If life were a book and you were the author, how would you like the story to go? That is the question that 1 my life forever.

    One day I went home from the training of snowboarding with what I thought was the flu, and less than 24 hours later, I was in a 2 on life support with less than two percent 3 of living. It wasn't until days later that the doctors diagnosed me with a 4 blood infection. Over the 5 of 2.5 months, I lost the hearing in my left ear and both my legs below the knee. When my parents 6 me out of the hospital, I 7that I had been put together like a patchwork(接缝物) doll and I had to live with 8 legs. I was absolutely physically and emotionally broken, 9 streaming down.

    But I knew in order to move forward, I had to let go of the Old Amy and 10 the New Amy. It was at this moment that I asked myself that significant 11. And that is when it 12 me that I didn't have to be five-foot-five anymore, 13 I could be as tall as I wanted. And 14 of all, I can make my feet the size of all the shoes. So there were 15 here.

    Four months later, I was back upon a 16. And this February, I won two Board World Cup gold medals, 17 me the highest ranked snowboarder in the world.

    So, instead of looking at our 18 and our limitations as something 19 or bad, we can begin looking at them as a wonderful 20 that can be used to help us go further than we ever know we could go.

    Who is a great person? To answer this question, we often think of someone 1, such as the South Africa hero Nelson Mandela or the NBA basketball star Kobe Bryant. But often a great person is2next to us—but we never see the greatness unless a difficult 3 comes up.

    In May, 2008, a high school girl in Beichuan, Sichuan, 4 a hero just next to her. When the earthquake hit, her school 5on top of the students. Just next to her was her classmate Li Anqiang. Li worked to move rocks to make 6for her. Before rescuers reached them,7, aftershocks brought down 8rubble(碎石) around them. Li's earlier efforts kept his classmate9 from danger, but the new rubble that fell on his legs crushed (压碎) them beyond 10.

    Today, Li is in a wheelchair; he is missing both of his legs, but he is not missing the good 11 that made him a hero during the earthquake. He still12 the sports he played before the earthquake, table tennis and basketball—and still13his hero, Kobe Bryant.

    Kobe Bryant, however, considers Li a hero. In reply to Li's 14  letter, Kobe praised Li as “a strong boy whose attitude toward15was amazing”. He encouraged Li in his love of basketball, telling Li that he looked cool in a photo of his 16a basketball from his wheelchair.

    So 17that we have great people next to us every day—in school, at work, on the bus. There may not be a 18 to show us who they are, but we can be sure they are19 . Who knows?  20 you are one yourself.

    Leon Logothetis is riding his yellow motorcycle, which he calls Kindness One. He is trying to 1 around the world on the kindness of 2. No money. No food. Nowhere to stay. Leon 3 on the generosity of the human spirit to keep him going.

"It's all about 4 other people," Leon said. So far, he's met with 5. In Las Vegas, a family gave him food and a place to sleep. In Nebraska, cowboys let him stay 6 them. "The American people have been 7," Leon said.

Andin Pittsburgh, after a dozen people had 8 him down, Leon met Tony, a 9 man who gave me his food and offered to let Leon sleep with him in a garage. "It was so inspiring for me," Leon said ."The people in Pittsburgh hadn't 10 helped but he offered me a place to stay and shared his food."

So just how far can 11 get you? Leon is determined to 12. "I used to be a manager in London, sitting behind a desk, 13 12 hours a day, and it wasn't for me." he explained. "Then I went and travelled the world and 14 with people. And that's what it's all about. That's where the 15 is: Connection. Heart to heart."

On his blog, Leon said he'll 16 a ship from New York to Europe, adding he'll do so "as a non-paying 17. Kindness Rocks!"

    He also lists a trip that would 18 him travelling to France, Italy, Greece, India. Cambodia and Vietnam and other countries. His 19 will be shown on TV. The trip also serves to 20 money for Make-a-Wish Foundation.

    I was walking home from school one day and it happened to be a particularly cold and windy day. It was 1and I was crazy enough to forget my hats and scarf. You can imagine my cheeks were rosy 2 and my hands were as numb as they can be.

    All of a sudden, an old lady 3 up beside me and asked if I would like a ride 4. At first, I said it was OK and her 5smile melted(融化) away the thought that I should never talk to 6! We had an amazing chat and she was just 7 a good woman. She told me her 8and she dropped me off.

    I didn't see her or talk to her for about a month and one night as I9 her kind gesture, I decided to return the favor. So, I made a lot of 10 and walked down to her house with my friend. At first I was a bit 11she wouldn't remember me or think that I was a bad man who poisoned cookies but luckily, I was 12 wrong. She was so happy, and she hugged me and kissed me and seemed so 13 that someone would do something like that!

    When I got home my mom told me that she 14and told my mom on the phone that she 15because she was so touched. She said she would never 16 the kindness that was given to her! That filled me with such 17! There really is nothing else joyful like helping 18and making someone's day 19!

    Let us never forget the joy we get 20giving others a hand!

    I had just arrived in this Asian country for a one-year teaching position. One day, I took the subway to visit some ancient palaces and temples in the downtown. The following account of what happened to me has taught me much about culture 1.

    Since all the 2 were taken, I stood. Suddenly, I felt someone pulling on my bag.3 I probably was in someone's way, I moved over slightly. 4 in one quick motion(动作), I felt my bag removed from my back, and in a flash it was5. I turned around to see who the thief was. I looked at the people standing behind me, but didn't see my bag or any 6.My heart sank and I began to7.

    I glanced around the car only to find directly across from me was an elderly lady, and sitting on her lap was my 8. I tried to get it back from her lap. But as I began to 9 it up, she quickly grabbed it back and held onto it. I looked around at the people standing beside me, and those sitting beside her, but no one took any 10 of the situation. Trying not to cause a(n)11, I tried to communicate through gestures. I used my hands as best as I could, but she 12 my requests for my bag and pointed to my back. She picked up my bag, showing how 13 it was. I finally began to understand. She was holding my bag to 14 me.

    As the subway 15 the main downtown station and I was getting ready to get off, the woman 16 handed me back my bag. But 17 I had a chance to thank her, she had disappeared into the crowd.

    Sadly, this 18 custom was more surprising to me than pleasing. Everyone back home had heard of being robbed—that was 19 city behavior—but having a stranger hold onto someone's bag out of 20, in a city of twelve million people—that was truly unusual.

    I've been taking a bus to school for years. I found that most passengers keep to themselves and no one ever has a 1 with anyone else.

    About a year ago, an elderly man entered and said 2 to the driver, "Good morning!" Most people looked up, confused and 3, and the bus driver took it for granted and 4responded with a grunt (哼声). The next day the man 5 and again he said in a loud voice, "Good morning!" to the driver. Another grunt. By the fifth day, the driver finally agreed to accept the elderly man and 6 him with a little cheerful "Good morning!" Then the man 7,"My name is Benny." The driver told the man he was Ralph.

    That was the first 8 any of us heard the driver's name and soon people began to talk to each other and say 9 to Ralph and Benny. Soon Benny 10 his cheerful "Good morning!" to the whole bus. Within a few days, his "Good morning!" was 11 by a whole bunch of "Good mornings" and the entire bus seemed to be more 12. People got to know each other.

    "If a 13 is someone who makes something happen, Benny was the one who took a lead in showing friendship 14 us," I thought.

    A month ago, something 15 happened and Benny didn't 16 in the bus. Everyone began to 17 about Benny and lots of people said he may have passed away. No one knew what to do and the bus got 18 again. So last week, I started to act like Benny and say, "Good morning!" to everyone and the whole bus cheered up again. I guessed I was the leader now. 19 Benny could come back to see what he had started really 20 a lot.