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.

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.”

Life is like a train ride. We get on. We ride. We get off. We get back on and ride some more. There are accidents and there are delays（延误）. At certain stops there are surprises. Some of these will change into great moments of joy, some will have bad results.

When we are born and we first get on the train, we meet people whom we think will be with us for the whole journey. Those people are our parents! Sadly, this is far from the truth. Our parents are with us as long as we completely need them. They, too, have journeys they must complete. We live on with the memories of their love, emotion, friendship, and so on.

There are others who get on the train and who become very important to us after a long time, in turn. These people are our brothers, sisters, friends and someone we know, whom we will learn to love, and take care of.

Some people consider their journey like a pleasant and happy tour. They will just go merrily along. Others will encounter many upsets, tears and losses(失落) on their journey. Others still, will stay on to offer a helping hand to anyone in need.

Some people on the train will leave a deep impression when they get off. Some will get on and get off the train so quickly, they will hardly leave a sign.

We will sometimes be upset that some passengers, whom we love, will choose to sit in another compartment（车厢）and leave us to travel on our own. Then again, there’s nothing that says we can’t seek them out anyway. But when we found them, we may not even be able to sit next to them because that seat will already be taken.

That’s okay …everyone’s journey will be filled with hopes, dreams, challenges, difficulties and goodbyes.

Parents can be very important teachers in our lives. However, they are not always the best teachers. Parents may be too close to their children emotionally (感情上). Sometimes they can only see their children through the eyes of a protector. For example, a teacher might see a trip to a big city as a valuable experience. However, it might seem too dangerous to a parent.

Another problem is that parents may expect their children’s interests to be similar to their own. If they love science, they may try to force (强迫) their child to love science too. But what if (要是……又怎样) their children’s true love is art, or writing, or car repair?

Parents usually want to pass on their values to their children. But should children always believe what their parents do? When children are young, they believe that their parents are always right. But when they get older, they will have different ways of thinking.

The most important thing to realize is that we all have many teachers in our lives. Our parents teach us, our teachers teach us, and our friends teach us. Books and newspapers and televisions also teach us. All of them are valuable.

Think of life as a game in which you are playing with five balls in the air. You name them work, family, health, friends and spirit and you keep all of them in the air. You will soon understand thatwork is a rubber ball. If you drop it, it will jump back.

But the other four balls, family, health, friends and spirit are made of glass. If you drop one of these, they will be broken. They will never be the same. You must understand that and try to have the balance in your life. But how?

Don’t look down on your worth by comparing yourself with others. It is because we are different and each of us is special.

Don’t let other people set goals for you. Only you know what is best for yourself.

Don’t give up when you still have something to give. Nothing is really over until the moment you stop trying.

Don’t be afraid of difficulties. We learn how to be brave by taking chances.

Don’t shut love out of your life by saying it’s impossible. The quickest way to receive love is to give it; the fastest way to lose love is to hold it too tightly; the best way to keep love is to give it wings.

Don’t run through life so fast that you forget not only where you’ve been, but also where you are going.

Don’t be afraid to learn. Knowledge is a treasure, you can always carry easily.

Don’t use time or words carelessly. You can’t get them back. Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, and today is a gift; that’s why we call it “the present”. Life is not a competition, but a trip, step by step.