[Prompt: What you do in the classroom defines only a part of who you are. How do you spend your time when you are not in class or studying?]
Landmark
I taught him something new.
“Eat” and “boat” were the only two words he knew, yet he said these two simple words with enthusiasm and passion. When he smiled, his hazel eyes glimmered with curious innocence and his lips curled in naïve playfulness: childish, but sincere. He laughed at the ordinary things in life -- a butterfly fluttering on a leaf, a ball rolling across the asphalt -- but his laughs always rang joyously, untainted by worry.
Nervous, but eager, I arrived for the Landmark program in Gilmanton Iron Works, New Hampshire, only to find Kory's outstretched arms ready for a bear hug. I looked at him, uneasy and hesitant. There he stood before me, all five-foot-nine of him, with a silly grin revealing two rows of crooked teeth. Immediately, I was astonished, repulsed, and a little frightened. He looked disheveled and dirty, yet he oozed innocent confidence. I had never interacted with the mentally challenged before, and I had no idea what to expect. I reluctantly took a step forward, into his extended arms, into a new world.
"Sam, " I tried to teach him, in hopes of throwing another shiny quarter into his bank of two words. He stared at me blankly, questioning the sounds that came out of my mouth. He slowly formed a bemused expression that seemed to indicate those quarters might never shine.
At first our time together was very awkward; I didn’t know what to say to him, and he didn’t have much to say to me. After the first day, however, I realized that, although Kory couldn’t converse, he enjoyed just listening to me and playing with me. In fact, after spending a week with Kory, my own communication skills improved markedly. I discovered the power of eye contact, facial expressions, and physical gestures. After we reached this understanding, our relationship progressed steadily. I found him easy to trust, and he began to trust me. He looked up to me and emulated my behavior.
Our relationship wasn’t without conflict, however. At times, he and I both became frustrated when we couldn’t understand each other. Especially trying were Kory’s frequent temper tantrums. These frenzies were nerve-racking because oftentimes I didn’t know why he was crying or how to make him stop. Yet Kory’s exasperation and wild emotions forced me to be a model of control. After a few of his fits, I realized that Kory just needed me to be calm while he released some frustration.
Kory and I experienced a week of ups and downs. We painted, canoed, and sang. I watched him giggle whimsically and throw aggressive fits. Before I went to Landmark, I would have shrunk away, fearful of this mysterious boy. After that week, however, I looked at him fondly and with a new understanding.
On the last day, I stood in the driveway of the camp waiting for my ride to the airport. There he stood before me, all five-foot-nine of him, with that silly grin and outstretched arms, ready for a bear hug. I approached him, this time without hesitation. When we pulled back, we both had watery eyes.
I taught him something new, but in the end, he taught me so much more.
评论：
文章绘声绘色的讲述了作者自己与一个残障人士在一周之内发生的事情。在这段时间内，无论智障孩子的纯真的微笑，还是狂躁的脾气，作者都为我们进行了描述。他们一起生活，一起游戏，一起唱歌，这一切一切都令读者感受到了温馨的感觉。仅仅从文笔上来讲，就可以称作是一篇好的文章。况且并非仅仅是这样。
在文章开始的时候，仅仅是通过对智障孩子的外貌描写，我们就能看出来作者有“爱心”，然后再通篇的描述中，这种“爱心”与“耐心”完美的结合了起来。这些都是作者想要表达给这篇ESSAY的审查者的。
而在最后的一句话：I taught him something new, but in the end, he taught me so much more，可以说是文章的点睛之笔。他的不仅仅是提醒阅读者自己所具有的优点：爱心以及耐心，更重要的是对这种纯真的感情进行了烘托。付出了很多，得到了什么？得到的是真挚的情感，我想作者真正想说的，应该是只要真心的付出，就一定会得到真挚的回报这个观点。
总结:
文章紧扣题目要求，在叙述以及抒情的同时都在向阅读者表述自己通过这件事情能够体现出来的品质以及能力。可以说是这种以情感叙述为主体的文章中的成功之作。
译文：
我和Landmark相处的日子
我教了他一些新东西。
“吃”和“船”是他所知道的唯一两个词，但是他还是津津有味的念叨着他们。他笑的时候，淡褐色的眼睛里充满着好奇、天真，小嘴唇玩耍式的卷起来：稚嫩但是真诚。他为生活中的一些平常的事情发笑：挥舞着翅膀的蝴蝶，一颗滚着穿过沥青马路的球，但是那笑声里永远都没有忧愁，充满着喜悦。
为了一个体验，我怀着急切，期盼的心情来到新罕布什尔的Gilmanton Iron Works，却只看到张开双臂想要一个拥抱的Kory。我看着他，有些局促犹豫。他站在我面前，只有五英尺九那么高，傻笑着，露出两排扭曲变形的牙齿。一瞬间，我感到震惊、反感、还有一丝的害怕。他看起来脏兮兮的，满身凌乱不堪，但是从他身上还是可以看到一点天真的自信。我之前从来没有过这样的心灵挑战，我不情愿的向前迈勒了一步，在他的双臂中我又找到一个新的世界。
“山姆”，我试着打破 一直以来只懂两个词这个界限。她茫然的看着我，对这个从我嘴里发出的声音充满疑问。慢慢的，他显现出困惑的表情，好像预示着这些音节对于他永远都不会有什么吸引力。
起初，我们在一起的时光显得特别不默契，我不知道该对他说什么，他也没有多少话要对我说。但是一天之后，我发现，虽然Kory不能交谈，但是她喜欢听我说话、和我一起玩。事实上，与Kory呆了一周之后，我与人沟通的能力有了不小的进步。我发现了眼神交流、面部表情和肢体语言的力量。在我们相互了解之后，我们的感情不断的加深。我发现他很容易相信别人，并且开始相信我。他很崇拜我，而且总会模仿我的一些举动。
然而，我们之间的相处也不是没有冲突的。好几次由于无法沟通，我和他都很受打击。最烦人的是Kory不断的发脾气。这种狂怒是对精神的一种折磨，因为大多数时间我都不明白他为什么要哭、怎么才能叫他停下来。Kory的发怒也让我成为了一个典型的控制者。他如是发作了几次之后我发现Kory只是需要我在他发怒的时候保持平静。
我和Kory就这样相处了一周。我们一起画画、划船、唱歌。我看着发出古怪的笑，看着他那激烈的脾气发作。在去Landmark之前，看到这个市的男孩一定会被吓得跑掉的。然而那一周之后，我就可以开心的以一种新的理解来看他了。
最后一天，我在营地旁边的马路等车去机场。他就站在我旁边，只有五英尺九那么高，带着那种傻笑，张开双臂，等一个大大的拥抱。我走近他，这次，没有犹豫。放开彼此，我们都看到了对方眼角的泪光。
我教了他一些新的东西，但是最后，他教给了我更多。
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