When I was watching a sports event yesterday, I met with an amazing sight. It was not a gold medal, or a world record broken, but a show of pure courage and determination.

    The event was swimming. I watched a man dive off the blocks and knew right away that something was wrong. I'm not an expert swimmer, but I can tell a good dive from a poor one, and this was not exactly medal quality. When he resurfaced, it was evident that the man was not out for gold — his arms were waving in an attempt at freestyle.

    I heard the crowd begin to laugh at this poor man who was clearly having a hard time. Finally he made his turn to start back. It was pitiful. He made a few desperate strokes (划水) and you could tell he was worn out. But in those few awkward strokes, the crowd changed. No longer were they laughing, but beginning to cheer. Some even began to stand and yell things like, "Come on, you can do it!" He did. The crowd went wild.

    Just a short year ago, he had never even swum, let alone race. His country had been invited to take part in the event. Even though he recorded the slowest time, this man gave more heart than any of the other competitors—a man that gave his all, knowing that he had no chance but to compete because of the spirit of the games.

    Some people are never right. They never have good luck. They usually do the wrong things and say the wrong things. And even if what they say and do is OK, they say it or do it at the wrong time. So these people always have problems. They often break glasses. They sometimes miss buses or trains.

    Mr. Neff is different. He is always right. He is never wrong. He usually has good luck. He hardly has problems. He never misses buses and trains. Even though he really misses them, it is always the fault of the buses and the trains.

    Mr. Neff knows almost everything. He doesn't ask questions. He answers questions. He never says “I don't know”．

    I don't know Mrs. Neff. It seems that not many people know her. I sometimes want to know about her. Is she always right? Or maybe she is always wrong? Does she often break glasses or miss buses and trains?

Does she have problems? I really want to know!

    Christmas is a time for eating great food, giving and receiving presents, and most importantly spending time with your family watching some classic Christmas movies.

The Grinch (2000)

    This is a Christmas must-watch and one of Jim Carrey's best performances. It was also originally a nursery tale book written by Dr Seuss. It's the story of a green monster who wants to ruin Christmas but who in the end discovers the power of love and generosity. I promise it's a great film with plenty of laughs along the way.

    Love Actually (2003)

    While this is not a personal favourite of mine, people in the UK absolutely love this film. It has many featuring actors and actresses. It might be a little difficult to follow as there are complex plots, so I recommend watching a translated version or enabling subtitles (字幕) in your native language. However, the heart-warming elements of the film make it worth watching.

    Home Alone (1990)

    This amusing masterwork is one of my favourite films of all time. It tells the story of a boy, Kevin, who is left alone in his house when his large family forgets to take him on vacation with them. While the families are away, burglars try to rob the house and Kevin must protect his home by setting traps. The trips, falls and traps will have you laughing out loud as you watch a 10-year-old boy beat two grown men.

    Miracle on 34th Street (1994)

    You can't have Christmas in an English-speaking country without watching this movie. It's not funny like Home Alone or The Grinch, but it is incredibly touching. It's about a man who claims to be Santa, but nobody believes him except a lawyer and a little girl. The story-line may seem a little childish but you can enjoy it at any age.

    School days are supposed to be the best days of your life and part of that experience usually involves some unforgettable physical activities. I asked some people to give me their memories of what happened to them on the sports field and beyond, and this is what they told me.

    Cup winners

    When I was about ten, the football team from our year unexplainably made it to the cup final of the local schools' league. I say unexplainably because I only remember us losing nearly every match we played. Anyway, in the final I set up the winning goal, a brilliant cross to my mate David who headed the ball in just before the final whistle. I still have a photograph of the team holding the cup.

    Forest hike

    I remember having to lead a group of eight boys on a school expedition for the best part of two days when I was a teenager. Even though we got lost at one point, I managed to keep them all together and get them from one end of a large forest to the other and back by sheer(纯粹的)force of will. I was chosen to be the leader, I think, because I was the only one who knew how to read a map!

    When we arrived back at the campsite, we found out that all the other groups had cheated and hitched(搭便车)most of the way instead… I felt a bit stupid, but also rather proud of myself at the same time for having done it properly.

    Learning to swim, learning to drown

    I learned to swim comparatively late, I suppose. I was maybe nine years old but my brother had a painful experience which nearly put him off for life. We lived in the USA for a while and had access to a university pool where the coaches had trained the American Olympic team. In those days, though, their idea of teaching kids how to swim was to tie a can to their ankles with a bit of string, throw them in the deep end and shout "Swim!". I am surprised my brother survived at all. He could only have been about six at the time.

    Becca was 6 when she was told she had cancer on Sept. 8, 2014. She clearly remembers the bad days of her 26 months of non­stop treatment. Luckily, Becca celebrated her final treatment on Nov. 13, 2016, and she has been cancer­free ever since. But she was thinking about what her life was like while experiencing treatment.

    I was never able to do much, and that's what the kids lying in their hospital beds right now experience, asking their mom and dad, "When are we leaving? When can I play with my friends？" So I decided I have to help them.

    In February, 2017 Becca came up with the idea for Knots and Arrows, a company that makes bracelets (手镯) out of swimsuit materials (泳衣布料). Part of the money made from each bracelet goes to the organizations that help people with cancer.

    Becca created the company with her father, Gerhard Salmins. Gerhard Salmins once had cancer and already recovered from it. "I would be in the hospital sitting there crying and then my dad would come in and he would play games with me，" she said. "It made me forget about what I was going through." Becca said the name of the organization shows the motto (座右铭) she stuck to through her personal cancer journey.

    Her organization has already given thousands of dollars to research organizations and families in need. Becca said she hopes her bracelets will make people remember that great things can result from small changes. "No matter what age you are, what you look like, how you act, you can make a difference!" she said.

Volunteer Chances for Teens

    About Learning Buddies

    Learning Buddies is an education program for K-5 students at the Beacon Hill, Columbia, Douglass-Truth, New Holly and West Seattle Library branches (分馆). Teen volunteers and kids read together, learn math and play educational games with support from librarians.

    If you are a high school student who enjoys math, reading and helping kids succeed in school, please consider volunteering as a Learning Buddy. You will get service learning experience and earn(获得) community service hours for school.

Learning Buddies teaches kids once a week. Volunteer chances are offered at the following Library branches, October through December and March through May.

    Beacon Hill Branch: Tuesday, 4:15 p.m. to 5:45 p.m.

    Columbia Branch: Thursday, 4:15p.m. to 5:45 p.m

    Douglass-Truth Branch: Tuesday, 4:15 p.m.to 5:45 p.m.

    New-Holly Branch: Tuesday, 4:15 p.m. to 5:45 p.m.

    West Seattle Branch: Tuesday, 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.

    Become a Learning Buddy

    High school students must be at least 14 years old and live close to a Library branch that offers the Learning Buddies program.

    You can ask for a volunteer application (申请书) and attend an interview at one of the following Library branches at least one month before the fall or spring Learning Buddies series.

    Beacon Hill Branch: call the Teen Services Librarian at 206-684-4711.

    Columbia Branch: call the Teen Services Librarian at 206-386- 1908.

    Douglass-Truth Branch: call Services Librarian at 206-684-4704.

    New-Holly Branch: call the Supervising Librarian at 206-386- 1905.

    West Seattle Branch: call the Teen Services Librarian at 206-684-7444.