"Well?" my teacher asked. "Do you know the answer?" I shifted uneasily in my seat and1around the classroom. I said in a low voice, "No idea. "Not 2the tears in my eyes, she 3the math lesson. The rest of the day4 on slowly, until finally the last bell rang, a5of freedom, until the next day.
I always felt out of 6 at school. Rarely did I accept a compliment(称赞)on 7achievements in school. By fourth grade, my self-confidence had shrunk8 and I became depressed.
One day, my teacher yelled at me in front of the entire crowd of kids. "How9can you be? If you don't start shaping up soon, you'll 10 being a failure. "That was the first time someone had said "you're a failure" right to my11. I stayed there for a half hour, crying and12if the pain and disappointment would ever end.
I left that school shortly afterwards, hoping to find a place where I could get away from the pain and find the 13 buried deep within me. And I did. My new school has14me to see myself in a better light and recognize how much I have 15. The academics aren't as intense as my previous school and I've opened up to others, no longer16of what they'll think of me.
I have built new17 not based on academic skill but on true friendship. People18 me cheerfully each morning because they see my inner 19. Me! The person who works to make himself into the best person he can be. This year has breathe new20 into me.
I was having a period of bad health. I had one operation after another. I was falling1faster than the doctors could put me back together. But I just couldn't bear the operation, the hospital stay, the long recovery and the physical therapy（康复治疗）. I told my doctor I was going to try2else.
I had discovered that walking gave me a little3. So I started walking. The first day, my wife4off our steep Silver Lake hill to a flat street. She got me out of the car, and I walked about two blocks5asking to be taken home. The next day, I walked about four6.
Slowly, feeling a little7every day, I began to walk a mile or more. I even8some hills to my route. I became interested in the network of public stairways around Silver Lake I made a9of it and walked every public staircase in Silver Lake. That went pretty well, so I10onto Echo Park. I was feeling better, so I kept going. The search finally11"Secret Stairs: A Walking Guide to the Historic Staircases of Los Angeles' "a book12in the spring of 2010. By then, I had13. I had been walking at least an hour a day for three years. My life 14returned to normal.
In three years of walks, I've met dozens of people who had had 15experiences of rebirth or recovery. One man told me he'd lost 80 pounds walking the secret stairs and was dating for the first time in a decade. One woman told me she had 16knee operation. Another told me she had been 17to start ballroom dancing again.
All I'd18from the walks was relief from pain. What I got was 19, community and a whole new experience of my city. Out of the car, on my feet and moving at walking pace, I20Los Angeles for the first time.
On one June afternoon, Gene and his brother Rouco were1Gene's yard. It had grown brown and was almost in2in the heat, and the situation needed changing. The new grass was already there, but the job was3. Suddenly, Gene wasn't feeling good. He went inside to rest and4 the couch. Seeing this, his wife, Melissa, called 911 immediately.
5he was dying, Gene had one thing in his mind:the lawn. If the grass wasn't put down that day, it would6. "While he was having his heart attack, almost in and out of 7, he kept begging me to put it down because he didn't want it to go8," Melissa recalled.
Soon the medical workers arrived and took Gene and Melissa to the hospital, leaving Rouco behind to9the situation. Within an hour, he had10to remove the old grass. He was about to lay the new ones when seven men—the same ones who had11his brother—walked off the emergency vehicle. It turned out that Gene had told them how12 he'd wanted to get the grass down, so they returned to help.
Fortunately, Gene had a successful operation. He's now fully recovered, 13his beautiful lawn at home. The couple are still amazed that those men went14their job duties. These men15Gene from death, and then came back to save his grass. That's just so awesome.
I was envious of my friends who stayed at school for lunch. They1 the same things as the characters in my favourite TV shows. The meals we ate at home were different. One day, a classmate asked what I ate for lunch. I 2, feeling like I'd been caught. Like most days, we'd had fried rice. "Sandwiches," I lied. My face got hot as I turned around, 3 she wouldn't ask anything more.
Still, there was one day of the year when Mom made an4 and I was allowed to stay at school for lunch. My dream would be realistic on that day. Every year, there was Chinese Day at the cafeteria to 5 Chinese New Year. "The school is honoring our heritage," Mom would say. The first Chinese Day lunch I can 6 was when I was about six. I had7 this day for weeks. When the bell rang for lunch, I rushed to the cafeteria. As I stood in line, I imagined the 8 they'd made waiting for me.
There would be9, surely—every Chinese New Year meal included fish. I could explain to my friends what Mom had told me: How the 10 for "fish" in Chinese sounded like another word meaning "abundance". There would be chicken, too, probably with the head still on, because a whole chicken for Chinese New Year 11 wholeness.
The line was slowly moving forward until 12 it was my turn. The cafeteria worker passed me my plate and I looked down. I couldn't 13 anything at all. All I did was sit there, confused. They called this "Chinese" lunch, so why had I never 14 it before? Those first few bites, I realized later, were my 15 to Chinese-Canadian cuisine.
I was walking home from school one day and it happened to be a particularly cold and windy day. All of a sudden, an old lady drove up beside me and asked if I would like a ride 1. At first, I said it was OK and her2smile melted(融化) away the thought that I should never talk to3! We had an amazing chat and she was just such a good woman. She told me her 4and she dropped me off.
I didn't see her or talk to her for about a month and one night as I5 her kind gesture, I decided to return the favor. So, I made a lot of6and walked down to her house with my friend. At first I was a bit7 she wouldn't remember me or think that I was a bad man who poisoned cookies but luckily, I was8 wrong. She was so happy, and she hugged me and kissed me and seemed so9that someone would do something like that!
When I got home my mom told me that she 10and told my mom on the phone that she11 because she was so touched. She said she would never12 the kindness that was given to her! That filled me with such 13! There is really nothing else joyful like helping14 and making someone's day15!
Let us never forget the joy we get by giving others a hand!
Since I was a child, I always knew my dream was to be a famous singer even though I didn't know how to get there. Though I have read The Magic and Hero multiple times 1 I was 12 years old, it was 2 a couple of years ago that I really started taking it seriously.
Since then, everything has 3 in front of my eyes. With complete faith I moved to London to study 4 and it was one of the most amazing years of my life. I began to make friends for life and I became the happy 5 person. And my dream was more 6 than ever. And I didn't want to be just a 7, but the one that inspires people and 8 a message of love and happiness.
A year later I figured out it was time for a change and to 9 my professional music career. So I 10 a music business degree in a music university. Although some people said it didn't 11, I knew it was the right way. In one of the university seminars, a creative director talked about their acts and how they 12 young artists and introduce them to successful record labels(唱片公司).
From that moment I knew I wanted to be 13 with them. It felt like it was a good 14 even though few artists per year could succeed. Sometimes I had 15 and setbacks. Then in a series of events I met a girl in a management company. But I was 16 since the company only has 20 employees. What are the chances? Anyway I 17 to her a demo of one of my songs.
I didn't hear from her for two weeks but I still imagined the 18 of me signing the contract. Then out of the blue, I got a call 19 they were really interested in me. I'm so happy because I know I'm one step 20 to my dream. Fast forward one month, I finally got to sign with them!
Johnny was sound asleep when he was awakened by a loud commotion (骚动). He opened his eyes and lay 1. He could hear shouts and screams coming from the outside. Sensing that 2 was wrong, he quickly slipped into a pair of jeans and 3 his T-shirt, and rushed out of the house.
A huge crowd 4 at one of the houses further up the street. The house was flaming and thick clouds of 5 were floating up into the air. Johnny went back into the house and made a(an) 6 call to the fire department. Then, he ran out again towards the burning house.
It was Mr. Smith's house. Mr. Smith and his wife were 7 out of the house but their 9-year-old daughter was still 8 inside the house on fire. The neighbors had formed a human chain and were using buckets of water to put out the fire but 9.
Johnny could hear the 10 cries of the young girl inside the house. Without thinking twice Johnny threw himself at the door and 11 the house. Thick smoke filled the room. He was almost 12 by it. Johnny held his breath and managed to 13the young girl. He carried her over his right shoulder and 14 out of the house and placed her on a grass patch.
Soon, the fire engine and the 15 arrived. The doctors quickly 16 the girl to the hospital accompanied by Mr. and Mrs. Smith. The firemen used their big hoses to put the fire out 17 the house was completely ruined.
A few days later, Mr. and Mrs. Smith came to Johnny's house. Their daughter was still 18 in hospital as she had suffered some minor 19. The couple thanked Johnny for rescuing their daughter.
It was Johnny's quick thinking and 20 that made a great difference to the Smiths.
Many people suffered from hunger due to 2020's crises. Fortunately, they could 1World Central Kitchen (WCK), a non-profit organization founded by Spanish chef José Andrés that provides meals to those in2.
In 2010, Andres went to Haiti to3 meals after the disastrous earthquake. 4by the experience, he founded World Central Kitchen. Since then, WCK has organized5teams globally to help people when the worst happened. 6, 2020 was a challenge even for WCK." It's the busiest year in our history," said Andrés.
WCK understands that hunger requires 7attention, and there is no time to wait for full 8 or fill out forms. So its staff are organized as 9as possible to disaster zones and work directly with those10. This is a principle that's central to their organization." Everywhere we go, we get the same amazing11: A community knows what people need, and we can achieve much more when we 12those needs and get people to act locally," said Andrés.
For Andres and WCK, despite the fact that there will be many 13, they are commit-ted to pushing forward. Andres said," I know what14 our team every single day: Wherever 15 people need to eat, we will be there."
Fred Smith was an undergraduate at Yale University in 1965. As part of the coursework, he wrote an economics paper1the process of transportation of goods in the United States. He 2 that the shippers relied on transporting goods in 3packages across the United States by means of truck or passenger airplanes. Smith thought of a more efficient 4 idea. He wrote a last minute5 on how a company carrying small, important items6could be a much better business. He, however, did not go into details about how to actually_7such a company. As a consequence, his paper was8. But Smith did not give up on the idea and9the company in 1971.
Within three years of the founding of the company, Federal Express (FedEx) was on the edge of10. It was losing over $1 million a month, 11 the rising fuel costs. At its worst time, the company had just $5000to its name. Smith made a final try to General Dynamics for more funding but the request wasn't 12.
Most ordinary people would have quit at this point and 13 the company. Not Fred Smith. The founder of the company had to do a14move at last that he flew to Lasvegas, _15to obtain some company funds to help him pull through. 16 on Monday, the company had a great relief because FedEx had $32, 000 in its bank 17, which was just enough to18the fuel for their planes and to continue operating a few days more.
Soon after, the company was able to raise 19 amounts in funding. Today FedEx is a global 20industry with operations in more than 220 countries and territories and an annual income of US $45 billion.
Rebecca, who I met at a business conference in Las Vegas, is one of the1 _people I have ever known. So sharp in mind was she that she made a deep impression on me. Even if you were around her for an entire day, you probably wouldn't notice her2.
She was born with severe dyslexia — a slight disorder of the brain that causes difficulty in reading and spelling. 3 her learning disability, she had to be in 4education classes for most of her elementary and middle school years. Despite the 5, she refused to let dyslexia 6 her life. Every day, she worked on7her disability with the help of her parents. Her dad would spend an hour every morning8her with math. In the evenings her mom would have her read books out aloud and then her mother would 9 her on the content.
10 , in her effort, Rebacca's hard work 11. By high school, she had 12 from special education classes all the way to honor classes. "When l was young, no one thought I could ever attend13, "she said. Not only did Rebacca14 going to college, but she graduated as the top of her class.
"I always had a vision, "says Rebecca, "of one day being a 15. But it seemed like such a crazy16that I never told anyone. "Today, Rebecca's vision is a 17. She graduated from law school and is18working her up in one of the largest law firms on the East Coast. Rebecca says: "I wouldn't change a thing. My learning disability 19 brings challenges to me now, but it also gave me the 20 to make my childhood dream come true."
