Writing assignment had always been difficult for fifth grader Jimmy and this time it just seemed impossible. The English teacher Mrs. Davis gave them the title, I Pride Myself on…Jimmy racked his brains but found nothing he was proud about himself. He was only average in everything both at home and at school.

At home, his parents supported and took care of the family; his elder sister Julia was sometimes helpful with housework and taking care of his baby sister Lily, who was twelvemonth sold. As for Jimmy, he was the kind of middle kid who seemed nonexistent except for his appearance at the dinner table for each meal. At school, he was average in all subjects and never had a chance to standout in school activities. It seemed to him that all his friends deserved certain kind of praise either for their academic performance or for a favorite hobby, except him. His teachers would be satisfied if he didn’t get himself into some kind of trouble each day.

It was Friday evening. The composition would be due the next Monday but Jimmy was still trying to figure out what to write about. After dinner, he stood by the kitchen window, wondering what the teacher would say if he failed to finish the composition on time. He could hear Julia promising Mom and Dad she would take care of Lily so that Mom and Dad could leave for a movie and have a good time.

“Jimmy, what are you up to there?” Julia asked putting Lily in the stroller (婴儿车). Jimmy went overhanging his head and poured out his trouble. “That’s really a problem,” said Julia with compassion. “But if you will look after Lily this evening, I will tell you what you can pride yourself on.” That seemed a fair deal for Jimmy and he accepted it. After some instructions on baby care, Julia left Lily to Jimmy and went upstairs.

It was the first time for Jimmy to sit a baby but he was determined to do a good job.

The next morning, at dinner, Jimmy told Julia he had already known what to write about.

On a bright Saturday, my peaceful lunchtime was suddenly interrupted when my dad surprised me with an unplanned idea. I couldn’t hide my annoyance as what was supposed to be a relaxing Saturday turned into a day focused on football — a sport I wasn’t very excited about.

Many of my friends loved sports, while I preferred to find comfort in the pages of a good book rather than run around on a football court. My lack of interest resulted in average performance on the team, and I often felt like I was a problem for both my coach and teammates.

Things changed last week when our coach announced a coming match against the champions scheduled for a month later. The realization that this important game would have a big audience only made me more anxious. The fear of possibly letting down the team weighed on me.

Determined to make a positive impact, I decided to practice hard every day. My motivation came from wanting to help the team and to overcome the self-doubt affecting my performance.

As the match day approached, my teammates seemed unsure about including me in the lineup (阵容). I wouldn’t have minded sitting out, but the situations were different. With one player short, they reluctantly (不情愿地) included me, and The Thunder Strikers, our team, stepped onto the field to enjoy cheers from the crowd.

The pressure was intense. The game started, and within the ten minutes, I received a warning. Before long, the referee showed me a second yellow card, forcing me to leave the field. When I got back into the game, the score was tied, and the next goal would decide the winner.

As the ball came toward me, I felt a bit scared. My teammates seemed tired, and the other team really wanted to win. With great courage, I kicked the ball. The opponents (对手), maybe not expecting much from me because of my earlier struggles, were surprised when the ball went past the goalkeeper.

The Thunder Strikers won!

After this win, football became different for me.

5 . “We know more about the moon and Mars than we do our own planet,” says Richard Jenkins, founder and CEO of Saildrone, a data and robotics company located in Alameda, California.

Saildrone, founded in 2013, focuses on high-performance, hard-wing sail technology capable of breaking motorless land speed records, reaching speeds of 126. 1 mph. This innovative sail automatically adjusts itself for maximum wind power, a departure from traditional sails.

Saildrone doesn’t sell saildrones; instead, they sell data, and a whole lot of it. A day of saildrone data costs clients around $ 2,500, significantly less than the $ 30,000 daily cost of running a traditional ocean research vessel. And saildrones are also carbon neutral, with the 23-foot Explorer model using just the power of the sun and the wind to complete full year long missions around the world.

These unmanned surface vehicles are equipped with solar-powered sensors that offer real-time tracking data to a control center in Alameda. They monitor weather patterns, CO₂ levels, and can provide live storm analysis from the midst of a category 4 hurricane. The data collected is used by NOAA for more accurate hurricane path predictions. They also count fish, aiding in sustainable fisheries management. They capture real-time video of drug smugglers and illegal fishing, supporting the U. S. Coast Guard’s ocean security efforts. Additionally, they collect wind density data to assist energy companies in locating best spots for offshore wind farms.

“Ocean mapping is fundamentally important to understanding and predicting our future. Life started probably at the bottom of the ocean, and it really dictates the ocean currents and ocean circulation which transfers heat and carbon throughout our oceans,” says Jenkins, “so understanding the deep sea is critical for geophysics, safety and navigation. and also ocean circulation. Less than 20% of our ocean is mapped, and with 20 of our Surveyors, we could map the entire planet in 9.6 years.”

In a data-driven, digital world, Saildrone is quickly becoming the leading platform for those seeking precise information about our changing oceans. The company currently has around 100 manufactured saildrones. But Jenkins hopes to soon have a global fleet of 1,000 drones sailing around the world helping us better understand and protect our planet.

Another school year was beginning. I had thirteen excited first graders eager to learn and ready to fill my classroom with giggles (咯咯笑), tears, and everything in between, I realized that I had a uniquely small class size and got excited about the special projects we could do. One project that I had been particularly interested in was adopting military members as pen pals for my students.

1 began by sending out an e-mail to our school district employees asking for names and contact information of any military members they knew of. I was able to gather four different contacts and sent an e mail to each one asking if we could “adopt” them.

As the school year progressed, I eagerly awaited responses to my emails, hoping to establish connections between my first-grade students and military members serving abroad. The initial excitement gave way to a bit of uncertainty as there was not any reply.

However, one individual, Sergeant (中士) Allen, emerged as a beacon of hope. He responded to my email, expressing his eagerness to participate in our pen pal project. He shared that he was currently stationed overseas and how much he appreciated the opportunity to connect with young students back home.

Sergeant Allen’s initial email introduced himself to the class and outlined his experiences and duties as a soldier. My first graders were absolutely thrilled to read his words, and their faces lit up with curiosity and wonder. They immediately began drafting their first letters, full of questions about life in the military, his daily routines, and what it was like to be so far from home.

Sergeant Allen didn’t just respond to our initial letters; he became a dedicated and compassionate pen pal. He answered every question from my students, sharing stories of his daily life, and the challenges he faced.

My first graders began crafting colorful cards, drawing pictures, and writing heartfelt letters to Sergeant Allen. These care packages were sent overseas, crossing thousands of miles to reach our newfound friend. Sergeant Allen responded with gratitude, sending his letters and care packages. This continuous exchange fostered a sense of pride and responsibility in the hearts of my young students.

As the school year came to a close, we held a special video call with him.

I was astonished to know that he was my classmate.

7 . Recent studies found that smiling at London bus drivers increases happiness. However, on the Number 24 bus to Hampstead Heath, Londoners are sceptical. “Bus drivers,” says. Liz Hands. a passenger. “are generally annoying me.”

It might seem improbable that a report on London’s buses could change behaviour. But it has happened before. London’s buses have an underappreciated role in the history, of medical science. In the 1940s, a single study of London’s transport workers transformed epidemiology(流行病学), medicine and the way we live now. Every time you go on a run, check your step-count, or take the stairs instead of the lift, you are following a path pioneered by the feet of the workers on London’s buses.

In the late 1940s, doctors were worried. Britain was suffering from an “epidemic” of heart disease and no one knew why. Various hypotheses(假设), such as stress, were suggested; but one thing that was not exercising researchers was exercise. The idea that health and exercise were linked “wasn’t the accepted fact that we know today”, says Nick Wareham, a professor of epidemiology at Cambridge University. Some even felt that “too much physical activity was a bad thing for your health”. Navvies, miners and farmers who did physical exercise also suffered from various diseases and died young.

At this time a young doctor called Jerry Morris started to suspect that the excess deaths from heart disease might be linked to occupation. He began studying the medical ‘records of 31, 000 London transport workers. His findings were breathtaking: conductors, who spent their time running up and down stairs, had an approximately 30% lower possibility of disease than drivers, who sat down all day. Exercise was keeping people alive.

Morris’s research was eventually published in 1953, just three years after a study by Richard Doll proving the link between smoking and lung cancer. Morris’s work had consequences both big and small. Morris now also took up exercise, handing his jacket to his daughter and just running. “People thought I was bananas.” Slowly, the rest of the world took off its jacket and followed.

Dave had loved basketball for as long as he could remember and he had never had a day without playing it. At primary school and junior high school he joined basketball clubs, attended training programs and watched basketball games, from which he learned the moves of the star players, wishing to play in a professional team like them and shine on the court.

Now as a senior high school student, however, his dream of becoming a professional player was dimming (变暗) because he was only of average height. He had to give up the hope of joining the school team. The guys on the school team were all tall boys who played matches and won honors for the school. They were like heroes. Dave watched them play and cheered them but he knew he would never be one of them.

Dave felt it a pity not to be tall enough, but this didn’t stop him from pouring his passion into basketball. He just played for the love of the sport. He played in the school gym with other boys or by himself every day, even during holidays and weekends, when it was open for two hours in the morning. He enjoyed every minute on the court making every effort to play better.

It was one Saturday morning. Dave was playing in the gym by himself, as all the other boys were busy with other weekend affairs. Then he noticed a tall boy approaching. It was Lankas. Everybody knows him as captain of the school basketball team. “Hi, Lankas,” Dave greeted him. “My name is Dave.” “Hi, Dave,” Lankas replied as he got closer. “Nice to see you here. Do you need an opponent to play against?” Dave was shocked, frozen right there, unable to believe his ears but somehow, he answered, “Why not?”