I used to hate being called upon in class mainly because I didn't like attention drawn to myself.And1otherwise assigned（指定）a seat by the teacher,I always2to sit at the back of the classroom.

    All this3after I joined a sports team.It began when a teacher suggested I try out for the basketball team.At first I thought it was a crazy4because I didn't have a good sense of balance,nor did I have the5to keep pace with the others on the team and they would tease me.But for the teacher who kept insisting on my "6for it",I wouldn't have decided to give a try.

Getting up the courage to go to the tryouts（选拔）was only the7of it!When I first started8the practice sessions,I didn't even know the rules of the game,much9what I was doing.Sometimes I'd get10and take a shot at the wrong direction which made me feel really stupid.11,I wasn't the only one "new" at the game,so I decided to12on learning the game,do my best at each practice session,and not be too hard on myself for the things I didn't 13"just yet".

    I practiced and practiced.Soon I knew the14and the "moves".Being part of a team was fun and motivating. Very soon the competitive15in me was winning over my lack of confidence.With time,I learned how to play and made friends in the16—friends who respected my efforts to work hard and be a team player.I never had so much fun!

    With my17self-confidence comes more praise from teachers and classmates.I have gone from "18" in the back of the classroom and not wanting to call attention to myself,19raising my hand—even when I sometimes wasn't and not 100 percent20I had the right answer. Now I have more self-confidence in myself.

    When I was a small boy my family was very poor. My father always used his savings to 1 my mother to visit her parents who lived far away. There was just my younger brother and myself in the house. One evening Dad came home from 2 and there was no food in the house, not 3 a piece of bread. Although we were 4, my brother and I went to bed without eating anything.

    My father had no money, but l knew from the 5 on his face that he could not let us have an empty stomach. He 6 the house and about two hours later returned and quickly 7 us up. He had in his hand two small potato pies, which he gave us to eat. I don't know where he got the 8 but somehow he 9 to get us something to eat.

    My father had not eaten and had worked all day 10 he sat there with great satisfaction watching us eat. This has 11 stayed in my mind and left more of an impression than any amount of 12 he may ever have given me.

    At that moment, l felt happy knowing that he was there and would not let us13.

    I guess the 14 I am trying to make is that in difficult times it is 15 not to show weakness but strength and character. If a 16 is the cement（粘合剂）that holds a family together, then the father is 17 that strengthens that cement.

    It is his values and 18 and memories that have carried me forward and helped me to 19 my own problems in life. In my own 20 I have learned that it is the valuable time you spend with your children and the values you give to them that will remain with them always.

I live in Albuquerque, New Mexico. I used to give a lot of money to the homeless, feeling 1 for them. But as time passed, I became a mom with no home, a huge 2, and hardly any income. As a result, I 3 giving money to the people on the side of the road and became very 4. Things started to change for me 5. I had a home, a backyard for my daughter, and plenty of food, and I started to 6 myself out of debt. One day we saw a homeless person with the 7, "Will work for food." I 8. My daughter commented. "Mommy, you used to always give money to those people in 9." I replied, "Honey, they just use that money for 10, or other bad things." She didn't respond. 11 when I said that, I didn't feel right. Three days later, I was driving to 12 my daughter from school. A man was standing on the corner, and something deep 13 me said, "Just help the guy." So I 14 down my window, and he ran over excitedly. He said, "God bless you, I only need 77 cents." I 15 into my ashtray（烟灰缸）and strangely enough, there 16 three quarters and two pennies. I picked them up and gave them to him. He 17 with joy and tears in his eyes. "Wow, you just made it 18 for me to see my mom for Christmas! Thank you so much; the 19 that had this great sale is leaving in 20 minutes!" It was a moment I'll 20 forever. I think that man won't forget it either, but I was the one who got the best gift in life—GIVING.

    Dad loves fishing very much. Fishing is as much a part of Dad's life as 1. Going fishing with him is a very 2 thing for me and my twin brother. Jumping into a 3 stream on a hot day, sleeping under the bright 4, fishing with Dad and eating freshly caught fish that has been fried over a 5 seems like the heaven to a couple of 10-year-old boys.

    One day, Dad drove us to Cottonwood Stream. An hour after we got there, he 6 some fish. He suggested that we take them back to our camp, 7 we stayed to watch Dad skillfully cast his 8 another time. We sat quietly until Dad's fishing pole 9 and he began winding the line on. Knowing this could be a very 10 fish, we jumped up and down and 11 for Dad to catch that fish. When he did, Dad's wide smile lit up his face like the sun. He 12 the hook, but an unexpected thing happened. The huge fish slipped out of Dad's hands and jumped back into the stream!

    We thought Dad would 13 , but he didn't. Although the sun was dropping 14 the mountains, my father sat down again and waited 15 . At last, the big fish took the bait once more. However, it slipped back into the 16 again as Dad tried to remove the hook. This time, Dad jumped into the stream, 17 for that fish again and again and 18 caught it, wrapping it in his shirt and walking back to the 19. Both my brother and I shouted wildly, cheering for his success.

What Dad did that day taught me a good lesson. I learn that we should never give up if we want to 20 something.

    A beautiful September evening, my 11-year-old grandson, Josh, and his team were warming up for their first football game of the season.

    At six, the 1called the captains forward, said something and 2 his whistle. The two teams 3 separately. I was 4 .The other team was,  5, ten inches taller than our players. It didn't take long for their 6 advantage to show. They took a 7-0 lead very 7 .At the half, the score stood at 34 to 6. Josh 8 minimal play time. In the second half, they used Josh more often. The score climbed to 40 to 6.

    Once again, the other team began their 9 down the field. Their quarterback threw the ball. The receiver caught it and 10 the goal. There was only one man in his 11 —Josh. Josh dove and 12 that boy's legs with all his strength. The receiver dragged Josh a couple of yards and 13 fell down.

    On the next play, their quarterback shot through an opening and rushed to the goal, but there was Josh again. Josh took him off his feet and 14 another goal. They scored on the last play, but it wasn't Josh's 15 .The game ended with a score of 48 to 6.

    On the way home. I wanted to 16 Josh, but he turned to me with a 17 smile. “Grandpa, that was a 18game.”

    “But you lost, 48 to 6!”

    “I know, but I did good.”

    The boy understood the 19 better than I did. They didn't win, but he did his best. I was proud of him. More 20, he was proud of himself.

The Homeless Hero

    For many, finding an unattended wallet filled with £400 in cash would be a source (来源) of temptation (诱惑). But the 1 would no doubt be greater if you were living on the streets with little food and money. All of this makes the actions of the homeless Tom Smith 2 more remarkable.

    After spotting a 3 on the front seat inside a parked car with its window down, he stood guard in the rain for about two hours waiting for the 4 to return.

    After hours in the cold and wet, he 5 inside and pulled the wallet out hoping to find some ID so he could contact (联系) the driver, only to 6 it contained £400 in notes, with another £50 in spare change beside it.

    He then took the wallet to a nearby police station after 7 a note behind to let the owner know it was safe. When the car's owner John Anderson and his colleague Carol Lawrence returned to the car—which was itself worth £35, 000—in Glasgow city centre, they were 8 to find two policemen standing next to it. The policemen told them what Mr. Smith did and that the wallet was 9.

    The pair were later able to thank Mr. Smith for his 10.

    Mr. Anderson said: "I couldn't believe that the guy never took a penny. To think he is sleeping on the streets tonight 11 he could have stolen the money and paid for a place to stay in. This guy has nothing and

    12 he didn't take the wallet for himself; he thought about others 13. It's unbelievable. It just proves there are 14 guys out there."

    Mr. Smith's act 15 much of the public's attention. He also won praise from social media users after Mr. Anderson 16 about the act of kindness on Facebook.

    Now Mr. Anderson has set up an online campaign to 17 money for Mr. Smith and other homeless people in the area, which by yesterday had received ￡8, 000. "I think the faith that everyone has shown 18 him has touched him. People have been approaching him in the street; he's had job 19 and all sorts," Mr. Anderson commented.

    For Mr. Smith, this is a possible life-changing 20. The story once again tells us that one good turn deserves another.