There was a pet store and the owner had a parrot. One day a 1 walked in and the parrot said to the man ,“Hey you!” The man said, “What!?” The parrot said, “Your 2 is really ugly.” The man got very 3 and went to the store owner and said, “Your bird just  4 my wife. It said she was ugly.”

    The owner stormed over, 5 the bird, took it into the “black room,” shook it a bit, 6 out a few feathers, and said, “Don't ever, ever say anything to  7 my customers again. You got that！！！”

    With that 8 he took the bird and put it back into its cage. The old bird shook out its    9  and relaxed in its cage. A couple of weeks 10 and in walked this guy and his wife again. The parrot said, “Hey you!” The guy said, “What!?” The parrot answered, “You know that.”

    Recently I was shopping in the local Walmart. There I 1a former coworker. We started 2 about old times when we worked together at the store. Looking at her I could 3 that she was not in the best of health so I asked, “When are you going to 4?” She told me with tears in her eyes that she had 5 retired but had to come back to 6 because she couldn't make ends meet with her retirement 7. I told her how sorry I was and left the store.

    A week later, I was 8 to have a little extra cash and I was looking for someone to 9 it with. It wasn't a ton of money 10 it was more than what I had and I wanted to show my 11 by giving a bit of it to someone else. I was 12 at Walmart again and I noticed the same 13 I had talked to a week earlier.

    As soon as I 14 her I thought she could be one of the people I share my blessing with. I walked up to her. I 15 her by name and asked her, “If I16 you something, will you keep it and not try to give it back?” She 17 at me, puzzled and said yes. At the same 18 I reached in my pocket and pulled out a $100 bill and put it in her hand. When she saw what it was she looked 19 and asked “Why me?” I saw her tears rolling down her face.

    I walked away because I 20 myself about to cry.

    More than one year ago, I suffered from a medical issue lasting for almost two months. I didn't share it with everyone because I thought it didn't sound so important, but as time has   progressed, I've come to realize it was so much more than that.

    On February 13, 2017, I was in my kitchen 1 dinner with my youngest son. 2 I felt a sharp pain in my head, and I was very dizzy, seeing 3. I could see the concern in my son's eyes as he asked me to rest on the sofa while he finished cooking dinner.

    As I lay there, I acted as if I was OK but 4 it got worse. This headache along with other symptoms continued non-stop for the next seven weeks. 5 countless doctor and specialist appointments, and tons of medicines, the pain remained.

    Both doctors and several radiologists were 6. I'm a believer of God and I always have been, 7 sadly I was losing hope and I felt as if my faith was being tested this time. The emotional suffering began to affect my spirit.

    Thankfully I continued to pray and be grateful that I was fortunate to have medical care. So many people have no money for 8 and suffer daily. After 48 long days of 9 and going to bed with an extreme headache, my answer and healing finally came through a wonderful doctor and physical therapist.

    To God goes the glory!

    Looking 10 I feel so grateful for all the love everyone gave. I have so many considerate friends, caring coworkers, 11 a very loving and sweet husband and three amazing kids that show me every day how much I 12 to them.

    My mind went to so many places during this uncertain time and I was reminded that life is so fragile. Nowadays as challenging as it may be, I'm trying to 13 each day as if it were my last, remaining 14 and happy. I'll continue to be thankful and give back whenever and as much as I can. I 15 you to do the same.

    Praise God, from whom all blessings flow…

    On a cold winter evening, I was walking home, tired and hungry, when suddenly came screams (呼喊声) from behind some tress. 1, I slowed down to listen, and2that what I was hearing were the sounds of a fight. A woman was being3not far from where I stood.

    "Should I go to help her?" I thought. I was worried about my own4, and I regretted having suddenly decided to take a new way home that night. "What if I'm5too? Shouldn't I just6to the nearest phone and call the police?" But already the girl's7were growing weaker. I knew it was time for me to act fast because I could not8to the life of this unknown woman, 9it meant risking my own life.

    I am not a10man. I didn't know where I found the11and physical strength (体力), but once I had finally12to help the girl, I became suddenly changed. I ran behind the bushes and13the attacker off the woman. Struggling, we fell to the ground, where we fought for a few minutes14the man jumped up and escaped.

    15heavily, I stood up and came up to the girl, who was crying behind a tree. In the16, I could not see her clearly, but I could certainly17her shock. Not wanting to frighten her any further, I at first spoke to her from a distance.

    "It's OK," I said18. "The man ran away. You're safe now. "There was a long stop and then I heard the words, said in both wonder and19. "Dad, is that you?" And then, from behind the tree, stepped my youngest20, Katherine.

It was a regular school day, and the air was filled with the usual sounds of chatter and laughter as students prepared for their lessons. Little did I know that this day would soon take a dramatic turn, making it a/an 1 day.

As the bell rang, 2 the beginning of our English class, we entered the classroom, completely 3 of the coming danger. The teacher began the lesson, and we were really 4 our literature lesson when, out of nowhere, a loud fire alarm interrupted everything.

Panic spread as we understood how 5 it was. Smoke filled the hallway, and a sharp burning smell hung in the air. The neat classroom turned into a mess as everyone 6 to the door, trying to get away from the coming danger.

In all the chaos, I noticed my 7 Sarah looking obviously scared by her desk. I quickly 8 she needed help. Without hesitation, I rushed over, took her shaky hand, and told everyone to stay calm. We went through the chickening smoke together, and each 9 felt like a really long time.

As we reached the door, it felt hotter, and we knew we had to hurry. With hearts 10 , we hurried into the playground where teachers and students were making sure everyone stayed safe.

Outside, we took a moment to catch our breath, 11 by the loud sounds of approaching fire trucks. Seeing parts of the building on fire, a sense of 12 washed over us, knowing that we had made it out unharmed.

After everything happened, I couldn't help but reflect on the events of that day. 13 all this taught me it's important to stay calm when things get 14 and how helping others during hard times matters. It was a day when ordinary students became unlikely heroes, bound together by the shared 15 to overcome the unexpected challenges.

At just seven years old, Angelina Tsuboi discovered her passion for innovation. It all began with a simple game she programmed in her Los Angeles public school's Grade 2class. Today , at18, the Grade 12 student's initial curiosity has evolved into a deep-seated desire to use technology to decode (解码) real-world problems. 

In 2021, she co-developed Megaphone, one of her first apps, to tackle unanswered post-class questions and poor communication about events and announcements. Her problem-solving ability kept building from there. 

When she took online CPR classes at the start of the pandemic, she figured it couldn't be just her who was struggling with the steps. So she created an app called CPR Buddy ― a winner in the 2022 Apple Swift Challenge ― which guides users through CPR using vibrations (震动) to regulate breath. After winning the award, Angelina presented her work to Apple CEO Tim Cook, a highlight in her young career, but one she didn't lose her cool over. "There's no point putting people on a pedestal (神坛)," she says. 

The next year, Angelina built an app called Lilac, designed to assist nonEnglish-speaking single parents with resources for housing, job opportunities and translation support. She was inspired by her own experiences as a child of a single mother who immigrated to the US. 

When Angelina decided to pursue pilot training at the age of 16, she was struck by how difficult it was to find financial support, which encouraged her to create yet another app, Pilot Fast Track, which helps those longing to be pilots find scholarships for flight training. 

Looking to the future, besides applying to colleges with great labs, Angelina is exploring the field of aerospace cybersecurity and mechatronics ― combining computer science, electrical engineering and mechanical engineering. 

"There's not enough optimism in the world," she says. "I have also been in situations in my life where I've lost a lot of hope. But in the end, it is a mindset, and there are ways in any situation you're in to make it somewhat better. "