In Rio, soccer was not only a sport but also a lifestyle. Lamine's flashy1 and exciting gameplay were the drive to his success. He was in a team called FC that had the best players.

As FC made it to the soccer final,2 filled the air. They were against their biggest rivals KD. As the clock counted down, one of Lamine's teammates3 the ball over to Lamine.

With a powerful4 , Lamine aimed for the goal, the ball soaring（呼啸） through the air. Time seemed to stop as the goalkeeper leaped5 . Luck was not at Lamine's side as the ball was cleared by the defender. The referee's whistle blew,6 the game.

With the sun setting, Lamine's father found him sitting7 on the field. Father was once a skilled soccer player, knowing the8 that came with the game. He patted Lamine on the back, "Lamine, even the greatest players would9 chances. Don't let one setback define you. "

Encouraged by father's words, Lamine10 and hugged him. For the next few days, they spent mornings and evenings on the field,11 his shots and improving his speed and skills.

The next game arrived, and Laminez found himself in a12 position. This time, with a swift move, he dribbled past defenders and13 the ball into the net.

The crowd erupted in cheers, and Lamine's teammates14 him carrying him to the sidelines to celebrate. Lamine went to hug his dad tightly. "I'm proud of you, son. I'll15 you my signature move in my old days. "his father said.

It was a Sunday and the heavy storm had lasted all night. The morning after the storm, though, was beautiful: blue skies, warm air and a calm, inviting sea touching the shore gently.

My father realized it was a good day for fishing and invited my sister and me to go with him. I was only 14 and fishing had never been my thing, but I decided to go all the same. I'm so glad I did.

On the road to the harbour we could see the terrible destruction on the coast, but the harbour itself was in fairly good shape. After all, it was protected by the arms of a bay that had only one tiny channel to the sea. As we got on board, we noticed two big hums (脊背) in the distance.

On approaching them, we saw it was a mother whale with her baby. We couldn't believe it—there aren't any whales along the coast here. The storm must have driven them across the ocean into the bay, in which the still water was so badly polluted that nothing could survive.

The little baby whale—actually as big as our boat—was obviously stuck and could not move. The mother dived under the water and came up suddenly, making big whirlpools (漩涡) and waves. "She's trying to help her baby, but on the wrong side," my father said. At this point, my father moved our boat in a semicircle to the other side and, heading the boat towards the baby whale, pushed it gently. With our several gentle pushes the big hump turned over and disappeared under water. Then it swam up right beside its mum. They struggled in their desperate attempts to escape but missed the exit and started heading in the wrong direction. We hurried up to the whales and tried to lead them towards the bay channel. Slowly, they let us lead them, sometimes rising from the water right beside us to breathe—and to give us a trusting (信任的) look with those huge eyes. Once they hit their first part of clean water flowing straight from the sea, the mum gave us a wave with her tail and off they swam into the distance.

In the excitement it had felt like only a few minutes, but we had been with those wonderful animals for almost an hour and a half. That was the simple and lasting beauty of the day. Nearly four decades later, I still look back fondly to that golden day at sea.

Here is a story about social media bringing people together.56-year-old Lucy Shepherd was 1 as an infant (婴儿) in the early 1960s. When she turned 18, Lucy 2 to look for her birth parents. She managed to find her mother ten years later. However, finding her father proved to be more 3 .

About her father, Lucy knew few 4 and was only told by a social worker that he was an electrician named Jonah Larson. She tried to find him out but with little information she 5 — until decades later when she saw the 6 appear on the "Suggested Friends" list of the social media site Facebook. After looking through his online profile (简介), she realized she might be indeed 7 her father. 

The pair then 8 for several weeks before meeting for the first time last week — and they both said it was like they "have 9 each other their whole lives". 

"It's 10 . I live in Kentucky and she lives 350 miles (about 563 km) away in Cornwall. And we had been 11 for nearly 56 years. The chances of actually 12 were so slim." said Jonah. The 13 took place in Dorset, roughly halfway between Cornwall and Kentucky. When they first spotted (看见) each other, the father opened his 14 and gave Lucy a big hug. "I love you!" said Jonah, looking straight into her eyes, and they hugged 15 .

"Now there is someone else like me, loving me for me. I'm incredibly blessed to find him." said Lucy excitedly.

It was the middle of winter some 30 years ago. I was a young father with three little mouths to 1 . My college education, however, didn't help me to 2 a well-paid job. I was working in a woodcutting business for just above the 3 wage. Working outdoors for 8 hours a day had caused my4 to split (裂开) and bleed at their tips in the cold, dry air. 

That day at work was harder than normal. We 5 workers. Worse still, the machines kept breaking down. When the day finally ended, I took off the gloves and 6 my painful hands. The splits were 7 than ever and I had bled through the band-aids again. I tried to 8 my back but it hurt badly. I had never felt that tired and 9 before, wondering why life was so tough and how long I could keep doing this. 

I tried to 10 a smile as I got home. My daughter ran up to me merrily, yelled "Daddy!", and 11 her little arms around my neck. My heart exploded with 12 . My aches and tiredness disappeared into her13 . And the joy in my heart 14 the depression away. At that moment I knew I could continue on and that things would get better. 

We all have 15 fingers and band-aid days in our lives here. But with love we can make it through them all.

The famous Spanish painter Pablo Picasso once said, "I am always doing that which I cannot do, in order that I may learn how to do it." It strikes a chord(引起共鸣) with me because that's exactly what I have been doing these years.

One of my earliest memories of doing before learning is baking scones(烤饼) when I was about 10 years old. I wanted to bake them to surprise my mother when she returned home.

Before that, I'd observed how my mother baked them many times. As I started to try, I didn't know I shouldn't handle the dough(面团) with my hands too much once I'd added the baking powder(发酵粉). However, I knew exactly how to roll out the dough and use a cookie cutter to cut the scones, because my mom had already taught me.

By the time my mom arrived home, the smell of freshly baked scones welcomed her into the kitchen. They were close to perfection—flat, as a result of overhandling the dough, but they tasted OK. My mom sweetly praised me for my attempt, rather than scolding me for the state of the kitchen, which was like a tornado had just blown!

Have my attempts always been successful? I wish! Some of my kitchen disasters were so terrible that even the dogs wanted nothing to do with them. My gardening failures didn't live to see another season.

But my habit of doing before learning is still helpful. Whatever new software I have to learn how to use, I do so by simply starting to use it. I do, learn, and improve. So if you ask me whether I regret that I tend to do first and learn later, I'd say I don't, because what I have discovered from those is the wisdom to know when it's OK to do and then learn, and when it's probably better to learn and then do!

Last September an American started a trip through Southwest China on a standard bike she had bought at a local shop. In three months, Jennifer Holstein cycled 2,500 kilometers through three provinces with just two small bags.

Living in Beijing, her life was already great. But Holstein felt the urge to travel the world and look for adventure. It was mid-August of 2021 that the idea came to her to travel China by bicycle. At that time, Holstein had never cycled for more than 20 kilometers around her local city of Beijing.

Holstein shared an experience from the beginning of her trip when she found herself stuck in a tunnel (隧道) with a flat tire (轮胎). It was dark and hot, and she was so scared because she had never changed a tire before. Suddenly, a group of cyclists old enough to be her grandparents came and rescued her.

In addition to receiving the kindness of people across China, Holstein also experienced several unique cultural experiences by attending three local weddings. She spoke about one wedding in detail, "I was in the middle of a small village in Sichuan province, and I was taken into a local Tibetan family's home and they invited me to take part in a wedding. They gave me a dress and even did my makeup. I never thought I would ever have the chance to take part in a Tibetan wedding."

According to Holstein, "Many people want to travel the world and take huge risks, but never do. Don't just live your life hoping your wildest dreams will become a reality someday. Try first and the rest will work itself out." In addition to biking for her own passion and curiosity, Holstein also linked her ride to raise 22,000 yuan for the United Foundation for China's Health.