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 3 how 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 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 18 what she's learned to other kids when she grew up.

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

    One day, Jim played basketball in the living room after school. When he was playing in high spirits, his basketball 1 a vase off the shelf by accident and the mouth of it knocked off a large piece. What made him more2 was that the vase was rare and valuable. To cover the great 3 he caused, he glued the pieces together and put the vase back to its place.

    While cleaning the vase after work, his mother 4 the change on it. At dinnertime, she asked Jim if he 5 the vase. Being afraid of punishment, Jim said a wild cat jumped in from the window and knocked the vase off the shell. His mother was quite clear that he was 6, for all the windows were closed before she went to work. However, his mother just remained 7 and said it was her carelessness not to have the window closed.

    Before going to bed, Jim's mother asked him to go to the study. He felt he couldn't 8 the punishment.

    When he entered the study in fear, his mother's face appeared no sense of 9. Instead, she took a chocolate box out of the drawer and 10 one piece to him. “Jim, this chocolate is a reward for you, for you11 a cat that could open the window, with your imagination.” Then, she put another chocolate in his hand. “This chocolate is a reward for your topping12 to restore (修复). You restored with glue, the cracks were filled almost perfectly. 13remember, to restore a vase needs more powerful glue and higher 14 skill. Tomorrow, let's bring the vase to the15 to see how they'll make it as it was.” With that, his mother took the third chocolate, “The 16 chocolate stands for my deep apology (歉意) to you. As your mother，I shouldn't have put a vase in a place where it could so 17 fall down, especially when there is a boy fond of sports.”

    “But, Mum, I ...” His mother18him and said. “My chocolate box has been 19, so our talk is over, too. Now, go to bed!” Then she left for her own bedroom. The following days were the same as before. The only 20 was that Jim never told a lie since then.

    Today my son didn't feel well and came home from school early. I decided to take him to lunch. On the way, he saw a woman pushing her cart along the street. He said to me, “Ma, she's wearing baseball cleats(夹板) as 1. I just wish I made enough money to be able to 2 a pair of comfortable shoes for 3 I see that doesn't have shoes.”

    We drove to a shopping center and he went inside. He 4 thought out what he'd get. He 5 the most comfortable and the longest lasting shoes that would keep her 6too. He 7 two pairs: athletic shoes and also boots for the winter, along with a six pack of socks.

    We drove back to find her and give her this 8. I had no intention of taking a 9, but I was holding my phone as I saw her reach up to 10 him. It choked me up and I couldn't 11 that moment. I opened the camera as quickly as I could and 12 it. It brought tears to my eyes as he hugged her and then helped her 13 the tags and put them on. He quietly got back into the 14 and he sat there for a minute or so. When he looked over at me he said, “Ma, today is her birthday. She was so 15.”

    He didn't ask questions or talk 16 about her situation. He simply 17. He took basically one week of his pay and made this lady's birthday 18. I challenge everyone to love a 19 with the 20 of a child. Show compassion and give what you can. It doesn't have to be a lot. 

    Bullied(霸凌), bothered and mad, I became a troublemaker in school. In the tenth grade year, it came to a head. I 1 friends with a rough kid who well could have 2 the end of my future. A big fight was planned for that Friday night. My friend said, "Rudy, we're tough. Let's go." I 3agreed. I had a big head. It was a 4 to show off. I would 5those who had made me so mad.

    I waited until the family was 6asleep. Quietly, I 7 out of bed, pulled on my clothes, and tiptoed(踮着脚走) to the back door. I was careful not to make a sound. However, Dad knew something was up. He 8 me off at the door.

    With his hand on my shoulder, he 9 that we talk. I admitted where I was 10. The kids we would fight against had 11 us.

    It was our 12 to teach them a lesson. That's when Dad13 my future, and maybe my life. He replied, "You are no man when a 14fight is your way. You become a man by knowing when to walk away. Learn it now and remember."

    I'm 15 that Dad stayed up to catch me that night. Bad 16 came the next day. Several were badly hurt in the fight. With a 17to the head, my friend was now dead.

    It could have been me, or I might have been 18 and taken away. Either 19, that would have caused my end: Dad, you were the best: You taught me to stop the foolish 20and to know when to walk away:

    Skydiving isn't an activity for the faint of heart, but when you do it at 101 years old, you're pretty much a superhuman. On May 13, Verdun Hayes became the 1person in the world to complete a 15,000-foot tandern jump (双人伞), 2 the Guinness World Records he once set up.

    Verdun Hayes wasn't 3. He finished the jump with eight family members and two close 4 at Dunkeswell Airport in England. As they5to make the jump, the entire family looked nervous, but6as well. Hayes' grandson–in–law Ian Honnor, the organizer of the family's jump, told TODAY, "He was probably the calmest one on the 7. He had no fear and just loved it. He just wanted everyone to8it and be healthy." Honnor, who helped 9the outing, said this wasn't Hayes' first jump! "When he was more than ninety years old, his family kept telling him he wasn't 10 to do the jump. However, he didn't give up his 11. At the age of 100, he 12realized his ambition and became the first man of such an advanced age to 13a tandem skydive."

    This time he decided to shoot for the world record. "Because it's such a big14, it was decided that as many people in the family as we could possibly get were going to go15him," Honnor said. "He had four generations(世代) of his family in the 16at the same time—they ranged from age 16 to 101." The family held a big party to 17his achievement.

    Hayes even had some18for those people hoping to 19the same thing at his age. "Just keep your mind20occupied by positive thought and keep your body as fit as you possibly can," said Hayes. "Those are the two great things."

    My father was a Jamaican(牙买加) immigrant while my mother was a white woman. They never got married but I was born. However, my father never1his family about my existence. Whatever the case, I didn't know I was a2until my thirteenth birthday.

    Walking into my aunt's apartment brought a lot of emotions. What if my3didn't want anything to do with me because I was half white? How4can I learn the jokes that my family members told? Should I5them for all the years they didn't spend with me? My mind was full of thoughts when I was6to everyone, trying desperately to understand family members who almost were7strangers. Meanwhile, I was8to just remember everybody's name.

    One of my aunts, who'd been quiet for most of the morning looked at me with tearful eyes. She mentioned how9she was for my father to have a daughter, saying, "He's always dreamt of having a daughter". However, she then expressed her10towards my father for keeping the family in the11about me. From this12, I have learned more about what it means to be biracial (代表两种人种的). Can I still13myself Jamaican even though my first time trying curry goat, a traditional dish, was not until my teenage years?

    I've become aware that no matter how much DNA you might14with a particular race, you won't feel truly connected if you did not15with that culture's customs. I believe this event has16me into becoming a more understanding person when analyzing someone's actions. I have realized that I am far from a17. I am determined to prove that I'm here for a reason by using my talents to18those around me. I have grown to not19on my parents and families to tell me who I am, but I have understood my uniqueness and20my real self. I really feel proud that among strangers I eventually know who I am!