When I was 13, my only purpose was to become the star on our football team. That meant beating out Miller King, who was the best 1 at our school.
Football season started in September and all summer long I worked out. I carried my football everywhere for 2. Just before September, Miller was hit by a car and lost his right 3. I went to see him after he came back from hospital. He looked very 4, but he didn't cry. That season, I 5 all of Miller's records but he watched the home games from the bench. We went 10-1 and I was named most valuable player, 6 I often had crazy dreams in which I was to blame for (为......负责) Miller's accident.
One afternoon, I was crossing the field and saw Miller stuck (卡在) going over a fence—which wasn't 7 to climb with both arms. I'm sure I was the last person in the world he wanted to 8 help from. But even that challenge he accepted. I helped him move slowly overthe fence. When we were finally 9 on the other side, he said to me, "You know, I didn't tell you this during the season, but you did fine. Thank you for filling in for me. "
His words 10 me from my bad dreams. I thought to myself, how even without an arm he was more of a leader. Damaged but not defeated, he was still ahead of me. I was right to have admired him. From that day on, I grew bigger and a little more real.
The snow went on falling, and they could see only a few meters in front of them．
"We should go back," said Judy. She was afraid.
"But where is the path?"
Everything was covered with snow．The sky was grey. "What's the time?" asked Paul．Judy looked at her watch. "Nearly 5 o'clock．It gets dark in an hour. "
"We must start walking, and hope we find the path．I think the snow's stopping. "said Paul. But it wasn't stopping. The wind was strong. It blew around them, cold and wet．
"Just keep going downhill." said Judy. "We can't go wrong."
Then Paul fell on some rocks．He shouted. "Judy! I've hurt my leg!" He couldn't stand up．His leg hurt too much．
"I'll have to phone for help." said Judy. "I hope the mobile phone works up here!"
Luckily it did. They phoned the mountain service. "Don't move! shouted the man on the phone. Stay where you are, we're sending a team there."
They were not far from the path, so the team found them easily. They were lucky! People often get into trouble when they climb the mountains. You must always tell someone where you are going and take a mobile phone with you. Mountain is a dangerous place to be if things go wrong!
Homestays are becoming more and more popular, and people around the world are offering their homes as hotels. Homestays offer cheap places to stay, and the chance for guests to see the area like a local. They are very popular with people who want to stay in another country to stud oron holiday. We asked three families who run homestays to tell us about where they live.
The Atal family
Our family home is in a small village in the north of Pakistan, in the Himalayan mountains The village is quite small and very quiet. The mountains are extremely beautiful. You can go for long walks and swim in the rivers but there are no shops, cinemas or cafes.
Kate and Julian Foxton
Our two-bed house is by the sea in the south-west of England. It is about five minutes' drive to the nearest village of Portreath. There are lots of beaches, rivers and forests and it is very quiet We spend a lot of time reading books, watching films and going for walks. Our area is great for sports like surfing, kayaking and mountain biking. However, the houses here are expensive, which can be a problem for local people. There are no buses or trains here, so it can be difficult to get around without a car。
Chafic and Aline Halwany
Our home is near the centre of Beirut, Lebanon, one of the largest cities in the Middle East There are lots of cafes and restaurants, which open late at night. We love it here because it's so friendly and you can always find what you need—lots of people come to stay to learn Arabic and French. However, it can be noisy at night, and there is quite a lot of traffic during the day.
Homestay holidays -A home from home
|
Families |
Advantages |
Disadvantages |
|
The Atal family (Pakistan) |
² It's in a small and quiet village in beautiful mountains. ² People can and swim there. |
² There aren't shops, cinemas or cafes. |
|
Kate and Julian Foxton
|
² It takes a short to the beaches, rivers and forests by car. ² It's a good place for like surfing, kayaking and mountain biking. |
² Houses here are not . ² It's easy to get around car. |
|
Chafic and Aline Halwany (Lebanon) |
² Lots of cafes and restaurants 9) at night. ² You can always find what you need. |
² There is much at night and lot of traffic during the day. |
