Once there was a young boy. He had no family except for an old llama. Each day the boy and his llama walked many miles, looking for a home. Each night they curled up (赌缩）and slept. But on one starry (满天星斗的）evening, the old llama died. The boy buried (埋葬）his friend next to a small icy river. Then he sat under a tree and cried. What would he do? He had no family and no home.

The boy cried for a very long time. But there was no one to comfort (安慰）him. There were only the stars in the sky.

Suddenly, the sky filled with bright light. The boy held his breath. He was afraid to move. One bright star fell to the ground. Slowly, the star took the shape of the old llama. She bent her head and drank from the river. She looked at the boy and smiled. As she jumped back into the sky, bits of llama wool fell. As the sun began to rise, the boy picked up the soft, warm wool. It gave out light in his hands like starlight. He carried the wool to the city and sold it. With the money, he bought a house. He bought two young llamas. He never forgot the star llama. And he was never lonely again.

    I used to think courtesy (礼貌) was a thing of the past. However, I changed my mind when I met a courteous man.

    Last Saturday, I went to a cafe with my daughters. It was crowded with the usual loud crowd and we had to climb up the stairs to find an empty table. After enjoying coffee and snacks, we were ready to come down the stairs, where the narrow space made climbing down only possible in a single line, with hardly any space for another person to either climb up or come down.

    Just as I was in the middle of my descent (下去), a man got to the main entrance (入口) of the cafe which was right in front of the staircase. I was sure I would be pushed by the man who would want to go up in a hurry. Anyway, I kept coming down as fast as I could. My daughters were already down, looking up at me worriedly, hoping I would get down before the stranger went up the stairs.

    Nearly getting down, I noticed the man still standing near the door. Later, I passed him at the entrance door which he kept holding open. I looked back thinking he was still at the door, deciding whether to go in or find another less crowded place. However, I saw him going up the stairs, two at a time.

    I told my daughters about it and all of us felt bad for we did not even thank the courteous gentleman.

    Doctor Carl was a very busy man. He always worked hard. He often forgot his families' birthdays. Yesterday afternoon he remembered(记得) it was his wife's(妻子的)birthday. He loved his wife. He wanted to give her a present. On his way home from hospital, he bought some beautiful flowers in a shop. When doctor Carl got home, he gave his wife the flowers and said, "Happy birthday to you, dear!" "It's April 20th today. I remembered your birthday this year. " Mrs. Carl laughed and said, "My birthday was the day before yesterday, but thank you all the same. Better late than never!"

    It was the summer before my third grade. Our girls' softball team was facing real pitchers (投球手)1the first time. Before that, we could just hit the ball on the tee (球座). When the coach started pitching, hitting became2for me. I missed every single pitch. From the side, I heard my teammate Emily laughing at3. My face got hot and my throat felt like it had a softball stuck in. At that moment, I was starting to4playing softball.

    The next afternoon, when Mum said it was time to play the game, I told her I was5. She allowed me to lie down for a while. So I went to my room and6myself in bed. This was difficult for me because I was fine and just7to avoid softball.

    Soon Mum came in and said, "Time to go!" She didn't even ask if I felt8. I imagined Emily laughing from the sideline, and9I really did feel sick to my stomach. I began crying loudly. Still, Mum pulled my team T-shirt over my head. She said, "You have to10for the rest of the season, and only after that we can talk about 11you'll continue next year." She added that practice was what I needed, not12. She promised to practise with me.

    I got two hits that afternoon, and Emily didn't make a13. Every week after that, I practised at home14I got to be one of the best hitters on the team.

    That15taught me that being afraid is part of life, and I can do whatever is expected of me if I keep working and practising.