A Leap （跳跃）to Honor

    Leapirg on a narrow balance beam( 平衡木) is not easy. But Lola Water. a 13-year-old gymnast is an expert at it.

    To perfect her skills. Lola1 for four hours a day, five days a week. At the slate championships in March，she finished seventh  out of 16 girts. That's especially impressive. 2she is legaly blind, horn  with a rare  condition that causes her eyes to shift (转移)canstantly. She often sees double and can't3 how far away things  are.

    When she was little, her mom 4 even though she couldn't5, she was fearless. So her mom signed her up for gymnastics when she was three. She loved the 6 right away and gymnastics became her favorite.

    Though  learning gymnastics has been  more7for her than for some of  her tournaments( 锦际赛). she has never quit(放弃). She doesn't let her8 stop her from doing anything that she warts to. She likes the  determination (决心）it takes to do the sport. Her biggest 9 is the balance beam. Because she has double vision, she often sees two beams. She must use her sense of touch to help her during her routine. Sometimes she even clones her eyes. "You have to10your mind that it'll take you where you want to go”, says Lola.

    To be a top-level gymmast, one must be brave The beam is probably the most 11 for anyone because it's only four inches wide At the state competition, Lob didn 't12the beam, In fact, she got an 8.1 out of 10 一 her highest scone yet.

    Lola doesn't want to be 13, differently from the other girls un her team, At the competitions, the judges don't know about her vision14. She doesn't tell them, because she doesn't think they need to know. Her mom is amazed by her 15altitude.

    Loda never thinks about16. She is presently at level 7 while the highest is level 10 in gymnastics.  Her17is to reach level 9.She says she wants to be a gymnastics coach 1018what she s learned to other kids when she grew up.

    Lola is 19of all her hard work and  success. She says it has helped her overcome problems in her life

    Outside gymnastics, too. Her 20for others is “just believe yourself ”.

    When I was 12, I really liked snowmobiles. My brother Cody and I 1 together all the time. One 2 day, my cousin, Brittany, was here, and we decided to ride our really old, yet fun snowmobile. My mom was 3 about it at first but thought that we were4careful. So we went out just as usual and my brother carefully checked everything we 5before we rode. We got on: my brother in front,6 then my cousin Brittany and I in the 7 We were riding around in the back of the woods on the edge (边缘) of the field. Our faces were 8and became red,9we didn't care .We were having tons of 10! We had gone around the woods three times when we were coming to the edge that 11 the gravel road (碎石路). There was a driveway there and then a field across the road.

    I 12 my cousin shouting, “Faster! Faster! Cody! Go faster!” As she was shouting. I was 13 the gravel road in front of us. It was coming closer and closer but we still moved with a 14 speed. Just then. I knew something was 15 I looked up at my brother and could feel he was 16 starting to worry. We went through the driveway and I watched as we sped across the road. Then, BOOM! We hit the ditch (沟) and flew through the17for a short second and then hit the ground like a18 that had just fallen from the sky. At this point, there was nothing we could do. The snowmobile tipped and we all 19. We all felt frightened.20 we didn't have any serious problems.

    Don't stop believing. If you're not reaching your highest potential, it might not be for lack of talent or determination, 1 because you're not keeping the right things in front of you.

    A few years after my dad died, I was 2 with the desire to write a book. For 3, I set two copies of my dad's most popular book beside my bed. One copy was in English, the other in 4. My dream was that my book would be translated into Spanish, too.

    Kevin is a twin. He 5 having twins himself. His wife Lisa had several surgeries. They attempted every 6 treatment. But 7 worked. They were beyond 8. One day Kevin found a small package in the mailbox. There were two diapers (尿布) inside. He ran into the house and 9 Lisa. “Look, honey, we just got the first diapers for our babies！”He wrote the date on them and put them on his 10 table. Month after month, they were the first thing he saw when he opened his eyes, and the last thing he saw 11 he fell asleep. Several years later, Kevin and Lisa got a phone call asking if they would be interested in 12 a baby.“Yes！” they said. The caller asked, “Would you consider accepting two？These are twin girls about to be born, and they need a good home.” Talk about a dream 13！

Remember that 14 I dreamed about writing？In 2004 I wrote Your Best Life Now. When the publishers read it they decided to 15 it in English and Spanish at the same time.

    Proverb says, “Where there is no vision, the people perish (毁灭).” 16 vision your dream will die, and part of you will die with it. Studies show that we move toward what we 17 see. Is there something you see every day that 18 you？Keep them in front of you to 19 you of what you're aiming for. If your dream is to go to a particular college, buy a T-­shirt with the school name and wear it 20.

    There was a little boy visiting his grandparents on their farm. And he was given a slingshot(弹弓)to play with. He1in the woods, but he could never hit the2. Getting a little discouraged, he3back for dinner.

    As he was walking back he saw Grandma's pet duck. Just out of impulse (冲动), he let fly, hit the duck in the head, and killed it. He was shocked and upset. In 4, he hid the dead duck in the woodpile, only to see his sister5. Sally had seen it all, but she said nothing.

    6lunch that day Grandma said, "Sally, it is your turn to wash the dishes." But Sally said, "Grandma, Johnny told me he wanted to help in the kitchen today, didn't you, Johnny?" And then she spoke 7to him, "Remember the duck?"

    So Johnny 8the dishes. Later Grandpa asked if 9wanted to go fishing, but Grandma said, " I'm sorry, but I need Sally to help make supper." But Sally10and said, "Well, that's all right11Johnny told me he wanted to help." Remembering the duck, Johnny had to stay at home and Sally went fishing.

    After several days of Johnny's doing12his various small tasks and Sally's, he finally couldn't13it any longer. He came to Grandma and 14that he killed the duck. She 15down, gave him a hug, and said, "Sweetheart, I know. You see, I was standing at the window and I  16the whole thing. But because I love you, I 17you. However, I was just 18how long you would let Sally make a slave of you."

    "Whenever we do something 19, Jesus Christ sees it. He loves us and doesn't say it. My honey, do take responsibility 20 your errors and don't keep your mind suffering." Grandma added.

    When I was 13 years old, I stopped speaking. I'm still not exactly sure 1. I think I felt that words got me into trouble. The boys in my class were always 2 me, telling me to shut up. One day, I 3 into uncontrollable sobs behind the sports hall.

    So throughout my 4, I was silent dealing with the wider world only in whispers and shrugs. My isolation(孤立）led to indescribable 5 that nothing could relieve. I couldn't 6 or socialize. Then, at 15, a psychologist saw 7 in me She said I was in intelligent but 8, and needed to change schools for a fresh start.

    My parents sent me to a different comprehensive. I knew no one and I had the chance to 9 myself. Cheered by the psychologist's 10 in me, I worked hard and became a swot(刻苦学习的人). As a result, my parents were 11. Finally at 20, I was referred to a psychiatrist and he diagnosed me with a mild form of autism(自闭症). It was such a(n) 12 to know what was happening that I cried on the bus on the way home.

    It took a further five years to 13 again, a decision that was as much a surprise to me as it was to everyone else. I 14 myself hard, becoming more confident. Gradually, I 15 my speech. I definitely get more than usual pleasure from the use of 16. It's still such a fresh experience for me 17 different words—ones that can sound so complex, and carry so much 18.

    When I think of what I have 19, I feel like crying, but I don't 20it up anymore. Instead, I enjoy talking about it.

    Almost everything was fantastic in the nature camp except for a girl, Elizabeth. When I saw her sitting alone in the hot sun at lunch, I asked her to eat with us under a(n) 1 tree. However, Elizabeth refused my kind 2. When we invited her to play volleyball with us, Elizabeth 3 our invitation, too. After a few more 4 refusals like that, I decided to stay away from Elizabeth.

    It 5 that we were going on a nature 6 and that our instructor paired everyone up with a partner. Guess who my partner turned out to be. It was Elizabeth!

    "What do you like to do 7?" I asked, trying to make small 8 as we started out. "I like to 9 in peace and quiet," Elizabeth 10. So we had the quietest and most peaceful hike in the world 11 we saw a bird. "I think his wing is hurt. Poor little bird," Elizabeth said 12. "He might be taking a rest over there." I said. Elizabeth nodded. Then she whispered, "But what if he's in 13, like my granddad?" "Your granddad?" I said. "He 14 and broke his leg the day the camp started. He's 15 in hospital and is in so much pain," Elizabeth explained. I noticed she was 16. "I'm sorry for what I have done. For some reason, whenever I get really sad, I act 17 and want to be alone," she added.

    "I get it," I said. "I don't always know how to 18 it when I'm feeling down, either." "Thanks," she said, wiping off her tears.

    After that, Elizabeth seemed to get along well with us, and I think she actually 19 the last few days of the camp.

    Next time, if someone is unfriendly, give him a second 20. Maybe he's going through a tough time.