I have many new teachers in high school, but Lori Runkle, my English Language and Composition teacher, is my favorite teacher.

    Ms. Runkle enjoys getting to know more about students, so I have many chances to talk with her after class. I have always wanted to become a journalist (新闻记者). Since Ms. Runkle used to be a journalist back in the United States, she has introduced many helpful journalistic writing skills to me.

    Although she is my teacher, Ms. Runkle and I are more like friends. She often invites my classmates and me to take part in different activities outside of school. For example, I went to listen to a journalist's speech, which helped me better understand current events (时事).

    Not only does Ms. Runkle talk with me outside of school, she is also a great teacher in the classroom. English Language and Composition is a really hard subject for a second language learner. We felt worried in the beginning, but Ms. Runkle really makes an effort to help us out. In class, Ms. Runkle always encourages students to question everything to keep us active. One part of class I love the most is when groups of students are required to give speeches on events that are happening in the world. It requires a lot of deep thinking and I really learn quite a lot from it.

I love Ms. Runkle very much. She not only helps me to get good scores, but also acts as a good friend and always gives me advice on life.

    Is smile just a facial expression? Of course not! It is not only used to express pleasure, affection, and friendliness, but also the commonest way to show our good will perfectly without saying anything. A Chinese saying runs： “Never hit a person who is smiling at you.” It is a time-proven fact that smile is a language all its own—a universal language—understood by the people of every nation in the world. We may not speak the same tongue as our foreign neighbors, but we smile in the same tongue. We need no interpreter for thus expressing love, happiness, or good will.

    One day while shopping in a small town in southern California, it was my misfortune to be approached by a clerk whose personality conflicted with mine. He seemed quite unfriendly and not at all concerned about my intended purchase. I bought nothing, and marched angrily out of the store. On the outside stood a young man in his early twenties. His expressive brown eyes met and held mine, and in the next instant a beautiful, brilliant smile covered his face. The magic power of that smile made all bitterness within me melt, and I found the muscles in my own face happily responding. “Beautiful day, isn't it?” I remarked, in passing. Then, obeying an impulse(冲动), I turned back. “I really owe you a debt of gratitude,” I said softly. His smile deepened, but he made no attempt to answer. A Mexican woman and two men were standing nearby. The woman stepped forward and eyed me inquiringly. “Carlos, he no speak English,” she volunteered. “You want I should tell him something?” At that moment I felt changed. Carlos' smile had made a big person of me. My friendliness and good will toward all mankind stood ten feet tall. “Yes,” my reply was enthusiastic and sincere, “tell him I said, 'Thank you!' “Thank you?” The woman seemed slightly confused.

    I gave her arm a friendly pat as I turned to leave. “Just tell him that.” I insisted. “He'll understand, I am sure!”

    Oh, what a smile can do! Although I have never seen that young man again, I shall never forget the lesson he taught me that morning. From that day on, I became smile-conscious, and I practice the art diligently, anywhere and everywhere, with everybody.

    Some people think that success is only for those with talent or those who grow up in the right family, and others believe that success mostly comes down to luck. I'm not going to say luck, talent, and circumstances don't come into play because they do. Some people are born into the right family while others are born with great intelligence, and that's just the reality of how life is.

    However, to succeed in life, one first needs to set a goal and then gradually make it more practical. And, in addition to that, in order to get really good at something, one needs to spend at least 10,000 hours studying and practicing. To become great at certain things, it'll require even more time, time that most people won't put in.

    This is a big reason why many successful people advise you to do something you love. If you don't enjoy what you do, it is going to feel like unbearable pain and will likely make you quit well before you ever become good at it.

    When you see people exhibiting some great skills or having achieved great success, you know that they have put in a huge part of their life to get there at a huge cost. It's sometimes easy to think they got lucky or they were born with some rare talent, but thinking that way does you no good, and there's a huge chance that you're wrong anyway.

    Whatever you do, if you want to become great at it, you need to work day in and day out, almost to the point of addiction, and over a long period of time. If you're not willing to put in the time and work, don't expect to receive any rewards. Consistent, hard work won't guarantee you the level of success you may want, but it will guarantee that you will become really good at whatever it is you put all that work into.

    It was hard to accept, but the sad day had finally arrived. I still remember the tears welling up in my six-year-old sister's eyes as she looked around the empty closet in wonder. The space once filled with her clothes now held only loneliness and sorrow. This little child had come to the realization that her father was gone. He had left us, and there was simply no way to change it.

    Being the oldest of four girls has never been easy, but with the departure of our father, our world and dreams were broken beyond repair. My mother, the most amazingly warm-hearted person in the world, has worked harder than anyone should simply to mend our broken household. However, long hours at work often prevented her from physically being there in our times of need. This is where I have stepped up as the temporary caretaker of my three small sisters.

    Many students write college essays about their leadership positions in school and the community but I feel that my greatest accomplishment is the role I have played within my own family.

    Senior year in high school is not simple for anyone, especially when it feels like the entire world is resting on your shoulders, but this is how I have felt for the past two years, I have continually tried to fulfill the dream my mother holds for my future. My mother was not able to complete her college education, and so this success is her top significance for her children.

    A leader is defined as one who has influence on others. I hope that my leadership affects the lives of my sisters and everyone around me. In dedicating myself to my family and school, I have set goals that I will do anything to accomplish. I am an extremely determined individual, and my university will help me take the next step in climbing the ladder of success.

Located at Europe's biggest water park, the Galaxy Erding in South Germany, the world's first VR water slide takes the exciting experience to a whole new level by offering thrill-seekers the choice of three attractive worlds — Space, Sky, or Snow. By simply wearing a headset, riders can slide through a magical alien world, follow beautiful butterflies around floating islands or put themselves in a white winter wonderland. To make the experience even more heart-stopping, the 160-meter-long ride that lasts about 35 seconds has two uphill tracks that provide a roller-coaster-like experience.

    While the tire slide, which has been successfully tested by almost 10,000 park goers since it opened in February 2018, is impressive, the technology behind it, developed by California startup Ballast is even more so. The specially-created waterproof headsets can be worn in water up to a few meters deep, without harming the delicate Samsung Galaxy S8 mobile devices that run the custom software for the VR experiences. The headsets also charge wirelessly (无线地), allowing park operators to swap out sets throughout the day.

    The biggest challenge the company faced, however, was providing a suitable VR experience for everyone. That's because unlike roller coasters, where the speed is fixed for all riders, water slide speeds vary depending on the weight of the person. To overcome the issue, Ballast fixed  smart sensors (传感器) in important areas along the slide to keep track of the rider's progress at  all times. The information, conveyed through the headset, allows the custom software to adjust his or her location within the virtual world accordingly, making for a smooth, seasickness free ride for all.

    Though Ballast is thrilled at Space Glider's success, the company has bigger ambitions. They want to create an experience where guests will be able to swim underwater surrounded by virtual dolphins, whales, and even sharks, without wearing the heavy headsets!

Welcome to Inspire 21

    Our aim is to provide "Inspiring words for the 21^st century". So, here we offer a unique collection of inspiring short stories, motivational short stories, and humorous short stories for you to read and share.

    If you do care to share, click the "SHARE" button in the bottom left corner of each page. And thanks for telling others about Inspire 21.

    The inspiring stories that are labeled (标记) "TRUE" are done so to the best of our knowledge, but we do not have full proof in some cases. However, all of these stories and messages are provided because of their uplifting content, whether true or not. Many books we've read and movies we've watched were totally untrue, but we enjoyed the inspiration they gave us—especially if they had a happy ending.

    So, please read and share these stories at your own discretion (判断力). Thank you for your understanding!

    Also, many of the inspiring stories used here are used with permission from the author. However, we cannot grand (授予) permission to reuse any of these inspirational stories, as the majority of them are not ours.

    Lastly, many inspiring stories (emailed to us or we came across online) are listed as "Author Unknown". If you happen to know the author's name, to whom credit should be given, please contact us with that information so we can keep our inspiring story collection accurate. Thank you again!