Easter is a holiday celebrated all over the world. A lot of people like to do 1 things during the Easter weekend. One year my friends Katherine and David decided to 2 on the weekend. They lived in Houston and I lived in San Antonio, about 250km away.

    I was very 3 to go to the wedding. I 4 a new black suit, new black shoes, and a great wedding gift for Katherine and David. After having breakfast in my apartment, I was ready to go and got into my car. I started the car and was 5! The car made a very loud scratchy 6. It didn't start. My car was 7!

    I 8 called my other friends who were going to the wedding. They were all in Houston already. I was so 9. I really wanted to go to the wedding. Then I 10 one more person that might still be in San Antonio. The girl I 11, Emily.

    I called Emily to see if she was still in town and she was! She came to my 12 and we drove to the wedding together. I was a little nervous 13 I liked her very much, but I didn't dare to ask her out. On the way, we had a great14 and we were both really excited for David and Katherine and couldn't 15 to get there.

    The wedding was beautiful. There was so much delicious food at the16, and because it was Easter, the entire wedding was 17 in very bright colors. The best part was that Emily and I danced all night together. I got to know her very well and we decided to go on a 18 when we 19 to San Antonio. My car breaking down was the best thing that 20 to me that Easter weekend!

    As I sat motionless on the steps of the pool, watching everyone else swim back and forth, I realized that I had spent most of my life watching others enjoy themselves. It was then that I 1 a little girl staring at me with a look of confusion. I smiled at her, hoping to 2 the ice by talking to her. Unfortunately, my 3 failed and she just kept on staring. My 4 increased as a little boy swam up to me and said, “I feel sorry for you.”

    After the 5, a thought struck me, I had to change 6 the world viewed me. Because it was children who stared at me the most, I decided to write a children's book that taught them about 7 in a fun way. This is when KatGirl, a super hero in a 8 who helps children that are being bullied, came into my mind.

    I quickly 9 inside my apartment and began creating the story. As I wrote each word, I could 10 my future as a world-renowned author and public speaker. My excitement 11 like wildfire. Over the next two years, the story 12 many changes before it saw the world in the spring of 2011. My perseverance 13 paid off.

    One day I was invited to speak to the students at a neighboring school. I confidently wheeled into a classroom filled with students who 14 at me just like the little girl in the pool. “How do you feel when you see me?” I asked them. The kids bravely 15 “I feel sorry for you.”

    I opened my book and started reading. Immediately I noticed the children's stares turned to 16.“How do you feel when you see me?” I asked again. Without 17 they replied, “You are so cool! Does your 18 fly too?” I just smiled, “No, not yet, but maybe some day.” I knew in my heart that this was 19. The past two years had proven to me that with 20 anything is possible.

    Those working for the poor and the physically-challenged might be inspired by a 72-year-old British famous woman doctor Rachel Pinniger. She has devoted 40 years to 1 primary doctors and treating patients in 2 areas of Bhutan, Nepal and Tibet of China.

    Many patients there made a 3 by making traditional products. They could 4 pay those for medical fees, but for Rachel that was enough. In 2012 Rachel 5 from cancer. But whether it would be cured 6 or not, she decided to help the patients 7 being poor and live better.

    To further her 8 in China, Rachel, in 2013, 9 her Blue Sheep Shop in Chengdu.

    "I named the shop Blue Sheep 10 a blue sheep The first time I was going to Tibet, a beautiful sheep jumped down from a hill and 11 me and my friends with its horns (角). Seeing this, I happily 12 to him! It turned out that the sheep wanted us to stay." She said.

    The shop offers a wide range of handmade ethnic (民族的) 13. Although small, it has 14 600 or more poor families living in rural areas. All the goods in the shop were made by the hands of those healthy and 15. However, other people thought it was much too 16. Thus she never asked anybody else to 17 money in it. "I'm well aware of the fact that my money may 18 but I'm happy to 19 at least." said Rachel.

    As is always her 20, "one person may not change the world, but we all can change the world for one person."

A Story on an Island

    A ship was lost at sea and the only survivor was washed up on a small, inhabited (无人居住的) island. He prayed 1 for God to rescue him and for hours he just2at the horizon (地平线), waiting for a heaven-sent 3but it never came.

    Then he decided to do something. 4tired and upset, he 5some branches and dry grass. Hours of hard work paid off and a little shelter was built. The "Robinson Crusoe" began his life on the island. Believe it or not, a couple of days going by, he6and it seemed not that hard.

    But then one day, after7 for food, he arrived home to find his little shelter in flames and the8rolling up to the sky.

    The9had happened: everything was lost.

    "God, how could you do this to me!" he criedwith10and anger.

    Early the next day,11, he was awakened by the12of a ship that was coming near to the island. It had come to rescue him!

    "13did you know that I was here?" he asked one of his rescuers.

    "We saw your smoke14", they replied.

    It is easy to get15when things are going bad. But we shouldn't lose16, because God is at work in our lives, 17when we are in pains and sufferings.

    Remember, next time your little 18 is burning to the ground, it just may be a smoke signal(信号) that calls 19 the grace of God. For all the negative (消极的) things we have to say to ourselves, God has a/an 20answer for it.

    One evening, Catherine was at home as usual. As her 1 swung between what she was going to do with her life and their dinner plans for the evening, she was unexpectedly 2 by an urgent call from her sister "Get over here! Turn on NBC and check these guys out. They are just like you….." One Facebook message and a phone interview later, Catherine 3 herself on a bus with 8 strangers in the middle of the sweltering desert heat of Utah, picking up trash and 4 awareness about zero-waste and climate change.

    With a deep 5 of the environment and a desire to make a 6, Catherine, Davey, and a group of self 7 "environmental pick-up artists" went on a coast to coast road side trash pick-up. As they walked, sometimes only 8 0.9 miles in an entire day, they 9 and steadily made their way across the United States for three years, picking up a total of 201,678 pounds of trash.

    Catherine and Davey 10 with us wonderful stories of hope and inspiration that fueled their 11 to continue their journey. After spending weeks silently 12 how she would have enough 13 to fly home for their two-week spring break, Catherine found a blank, unidentified envelope 14 with $850 cash in the desert. Just enough to get her home and back. After their bus 15 outside of Denver, they unexpectedly got 16 and arrived in Yosemite National Park three weeks later, just in time for the "Yosemite Facelift" where 17 from all over the state came together with a 18 of cleaning up trash all over the park.

    Being at the right place at the right time became almost normal, and they realized that much of what they 19 was more than just a coincidence. Together, their team learned to simply 20 themselves to their task, and surrender to the journey.

    Pamela Malhotra and her husband Anil K. Malhotra have spent the last 25 years buying abandoned agricultural land and reforesting it. They want to 1 the land to a bio-diverse rainforest for elephants, birds and other 2

    Now the couple 3 300 acres of land in Brahmagiri, India. They've spotted more than 300 kinds of birds as well as many 4 and threatened(受到威胁的)animal species. But, this was not the 5 in 1991 when Anil and Pamela came to this part of the country. "When I came here, it was a 6. The owner wanted to sell because he couldn't grow coffee 7 anything else here," says Anil who worked in the real estate(房地产)and restaurant business in the US before moving to India. "For me and Pamela, this was what we were 8 all our life."

    The couple had a love for 9 from their childhood. When the Malhotras came to India, the pollution 10 them. "That was when we decided to 11 something to reclaim (开垦) the forests in India," says Anil. "We were not looking for money. Early on, we 12 that shortage of fresh water will be a 13 for India and the rest of the world. Acquisition, protection and reclamation of forested lands and wildlife habitat, where vital water sources have their origin, is the only way to 14 ourselves," explains Anil.

    They sold property (财产) they owned in America, bought the first 55 acres and began to grow a 15. Soon, they bought the land nearby as well. "Many of the 16 considered their holdings 'wasteland' as very little grew on it and were 17 to get money," says Anil.

    Stopping poaching (偷猎) was a 18 and often the locals did not understand what this couple was doing, so it required a lot of talking to create 19. They worked with the forest department to set up camera traps and keep poachers away. "There are times I have 20 with poachers. I was even in great danger once, "says Pamela. "I hope what we are doing now will make a difference to animals."