Lily loved school. However, there was one class Lily worried about more than any other—art. She didn't know why she just wasn't any good at drawing, painting, or cutting.

Ms. Clay, the art teacher, stood at the front of the room. "Class, next Friday our school is going to have an art competition," she announced. Ms. Clay was a great teacher, and Lily liked her a lot. But this announcement made Lily nervous. "Everyone in the school will create a piece of artwork to show in the library. You can use the different types of artwork we have been studying." Ms. Clay was quite excited when she spoke while Lily found herself sinking lower in her chair.

Lily had the whole weekend to work on her project, but she could not think of anything to do. On Monday, Lily felt frightened, so after school Lily asked Ms. Clay if she could write an art paper instead of doing an art project.

"I understand this project scared you, Lily," Ms. Clay said. "Just remember, you can create any kind of art you want." Ms. Clay smiled at her. "Art is a person's way of expressing his or her feelings—it isn't always painting, drawing, or cutting. I know you will think of something very creative, and I can't wait to see it."

When Lily arrived home, she took out a piece of paper and a pencil. She remembered Ms. Clay's words. "Art is a person's way of expressing his or her feelings." Lily wrote the word "terrified" on her paper. She crumpled (揉皱) the paper and threw it to the side of her desk.

Then Lily stared at the crumpled ball. Suddenly an idea struck her.

Paragraph 1：

Why not create something out of crumpled paper?

Paragraph 2：

On Friday, Lily carefully carried her project into the library.

As I prepared for my Level 8 Royal Conservatory of Music piano exam, memories of previous disappointing marks filled me with dread and anxiety. The mere thought of booking the exam made me feel completely strained. However, fate had other plans in store for me.

Just when I thought things couldn't get any worse, my trusty 10﹣year﹣old electric piano malfunctioned. The middle C note played as an F﹣sharp, and multiple other keys were out of tune.

Despite my distress, my father refused to buy a new piano and instead urged me to be more resourceful. Initially, I was at a loss without my beloved electric piano. But after struggling for a few days, I was determined to find every available piano room on campus. After discovering hidden pianos in corners, I spent countless hours practicing. As my exam drew near

One day, while practicing in a piano room, one of my teachers walked in and offered me a mini exam. To my surprise, I found a place where I could be anyone.

Playing the piano became my escape from the anxieties of adolescence and allowed me to express myself freely. When it was time to play in front of the examiner, I no longer feared judgment. Instead, I only feared not being able to represent all my hard work. As the lights came on

Eventually, I received my mark. Not only did I achieve a rarely given "well done", but I also discovered a newfound appreciation for music. Whenever I feel discouraged, some lessons are best learned the hard way.

English businessman Richard Branson made history on July 11, 2021 as he and three other crewmates became the world's first space tourists. The flight was made by a spacecraft named VSS Unity that was built by Branson's company, Virgin Galactic. The flight lasted slightly more than an hour, and took Branson and crew to an altitude（海拔） of 53. 5 miles above the Earth, just a little above the boundary（边界） of space which lies 50 miles above the Earth.

At that height, the atmosphere turns into the black of outer space and the Earth becomes a bent ball of blue. Travelers also exhibit weightlessness as there is no gravity, the force that keeps our bodies walking on the Earth's surface. Therefore, Branson and his fellows were able to float around in VSS Unity while enjoying the views. They were able to do that for three minutes before the spacecraft began its downward journey. It landed back at Virgin Galactic's space port in New Mexico, United States, which is the same place from where it took off 90 minutes ago.

On landing back, Branson said, "I have dreamt of this moment since I was a kid but honestly, nothing could prepare you for the view of the Earth from space. It was just magical. I'm just taking it all in, and it's unreal."

July 11's flight is the start of space tourism for one and all. In early 2022, customers who could afford a ticket for a quarter of a million dollars could line up for a seat on a trip to space. And guess what—they will have a choice of spacecraft. Jeff Bezos, who owns a famous company, is all set to launch himself into space on July 20 on board a spacecraft built by his new branch company Blue Origin. Blue Origin will also carry tourists to space.

Minu Pauline is the owner of Pappadavada Restaurant in Kochi, India. Late one night, as she watched a homeless woman searching through the garbage bin outside her house, a realization hit her with full force—she had been abandoning perfectly good leftover food while someone in need was looking for food.

Touched by this sad sight, Pauline knew she had to find a solution to this problem. That woman had been sleeping and was woken up by her hunger, so she had to go in search of food instead of sleeping.

Inspired by her desire to make a difference, she decided to take action. The idea was simple but mighty: She placed a refrigerator at the entrance of her restaurant, stored with leftover food that anyone could take for free. This refrigerator became a beacon (灯塔) of hope for the hungry and the homeless.

Each day, Pauline fills the refrigerator with 75 to 80 packets of leftovers, carefully labeling each one with the date it was cooked. And there are days when she goes above and beyond, putting in 100 packets to ensure no one leaves hungry. The self-service refrigerator is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, allowing anyone in need to access a warm meal whenever they require it. It's about recognizing the value of resources and combating food waste.

In an interview with The Huffington Post, she passionately emphasized that while money may belong to individuals, resources are a communal asset. She believes that wasting resources, especially food, is not only a loss for individuals but also a disservice to society as a whole.

Through her selfless act, Pauline has sparked a ripple (涟漪) of kindness and compassion in her community.

Juleus Ghunta is a published children's author and award-winning poet. But growing up, he could barely read. Ghunta's family lived in a rural part of Western Jamaica. His mother often had to make tough choices about how to use their limited resources, including a decision to send his oldest sister to school, and to keep Ghunta at home.

When Ghunta finally went to school, he couldn't catch up on his reading skills. Not only had he been kept home from school as a child, but he had not been exposed to books. By the time he entered the sixth grade, he could spell his name, but he still couldn't make out words, spell, or read with understanding.

When Ghunta was about 12, a young teacher decided to start a special reading program for struggling students. Ghunta was the first student to sign up. The teacher was incredibly kind to him. She did not ask anything of Ghunta, except that he worked hard and believed in himself.

Under her guidance, Ghunta's reading skills finally started to improve. He started to feel more confident. "She had left me with the gift of literacy," he said, "and with the value as a human being." His life took a new direction. He graduated from elementary school with a number of academic awards, including one for "most improved in reading". He went on to college. Today, he is the author of two children's books, about overcoming difficult experiences in childhood. He's now working on his first full-length collection of poetry.

"I would love her to see the significant impact that she has made on my life, and the ways in which I have carried this memory of her—the hope and the light—with me and how it continues to be a source of joy."

It was not until photographer Rita Nannini left New York that she grew fascinated by the city's subways. While living in Manhattan for some 15 years in the 1980s and early 1990s, Nannini only commuted (通勤) on the one train-given the subway system's bad reputation. But after relocating to New Jersey for several years where subway is not an option, Nannini found that absence did make the heart grow fonder — maybe even for pizza rats. During her visit back to New York, Nannini nodded, noticing improvements in the subway's facilities.

While Nannini was waiting for a train, a bench on the platform opposite caught her attention due to the ever changing faces and characters. They were people of different accents, colors and beliefs. They were from all walks of life, a diverse mix of New Yorkers all there for their own different reasons. Having learned the teenagers' popular "End of the Line" challenge — boarding trains at random and riding them until their final destination; Nannini decided to visit every first and last stop across the NY subway's lines with her beloved camera.

Nannini's "End of the Line" experience saw her traveling some 665 miles across 26 routes in New York city. She took over 8,000 photos of the final stations, as well as the communities they served. In many cases, she rode the routes two or three times over to ensure she got "the shot". "The project really shows me how important the subway is, and how sustainable it makes our lives," she said 

"It's often said that my photos show the end of the lines — the last stops," she said. "But theend of the line is indeed the start for so many people. That made me think about who the people and the communities that live at the two ends are and what it is that the subway means to them."

Nannini was proud of her set of images directly challenging the traditions of story telling, which echoed both the boredom and excitement of travel on tracks.

Nannini enjoyed taking her time, starting her challenge in 2013 and only shooting the final photos last year. Her first monograph on the terminal stops of the NY subway was released in April 2023.

"When you drive in the suburbs, you don't have those encounters," she continued. "People enter your life on the subway. That's what strikes me most on my jouney on tracks."