When I was about 12 years old, I really wanted a new bike! I1my parents my birthday wish, and I knew2little hope because my family could hardly have that money.
3my birthday my parents told me they had my gift outside in the backyard. At once I rushed out to the yard. There was my bike, but it wasn't the bike4I thought it would be. This one was pink, old and worn with age. It was so5! thought I hurt my parents' feelings because I could see the disappointment on their faces and I was sure they could see it on6. I got on the old bike and rode it, feeling bad that I had made my parents feel this way. So I put on a smile, rode as7as I could and didn't look back…
As time went by, I began to understand I8something much more than just a rusty (生锈的) old bike. My parents gave me a life lesson about love. When you give something out of love, it doesn't matter what it is in fact. What matters is the love that is in it. I like to remember this story9giving a gift is not about money. It's about how much love you can feel from it. Do10, a gift that costs two dollars isn't any less valuable (有价值的) than one that costs one hundred dollars, or even more.
One day Jim was unhappy. His mother was making cakes in the kitchen. She asked him if everything was OK. Jim said, "Nothing is OK, Mom. Today in our science lesson, Mrs. Green said that the whole world was getting dirtier and that many animals and plants were dying. She wants us to think of something we can do to help. I thought all the way home, but there is nothing I can do to make a difference."
"Let me tell you a story," the mother said. "One morning a man was walking down a beach, there he saw thousands of dying starfish on the beach, the waves (波浪) brought them there and it was too far for them to make their way back by themselves. The man felt very sorry for the starfish. He went on walking and was surprised to see a boy in front of him that was throwing the starfish back into the sea. 'How silly you are! My boy,' the man said, 'there are so many starfish, can you throw all of them back?' The boy didn't stop but kept throwing. 'Though I can't help them all, I can make a difference to this one, and this one, and this one,' said the boy."
"Thinking for a while, the man began to help return the starfish to their home. He smiled and said to himself, 'Sometimes a big lesson in our life comes from a small person.'"
