Columbus returned home with the news of his discovery of “Indian” as Columbus called it. Then he was considered as the hero who had 1a new world to Spain. Never had such great 2 been shown to any common man. But there were some who were jealous（嫉妒）of the 3.“Who is this Columbus?” they asked, “and what has he done? Isn't he a poor  4  from Italy? And could not any other seaman sail across the ocean just as he has done?”

    One day Columbus was at5  and several of these fellows were6. They tried to make Columbus 7.“You have discovered strange lands beyond the sea,” they said, “But we don't see 8 there should be so much said about it. Anybody can coast along the9 on the other side, just as you have done. It is the 10 thing in the world.”

    Columbus made no11, but after a while he took an egg from a dish and said to the people at the table, “Who12 you, gentlemen, can make the egg stand on 13 ?”One by one they tried the14 .When the egg had gone entirely around and everyone had  15 , all said that it could not be done. Then Columbus took the egg and 16 the shell of the egg's small end a little upon the table. After that there was no 17  in making it stand upward. “Gentlemen,” said he, “what is18than to do this which you said was 19? It is the simplest thing in the world. Anybody can do it--AFTER HE HAS BEEN SHOWN 20 .”

    Last week I stopped at a red light. To my left stood a young woman. She had a look of 1 on her face, ragged clothes, and a sign that 2, "Just need a little help. Thank you." I was 3 drawn to her. I had no cash in my 4. Instead, I gathered all the change I had in my car. I rolled my 5 down. "Hi. What's your name?" I asked. "Joyce," she 6with caution in her voice. "Hi, Joyce, I'm Kelley." I 7 my arm to give her a handshake. She unwillingly 8 my hand. "It's nice to meet you. I wish I had 9 to help you with but this is all I have right now." She pleasantly 10 her hands and 11 the coins. She started telling me how their house was burned down last year and they 12 everything. With no insurance and both losing their jobs, they were starting over.

    All week I drove by that place hoping to see Joyce and give her more. One week later, I was the first in 13 at the red light and as I 14 the light I smiled. There was Joyce. I asked her what her 15 were. She said that one of her relatives lived in Texas and 16 a few rental houses, and she had agreed to let them stay in one until they got 17. "I have a little something to help you 18 there," and I gave her a 20-dollar bill. "We all need a little help every now and then, don't we?" We both smiled and nodded in 19.

    Who knows if I'll ever see her again? But I know at that moment she smiled and she knew that things really were going to get better for her. And seeing her smile and the hope in her eyes is what I needed to 20 my trouble in life.

    On a Friday 1, a poor young artist stood at the gate of the subway station, playing his violin. The music was 2, and many people 3 and put some money into the 4 of the young man.

    The next night, the young artist took out a large piece of5 and laid it on the ground. Then he began 6. The music sounded more pleasant. Some people gathered and they found the 7 on that paper. “Last night, a gentleman put a(n) 8 thing into my hat. Please come to get it back.”  When the people saw that, they felt very curious and began to

9 what it could be. After about half an hour, a man 10 there in a hurry and said, “It can't be true！You ...you ...”

    The young violinist asked, “Did you 11 something?”

    “Lottery (彩票).”the man answered12.

    The violinist took out a lottery ticket. “Is it？” he asked.

    The man was too13 to say a word ...George Sang 14 a lottery ticket a few days ago. The awards(奖)opened yesterday and he won $500,000. So lucky and excited did he feel that he 15 50 dollars and put it in the hat when hearing the music. However, the lottery ticket was also thrown into the hat without being noticed. The violinist found the lottery ticket. Thinking that the owner would 16 to look for it, he came back to where he was given the lottery ticket.

    Someone asked the violinist 17 he returned the lottery ticket to the man. He said, “18 I don't have much 19, I live happily; but if I lose 20 ,I won't be happy forever.”

    When Thomas Moore, 11, stepped up to the plate (棒球比赛中的本垒板) at Oriole Park at Camden Yard in Baltimore, the crowd went wild. It was the biggest applause（掌声） the park had ever heard for a 1 baseball player.

    "I was very 2. I didn't know that was going to happen," says Moore.

    What happened was that the Baltimore Orioles (金莺队) and their fans were recognizing Moore 3 a hero for something he did that nobody in the city ever 4. After seeing a picture of a young cancer 5 on social media, Moore let his hair grow for two and a half years. Then he donated his hair and helped provide wigs (假发) for three kids 6 cancer through having chemotherapy.

    This7boy had no idea what was waiting to happen to him 8 he decided on his act of kindness. "I just thought I got 9 to an Orioles game," he says.

    Moore is one of just 50 heroes recognized by the team-and the one 10has so far inspired the biggest reaction. He waved and smiled when he was 11 on the big screen, and he enjoyed being 12by strangers. Just as exciting: before the game, he had the 13 to talk to Orioles star Adam Jones.

    "We talked about my hair 14," Moore says. "I felt even more proud of myself. And I was already proud."

    Jones said that Moore was a role 15 for other kids.

    Besides meeting one of his heroes, Moore got to meet someone who 16 him as a hero, Mo Gaba, an 11-year-old who is fighting cancer and 17 from one of Moore's wigs. Baltimore's radio listening community has helped 18 more than US$33,000 on the Internet to help with Gaba's medical care. His cancer 19haven't broken his spirit or affected his 20 for the game.

Be a Traveler, not a Tourist

    Last summer, I had just enough money saved to buy a golden ticket—a 3-month train pass that would take me to the furthest reaches of Europe. Excited for my journey, I packed all the necessities —except the 1.

    While the convenience of the Internet was definitely a contributing factor to my 2 not to take with me the few expensive kilograms of out-of-date information, this was not the only reason why I decided to fly alone.

    To be honest, my main 3 with the guidebook is that I find it 4 the pleasure of a journey—like bossy aunt who is always telling you what to do, 5 she doesn't always know what is the best.

    Experience has taught me that there is an obvious 6 between a tourist and traveler.

    While waiting in a queue, I met a man who had a checklist. He showed me his list of “Top 20 Things To Do in Italy” and 7 off in a loud American accent that he'd seen everything Italy has to offer in just four days.

    The problem I had with this man's 8 to travelling was that he was too 9 information provided by his guidebook. He was lost in the 10 attractiveness of the “must-sees” and 11 to all the wonders and adventures that might happen during the 12 trip.

    So, 13 any guidebook, I traveled to Estonia, the tiny Baltic country bordering Russia. In the 14 of advance plans as guidebooks would suggest, I had no choice but to turn to some friendly faces for advice. I 15 myself first and then asked them what was happening around the town. When this  16 an invitation to a beautiful Estonian home by a river where I 17 a 110-degree wood-stove sauna, 18 picked forest-mushrooms and the good 19 of our five newfound Estonian friends, I was most glad that I had left my “bossy 20” at home.

My Perfect Imperfect Life

    A few years ago, I was standing at the barre (扶手杠) waiting for my adult ballet class when I heard a voice behind me. "So, do you have this perfect life?"

    My first reaction was to1who was being asked such an odd question. Then I remembered there were only two of us in the room. When I turned2, the other woman was looking straight at me.

    I had no idea how to answer it. Was she3? Who has a perfect life? Sure, occasionally I did find the perfect dress or the perfect pair of shoes,4never would I use that word to describe anything about me or my life. I felt a twinge of guilt for somehow giving her that5.

    She watched me. I finally6to whisper a quick "No".

    By then, the teacher had entered the room and turned on the music to start class. With a sigh of7, I moved my feet into the best position. But as soon as my knees bent for our first pose, I realized my8had been disturbed. This woman's words wouldn't9echoing in my thoughts.

    I wanted to know how she came up with her very mistaken10. If she knew anything about my life, she never would have had the11to ask me that question.

    I did my best to do our floor exercises in front of the mirror. For a few moments, I didn't see the usual12of my older self attempting to use a beautiful art form to 13my gracefulness. I only saw the little girl whose father died when she was two, the child who walked home from elementary school every day to an empty house, who learned to sew her own clothes to14money.

    Perfect. My life had been far from it.

    When those memories15, I was left with a vision of the woman I had become, the woman16by all those things I considered imperfect. I now saw the woman who had learned to be self-reliant, who17her family and her friends, who didn't take life for granted. Was that the "perfect" this woman had detected?

    I still don't know, but I no longer feel18or feel like I must keep track of all the difficult times to prove my life isn't19. If ever again asked whether my life is perfect, I would have a different20. Because now I see that, despite all its imperfection, it is.