It was 11:30 a.m, and the fishing so far had been fruitless. Not another boat in sight. Andrew Sherman spotted a speck (斑点) on the horizon. As the speck approached, it started to look like a boat. “Jack,” he yelled to his son. “A boat headed straight at us!” Unbelievable. Miles of open ocean, and this boat was on course to T-bone them.

The Shermans stared at the interloper (闯入者) in surprise. Four fishing lines out, music blaring, except there wasn’t a soul in sight. The captain must have gone below, leaving his boat sailing along at 10 mph.

“Follow it, Jack,” Andrew said.

Jack hit the gas. “Hey! Hey!” the Shermans shouted. Nothing. A horrifying new thought took shape: The captain had gone below, all right—and suffered a heart attack.

Father and son switched places, and Andrew drove their boat alongside the other while Jack jumped onto the other boat’s deck, bringing the boat to a stop. Then he ventured down into the cabin. He came back up a moment later. “Empty,” he said.

“It’s a ghost boat!” said father and son nearly at the same time.

Andrew called the Coast Guard. “Man overboard,” he told them. The two men could have left it, but they were curious: What happened to the captain? The boat’s GPS system told them the missing captain had marked points along his route indicating good fishing spots. Then the points suddenly stopped a few miles back.

With Andrew driving the ghost boat and Jack driving their own craft, they headed for that last point. They were searching for what they feared would be a body.

What they didn’t know was that the ghost boat’s owner was alive in the water and growing worn out.

Two hours earlier, Sascha Scheller had been fishing when nature called. He leaned over to relieve himself, zipped up, turned back toward the helm (舵柄), and slipped.

Suddenly he was in the water.

Only when the boat approached did it dawn on Scheller: “That’s my boat!”

Logan was a brilliant student. He had committed to doing everything it took to win a scholarship to study at a good university. But nothing was more important to the 17-year-old boy than supporting his mother who was sick. After school hours, he would work as a bagboy at the local grocery store. Together, Logan and his mother managed to make ends meet while still fighting to achieve bigger dreams.

Now right outside the grocery store, Logan spotted a familiar face. “Mr. Peters!” Logan called out to the old man holding crutches (拐杖), whom he recognized as his new neighbor. Mr. Peters waved at Logan.   Logan happily helped the old man find what he needed and helped him bill the items, too.

“That will be $23, Mr. Peters,” Logan said.

Mr. Peters was taken aback by the bill’s amount. He asked, “And how much without the fruits?”

“$19, sir.”

“I see.” Mr. Peters looked in his wallet. He studied the bill and said, “Actually, I’ll just take the greens, thank you.”

“You know what? Here, let me pay for your order. It looks like you may have … left your card at home or something.”

Mr. Peters didn’t see this kind gesture coming, and even though it hurt his pride a little, he accepted the boy’s help.

Logan paid for the order and handed the bags to the old man. But Mr. Peters could only move a few steps forward as he tried to hold all the groceries without the crutches slipping away Logan rushed to Mr. Peters and offered to carry the groceries to his home. It was a short walk, but the two men were engaged in conversation all the way.

“What are you doing working at a grocery store? You look like you should be in college!” Mr.   Peter asked.

On listening to Logan’s story, Mr. Peters was moved and thought he should do something. “It was lovely to meet you, Logan. Maybe you could pop in after your shift at the store today?” he asked.

Logan agreed, suspecting that the man probably needed some help around the house.

After work, Logan knocked on his neighbor’s door and discovered the most astonishing thing about the old man.

“I’ve asked some former workmates to notice a scholarship application from a young man named Logan,” Mr. Peters continued.

In Whitney High School, Cerritos, California, which was known for its academic excellence and competitive atmosphere, there were two friends, Sam and Emily, who were preparing for their final exams. Sam and Emily were best friends and had always studied together. Sam was naturally gifted in mathematics, while Emily excelled in history. As their final exams approached, they promised to help each other with their weaker subjects.

They spent weeks preparing, exchanging notes, and quizzing each other. Sam helped Emily understand complex mathematics problems, and Emily helped Sam remember historical dates and events. Their friendship grew stronger as they worked towards their common goal.

However, as the exam day neared, Sam started to feel huge pressure. His parents had high expectations, and he was afraid of letting them down. He began to doubt his abilities, especially in history, which was his weakest subject. Emily noticed Sam’s anxiety and tried to reassure him, but Sam’s stress only seemed to increase. The night before the history exam, Sam admitted to Emily that he was considering cheating because he was so afraid of failing.

Emily was shocked and disappointed. She reminded Sam of all the hard work they had put in and the serious consequences cheating could have. She told him that it was better to try and fail honestly than to succeed through dishonesty.

On the day of the history exam, Sam was extremely nervous. He remembered Emily’s words and knew she was right. He decided to face the exam honestly, using what he had learned from their study sessions.

During the exam, Sam struggled with some of the questions, but he did his best to answer them without turning to cheating. When the exam ended, he felt a mix of relief and uncertainty. He had stuck to his values, but he wasn’t sure if he had done enough to pass the subject.

A few weeks later, the exam results were announced.

The experience of preparing for and taking the exams strengthened the bond between Sam and Emily.

When I was ten years old, I often accompanied my mother to the A& P Supermarket to buy goods. My mother had to shop very carefully, as the money she earned could only raise the family.

One day, while we were waiting in line to pay for the goods, a promotional (促销的) display for the World Book “Encyclopedia (百科全书)” caught my eye. It was beautifully cream-colored and all I could think of while shopping was the book. As my mother was counting out the money, I somehow found the courage to ask for the encyclopedia. “Could we get one?” I said, showing her the book. However, she didn’t have enough money for it. I followed her home, upset.

The next Saturday, my mother gave me a dollar and sent me to the A&P Supermarket alone. Two bottles of milk and a loaf of bread — that’s what a dollar in 1957. I went straight to the World Book display. There was only one encyclopedia left, and I started to read it. A lot of time went by and I knew I had to leave, but I couldn’t bear to part with the book. With no security guard in sight, I quickly put it inside my shirt and zipped (扣上拉链) up my jacket.

My heart beating rapidly, I headed to check out. I paid the dollar for the three items and was about to leave when I felt a heavy tap on my shoulder. “You stole something. You will be searched.” a big security guard announced. Frightened, I took the book out from the shirt and handed it over. “An encyclopedia?” he asked, somewhat surprised. “Yes.” I whispered, trembling. “Why didn’t you ask your parents to buy it?” “I did, but they didn’t have the money.” With a sigh, he let me leave.