During the course of a lifetime, we all make mistakes. And often we take for granted what we have, thinking that we 1 what we already have, or believing that we will never need anyone to 2 us out from difficult and 3 times.

    Such was the 4 of Cecilia. Cecilia had a great job, a nice house and everything she needed. 5, she was not a kind person for several reasons that became 6 once you got to know her. The first thing was her lack of 7 for others who were not as fortunate as she was. She would not help anyone, 8 would she even begin to express any sympathy for anyone's troubles. Her 9 was that they were just too lazy.

    But, then came the catastrophic day. Her husband got into financial difficulty, to the point 10 he was forced to declare bankruptcy(破产). She found that she was the one who 11 nothing.

    Now she was 12 for help. She also found out that her parents were unwilling to help her but, 13 for her, his family was willing and able to help them through these difficult times despite the 14 that she had deliberately kept them out of her life. 15 Cecilia was assisted through challenging times, once 16, she changed to her true self.

    But this is not the main point of the story. We all need help 17 along life's path whether we think we will or not. And, if you are the one 18 help, just remember this: no matter what 19 later, you will always be 20 in the fact that you have remained strong and true to assist those that need your help.

    I had reached the age of twenty-eight. Still, I1 whether the letter from my past would make it to me, all these years later. It was a2 writing task from when I was eighteen. The teacher collected our letters to our3 selves in self-addressed envelope with stamps and promised to4 them ten years later. But since so much time had passed, would he even5 ?

    Thinking back on the6 , I recalled giving my future self some advice. When you're eighteen Years old, twenty-eight seems like a7  age, but I wasn't feeling as mature as I believed my younger self had8 me to be.

    When the letter finally reached me, I opened it9 . It began, "How much do you bet this letter will never get to you? "It continued to greet me casually10 we were having an IM (instant messaging) chat. As a senior in high school, facing the11 SATS and college application, my eighteen-year-old self was so12 ! She was apparently not quite happy and hoped I wouldn't worry so much in the future, and that I wouldn't forget to be present and13 my life!

    14 to my belief, my eighteen-year-old self did not have any demands of me, or expectations I might have15 meet. Instead, she wrote, "I'll16 whatever you do. Even if you are not the one I'm imagining now, I'll support you, because maybe17 I'm imagining is someone else, but you're not someone else, you're me.

    I was18 , and tears welled up in my eyes at this19 through time. I had put a lot of pressure on myself to be the best version of myself that I could be.20 , I came to realize what I would have accomplished in ten years would pale in comparison(相形见细)to how I'd feel and who I'd be.

    Three years ago, when I entered my school for the first time, I was welcomed by students wearing white shirts with a badge (徽章) saying "Prefect" on them, who greeted me with the1"Welcome to Huaxia Middle School". I was immediately impressed and2 I could be one of them. Then next year, in the summer of 2016, my wish3 when I was selected to be a prefect. Just like the ones4 me, I was to stand at the school gate and 5 new freshmen.

    So, you may wonder, what 6 is a prefect? Prefects are student leaders in our school. They're usually top students7 from higher grades to help teachers run the school 8 of the classroom9 you're chosen to be a prefect, you need to be a nearly perfect student. Becoming a prefect wasn't10 for me. I used to be sensitive and 11 caring too much about what others thought of me. But since I was12 to become a prefect, I tried my best to be more brave and hardworking, making rapid13in a year.

    The biggest benefit of being a prefect is that it teaches me to be14 and set an example for lower grade students. I was a member of the school soccer team, but I wasn't a good 15 and felt embarrassed about my poor 16. After having some students from lower grades join our team, however, I knew that I had to set a good example. So, I kept practicing my skills and 17 greatly.

Being a prefect doesn't 18 mean I have a badge on my shirt. It also means that I have a hardworking attitude deep in my19"You can make it," I always remind myself. Becoming a prefect has20 me to work harder and become an even better person.

    Madison Williams was studying in her bedroom in August 2016 when the door burst open. It was her mother, Leigh Williams, with a horrific and 1 story: "A little boy fell into a septic tank (化粪池), and no one can reach him." Then she made a 2 : "Can you help?"

    Madison and Leigh ran to a neighbor's yard, 3 they found the boy's worried mother and other adults 4 a septic tank opening that was a few inches above the neatly trimmed lawn. The boy, who was only two years old, had 5the eight feet deep tank.

    Hearing the mother's6, the adults nearby rushed to help the frightened mum. Madison quickly 7 the situation. It was clear that she was the only one who could 8 through the small hole. Without 9, she told the adults, "Lower me in." Leigh and others held her 10. "I managed to get through the opening," Madison says. Inside, the dark tank was 11. In the process, she12his left arm so severely that the hand was almost useless. 13 tend to her injury, Madison scanned the 14of the water closely. Suddenly she saw the faint 15 of his foot again and shot her good hand out and grasped the foot 16. "Pull me up!" Both were lifted out of the tank, but because he had been 17 of oxygen long enough he couldn't 18. He was placed on his side, and an adult gave him several hard taps on the back, until the boy coughed up fluids.

    It took Madison longer than the boy to 19 in hospital. "Madison's a hero," her neighbor Holley said. "I wonder if there is any other girl who will 20 to go into a septic tank."

    Last winter was extremely cold and it was also a difficult time for me. A(n) 1 injury happened to me and it might keep me in bed for several months, just in time for the New Year. But how could I feel the 2 when the snow was so heavy and I had months of physical 3 ahead?

    One day I was doing my housework 4 there was a tap against the window from a branch of a fruit tree. On hearing this, I began to 5 the fall of 1995 when somebody placed a pipe from my pump next to the 6. The earth was so wet that it 7 immediately with most its bare roots upward. Seeing this, my mother 8 to pull it out, but I refused, 9 the direction of its strong holding of the earth, and said, "It is 10 of a chance to survive." With tools, we 11 dry soil around the tree and put up some supports into the ground, making it 12 upright.

    Several months had passed before I could be 13 of it. Surprisingly, when spring returned, my "rescue stick" had grown some leaves and many 14. In 2009 it had grown into a towering tree. What a(n) 15 miracle of life!

    The day before the New Year, the 16 at the window was continuing, as if to remind me to look up and appreciate its 17 life. That night I slept peacefully having a(n) 18. In the dream some flowers were coming out 19. The next morning I stood against the window. 20 the window was the tree bursting with life.

    Jake was born healthy, but his parents noticed there was something wrong when he was 5. Jake 1 about 20 pounds in just six months. He kept putting on weight 2 eating only salad. In 2015, Jake was diagnosed with ROHHAD, a 3 condition that affects the brain and causes rapid weight gain. Only 75 cases have ever been reported, and 4 of the sufferers is known to have survived twenty years.

    But Jake wants to fight for his 5. Although there is no way to fully 6 the weight gain, he does everything he can to slow it down, including 7 competing in triathlons (铁人三项). Triathlons help him keep fit and active. It's good for his 8 and also gives him a chance to socialize with other kids. He 9 with the Malta Youth Triathlon Association three times a week.

    "He is extremely 10. He never misses a training session without valid 11 and is constantly eager to train," Jake's trainer said. "Jake is very lovable and steals the heart of all who know him. It's heartbreaking to see what he has to 12. I look at his family with a mixture of 13 — despite the hardship they try their best to ensure that Jake gets as 14 a life as possible."

    Everybody is more than happy to help Jake, and they 15 change event dates and training schedules just to make it easier for him to 16. He is always very determined, but due to his condition, he can't 17 himself to push his heart rate too high.

    Jake's 18 is to meet two famous British Triathlon players, 19 due to his disease, he cannot travel. After Jake's story was made public, someone 20 that he would do everything he could to make the boy's dream a reality.