A Leap （跳跃）to Honor

    Leapirg on a narrow balance beam( 平衡木) is not easy. But Lola Water. a 13-year-old gymnast is an expert at it.

    To perfect her skills. Lola1 for four hours a day, five days a week. At the slate championships in March，she finished seventh  out of 16 girts. That's especially impressive. 2she is legaly blind, horn  with a rare  condition that causes her eyes to shift (转移)canstantly. She often sees double and can't3 how far away things  are.

    When she was little, her mom 4 even though she couldn't5, she was fearless. So her mom signed her up for gymnastics when she was three. She loved the 6 right away and gymnastics became her favorite.

    Though  learning gymnastics has been  more7for her than for some of  her tournaments( 锦际赛). she has never quit(放弃). She doesn't let her8 stop her from doing anything that she warts to. She likes the  determination (决心）it takes to do the sport. Her biggest 9 is the balance beam. Because she has double vision, she often sees two beams. She must use her sense of touch to help her during her routine. Sometimes she even clones her eyes. "You have to10your mind that it'll take you where you want to go”, says Lola.

    To be a top-level gymmast, one must be brave The beam is probably the most 11 for anyone because it's only four inches wide At the state competition, Lob didn 't12the beam, In fact, she got an 8.1 out of 10 一 her highest scone yet.

    Lola doesn't want to be 13, differently from the other girls un her team, At the competitions, the judges don't know about her vision14. She doesn't tell them, because she doesn't think they need to know. Her mom is amazed by her 15altitude.

    Loda never thinks about16. She is presently at level 7 while the highest is level 10 in gymnastics.  Her17is to reach level 9.She says she wants to be a gymnastics coach 1018what she s learned to other kids when she grew up.

    Lola is 19of all her hard work and  success. She says it has helped her overcome problems in her life

    Outside gymnastics, too. Her 20for others is “just believe yourself ”.

    Krystal was ten when her parents divorced (离婚). By the time she was 12, her mother 1 and they lived in Cloverport, Kentucky. Danny, her new stepfather (继父), drove a truck. When he was home, he tried 2 to be friends. But teenage Krystal was like ice. “The divorce really made me 3. I was heartbroken.

    In the summer of 1984, Danny stopped at a Texas rest stop around midnight when he 4 a purple tour bus. The printed name “Prince” caught his eye. He'd heard of this Prince and knew Krystal and her friends 5his songs. He knocked on the bus door. Prince himself stepped down the stairs. “My stepdaughter likes your 6. Can I ask you for your autograph?”

With no 7 on hand, Prince reached for the purple bandanna (头巾) on his head and 8 it. Danny called Krystal's mom 9. “Krystal likes Prince, right?” “Of course, Danny. She'll love it.” Mom hung up the phone and10Krystal. Then Krystal told all 13 people in her class 11. By the time Danny pulled up to the house a few days later, the entire population of Cloverport 12 the purple bandanna that was making its way to Krystal.

    But no one knew what had13 after Danny hung up the phone. After 14 Prince, he'd been walking back to his truck when another trucker 15 him. “Hey, man, my son is a huge fan. Are you willing to make a16?”

    Arriving home in Cloverport that summer day, his hands behind his back, Danny stepped out of his truck. “I hope I made the 17decision.” Danny said. “I know you like Prince, 18I thought you'd like a Walkman (随身听) more.” When her stepfather presented his offer of 19, Krystal was moved to tears.

    “From then on, I grew to love him not only as a father but as a friend. All he ever wanted was to make me 20,” said Krystal.

    It began years ago, after Mom had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's. As her symptom 1, I often had a hard time figuring out what was real and what wasn't in her2. One day I was helping her find some pants that fitted, and she was 3 them on and looking in the mirror. Suddenly she turned and said,4 to her reflection in the mirror, “Well, I like her. She is always really nice to me.”

    It caught me so off guard. There we were doing 5 things, and suddenly she was talking about her reflection as if it were another person. How should I 6? I looked closely, as if there was going to be someone else in that mirror, saying, “Great. I am so glad she's 7to you.”

    Though still in 8 I knew there was no point bringing someone with Alzheimer's back to 9It wasn't, until later that I could 10 that the lady in the mirror was real to Mom.

    Another time I walked in, finding Mom 11 I was going to leave when Mom woke up. “Hi Mom, it's me, Molly, your daughter.” Since Mom may or may not 12 me when we meet, I always identify myself to her.

    That day she remembered me. She 13 my arm slightly and said, “Hi, honey. Come here, I want you to meet someone 14 she leaves.” And so I was reintroduced to the lady in the mirror. I 15 her as if someone were really there, and that was 16for Mom.

    I am glad she loves her17 because she sees herself as a kind being. This is yet another18 my mother has taught me: We should love ourselves and others with the kind of 19 my mom has for her lady in the mirror, even though she doesn't know she is seeing herself, my beautiful, loving, and 20 Mom.

    My family suffered a lot three years ago when my father died in a car accident. It1my mother, two younger brothers and me alone.

    At that time, I was in senior high school. As the2 son, I had no choice but to3of school and work in a factory. Life went on without any 4I dared not ask for more and just thought about5 my two brothers. However, it wasn't easy, for I couldn't6 their tuition even if I worked day and night without rest. I also had to look after my sick mother. I wanted to go back to school, but it seemed to be a(n)7 idea, since I needed to work to support my family.

    A thread of8 appeared during those gloomy days. It was a rainy dusk when I went outside into the rain and walked in the street9 the rain stopped! I raised my head, and found that “the sky” was in fact a dark blue umbrella. Then I heard a deep voice say, “Why not10 without an umbrella?” It was a one-legged man,11 you run, you won't get so wet.” His words12 me deeply. Without my father's protection, was I only a slave to 13?

    While walking together in the rain, I knew that his dream was once14by an accident. He was glad that he didn't lose15 and still “ran” on the road of life… Facing this guy, I had no pity16admiration.

    Inspired by his17 I went to a city in the south and became an assurance representative. After two years' “running”, I got somewhere and my family situation became better18 I went back to school and eventually succeeded in being19 to a university.

    Everything is so simple: to run without an umbrella! When you run out of the 20season of your life, there will be a bright sky ahead of you.

    Ken Jeong is more than an actor; he's also a lifesaver. The 48-year-old person is best known for 1 crazy Spanish teacher Ben Chang on Community, an American comedy television series. Over the weekend, he proved he has got much more in common with his 2 from his Dr. Ken when he jumped into action to 3 a woman with a medical emergency.

    Jeong 4 his career as a medical doctor and is now licensed（给予执照）as a physician（内科医生）in California, 5does not practice medicine. He was 6 at the Stand Up Live club in Arizona, on 7 night when a woman in the audience 8 had a shock.

    Jeong 9 the woman's medical emergency and came down into the audience where he cleared 10 for the woman and attended to her as others 11 paramedics（护理人员）.

    As he helped the 12, he received help from a member of the audience who happened to be a nurse. They 13 with the woman until an ambulance（救护车）arrived and she was 14 to the hospital. Following the incident, Jeong returned to the 15 where he was greeted with a round of applause（掌声）before he then finished his set.

    Holmberg, who was in the 16 at the time, took to twitter to 17 her first experience. “A woman had a medical emergency during the 18. Ken jumped off the stage to assist. A nurse helped, too. Then on with the show! Great 19! I am thankful to have grown up in a country where people 20 each other”.

    I used to live selfishly, I should admit. But one moment changed me. I was on my lunch break and had 1 the office to get something to eat. On the way, I 2 a Busker (街头艺人), with a hat in front of him. I had some 3 in my pocket, but I would not give them to him, thinking to myself he would 4 use the money to feed his addiction (上瘾)to drugs or alcohol. He 5 like that type …young and ragged. 6 what was I going to spend the money on? Only to feed my addiction to Coca-Cola or chocolate! I then 7 I had no right to place myself above 8 just because he was busking.

I 9 and dropped all the coins into his 10, and he smiled at me, I watched for a while. As 11 as it sounds, I expected something more to come from that moment—a feeling of12 or satisfaction, for example. But nothing happened. 13, I walked off. "It proved to be a waste of 14," I thought.

    On my way home at the end of the 15, I saw the busker again and he was 16. I watched him pick up the hat and walk 17 a cafe counter. There he  poured the 18 money into a tin collecting 19 an earthquake fund-raising (募捐) event. He was busking for charity (慈善)!

    Now I donate any 20 I have to charity tins and enjoy the feeling of giving.