Once upon a time there was a writer who liked to go to the ocean to do his writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach before he began his work. One day he was walking along the beach. As he looked down the beach, he saw someone moving like a dancer. He smiled to himself at the thought of someone who would dance to the day. So he began to walk faster to catch up. As he got closer, he saw that a young man was reaching down to the shore, picking something up and very gently throwing it into the ocean.

    As he got closer, he called out, "Good morning! What are you doing?"

    The young man stopped, looked up and answered, "Throwing starfish into the ocean."

    "I guess I should have asked, why are you throwing starfish into the ocean?"

    "The sun is up, and the tide(潮汐) is going out, and if I don't throw them in, they'll die."

    "But, young man, don't you see that there are miles and miles of beach, and starfish all along it? You can't possibly make a difference!"

    The young man listened politely, then picked up another starfish and threw it into the ocean, past the breaking waves and said, "It made a difference for that one." And he kept throwing starfish.

    There is something very special in each and every one of us. All of us can make a difference in life. If we know that, we have the power to shape the future.

    Not only kids of Tiger Moms go to Harvard.

Dawn Loggins of Lawndale, N.C. is on her way to Harvard, one of the eight world-famous universities in the eastern US. Nobody encouraged her to study or paid for her special classes. This girl created her own future.

    The teen was abandoned by her family last summer, when her parents and two sisters moved to Tennessee. She found herself homeless and had to spend the night on friend's sofas.

    The school bus driver learned about Dawn's situation and invited Dawn to move in with her family. Soon, Dawn had a job at Burns High School. She worked from 6 a.m. to 7:40 a.m. before the first school bell rang. she swept floors and picked up trash again in the afternoons, before diving(跳水)into her studies in the evenings.

    Dawn's hard work paid off. she finished school with a 3.9 GPA and scored 2,110 on the SAT.

    "There were times when I felt like it would be easiest if I gave up," the 18-year-old said."But it was never in me to give up, because I realized that I was never going to be successful unless I got an education."

Even before Dawn's family left her, she led a difficult life. Her family was poor and cups of noodles were often the only food. Dawn "studied by candlelight" because her parents couldn't afford to pay the electricity bill(电费).

    Dawn has now reconnected with her family. They are proud of her accomplishments(成就) and are attending her high school graduation.

根据材料内容选择最佳答案。

    Tu Youyou, aged 85, is a medical scientist at the China Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine. she has just become the first Chinese woman to win a Nobel prize, for helping discover artemisinin, a new kind of medicine known as "Qing-hao-su" in Chinese in 1971 and dihydroartemisinin, used also to treat malaria(疟疾).

    The discovery of "Qing-hao-su" and its use in treating malaria are regarded as the most important breakthrough(突破) in tropical medicine in the 20th century. It is also a major health improvement for people in developing tropical countries in south Asia, Africa, and South America.

    This is the first time her work has been widely recognized in China, and it also marks the first time China has won a Nobel prize in the sciences.The last time a Chinese national won a Nobel Prize was in 2012, when Mo Yan got the literature award.

    Tu also received several medical awards in the past including the 2011 Lasker Award in Clinical Medicine for the same achievements.Tu was the first native Chinese who was educated and works in China to win the Lasker award, too.

    Alisa was walking around the swimming pool. Her friend Maria was waiting for her. "Come on, Alisa!" Maria said. "Let's jump off the diving board (跳水版)."

    "No way! I can never go that high," said Alisa.

    "Don't be scared," Maria said. "It's really fun."

    Alisa walked away and sat on a bench.

    "You go. I'll watch you," said Alisa.

    "You don't know what you're missing," said Maria. Then she climbed up the tall ladder (梯子). It made Alisa scared just thinking of being up there.

    Maria jumped off the board and then climbed out of the pool. She walled to Alisa. "Come on, Alisa; just try it. It's wonderful!" she said.

    Alisa looked up at the board. Maybe it was time to try something new. OK, she said. Alisa climbed up the ladder for the diving board. The water looked far, far away. She wanted to turn back to climb down the ladder， but that would be too embarrassing. There was only one thing to do.

    Alisa walked to the edge (边缘) of the board. Then she closed (闭上) her eyes and jumped. She got into the water in no time. "Wow, so wonderful! I like it!" she shouted.

    There were many plants in a forest. When spring came, a pine tree saw a red rose nearby and said, "What a beautiful flower! I wish I were that lovely. "

    The rose proudly said, "It seems that I am the most beautiful flower in this forest." Then the rose looked at a cactus (仙人掌) and said, "Look at that ugly plant full of thorns（刺）! "

    "What a proud flower!" thought the trees.

    As the days passed, the red rose often looked at the cactus and said bad words about it, like "This plant is useless. How sorry I am to be his neighbor!"

    The cactus never got angry and even tried to advise the rose, saying, "God did not create any form of life without a purpose."

    Spring passed, and the weather became very hot. As there was no rain, the red rose began to wilt（枯萎）.

    One day the rose saw birds put their beaks (喙) into the cactus and then fly away. The red rose asked the pine tree what the birds were doing. The pine tree explained that the birds were getting water from the cactus.

    "The cactus has water?" asked the rose.

    Yes, you can also drink some from it. The birds can bring water to you if you ask the cactus for help. "

    The red rose felt too ashamed to ask for water from the cactus. But finally it did ask for help. The cactus kindly agreed.

    The rose learned a lesson and never judged (评价) anyone by their appearance again.