1 . I used to be bad at playing basketball. Gym class in middle school was the worst. I was always the last kid to be picked. The only reason why I was even picked at all was that I was good friends with the best player in the class.

In the eighth grade, I finally decided I was sick and tired of being a nonentity. I dedicated (奉献) that entire summer to getting better. I spent every day playing basketball, practising for hours in the gym. I remember playing pick-up games with one group of kids until they all eventually got tired and left. Then a whole different group of kids would come in and I’d play with them too.

After months of this devoted routine, something amazing started to happen. People began passing me the ball. They trusted me to take the shot. They even started picking me first to be on their team! The last game of organized basketball I ever played was the culmination (高潮) of all my hard work. Against a team far more talented than mine. I scored 27 points. We still lost, but I walked away from that game feeling like a total champion.

What I learned from those years of rejection and waiting to be picked was that life really isn’t any different. Most of us spend our lives waiting for opportunities to land in our laps. What’s worse, sometimes we feel entitled (使有权) to them. And when things don’t go our way — when no one picks us — we find something or someone to blame.

I could have complained when no one wanted me on their team. I could have convinced myself that I deserved to be picked. But I didn’t. Instead I took matters into my own hands and put in the work to become better.

Should we have our fate controlled by a few people who in most cases don’t even know us? I certainly don’t think so. We have a choice. We can choose to create something meaningful, and so move forward with our ideas.

2 . The moment I was born, I seemed to be part of a set, as if my twin brother David and I were a package deal. We faced constant comparisons in our physical appearance. People were always comparing our personalities and academic performances as well! These constant comparisons made me decide not to go to the same university as my twin brother.

That is not to say we didn’t have good academic experiences in the past or didn’t get along. In the eleventh grade, we were placed in the same maths experimental class. I recall arriving early to the first class and being a bit disappointed when I saw David already seated at his desk. It is hard to avoid comparisons when we were in the same class. However, we found that we actually worked well together, in our own way. We would argue about the best way to solve a problem and debate its answer. As the year went on, I noticed that our teacher kept moving us closer and closer together. Our argument was actually productive.

However, we were two very different candidates. I was very involved in extra-curricular activities (课外活动), while David had better test scores than I did. I’m fond of writing while David enjoys playing computer games. I am currently studying English and French at McGill University, while David is studying computer science at Union College.

Besides escaping comparisons, there have been other benefits of going to different universities. The first one is that we are forced to talk to each other, as we no longer see each other every day. This is healthier for our relationship. The second, also the more important one, is that after having so many similar experiences together we can have our own experiences separate from one another.

Going to a different university benefited me thus far. It allows for more personal growth, and I’m not attached to the label of being a twin.

4 . Along with a rising number of space missions by government agencies and private industries, comes a fresh set of problems for Earth: potentially dangerous space junk (太空垃圾).

A recent study published in the scientific journal Nature Astronomy concluded “that current space practices have a 10 percent chance of one or more deaths over a decade”. In other words, according to researchers from the University of Victoria and the University of British Columbia, there’s roughly a one-in-ten chance that the next decade will witness falling space junk kill someone.

The space junk orbiting the earth is an unfortunate by-product of our desire to explore and document space. According to 2021 figures from NASA and the Department of Defense’s Space Surveillance Data, the agencies were actively tracking more than 27,000 pieces of space junk, most of which are larger than a softball and that casually orbit the planet. The floating space junk is certainly a problem, but not all the objects must come down, and, in fact, a number of pieces simply burn up in the atmosphere. Sometimes those objects, particularly large ones like used rocket attachments, give in to gravity and fall back down to Earth to be dealt with once again by their human makers. But typically, people don’t die or even get injured by this phenomenon — because many of the falling pieces crash into the ocean.

They also have to deal with the unsettling feeling of knowing that large rocket pieces can just fall from the sky and that it might affect people in certain parts of the world more than others.

This poses an obvious safety risk to people on the ground. “When some large parts of space junk return to Earth, the parts of their mass survive the heat of atmosphere. Many of the surviving pieces are potentially dangerous, giving serious risks on land, at sea, and to people in airplanes,” the study explains.

8 . As we close out the final days of this year, treat yourself to a deliciously distracting new book —a book that you can dip into and out of throughout the holidays. Read up, rest up, and enjoy yourself.

A must-have guide for yoga-loving mamas, Yoga for Pregnancy, Birth and Beyond offers helpful relaxation techniques and breathing exercises that are tailored to each pregnant woman. The book also lays out valuable techniques for labor and staying in touch with your body as it continuously changes.

We could all use a little more peace in our lives. Uniquely suited for children and parents to do together, the 40 mindfulness exercises recommended here —from pausing to fully enjoy a tasty sandwich to taking chalk walk together—will not only teach children calm and gratitude, but also bring grown-ups and their littles closer together.

Frankie Elkin is a recovering alcoholic who devotes her time to solving cold cases, especially those involving people of color. A new investigation brings her to Boston, searching for a Haitian teenager who disappeared months ago. But as Frankie starts asking questions, someone else will stop at nothing to keep the answers hidden.

Lauren Redniss’ Oak Flat tells the story of the land near the San Carlos Apache Reservation through an Apache family fighting to protect the land which the U. S. government and two world-power mining enterprises are attempting to seize and destroy for its copper resources. Visually striking and deeply reported, Oak Flat tells a larger story of endless westward expansion and native resistance.

9 . I almost died when I fell into the boiling (沸腾的) water at the age of three. The ______ left me with serious burns and scars (伤疤) all over my body. I spent many years in hospital having hundreds of ______, which meant years and years of skin grafts (移植).

In my teens, I realized that I was ______ to my friends. They were all beautiful young ladies and I had these terrible scars under my clothes which made me feel ugly. ______, swimming helped me a lot. I can’t ______ that I was burned (烧伤) in the water and yet it also helped to ______ me. In the water I was at my happiest.

I was a competitive (有竞争力的) swimmer for many years and then was ______ to be a swimming teacher for the local swim club. Even though ______ in a gym is difficult for me, swimming is much ______ as I can sweat in the pool.

This year I swam from Asia to Europe alongside the talented physical sports expert Professor Greg. I swam close to Greg asking for his ______ in a swim challenge and he agreed to help me out. When I climbed out, I broke down and wept and just couldn’t control my ______. I was told afterwards that I ______ in one hour and 28 minutes. I couldn’t believe it as I kept stopping wanting to ______ but Greg really inspired me all the way to the finish.

I was doing this for all those people who had ______ years of self body hating, severe depression (严重抑郁), low self-confidence and of course my wonderful families. ______ women are survivors of life.

10 . About six years ago I started having panic attacks (恐慌症). I began my journey to _______ them with traditional tools, all of which were a great help. ________, a year later treatment was no longer needed.

Frustratingly, about a year after that, I started to develop ________ and began to have panic attacks once again. I tried what I knew best and went back to my previous _______, but I was still struggling and far from feeling well again ________ I got some new advice.

I loved to sing when I was young. My childhood had been ________ with creativity, yet for most of my adult life it was neglected. A therapist told me that mental health issues are common among the ________ minds of the world when creativity is suppressed (压制) . To regain it, I decided to get back into ________. Then I joined a group called Sound, a pop choir. Much better, I found the ________ to audition (试音). I was amazed that I managed to ________ such a risky situation and not have a panic attack. The audition itself was a win for me, never mind how I did.

I have now been a ________ of the choir for three years. I love the community and the performances. It ________ me of who I was at school. My path back then was always “do what you love”. My entire ________ was filled with fond memories because of that, and I was starting to build that back into my adult life.

Now, I am feeling a lot better. When I am ________, distraction (分散注意力) is key and singing does ________ . It sends me into a state in which my body works with pure passion and joy. More importantly, I will have exercised my creativity and relieved my anxiety.