Merril Bingham passed away in February 2016. He was a(n)1to me in many ways. He retired(退休)four years ago. Before his retirement we remained close an talked 2. Among the many things that3me that him was his devotion to family and model of fatherhood.

    Merril was quite an athlete and he developed a love for4which lasted his entire life. As I attended Merril's funeral(葬礼), I was more impressed than ever at the5he played as a father to 8 children, who spoke at the funeral and6stories about their dad. I must 7 that, as I sat there, I wondered8my children would have as many great memories of their dad as Merril's 9_did of him.

    One daughter remembered that the morning she was to 10, her dad was up early in the kitchen. When she came into the kitchen, he said, “Hey, you're getting married today! Take it easy! What do you want for breakfasts?” He then made a 11breakfast and they enjoyed it together, making her 12.

    A son talked about fishing trips and 13as they worked in the yard together. He 14the importance of having the open, communicative relationship that15him to have confidence in his dad. This son also developed a love for golf and talked about loving the time when he could 169 or 18 holes with his dad together.

    The memories of the children were about time17together, not about money, or things that18less. I need to share my faith with my children in a(n)19way. Being overbearing(霸道的)doesn't work, 20being a loving example of a father does.

    Last week I talked with Mandy, a mother of a young teenager in my class. She was telling me how 1 it was for her son at school, because he is in a school uniform that doesn't 2 him as he's outgrown it. Since her husband and she both lost their 3 in the last couple of years, they have been searching and interviewing persistently (坚持不懈地). 4, unfortunately they are still out of work.

    Now I know the fact that they just can't 5 a new one. She wiped away 6 as she told me sadly that she is 7 trying to buy a new shirt, then trousers, then… then shoes.

    I know her well enough to know that she doesn't 8 want to get my sympathy or help. She's 9 asked for anything from me, either. She was just telling me the honest 10. I felt moved to go to the 11 to draw money out from my own account through ATM and come back with a bit of savings of my own 12 I believe I can spare. I told her to just go and buy the 13, and not to tell anyone that I did this but her husband.

    I also made it clear to her that nothing is 14 —no payback, nothing. It's a gift done, so I can enjoy 15, and that is all I need right now. I told her that she was also doing me a favor, 16 she let me know everything. She was so 17 for what I had done for her that she was moved to tears, but I really just feel happy that her boy won't continue to be 18 for his ugly uniform. I know what that is like, and as a victim of school bullying (恃强欺弱) when young, I can say 19 it hurts for a long time. I felt so 20 to be able to do this!

    William Weaver was one of 14 black students integrating(使融合进入) the all—white West High School. A teacher told him that he “didn't belong.” He had a test and the teacher 1 him and then just took the paper away and said, “ 2 is up.” The first report card he got was 3 F's. So he started to think maybe he didn't belong and that he was 4 .

    One evening he was at home and Edward Hill, his science teacher from the 5 school, came by to visit. Weaver told Mr Hill that the white school were trying to 6 him away. Mr Hill asked Weaver to come to his old school after 7 . So every day waiting for him would be Mr. Hill with other teachers and they 8 him. Once he got past those F's, he stopped 9 himself. But no matter what he did, he was never 10 at that school. Weaver never had a 11 with a counselor(辅导员)about going to college. But, to his 12 , he got a letter telling him he had been awarded a scholarship. Weaver 13 it and went on to 14 Howard University.

    Many years 15 , Weaver came across Mr Hill and told him, “Mr Hill, if I had not gotten that 16 , I don't know what would have happened. And I don't know 17 I got the scholarship because I never even applied for it.” Mr Hill said, “I know, because I filled in the 18 and sent it off for you.” So Mr Hill stepped 19 and changed his life, 20 at that time Weaver didn't realize how much he was being helped.

    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:

    There are lots of ways to raise awareness for a cause. Usually, the 1 the idea is, the more it gets noticed. And that's precisely why one 2 Frenchman has caught our attention.

    Baptiste Dubanchet is biking across Europe, surviving 3 on discarded（丢弃）food. The three-month, 1 900-mile journey from Paris to Warsaw is Dubanchet's 4 of raising awareness of food waste in Europe and throughout the world.

    As you can 5 , the trip is no piece of cake. While restaurants 6 tons of food each year, much of it remains inaccessible because of 7 garbage containers, health regulations, or business policies. Only about one in ten places 8 him food that would otherwise be discarded.

    For legal 9 , most restaurants have a policy against 10 food waste. "Some people have even 11 their jobs by giving me food," Dubanchet said.

    What's 12 interesting is the attitude various cities have toward Dubanchet's cause. Berlin has been the 13 while the most difficult was the Czech town of Pilsen. There, he had to 14 at some 50 different stores or restaurants before finding food. The 15 is all the more serious when you consider the 16 exercise required to bike from France to Poland.

    "I have to get food 17 because after all the biking I am tired and I need the 18 ,"

    Dubanchet explained. "Is my 19 full or empty? That is the most important thing, not what I am eating."

    He aims to 20 his journey by mid-July. With any luck, he'll turn a few more heads in the process.

    Eight-year-old Landen Johnson, from Lincolnton, North Carolina, suffers from a rare disease. It is thought to have just 28 patients 1.

    At only three-feet tall and 2 less than his three-year-old sister Hannah Grace, Landen is 3 to grow just another 4 at best in his lifetime. Although on the road to 5, Landen is taking a cocktail of medications (鸡尾酒疗法) and has to go to hospital three times a week, with doctors saying it will be months before he is fully 6.

    7 Landen likely facing the challenges of a little person in the future, his parents believe his brave, outgoing 8 will benefit him. His father Luke, 34, said, "I expect to see him 9 a lot in his adult life, especially as 10 as he is and as wide open as he is. He can do anything he wants to do." Speaking of his 11, Landen's mother Amanda, 32, said, "He wears a size 3T clothes, which are the size for boys aged three and he has to have an 12 waist. He is eight years old and he is almost about the same size as his three-year-old sister."

    Although Landen's parents worry about their son's 13, they believe it will be 14, with Luke saying, "I 15 his strength through everything he has been through. We wish Landen would live a 16, full and healthy life. We're going to challenge him and 17 him to do anything he feels like doing even though he is going to be smaller and he may have more health challenges, he doesn't have to 18 himself. He is teaching me a lot about faith and he has taught me a lot about what it 19 to be strong, even when he feel so 20 sometimes.