A Leap（跳跃）to Honor

    Leaping on a narrow balance beam（平衡木） is not easy. But Lola Walter, a 13-year-old gymnast, is an expert at it. To perfect her skills, Lola 1 for four hours a day, five days a week. At the state championships in March, she finished seventh out of 16 girls.

    That's especially impressive. 2 she is legally blind, born with a rare condition that causes her eyes to shift constantly. She often sees double and can't 3how far away things are.

    When she was little, her mom 4 that even though she couldn't see 5, 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 more 7 for her than for some of her tournaments, she has never quit. She doesn't let her 8 stop her from doing anything that she wants to.

    She likes the determination 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 closes her eyes. 'You have to 10 your mind that it'll take you where you want to go.' says Lola.

    To be a top-level gymnast, one must be brave. The beam is probably the most 11 for anyone because it's four inches wide. At the state competition, Lola didn't fall 12 the beam. In fact, she got an 8.1 out of 10 — her highest score yet.

    Lola doesn't want to be 13 differently from the other girls on her team. At the competitions, the judges don't know about her vision 14. She doesn't tell them, because she doesn't think they need to know. Her mom is amazed by her 15 attitude.

    Lola never thinks about 16. She is presently at level 7 while the highest is level 10 in gymnastics. Her 17 is to reach level 9. She says she wants to be a gymnastics coach to pass down what she's learned to other kids 18 she grew up.

    Lola is 19 of all her hard work and success. She says it's helped her overcome problems in her life outside gymnastics, too. Her 20 for others is 'just believe yourself'.

When Karen found another baby was on the way, she tried to help her 3-year-old son, Michael, prepare for a new 1 And day after day, night after night, Michael2 to his sister in Mommy's stomach.

    The pregnancy 3normally but illness arose during 4

Finally, Michael's little sister was born. But she was in serious condition and was taken to the intensive care unit at a Hospital in Tennessee.

    The days 5 by. The little girl got worse. The doctor said there was little hope. Be 6 for the worst. Karen and her husband contacted a cemetery about a 7 service.

    Michael, however, kept 8his parents to let him see his sister, “I want to sing to her.” However, kids are never allowed in Intensive Care.

Karen decided to take Michael whether the hospital9it or not. If he didn't see his sister right then, he may never see her 10 She dressed him in an oversized operation suit and marched him into ICU. He looked like a walking laundry basket.

    The head nurse 11him as a child and shouted, “Get that kid out of here now. No children are allowed.”

The mother rose up strong in Karen and the usually mild-mannered lady 12 steel-eyed right into the head nurse's eyes, “He is not leaving until he sings to his sister.”

Then Karen 13Michael to his sister's bedside. He looked at the tiny baby losing the 14 to live. After a moment, the 3-year-old began to sing:

     “You are my sunshine, my only sunshine, you make me happy when skies are gray.”

    Instantly the baby girl seemed to respond. The pulse rate became15

    “Keep on singing, Michael,” encouraged Karen with 16 in her eyes.

“You never know, dear, how much I love you, please don't take my sunshine away.”

As Michael sang to his sister, the baby's 17 became smooth.

    “The other night, dear, as I lay sleeping, I dreamed I held you in my 18”.

Michael's little sister began to relax.

    “Keep singing, Michael.” Tears covered the face of the bossy head nurse.

    “You are my sunshine, my only sunshine.…”

    The next 19....the very next day...the little girl was 20 enough to go home.

    One rainy afternoon I was sitting at home feeling so bored.1 feeling sorry for myself, I wanted to meet people and have new2, so I decided to start volunteering. I found a website where I could volunteer on a farm in France.

    Volunteering 3 so many opportunities to have fun and share 4stories. It was the first time for me to work on a farm. It was almost a(n)5holiday as food and accommodation were provided. It was not one6 holiday, however, as I had to 7 fifteen horses and sheep! I soon discovered that I was a(n) 8 farmer but it did not matter because I made some great friends and also improved my9.

    However, you do not 10 go abroad to volunteer. I have had plenty of adventures at home as volunteering can become a11. For example, I love12 so I had a good laugh waving my arms in order to 13my local choir(合唱团). At university, I organized a concert for charity with my friends. It was really 14 to find bands and raise money for a cause.

    It is true that you feel good volunteering but there are also other 15.I once volunteered as a steward (干事) at a charity sports event where the organizers 16 gave me cupcakes from an expensive London bakery to thank me for my 17. I also volunteered in a charity shop so I found loads of nice cheap clothes to 18my wardrobe（衣橱）.

    While this is all fun, my favourite aspect of volunteering is 19and sharing stories. My terrible20  at farming has given me funny stories to tell！

    "What an excellent thing is knowledge," said a sharp-looking, talkative man to one who was 1 older than himself. "Knowledge is an 2 thing, as everyone can see,"3  he. "My boys know more at six and seven years old than I did at twelve. They can read all sorts of books, and 4 on all sorts of subjects. The world is a great deal wiser than it used to be. Everybody knows 5 of everything now. Do you not think, sir, that knowledge is an excellent thing?" " 6  , sir," replied the old man in surprise, looking 7 in manner, "that depends 8 upon the use it is applied. It may be a blessing or a curse(诅咒）. Knowledge is only an 9 of power, and power may be bad, 10 a good thing" "That is what I can't understand," said the 11 little man. "How can power be a bad thing?"

    "I will tell you" calmly replied the old man and thus he went on: "When the power of a horse is under control, the animal is 12in bearing burden, drawing loads, and carrying his master, but 13 that power is out of control, the horse 14 his bridle (缰绳），dashes to pieces the carriage that he draws, or throws his 15. " "I see!" said the little man.

    "When the ship is operated alright, the sail that she 16 enables her sooner to get into port, but if operated 17 ,the more sails she carries, the further she will go out of her course" "I see!" said the little man, " I clearly see! "

    "Well then，"18the old man, "if you see these things clearly, I hope you can see, too, that knowledge, to be good thing, must be rightly applied. God's grace in the heart will make the knowledge of the head a blessing but 19 this, it may 20 to us no better than a curse." "I see! I see! " said the little man, "I see! "

    After all of these years, I still remember my first moment of kindness. It was the first day of kindergarten. I walked in with my mom and was 1 at all the toys against the walls. I 2 ran over to play. Most of the other kids were doing the same.

    In the corner 3, I saw one girl, sitting by herself. She was small and looked 4. She was the only one in the class shorter than me. Her 5 eyes looked like she had been crying. None of the other children seemed to 6 her there.

    I went back to 7 the toy cars but after a minute, I looked up at her again. She seemed so 8. Something inside started to stir(搅动). After a moment, I 9 two of the toy cars and 10 her. "Do you want to play?" I asked. She smiled and 11 her head yes.

    What made me remember that first unselfish act was a 12 that little girl wrote me after we were both grown. She told me how her illness made the other kids 13 her and how that moment of kindness had 14 her life. She had valued the 15I had offered her and carried it in her 16 even after she moved away. I wrote her back and we continued our friendship through the mail for several years 17 the disease finally took her life.

    Today I still thanked my unselfish little heart for 18 me to be kind to a little girl who needed a friend. I thought of how a moment of kindness can 19 so much to another, and of how 20 act can make the world so much better. May your life be full of giving, caring and helping that bring joy to you while you bring joy to others.

In Alsager, England, 45-year-old David Scott brought his infant son into the backyard. As they 1 their trampoline (蹦床), they saw shadow. No, it was 2. There was a wild animal, over two feet tall, walking through David's garden 3 close to the child. David reacted how most people would: by shouting.

Anna, a primary school teacher, 4 her husband in the yard. "I thought it was a dog at first. But with a bushy tail, I thought it might be a wolf." Anna later said. The family had no 5 as to what the animal could be. Would this wild animal 6 their young son? As the animal approached, the couple could only fear for their child.

Anna took photos of the animal, posted them on Facebook and asked people for help. While many people 7 to Anna's Facebook post, one answer 8. It was from the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA), and they had some 9 news for Anna. According to the RSPCA, the animal was a silver fox. Silver foxes are incredibly 10 especially in the United Kingdom, because they are frequently hunted for their 11 fur.

The Stapeley Grange Wildlife Centre checked the animal and confirmed that he was 12, but "a little overweight." As a result, it was believed that he was a lost or 13 pet. Foxes like "Shadow" require 14 care that the average pet owner is not able to provide. The employees at Stapeley Grange announced that they would hand "Shadow" over to a specialist owner. These specialists understand how to take care of foxes properly, and they are highly 15.