When Joe was about to start school, all signs pointed to success. Yet things turned out to be quite1. The fourth grade even found him at the2of the class. Joe struggled day and night, but it did not3—until one stormy afternoon.

    On that afternoon, 4the math teacher started to introduce difficult concepts, dark clouds

    covered the sky, and the storm set in. Hard though she tried to make the kid, 5, the thunder won the battle for their attention. No one6the concepts. Except for Joe. He understood them and answered all the questions correctly. The teacher patted him on the back, and told him to go around to the others and explain how he had managed it. 7by his newfound success, Joe moved quickly throughout the room. Soon math time was followed by the time for8. All children naturally drew9pictures on such a day. Except for Joe.

    Since then, Joe started10. Though he never made it to the top, his math teacher was always11and curious about the change: Why had that stormy day changed Joe?

    On the day Joe graduated, he presented the teacher with his most12possession—the picture of a bright yellow sun. On the picture Joe had written: This is the day I13my brightness.

    Last weekend, I had some extra time before going through security to catch my flight at the airport. While wondering what to do, I decided it was the1time and place to look for an act of 2 to do!

    One of the magazine stands outside the security check area had flowers3. I told the clerk that I'd like to buy flowers for someone else, and she could4who to give them to. She looked a little5, so I explained perhaps she could hand the smile cards with the flowers to someone who seemed to need some to6 .

    At first, the clerk7, “That's8. I can't tell which customer needs encouragement.” But then, I explained a little more about9cards and the concept of doing something kind for a complete stranger, and she10up.

    “I'll never know how it11out,” I said, “but you will have the 12 to make someone's day.” At that point, she started to seem genuinely excited about it.

    She went to take the 13 out of the water. Then I explained, “It's fine to __14them there until the person you want to give them to 15 .”

    At that point, I thought she was somewhere between surprise and delight, __16 it was clear this was not a(n) 17 she had ever gotten from a customer before.

I 18 the flowers, said goodbye, and headed for the 19 line.

    I'll never know how it turned out, but I was in good 20 for the rest of the morning.

    I always come across random acts of kindness in my life. Many years ago, I was 1Costa Rica when I found myself in an 2situation: my credit cards and bank cards went out of 3 abroad, and I only had $5 to my 4.

    I had no way to get money. I didn't know anybody in this country. I only knew basic Spanish, and besides the cash the only 5I had was a return ticket to my country in almost two 6. Back then, there was no such thing as mobile phones, and7email was very limited. To find help, I decided to go to the countryside. With the only coins I had, I 8the bus terminal(终点站)and found a village, which 9almost the exact amount. About 4 hours later, I arrived at Santa Rosa Abajo at midnight.

    I knocked door to door,10in my very poor Spanish that I was a foreigner travelling in Costa Rica with no money but I 11to stay here for over ten days. I begged them for a 12－such as cooking , cleaning and looking after their kids, anything like that. Everybody 13, “oh my, but so poor are we that we have no 14 food or space. Maybe you can try the next 15.” And they'd point me to another house.

    16, I arrived at a Chinese restaurant. The owner of the restaurant was very 17. She gave me food and called the Red Cross to come to 18me. With the help of the Red Cross, I spent my19days in Costa Rica.

    This is one of the best trips I've ever had, because I realized that when you're in a position to be able to 20, it actually makes you feel happy.

    It's a sad reality that many of us find ourselves just too busy to contribute to our communities. For a long time, I, too, believed it cost too much in time, money and 1 to make a real difference. But all that changed when I 2 my good-deed-a-day project.

    My daughter, Emily, was my primary 3. I wanted to show her we could do little things to help others, and be 4.

    The first week, I wasn't sure if I could 5 it. I surfed the Internet for ideas. One day, I 6 a blind man in the subway station. He 7 as he thanked me. Another day, I brought flowers from my garden to a 8 nursing home… I could only hope I was arousing 9 in others.

    After just a few days, 10 I found it easier than I'd expected. I knew I was making a/an 11.

    Every evening at the dinner table, I 12 that day's good deed to Emily. Emily began 13 what I'd started. On a walk home from school, she 14 to a neighbour's pot of geraniums (天竺葵), which had toppled (摇晃) in the wind, and set it right. “That was my good deed for the day!” she yelled. Another day, she helped me collect 15 from our neighbours for the food bank. We dropped off the food and, 16 we drove away, Emily announced 17 that she wanted to work there one day.

    By the last week, I knew I'd changed. At first, I hadn't been entirely 18 that I could do a good deed every day. Now it was practically second 19. I felt a greater responsibility to take action when I saw a need, 20 looking the other way. I felt as though I'd awakened, somehow.

    Mike Jacobs broke up with a girlfriend 30 years ago. He wrote a song to describe his1 at the end of the relationship. I focus on the memories to make me 2 the day. But I don't want your sympathy, I just want you back with me to3. He kept the words of the song he called Stay close to his heart, but never had the4to sing them out loud, let alone turn them into a potential5single.

    But after being diagnosed(诊断) with lung cancer and given just nine months to live, Mike, 6by his family, recorded the song. And it could now become a(n) 7 No.1 so that the public took interest in Mike and the story of how Stay came to be recorded has 8.

    Just 16 days after Mike's death at the age of 61, his 9 wish to have a chart-topping hit is on course to 10 On Monday night a dip (剪辑) was played on the BBC's The One Show to a studio11.

    Mike's son Josh,37, was the 12force behind the production of the single. "The idea of getting him to make a(n) 13came from me. I wanted the last few months of his life to be the14 they could be.''

As the song now15on the Internet, there has been enthusiastic 16 all over. One post on social media17: 44 We have downloaded Stay. That's because it would18the best award for Mike Jacobs and all the19 from the single will go to the charity. As Josh says: "I got married last October so my dad could be there. That was impressive but this is even20".

    My father was a Jamaican(牙买加) immigrant while my mother was a white woman. They never got married but I was born. However, my father never1his family about my existence. Whatever the case, I didn't know I was a2until my thirteenth birthday.

    Walking into my aunt's apartment brought a lot of emotions. What if my3didn't want anything to do with me because I was half white? How4can I learn the jokes that my family members told? Should I5them for all the years they didn't spend with me? My mind was full of thoughts when I was6to everyone, trying desperately to understand family members who almost were7strangers. Meanwhile, I was8to just remember everybody's name.

    One of my aunts, who'd been quiet for most of the morning looked at me with tearful eyes. She mentioned how9she was for my father to have a daughter, saying, "He's always dreamt of having a daughter". However, she then expressed her10towards my father for keeping the family in the11about me. From this12, I have learned more about what it means to be biracial (代表两种人种的). Can I still13myself Jamaican even though my first time trying curry goat, a traditional dish, was not until my teenage years?

    I've become aware that no matter how much DNA you might14with a particular race, you won't feel truly connected if you did not15with that culture's customs. I believe this event has16me into becoming a more understanding person when analyzing someone's actions. I have realized that I am far from a17. I am determined to prove that I'm here for a reason by using my talents to18those around me. I have grown to not19on my parents and families to tell me who I am, but I have understood my uniqueness and20my real self. I really feel proud that among strangers I eventually know who I am!