A Heroic Driver

 Larry works with Transport Drivers. Inc. One morning in 2009. Larry was __  (1)  __ along 165 north after delivering to one of his  (2)  . suddenly, he saw a car with its bright lights on.  (3)   he got closer, he found  (4)   vehicle upside down on the road. One more look and he noticed  (5)   shooting out from under the  (6)   vehicle. Larry pulled over, set the brake and  (7)  the fire extinguisher (灭火器). Two good bursts from the extinguisher and the fire was put out.

The man who had his bright lights on   (8)   and told Larry he had   (9)   an emergency call. They   (10)   heard a woman’s voice coming from the wrecked (毁坏的) vehicle.   (11)  the vehicle, they saw that a woman was trying to get out of the broken window. They told her to stay   (12)   until the emergency personnel arrived,   (13)   she thought the car was going to   (14)  . Larry told her that he had already put out the fire and she should not move   (15)   she injured her neck.

Once fire and emergency people arrive, Larry and the other man   (16)   and let them go to work. Then, Larry asked the   (17)   if he was needed or   (18)   to go. They let him and the other man go.

One thing is   (19)  —Larry went above and beyond the call of duty by getting so close to the burning vehicle! His   (20)   most likely saved the woman’s life.

Some people will do just about anything to save money. And I am one of them. Take my family’s last vacation. It was my six-year-old son’s winter break form school, and we were heading home from Fort Lauderdale after a weeklong trip. The flight was overbooked, and Delta, the airline, offered us $400 per person in credits to give up our seats and leave the next day. I had meeting in New York，So I had to get back . But that didnˈt mean my husband and my son couldnˈt stay. I took my nine-month-old and took off for home.

The next day my husband and son were offered more credits to take an even later flight. Yes, I encouraged一okay, ordered-them to wait it out at the airport, to "earn" more Delta Dollars. Our total take: $1,600. Not bad, huh?

Now some people may think Iˈm a bad mother and not such a great wife either. But as a big-time bargain hunter, I know the value of a dollar. And these days, a good deal is something few of us can afford to pass up.

Iˈve made living looking for the best deals and exposing (揭露) the worst tricks . I have been the consumer reporter of NBCˈs Today show for over a decade. I have written a couple of books including one titled Tricks of the Trade: A Consumer Survival Guide. And I really do what I believe in. I tell you this because there is no shame in getting your money’s worth. I’m also tightfisted when it comes to shoes, clothes for my children, and expensive restaurants. But I wouldnˈt hesitate to spend on a good haircut. It keeps its longer, and itˈs the first thing people notice. And I will also spend on a classic piece of furniture. Quality lasts.

Not many years ago，a wealthy and rather strange old man named Johnson lived alone in a village in the south of England．He had made a lot of money in trading with foreign countries．When he was seventy﹣five，he gave￡12，000to the village school to buy land and equipment for a children's playground．

As a result of his kindness，many people came to visit him．Among them was a newspaperman．During their talk，Johnson said that he was seventy﹣five and expected to live to be a hundred．The newspaperman asked him how he managed to be healthy at seventy﹣five．Johnson had a sense of humor．He liked whisky （威士忌酒） and drank some each day. “I have an injection （注射） in my neck each evening,” he told the newspaperman，thinking of his evening glass of whisky．

The newspaperman did not understand what Johnson meant．In his newspaper he reported that Johnson was seventy﹣five and had a daily injection in his neck．Within a week Johnson received thousands of letters from all over Britain，asking him for the secret of his daily injection．

   I set out to change the lives of those who need help by joining my school’s newly formed Free The Children Club. Through the determination of friends, the group has grown bigger and stronger each year. Over the past two years my friend, Alex Auclair, and I have become the leaders of the club.

   Already, after only two years of fundraising(筹款), we have raised over three thousand dollars and almost two thousand food items through various fundraising efforts. For example, each year a 24-hour famine(饥饿) is planned resulting in completely no consumption(消耗) of food. By taking part in these activities, we put ourselves in the shoes of someone living in poverty.

No money raised goes to waste. At the end of each school year, the group takes a vote to determine where our funds will be spent and donated (捐赠). Last year, we bought enough desks, chairs, supplies and textbooks for every student in a Kenyan school. This year, we plan to spend our earning helping out families in Sierra Leone.

   Poverty is a worldwide issue affecting the lives of people in not only developing countries, but also first-world countries such as Canada, the United Kingdom and Japan. Living in poverty can result in hunger, many forms of disease, lack of education, and for millions, death. It dose not have to be this way. You too can form a club like the Free The Children Club or you can participate in events outside of school. Get your friends, family, even your community involved in fundraising. Do what you can to change the world.

                             More Than I Had Dreamed Of

From the time I was seven, I had a dream of becoming a member of the Students Union. I always  (1)  my school leaders for taking responsibility for all of us. So I dreamed of being a leader. 

Years flew by, and soon I was able to participate in the elections,   (2)   I would win. But the reality struck that I hadn’t had a chance. I wasn’t pretty. Girls across the school hardly knew me. I just did not have what it   (3)   to win a school election. I was   (4)  . 

As I cried in my room that evening, I   (5)   took a deep breath and decided I wouldn’t stop dreaming. I decided that I would   (6)   elections again in my final year at school—and I would win. 

I recognized that my   (7)   had a lot of things in their favor. What were the   (8)   that would work in my favor? I had good grades, and I was friendly and helpful. And my biggest   (9)   was the faith I had. I would not allow my   (10)   appearance to hold me back from putting my best foot forward. That evening, I   (11)   my election plans a whole year in advance. 

I realized that girls would have to get to know me and recognize that I had the ability to   (12)  them. I loved making friends and I liked being helpful,   (13)    I decided that perhaps I could use these qualities to work to my advantage. In order to learn how to present a great election    (14)  , I also attended a course on effective public speaking. 

The day after the election, when the principal(校长) announced I won the second highest number of votes, the students   (15)  . That joy on the faces of all my friends showed me that my victory was   (16)  theirs.

Suddenly, I realized that I had   (17)   much more than I had dreamed of. I had made many new friends and had helped people   (18)   the way. I had won the   (19)   and love of my school-mates and they knew me as somebody who would stand by them. I was able to put a smile on their faces and   (20)   their day.  

  Once when I was facing a decision that involved high risk, I went to a friend. He looked at me for a moment, and then wrote a sentence containing the best advice I’ve ever had: Be bold and brave — and mighty (强大的) forces will come to your aid.

Those words made me see clearly that when I had fallen short in the past, it was seldom because I had tried and failed. It was usually because I had let fear of failure stop me from trying at all. On the other hand, whenever I had plunged into deep water, forced by courage or circumstance, I had always been able to swim until I got my feet on the ground again.

Boldness means a decision to bite off more than you can eat. And there is nothing mysterious about the mighty forces. They are potential powers we possess: energy, skill, sound judgment, creative ideas — even physical strength greater than most of us realize.

      Admittedly, those mighty forces are spiritual ones. But they are more important than physical ones. A college classmate of mine, Tim, was an excellent football player, even though he weighed much less than the average player. “In one game I suddenly found myself confronting a huge player, who had nothing but me between him and our goal line,” said Tim. “I was so frightened that I closed my eyes and desperately threw myself at that guy like a bullet（子弹） — and stopped him cold.”

      Boldness — a willingness to extend yourself to the extreme—is not one that can be acquired overnight. But it can be taught to children and developed in adults. Confidence builds up. Surely, there will be setbacks (挫折) and disappointments in life; boldness in itself is no guarantee of success. But the person who tries to do something and fails is a lot better off than the person who tries to do nothing and succeeds.

      So, always try to live a little bit beyond your abilities—and you’ll find your abilities are greater than you ever dreamed.