Learning experiences happen to us throughout our lives, and not too long ago, I had one that I would like to 1 . This story began with a 2 three years ago. It's a story of pizza and being3of buying ice cream with a US $20 bill.

    I was going to Marblehead, Massachusetts, with my racing team on the highway and we were all 4Luckily, we saw a rest area5. I had a brand-new US $ 20 bill, and I had 6had that kind of cash before. Spending it on food 7to me like throwing it away.

    We all rushed into the pizza line. 8 I got a cheese pizza and drink. Halfway through the 9, I realized I had not actually 10 any money to the cashier. I felt terrible. I just couldn't go back to the cashier and11my stolen pizza. I would feel embarrassed.

    I was so upset that I refused to give myself the12of an ice cream in fear that someone would say, "Hey, Jeff, why don't you 13 the change from the pizza instead of that nice, new US $20 bill?"

     was not so proud of my 14 now.

    For the next two years, whenever I was15of the "Pizza incident," I 16my eyes and said to myself, "Not gonna think about it, not gonna think about it…"

    I think this 17the saying, "A coward (懦夫) dies a thousand deaths, a hero dies 18." I was a coward and have felt19 about that incident at least a thousand times. If I had been a "hero" and gone 20up to pay for the pizza, then I would have felt a little embarrassed about it only once, or maybe twice.

    When I was 8, a gentleman came to my orphanage（孤儿院）and taught us how to do woodworking projects.

    I remember my first project—a small table. I was so 1 of it that I looked upon it as if I had created a(an) 2 . It was absolutely beautiful and it had taken me six weeks to 3it. I could hardly wait to give it to Mother Winters as a 4. She was the head mistress of our orphanage, who was always 5 with us.

    As the tables were not dry from the clear coating, the man told us to wait a few days before taking them to our dormitories. But I was just so 6and happy that I couldn't wait. I dashed out like a 7 , carrying my table, smiling from ear to ear.

    When I reached the dormitory I placed the little table beside my bed. I was 8it when Mother Winters entered. She walked over to the table. Running her hand 9 it, she noticed that it was still wet.

    "Were you 10to bring this home?" she asked.

    "No, ma'am," I 11 with my head down.

    She ordered me to throw the table out and so I did. After she left, I immediately opened the door to get it back. There was 12stuck all over. I brushed and cried, but it would not come off.

    I hid the table in my closet and never 13it. A year later while cleaning up, I gave the table to Mother Henderson, my houseparent（宿管员）, thinking that she would 14it away.

    Thirty years later at a reunion, I 15that Mother Henderson was living nearby, so I drove up to see her. We talked cheerfully for long. As I was about to leave, she asked me to come down to her16 to get something important. I followed her 17 into a dark corner. She picked something up. 18she turned around, I could see that she was holding a little table.

    Mother Henderson kept the little table that I had given up for lost so long ago.

    Today, I look at that table with bittersweet memories but full of 19to Mother Henderson, who kept it for a young orphan who tried very hard to 20 .

    "Do I really want to go through with this?" Have you ever asked yourself that 1 ? Sometimes in life, there are moments when you 2 if you will be able to handle the responsibilities ahead of you. For me, these 3 come daily, whether it's taking a test or working. But one Saturday afternoon, my family and I were 4 around when my dad pulled into a small mall. Little did I realize, we were going to a 5 store where a new member would be 6 to our family.

    As my 7 parked our car, I figured we would just take a 8 look and then leave. After a while, my dad called us over. He was standing next to my mom, looking at several 9 . I began to think, "Are we 10 a cat"? My dad asked, "So guys, you like any of these?" My brother said "Yes!" before I could even open my 11 .

    When I pictured feeding the cat, cleaning it and giving it water, all of these responsibilities felt  12 to me. Would I be able to handle it? 13 , I would have to live a more adult-like  14 if I got a cat. Later on, after 15 that we should get a cat, I thought about this new phase of my life. I realized that the 16 I make can affect my future.

    Looking back, I find that I have been able to 17 the responsibility of owning a cat. Some tasks may be 18 , but that doesn't 19 they can't be accomplished. You simply20 to do your best in order to push past them.

    Many years ago, I was working in an office in Halifax, Nova Scotia. We had large 1 that look out over a busy street. I was standing by one of those windows one day when a woman in a 2 car looked up and made eye contact. Naturally I 3 as she turned and tried to identify me, a quiet laugh 4 my lips. My co-workers began taking an interest, and stood back watching the 5 I received, and laughing happily. Then the stress of work was 6 away.

    Christmas approached, and job 7 were announced. Several of my co-workers were losing their jobs, and everyone was 8. While I was working a night shift, a red jacket, a box of foam (泡沫橡胶) packing and strips of tape in the corner attracted my 9. They could be Santa's jacket and beard! Then I folded a red file into a hat and tied the 10 to it. With the red jacket, a Santa's Costume appeared.

    The next day I walked 11 down into the office in the costume. My co-workers 12 around me and laughed for the first time in weeks. Suddenly, my boss came to me, 13, shook his head and then left. I feared 14. Then the phone rang.

    With a bead of sweat 15 my forehead, I entered the boss' office. 16, he laughed: "Thanks, Mike! It's been hard to enjoy the Christmas season. Thanks for the laugh. I 17 it."

    That evening, I stood 18 by the window and waved at my fans, with my heart 19 with joy. For a few minutes of that day, we'd been able to forget our 20.

    I have always been a big girl. I am comfortable with my body but there is a price to pay for being1 .

    In primary school, I was enthusiastic about gymnastics but I had to 2  my shortcomings by hours after hours of extra practice, going over every3. It took months to master the ribbon (带子), which I used to get in a terrible 4. However, I carried on and 5  greatly so that in 2015 I was in the National Championships Final.

    Whenever I went up in a 6, I always got the sense that the 7  did not expect much from the overweight child before them. They 8 about my weight in low voices. One man9 said, "That's the ugliest leotard (紧身衣) I've ever seen and the elephant inside it isn't much10!"

    I felt11 . Trying to smile away the tears, I decided to let my ribbon do the talking. I had worked particularly hard on my ribbon and it showed. On the first beat I knew it was to be 12. I was gliding on the music, each move under 13  control. Soon the 14  of the crowd turned to cheers. As I went into that last split leap, the crowd15. I turned to face them and found each one on their feet, applauding. It was incredible.

    I was titled National Champion that year, but the best thing I got from hours of16 practice was the knowledge that my appearance cannot 17 who I am and should never limit what I can do. Society seems to18 that overweight people are unhappy with their weight and have little19, so they never amount to much. What a ridiculous guess! I believe I can achieve anything20 I am bigger than my body. Who wants to be ordinary anyway?

    From childhood. Moira loved to write, Throughout school she 1writing, but pursuing(追求）it  2was never a possibility. Her father was a doctor, her mother a nurse "Medicine was a fairly 3option," Moira says. "And writing was a career where it wasn't a 4that you'd have high income."

    She became a doctor but still wanted to do some writing. However, being a doctor was so 5that she didn't take up writing until her thirties. She 6 a novel — a fictionalized version of her travels in China after university. She got excellent 7 . Moira sent it off to as many agents as she could find and found one who wanted to 8her. Suddenly it seemed she was on her 9as an author.

    "I had one lengthy phone call with the agent where we 10 all possible areas she thought needed 11I worked on those and sent it back to her but didn't hear anything. It was not long 12Moira found another agent who was 13 if she was willing to rewrite" it from the first person to the third person. She did the hard work and sent it off again. "I got back a really brief letter." Thank you. I'm no longer interested. It was really 14.

    A decade went by, and Moira found herself itching to write again, this time15for her own enjoyment. She16herself the challenge of creating a thriller and chose Western Australia as her setting.

    As she was writing just for herself, something surprising began to happen. "The characters 17 a life of their own; they started doing things I hadn't thought about. It just 18out." One day, an agent called from Australia. Three weeks later, Moira had a publication deal. Her novel, Cicada, was published in March.

    " 19 it hadn't been published I still gained so much from the 20 ," says Moira.