Shyness once took over my life. When I was 13, in my French lesson, my teacher told us to 1 ourselves speaking about our families. I recorded myself with confidence. 2 I pressed "play" to listen back, I heard my strange voice -- just like a little kid. That made me very shy and I 3to attend events from then on.
Years after that, I became a teacher in a primary school. 4 the first day, my hands could not help but sweat(出汗). The weight of my arms was trying to stop me from 5 the door. Though a little nervous, I opened the door slowly. 6, a wave of laughter flew through the air. Then I 7, and felt it was a bad 8 to be a teacher. They did not seem to mind me at all. After class, a little girl walked up to me and asked, "Could you 9 me to read this？" with the most 10 face I have ever seen as if she had just gotten a cookie（曲奇饼）. "I like your voice！" she said. I shook my shyness off and my body felt as 11 as a feather(羽毛). Perhaps this was not such a bad idea after all.
Besides, there was one simple thing that12me most. Every day when the students left, they would clean up after themselves and leave their areas 13 without ever being told to do so. Actually, they 14 very well. Looking back it now, I would have to say these students gave me one of the greatest 15 of my life.
In the future, I want to create a space for shy people like me to shine.
It was the first time Moham went to a restaurant in his new neighborhood. He looked up at the menu board, and 1 how he could understand what all of these strange names meant. Moham decided that be would 2 ask the waitress for ice cream in a cup. She smiled brightly, wrote down his 3 and disappeared behind the big glass display case (陈列柜).
A moment later, she came back with a tall paper cup, 4 it was a long straw (吸管) and some kind of drink. Moham, quite 5 took the cup and thanked her, thinking about the possibility that be had used wrong words.
"It's the soda you ordered, " 6 said, "an ice cream drink in a cup. "
He smiled at the waitress, pointed at one of the 7 in the display case, and said, "That one, please, " which seemed to 8 better.
Moham took the cake and his unexpected soda to a table and sat down to eat. Why was it that English had been so 9 for him in his classes in Tunisia, but when it came to 10 speaking, he couldn't even get what he wanted to eat?
Just then, a girl, who sat at the next table and had watched the whole 11, smiled at him and said, "Hey, welcome to our beautiful city! Don't feel 12 about your English-you'll get better at it 13 you've lived here for a while. I'm from Spain, and the first time I tried to order a salad here, I 14 with a plate of pig's feet. At least you got a soda!"
Hearing this, Moham felt much better. He wasn't the only one 15 to communicate, and his new city began to feel just a little more like he could call it home.
In a faraway country, there were two carpenters (木匠)who were both so good at their job that no one could tell who was better.
One day, the country's king thought of a way to 1 which one was better. He would have them compete 2 each other in a contest. The winner would become the official royal carpenter.
The king sent for the two carpenters and the contest 3. The carpenters were given three days to carve (雕刻)a 4 mouse. Whoever carved the most lifelike mouse would be the winner.
The first carpenter carved a fine mouse 5 vivid (生动的)and lifelike features. The second carpenter's mouse, 6, looked quite rough. In fact, it barely (几乎不)even looked like a mouse at all. The king and his ministers 7 that the first carpenter was the winner.
The second carpenter said, "This judgment is unfair. We should ask a 8 which mouse looks the most realistic. Cats can recognize mice much better than humans, 9."
The king thought this was a reasonable (合理的)10. He ordered his ministers to catch several cats and 11 them to judge the carpenters' mice. 12 all of the cats were more attracted to the second carpenter's mouse.
The king asked the second carpenter, "13 did you make the cats believe that your mouse looked more real?"
The carpenter said, "Your Majesty (陛下), if you look closely, you can see that I carved a mouse 14 fishbone! The cats care not about how real it 15, but how delicious it might taste."
My brother is exactly one year older than me. We look like twins, but we are completely1. By the time we got to middle school it was clear that my older brother2meditation, while I was a born performer who liked the stage. I took his silence to be unfriendly. We simply didn't3well.
I didn't mind having a bad relationship with my brother4I was busy at school. I5threw myself into the world of music. When I practised singing in the6every day to remain at my best, my brother would meditate on a window seat. He might feel high school was already hard enough7my noisy singing. So space to practise became a（n）8between us because we shared a room.
At the start of the term, I practiced "Circle of Life" for a musical play. This was the first time I found it so9to learn a song, because my voice cracked when I changed to a head voice. I was upset those days and10practising, thinking I had reached the top of my singing career. For the first time in11my brother experienced the quiet when I got home.
After two days of this, my brother asked me to12him in meditation. For some reason, I accepted his suggestion. My brother said, "When your mind calms down, you simply come back. Don't blame yourself. " I got the message, and learned it by heart. It seemed that13went well as I kept trying at the song. And just in time for the trial performance, I was able to keep power even when I changed to a head voice. It was important for me to learn that you don't have to always get everything14the first time and that good things come with effort. I now understand15my brother prefers the quiet.
We bought a lovely parrot as a pet. We named1Dolly. Unluckily, my family2Dolly when her cage was open and she got outside. We3the neighborhood hard but in vain. We had to face the fact that such a lovely little bird4not survive in the wild for very long. Five days passed with no5of Dolly. We lost hope of ever finding her.
We were even6when we found out that our friends' four-year-old daughter, Shayna, was confirmed leukemia--a special kind of cancer. Shayna's parents were heartbroken. Wanting to help our friends, I began to visit Shayna in the hospital each time she7her medical treatment. There was little I could do but cheering her up. Each day, I wished for Shayna's cure.
Then, one evening I8a phone call from Shayna's mother. "I think we've found Dolly, " she said. When I arrived there, I saw my sweet little bird at first sight! My friend9what had happened. "Shayna was in the backyard, feeling 10. When she saw a small bird in a tree, she expected her to come down. And the bird flew directly to Shayna, landing on her shoulder. Shayna then led her to an old cage in the garage. I got home and she told me the whole11. "
I was12to see my lovely bird again, but there was more. I knew13that neither Shayna nor her mother knew. I considered it a miracle that we had really found Dolly again. I felt at that moment that Shayna would recover.
Today, Shayna is thirteen years old and cancer-free. We make sure that Dolly lives a happy life14it was through her that we were all given the greatest gift——the gift of15.
My family has always been poor, but we love our pets more than everything else. In December, things got even1for our family. In the end, we lost our2and we only had our two German dogs.
It was a cold winter, but3we found a place where our two beautiful dogs could live with us.4, after living there for one week, all of our money was gone and our dog food was5.
We tried to6someone to help. But nobody would give a7. I began to have bad dreams at night. I was scared that our dogs would8without food. I called one last place in town—a small pet supply （用品） store.
There, a young girl answered the phone. I told9about what we were going through.
To my10, this sweet girl told me that she would buy the dog food11us. She didn't even ask us to pay back the money. She12, "I just feel so bad for your dogs and I know how you feel. I just think I have to do13for you. "
Hearing this, I started crying. My14went away. I knew that our dogs would have food, all because of this young girl. She didn't know me, but she still would like to help my dogs.
This young girl,15I don't even know her name, will always be a warm﹣hearted princess to me. She is a warm﹣hearted princess to my dogs as well.
A Little Coaching
I always felt nervous about the running race. I was too thin to be an athlete. So when our class needed a1in the two-mile race around the lake, l hoped 2would notice me.
I hid under a3when our teacher Bronto called the names of the runners. I got more nervous when I heard, "Noah! Where's Noah? He's in this race!"
He saw me under the tree and shouted, "Noah, we 4 a boy to run the two-mile race. "He pushed me to the starting line. I pleaded(恳求)with him. ""I don't know the way around the lake!"
"It's not a problem. Just5Craig and you'll know the way. "Bronto smiled. Craig was the fastest runner in our class. Then Bronto said, "For the last hundred meters, 6throw your head back and run."
l stood next to Craig and trembled (颤抖). Then I heard the gun and sixteen of us started to run. I ran 7behind Craig.
But gradually (渐渐地), the distance between Craig and me became wider.
It was8. I felt very tired. My energy was spent. I was about. to9. But then I looked ahead and10only three boys were in front of me. The crowd was shouting, but I could hear Bronto shouting, "Run!"
l threw my head back and told my legs to go. I never looked ahead and I never looked back for those last hundred meters. I felt11. Nobody was telling me what I was, or what I wasn't. My legs were running a race against my brain and I was winning!
I didn't know when I crossed the finish line. Bronto caught me and shouted," You flew! You flew, man!12! You passed two boys!"
However, the best prize that I got was 13. That year I discovered I could do a lot of things14I believed in myself and put my energy into them.
I never got to say goodbye to Bronto right after the race. But later, I saw him over the lake. He was coaching another kid. I had no15that the kid was also going to win.
I was once a volunteer in an English village. It was quite different 1 my home in Sweden. Jane, one of the volunteers from Tanzania， had a friend who was very 2.
She 3 all her pocket money to help her friend. It meant that she didn't have much 4 to eat, and she had no money to go anywhere outside the village or buy more clothes.
I was 5_moved that I felt I had to do 6 , too. So when I bought food one day, I 7 to buy her some rice. I started 8 to the woman in the shop (named Gloria who was also a volunteer about my friend Jane. The woman looked at me，being surprised," Does she eat noodles?" she asked. "Yes," I replied.
She immediately started 9i bag with noodles, cookies, sweets and other things until the bag was 10"Give her this for me. "I couldn't believe 11 but cried with happiness.
Imagine Jane's look when I gave her the 12!I had never 13 her so happy! A few weeks later, she found Gloria in the shop and 14 her in person.
The two wonderful women really showed me 15 true kindness is. And the impression(印象) will stay with me for the rest of my life.
During those years, I used to compare my mom with my best friend Kayla's mom.
Kayla's mom always gave her lots of money to buy the most fashionable1and favorite food. Her mom allowed her to do anything she liked. I really2Kayla. My mom didn't give me much pocket money3she always told me that I should behave myself. I was really4and we didn't talk with each other for days.
Whenever I didn't get what I wanted, I would complain to my mom, "Kayla's mom would give her that! How I wish she were my mom. " Every time, my mom would calmly say"5Kayla". I couldn't understand her. "She shouldn't be feeling sorry for Kayla!" I thought. "She should be feeling sorry for6. "
One day, I couldn't help7to Mom, "Poor Kayla? Lucky Kayla! She gets everything she wants! Why do you feel sorry for her?" I cried sadly.
My mom sat down next to me and said8, "Yes, I do feel sorry for her. I have been teaching you a(n)9that she will never be taught. "
I looked up at her. "What are you talking about?"
Mom said with care, "One day she will really10something. Maybe she'll find out that she can't have it. Her mother won't always be11to give her money, and what's more, money can't buy everything. "
She 12, "I have taught you important lessons by not giving you everything you want. You'll know how to look for bargains（便宜货）and13money, but she won't. You'll understand that you need to work hard to get the things that you want but she won't. When Kayla is a grown woman, she'll14one day and she will be wishing that she had a mom like the one you've got. Life lessons are more valuable than modern clothes and delicious food. "
It took some time, but I 15understood my mom's words. Now I am a happy and well-behaved Grade Nice girl student.
Ouyang Honghong, a fireman in Nanjing, walks his 15-year-old dog named Bingjie at the hill. Bingjie, a black-and-white dog, is1as a hero as it once helped save 13 lives in the earthquake that hit Wenchuan County of Sichuan Province in 2008.2Bingie can no longer take part in rescue(救援) with Ouyang, it still waits for his orders. Its eyes are always on him while the trainer trains3young search and rescue dogs.
Bingjie's training and work from the early years have left many4on its body. "It has poor hearing ability and even has difficulty eating food." said Ouyang. Bingjie and Ouyang became partners in 2007 during a dog training course. They finished difficult tasks together5earthquakes and snowstorms.
"No matter how6the task was, Bingie never thought about itself." said Ouyang. "When we7a local kindergarten(幼儿园), Bingjie8rushed to the building that had fallen down and started barking(吠) at a corner," said Ouyang. "Then we9Bingjie to the corner and heard a child's cry for help."
"It is 15 years old. I have spent more time with Bingjie than with my family. For me, it is both my friend and my family," Ouyang said, "Sometimes, it acts like a cute child10me to play a ball, but keeps the ball in its mouth on purpose. Then we play happily."
"I just want to spend time with it every day, while it is alive," said Ouyang.
