I was born an albino (白化病人) in Pennsylvania in 1945. No one in my family had ever known what an albino was and what it ________ to be an albino.

My family and friends never treated me as ________ else. That was just about the best thing they could have done. It helped me trust myself, so when troubles came along, I could ________ them.

Like most albinos, I had terrible eyesight, but the fact that I could hardly ________ didn’t trouble me that much. Kids would make fun of me, calling me “Whitey”.

People stared at me when I held reading material right at the tip (尖) of my ________ so that I could see it well enough. Even when I was eight, movie-theater workers started asking me to pay full price because I looked ________.

The worst part for me was that ________ my eyesight was so bad, I couldn’t play sports very well. I didn’t ________ trying, though. I shot hoops (篮圈) every day. And I studied hard.

Finally, I got better at school and loved it. By the time I got to college, I was double majoring (专业), going to summer school and ________ myself with every activity I could find. I had learned to be proud of being an albino. I did my best to make “albino” a good word. And I decided to make my ________ with my eyes and in sports.

I couldn’t see very well to play sports, but with a solid education and a drive to do it, I could make a living involved in the area I loved. I’ve done it now for over thirty years in print and in video, and now in cyberspace (网络空间). People make jokes about how I’m the only “blind editor” they know, but the jokes are of goodwill. Some of them are the signs of ________.

I was just a(an) ________ albino kid from the coal country of Pennsylvania. I now realize that being born an albino helped me to overcome difficulties, gain confidence and be proud of my personal achievement.

Jack Johnson is one of the most popular singer-song writers in the world.

Jack was born on May 18, 1975 in Hawaii. Being the son of a famous surfer, Jack naturally has an interest in surfing. Most of his life lesson were learned in the water. At the age of 17, Jack entered the finals of the Pineline Masters—the world’s most famous surfing competition. Everyone thought Jack would become a professional surfing like his father. Unluckily, one month later, he had a deadly accident while surfing and was seriously hurt.

Life is like a revolving door. When it closes, it also opens. Jack started to practice playing the guitar and write songs when he was staying in hospital. At first, his father thought Jack only did it for fun, but soon he was surprised at the great progress his son had made.

When studying in the university, Jack didn’t stop practicing his guitar skills. He played the guitar for school parties. He wrote songs and sang for his teachers and friends. They liked his songs. His first music album Brushfire Fairytales came out in 2001. It was a great success. His second album, On and On, was much like his first. They were filled with sweet, easy-going songs that everybody liked listening to. Later Jack had lots of concerts in and out of America. He became popular all over the world.

Jack had five albums by 2010 and more than 15 million copies of them were sold. His music doesn’t fall into any of the popular music styles like pop, R&B or hip-hop. It is more like folk music, played with a guitar and beautiful voice. When listening to his songs, you feel like lying on the beach enjoying the warm sunshine.

Jack is a talent, though he himself says he is only a surfer who loves music. In his songs we can find his secret of success: Whatever happen in our lives, we have to accept it and do the best we can.

How’s it going? Sorry I haven’t emailed for a while because I had so much to do!

I had told you about my decision to take up a sport. I knew I wasn’t fit and I wanted to get some exercise. But that wasn’t the only reason that I decided to do a sport. Students who play sports do better at school.     34     Exercise also helps learning and memory (记忆).

    35     First, I tried soccer. I had played a bit of soccer before and I thought it wouldn’t be too bad. I knew I couldn’t run for very long without feeling tired. On the first day, I was able to run for the first ten minutes, but then I was so tired that I couldn’t even kick the ball!

Then, I tried volleyball.     36     I was able to run for the first twenty minutes and I wasn’t the slowest runner in the team! After a few weeks, I could run faster and longer. I was doing better and feeling better. Then I found volleyball terribly boring. Maybe I’m not a team sport person after all!

Finally, I tried kung fu (功夫). It’s a great sport that exercises both the body and the mind. You learn to follow instructions carefully and do what you are asked to do. This is the right sport for me!     37     I feel so confident that I even showed some moves to the class last week! Can you believe it?

I hope you’re OK! Write and let me know what you’ve been doing!

Bye for now!

Kristie

More and more people like “Survival (生存) Holidays”. What is it?   It is for children to go into the lonely place for exciting activities. Now about 1,100 companies are allowed to take children into the great outdoors without their parents.

The reason why people like “Survival Holidays” is that they think being close to nature is good for children. Many children in big cities spend all time watching TV and playing computer games. “Survival Holidays” gives them an important change.

Is “Survival Holidays” a wonderful idea?   Maybe it is. Children need more free time to play. They need to be left on their own, without adults disturbing (干扰) them. Parents care too much about their children. They like to see the children being busy with activities that are controlled (控制) by adults, but children don’t know what to do when they are in danger. Even something like crossing a small river seems to be a hard challenge. Children are not comfortable with danger. Even small danger like getting their feet wet or falling down seems very terrible to them.

Many people think the survival activities are good for children. Even years later, they will still remember what they have learned. Some have learned to stay calm in different times. Some have learned how to keep safe. Others have learned how to work in a team. All these skills will help them a lot in their lives.