Double Trouble

    When I was eight, I wanted a toy and needed $10 to buy it. But, as usual, I was broken. I decided to ask my 11-year-old sister, Kathleen, for a loan. I went to her room1her for the cash. Laughing, she agreed to2me the money, but added, “I will charge you 10 percent compound interest every 3until you pay me back.”

    “Compound interest what's that?” I asked.

    “Well, interest is what you call the4money borrowers have to pay back on a loan,” she explained. “Compound interest means that the interest payments get bigger and bigger the5you take to pay back the loan. To repay the loan, you will need to give me $11 after one month. If you wait two months to pay me back, your6will grow from $10 to $11. So I'll be charging you interest on $11. Then I will add that interest to the $11 you already owe me, for a 7of $12.10. That's what you'll owe after two months.”

    “Sure. I get it,” I said. Though truthfully, I was getting 8

Kathleen lent me the money, and I bought the toy. My birthday came a month later, and my mom gave me $10.9that was just the amount I needed to buy another toy I wanted10I put off paying my sister for a month. After another month, I11about the loan.

    Several months later, on Christmas morning, my sister and I each found a $02 bill in our stockings. I was just putting it into my pocket 12Kathleen tapped me on the shoulder.

    “Sorry, kiddo. That's mine. I'm13on your debt.”

    “Huh?” Then I remembered the loan. “Hey! How can it be that much? I 14borrowed $10.”

    “True,” she said, “but interest has been compounding for eight months. Now you 15me $21.43.” She paused, then added. “You can pay me the $1.43.”

    I 16to believe that a $10 loan could more than double so quickly. Much to my17my sister got her pencil and tablet and showed me exactly how it all added up.

    My head18as I tried to keep track of Kathleen's 19 but this time, I got the basic idea of compound interest. I 20the hard way that borrowing money can be “double trouble” in no time.

The Homeless Hero

    For many, finding an unattended wallet filled with £400 in cash would be a source（来源）of temptation（诱惑）. But the 1 would no doubt be greater if you were living on the streets with little food and money. All of this makes the actions of the homeless Tom Smith 2 more remarkable.

    After spotting a 3 on the front seat inside a parked car with its window down, he stood guard in the rain for about two hours waiting for the 4 to return.

    After hours in the cold and wet, he 5  inside and pulled the wallet out hoping to find some ID so he could contact（联系）the driver, only to 6 it contained £400 in notes, with another £50 in spare change beside it.

    He then took the wallet to a nearby police station after 7 a note behind to let the owner know it was safe. When the car's owner John Anderson and his colleague Carol Lawrence returned to the car—which was itself worth £35, 000—in Glasgow city centre, they were 8 to find two policemen standing next to it. The policemen told them what Mr. Smith did and that the wallet was 9.

    The pair were later able to thank Mr. Smith for his 10.

    Mr. Anderson said：＂I couldn't believe that the guy never took a penny. To think he is sleeping on the streets tonight 11 he could have stolen the money and paid for a place to stay in. This guy has nothing and 12 he didn't take the wallet for himself；he thought about others 13. It's unbelievable. It just proves there are 14 guys out there.＂

    Mr. Smith's act 15 much of the public's attention. He also won praise from social media users after Mr. Anderson 16 about the act of kindness on Facebook.

    Now Mr. Anderson has set up an online campaign to 17 money for Mr. Smith and other homeless people in the area, which by yesterday had received ￡8,000. ＂I think the faith that everyone has shown 18 him has touched him. People have been approaching him in the street; he's had job 19 and all sorts,＂ Mr. Anderson commented.

    For Mr. Smith, this is a possible life-changing 20. The story once again tells us that one good turn deserves another.

    As the saying goes, roses given, fragrance in hand. I am always in the 1 of giving money to every beggar or homeless person I pass by. My friends say it is not good to 2. We may come across beggars or homeless people begging every day and all beggars have their ability to survive. It 3 them that I never listen.

On a 4day, my friend and I were walking to the bus stop 5 I passed a beggar lady. I had seen her several times before and had always given her a few 6. That day, I gave her 2 Euros. I was waiting for the bus and reading a book when I 7 to see that lady standing in front of me. She 8 me a piece of paper covered in a plastic bag to prevent it from getting9. She stood there, looking at me 10. Putting away my book, I took the paper, which 11 she and her family had to 12 their country because of floods, and she was 13 to support them. She had got a bit of money, but she needed five 14 Euros to get home. I 15 into my pockets and found 20 cents. My friend 16 a 5 Euro note. I asked her to give it to the lady, and said that I would 17 the next day. When she got the money, the lady hugged us and said thanks again and again, and went on her way. Later on the bus, I wondered where her home was and 18 she had gotten to this country. In her story, I felt that my friend and I would always remain part of it as the 19, who helped her get home on a rainy day. But for me, helping a stranger did bring me happiness, giving me a pleasant 20 .

    Last July, Angela Peters rolled her wheelchair into a nail salon (美容院) at the Walmart shopping center with the idea of 1 her nails. But Peters, who has cerebral palsy(脑瘫), was 2 because the salon was afraid it would be too difficult to properly paint her nails, given that her 3 shook. What was meant to be a day of beauty 4 for Peters was now a disappointment.

    5 nearby was Ebony Harris, a Walmart cashier about to go on her 6 . Harris recognized Peters as a Walmart 7. "She's just like you, me and anybody else." Harris told ABC News, "She wants to look 8. So why can't she?"

    Harris approached Peters. "Do you want me to do your nails?" she asked. A smile 9 across Peters's face. "Yeah!"

    Harris 10 Peters into the beauty section, where they shopped for nail polish. They 11 on a bright blue—a color that would 12 every eye. They then made their way into a(n)13 McDonald's, found a table for two, and set up shop. Harris 14 took Peters's hand into hers and carefully began painting her nails.

    Watching it all with 15 was McDonald's employee Tasia Smith. What 16 her most was the ease and gentleness displayed by Harris, all the while 17 as if they were old friends. Smith was so taken by the 18 that she wrote about it on Facebook: She was so 19 with her. Thanks to the Walmart worker for making this beautiful girl's 20 ! And Peters wrote, "When people do us wrong, we should learn to forgive!"

    A businessman was in heavy debt. The sponsor cut off his investment (投资), 1 the supplier was urging payment. The businessman felt it 2 to get out of the trouble. He sat on a bench in the 3, with his head 4 in his hands, thinking hard on how to avoid bankruptcy (破产).

    Just at this moment, an old man suddenly appeared and asked him, "Are you in any 5?"

    Hearing the businessman's story, the old man said, "I can 6 you." The old man asked the businessman's name and then handed him a 7, saying, "Take this, let's meet here again in one year. I believe you will surely pay me back."

    "Oh, thank you very much, I promise I will."

    Then the old man left. The businessman 8 the $500,000 check, and found the signature on it was John D. Rockefeller, a billionaire's name.

    "So the problem was solved easily," the businessman thought to himself. Thanks to the check, he could possibly find a 9 to save his company. 10, he decided not to use the money until he had to. With such thoughts in mind, he became positive about his 11. Therefore, a second talk with the supplier went 12 and he gained the permission of 13 delay. After that, he made several deals 14. A few months later, he paid off all the 15 and his business improved and began to make profits again.

    One 16 later, he came to the park as 17, the $500,000 uncashed check in hand. Soon the old man came. The businessman was just about to 18 the check to the old man when a nurse ran over and seized the old man. "I 19 him," the nurse shouted, "I hope he didn't 20 you, sir, he always runs away from the nursing home and tells everybody that he is John D. Rockefeller." The nurse took the old man away with the words.

Don't ignore (忽略) the difference teenagers can make.

John Michael Thomas, 14, Florida

When John Michael Thomas decided to honor his friend and classmate Elizabeth Buckley, who died from cancer, he remembered how much she loved peacocks (孔雀).

He wanted to build a life-sized peacock fountain (喷泉) in Elizabeth's favorite park in the city. He thought it could be a place for people to relax and be inspired.

John Michael raised $52,000 to build the fountain.

Barrett England, 13, Utah

The wheels began to turn for Barrett England when he heard about Karma Bike shop, a place where young people can earn free bikes by reading and performing community (社区) service.

Barrett visited Karma's owner with his idea: He would collect and repair used bikes and donate them to the shop.

He expected to get about 10 donated bikes. In the end, Barrett received 39.

Zachary Blohm, 15, Wisconsin

The 25-year-old playground at an elementary school near Milwaukee, Wis. was so small that only 70 of its 575 students could play on it at a time.

That's when Zachary Blohm saved the day. He and some volunteers wanted to build a huge playground. To raise money, Zac planned T-shirt and bake sales, sold tickets and more. He held monthly money-raising events for more than a year. Overall, he collected $130,000 — enough to finish his project.

Jack Zimmerman, 16, New Jersey

For some people, finding a meal is as simple as opening the refrigerator. For more than 366,000 hungry kids in New Jersey, it's not that easy.

That fact didn't sit well with Jack Zimmerman, who organized a drive to lessen childhood hunger in his state. His goal: create 40,000 packaged meals that could be donated to those in need.

On game day, Jack and his volunteers started their work. After the final count, the team had packaged 47, 124 meals—well above Jack's goal.