When I was a child, my parents often took me to an old house in a thick forest. No other children ever stayed there. I didn’t even have the choice of playing with a brother or sister.

I could never understand what the attraction of the house was, even for my parents, who enjoyed nothing better than to sit in silence with a good book. The woman in the house, my father’s distant cousin, was a terrible cook and her food was inedible.

One day, when I was wandering around the garden behind the house, I noticed a wooden house which had clearly been abandoned(被遗弃的). As I walked towards it, I heard a noise, like an animal moving hurriedly away. Then I saw a man with a long beard standing at the door. I was greatly surprised.

“Please don’t tell them you saw me,”he said.“They never use this place, and I have nowhere else to live.” “Don’t worry,”I said.“I won’t tell anyone. But are you all right out here? I mean—do you have enough to eat?”The old man shook his head.

The same evening, I took a small plastic bag into the dining room and, while no one was looking, emptied some of the food into it. Later, I got out of the back door secretly and gave the food to the old man, whose name I had discovered was Alan.

I had never seen anything else as lovely as the smile of satisfaction on Alan’s face when he ate the food. From then on, my visits to the old house had a purpose, and I enjoyed every minute of the rest of my stay.

   It's not easy to find a. person with the qualities of being a hero. I didn't really understand the meaning of the word "hero" until my third year in the college.

   If you saw her, you wouldn't think she really looks the part (看起来样子像那种人). but she is stronger than Superman. Her name is Sandra Keierleber. I first. met her at volleyball tryouts (选拔赛), but didn't notice anything special at first. As the week passed, however, she showed she had more heart than anyone. She stood out because she never gave up, no matter what.

   Sandra isn't the tallest or the fastest -- in fact, this was her first time playing volleyball and it showed -- but that didn't stop her. She was always the first to arrive and the last to leave. By the end of tryouts she had found a place in everyone's heart. When the name list for new members was put up, we all waited nervously as she checked. When she stood at the door and smiled happily, all we could do was cheer.

   After Sandra made the team, she worked even harder to improve her game. When she asked for help, we gladly taught her. She also became our fan, attending almost every school game and even joining us in the city games. We all like her, because she never thinks about doing things the easy way, or loses that smile. Because of her great exertion, she makes herself a true hero -- and my hero, too.

 When Andrew was a student in a high school, his teacher asked him to write a passage about what he wanted to do when he grew up. That night he thought hard and worte a seven－page passage about his dream of having a horse ranch(牧场). And he even drew a picture of a 200－acre(亩) ranch. The next day he gave it to his teacher.

   Two days later he got his passage back. On the first page was a large F with some words, "Please see me after class."

   Andrew went to see his teacher after class and asked, "Why did I get an F?"

   The teacher said, "You have no money. Your parents have no money. Having a horse ranch needs a lot of money. You have to buy the land. You have to buy the horses. There's no way you could ever do it. If you write a passage again, I will change your grade."

   Andrew went back home and thought about it for a long time. The next day he gave the same passage, making no changes at all. He said to his teacher, "You can keep the F and I'll keep my dream."

   Now, Andrew has a 200－acre horse ranch.

 Mr. Black was a farmer. He lived alone by the forest. He had no daughters or sons. He planted rice and vegetables. Also, he sometimes caught small animals for food. So he kept two dogs to help him. One dog was big and the other was small. He liked them very much.

   One day, his friend Mr. Smith, another farmer, came to visit him. Mr. Black was very happy. They haven’t seen each other for about three years. When the friend saw two holes(洞) in the door, a big hole and a small hole, he was surprised and said, "My dear friend, why are there two holes in your door?" "Let my dogs come in and go out, of course. I finished cutting them just ten minutes ago. It took me three hours to finish the work." Mr. Smith asked again, "But why are there two holes? One is enough!" "But how can the big dog go through the small hole?" Mr. Black answered.

   Sometimes a clever man may make such mistakes.

I have a friend named Monty Roberts who owns a horse ranch(牧马场). The last time I was there he told me his story. When he was young, his family was too poor to have a house to live in.As a  result , when he was in high school, all the students were asked to write a paper about what they wanted to be and do when they grew up. That night he wrote a seven-page paper describing his goal of owning  a horse ranch. He also drew a picture to show a 4,000-square-foot house that would sit on a beautiful farm. The next day he handed it in to his teacher. Two days later he received his paper back. On the front page was a large red F. Roberts asked, “Why did I receive an F?” He teacher said, “This is an unrealistic dream for a young boy like you. Owning a horse ranch requires a lot of money.” Then the teacher added, “If you will rewrite this paper with a more realistic goal, I will reconsider your grade.”

The boy went home and thought about it for a long and hard time. He asked his father what he should do. His father said, “ Look, son, you have to make up your own mind on this. However, I think it is a very important decision for you.”Finally, after sitting with it for a week, the boy turned in the same paper, making no changes at all. He told his teacher “you could keep the F and I still keep my dream”.He tells me this story because I am sitting in his 4,000-square-foot house in the middle of the 200-acre horse ranch. “I still have that school paper now.” He added, “The best part of the story is that two years ago that teacher brought 30 kids to camp out on my ranch for a week.” When the teacher was leaving, he said, Look, Monty, I can tell you this now. When I was your teacher, I was something of a dream stealer. During those years I stole a lot of kids’dreams. Luckily, you had enough gumptionnot to give up on yours. ”

Don’t let anyone steal your dreams. Follow your heart, no matter what.

The teacher stood before his class of 30 students and hand out the final exam papers. “I know how hard you have all worked to prepare for this test.” he said, “And because I know you are all able to understand this material, I am ready to offer a “B” to anyone who would prefer not to take the test.”

   A number of students jumped up to thank the teacher and left the classroom. The teacher looked at the remaining students and said, “Does anyone else want to get a “B”? This is your last chance.” Two more students decided to go.

   Seven students stayed. The teacher then handed out the papers. There were only three sentences which were written on the paper：Congratulations! You have received an “A”. Keep believing in yourself.

   I never had a teacher who gave a test like that, but I think that it is a test that any teacher could and should give. Students who do not have confidence in what they have learned are “B” students at most.

   The same is true for students in real life. The “A” students are those who believe in what they are doing because they have learned from both success and failures. They have learned life’s lessons, whether from formal education or from events in their lives, and have become better people. Scientists say that by the age of eight, 80% of what we believe about ourselves has already been formed. You are a big kid now, and you realize that you have some limits. However, there is nothing you can’t do. Sir Edmund Hillary, the first person to reach the top of Mount Qomolangma said, “We do not conquer the mountain, but ourselves.”

When I was in Grade I in high school, I saw a kid from my class walking home from school. His name was Carl. It looked like he was carrying all of his books. I thought to myself, "Why would anyone bring home all his books on Friday? He must be a fool." I had quite a weekend planned (parties and a football game with my friend tomorrow afternoon), so I shook my head and went on. Suddenly, a crowd of kids ran toward him, knocking all his books out of his arms and making him fall down on the mess. His glasses went flying, and I saw them fall on the grass about ten feet from him. He felt low and terrible. As he touched around looking for his glasses, I ran over to him. I handed him his glasses and said, "Those guys are awful. They really should be educated to be better."

   He smiled at me and said, "Hey, thanks!" I helped him pick up his books, and asked him where he lived. Then I knew he lived near me and he had studied in a private school before. We talked all the way home, and I carried his books. I found him a pretty cool kid actually. I asked him if he wanted to play football on Saturday with me and my friends. He said yes. The more I got to know Carl, the better I liked him. And my friends thought the same of him.

   Over the next two years, Carl and I have been best friends. One day, he told me he had to prepare a speech for graduation (毕业). I could see that he was nervous about his speech. So, I hugged him and said, "Hey, big boy, you'll be great!" He looked at me with a real grateful look and said thanks.

   As he started his speech, he cleared his throat, and began, "Graduation is a time to thank those who helped you get through those hard times. Your parents, your teachers, your sisters and brothers, maybe a coach, but mostly your friends. I am here to tell all of you that being a friend to someone is the best gift you can give him or her. I am going to tell you a story."

   I just looked at my friend surprisingly as he told the story of the first day we met. He had planned to kill himself over the weekend at that time. He mentioned how he had cleaned out the lock in his heart. He looked at me again and gave me a little smile. "Thankfully, I was saved. My friend saved me from doing the silly." He continued. I heard my own breath go through the crowd as this handsome, popular boy told us all about his weakest moment. I saw his Morn and Dad looking at me and smiling that same grateful smile. Not until that moment did I realize the meaning of their smiles.

   Never underestimate the power of your behaviors. With one small action, you can change a person's life. For better or for worse.