meet a lot of interesting people．Some are rich, 2 are poor．One or two are dishonest, but the others tell the truth most of the time．On the whole, I like my job and I am good at it．I type fast．I have a good 3 ．I don’t talk, but I’m a good 4 ．I’m probably the best listener in the entire city and I 5 stupid．I have a very stupid face．People look at me, and then they explain things to me very slowly．Other reporters ask people a lot of questions and 6 them angry, but I just look stupid and soon I am getting a lot of 7 ; many uninteresting ideas, many irrelevant(不相关的)facts, but always 8 interesting news for my newspaper．
I have a method for 9 news from the ordinary men in the street．Let me give you 10 ．Yesterday afternoon I needed information about recreation for elderly 11 people in the city．I went to the park, sat on a bench 12 the sun, and waited．Soon, an old lady came and sat next to me．She carried two large paper bags and an old handbag．I sat quietly beside her for about ten minutes, and then I 13 a chocolate bar slowly．I made a lot of 14 with the paper wrapping．Next, I offered her a piece of my chocolate．After that, she told me about 15 ．She doesn’t have a real home．She and two friends sleep in the bus station：on warm days she comes to the park with her few belongings in two paper bags．Later, we went to a restaurant for a cup of coffee and a sandwich．I 16 , of course, I didn’t 17 any notes．I asked her a few questions about recreation, but she wasn’t interested in 18 ．She needed money and a place to live in, she said．She told me a lot about the bus station．I gave her a dollar and some 19 ．Finally, I 20 her in the park, went back to the office, and typed up some notes for my newspaper．
I'm someone who never went to university but always thought about it．The only way I 1 was listening to my children talk about their class and all the interesting things they were 2 ．University was just a life-long 3 of mine．I just turned sixty-four years old in September．I still thought about that old dream 4 one day when there was an Advanced-Age 5 at the local university．I decided to 6 ．
The day finally arrived-my first day of school．As I 7 there, my mind was filled with 8
thoughts, “What am I doing?I'm not smart enough to go to university．The 9 will laugh when they see me in class．I probably won't live long enough to get a 10 ．Maybe I should just turn the car around and go home．”
Then, 11 , I saw it!A large billboard on the side of the road with a picture of Kermit the Frog．I 12 a little and read the words next to his picture．“Live your dreams．” Was Kermit speaking me?I didn't turn the car around．
I drove a little 13 on up the highway and there was another 14 ．This one had a picture of Albert Einstein with his tongue 15 out．A line read, “As a student, he was no Einstein．” And there was a word in red, “ Confidence”．A new attitude was 16 inside me．
I was now 17 the gate of the university and there 18 still another billboard．This one showed a photograph of a proud 19 in a cap and gown．Under the picture was her 20 , Nola Ochs, aged 95．Oldest University Graduate．Below it was the words, “ Live Life ”．At that moment, my outlook changed completely．
Learning experiences happen to us throughout our lives．Not long ago, I had one that I would like to 1 ．
I was going to Marblehead with my sailboat team．The team was racing down the highway at 85mph 2 we realized we were 3 ．Luckily, we saw a rest area ahead．I had a brand-new ＄ 20 bill．I was so 4 because I had never had that kind of cash before．But spending it on 5 seemed like throwing it away．We all rushed into the pizza line． 6 I got a pizza and a drink, and walked to my table．About halfway through the meal, I 7 I had not actually handed any money to the cashier(收银员)．I had just 8 out, and nobody had noticed．I felt terrible．
My conscience(良心)opened its mouth and swallowed me in one big bite．I couldn’t 9 over it．I just couldn’t go back to the cashier and 10 for my stolen pizza．I was so upset that I 11 to give myself the pleasure of an ice cream for 12 that someone would say, “Hey, Jeff, why don’t you use the change 13 the pizza instead of that nice, new ＄ 20 bill?” I was not so 14 of my cash now．
For the next two years, whenever I was 15 of the “pizza incident”, I would say to myself, “Don’t think about it……”
I have learned two things from this 16 ．Maybe I was a fool for 17 in to my conscience, and being too stupid to enjoy a 18 pizza．But the real lesson is that even if you get away from what you have done, your conscience will 19 up with you．
This reflects(反映)the saying, “A coward(懦夫)dies a thousand deaths, a hero dies one．” I was a coward and have felt terrible about that incident at least a thousand times．If I had been a “ 20 ” and gone back to pay for the pizza, I would have felt a little uncomfortable about it only once, or maybe twice．