2 . Maybe you’ve heard about the saying, “A bird with a broken wing will never fly as high.” I’m sure that T. J. Ware was made to feel this way almost every day in school.

By high school, T. J. was the most famous troublemaker in his town. He got into lots of fights. He failed almost every exam but was passed on each year to a higher grade level. Teachers didn’t want to have him again the following year.

When I showed up to lead the first training for a leadership retreat, a program designed to have students become more involved in their communities, the community leaders told me about T. J. Ware, the boy with the longest arrest record in the history of town. Somehow, I knew that I wasn’t the first to hear about T. J.’ s darker side as the first words of introduction.

At the start of the retreat, T. J. didn’t readily join the discussion groups and didn’t seem to have much to say. But when his group started a discussion about positive and negative things that had happened at school that year, he joined in and had clear thoughts on those situations, and the other students in his group welcomed his comments. Suddenly, T. J. felt like a part of the group, and soon he was treated like a leader. He was saying things that made a lot of sense, and everyone was listening. By the end of the retreat, he had joined the Homeless Project team. He knew something about poverty, hunger and hopelessness. The other students on the team were impressed with his ideas and love for the homeless. They elected T. J. vice-chairman of the team.

Two weeks later, the Homeless Project team organized a communitywide service project — a giant food drive. Seventy students led by T. J. collected a school record: 2,854 cans of food in just two hours, enough to take care of poor families in the area for 75 days. The local newspaper covered the event with a full-page article the next day. T. J.’ s picture was up there for doing something great.

T. J. reminds us that a bird with a broken wing only needs mending. But once it has healed, it can fly higher than the rest.

3 . There’re stories behind Olympic medalists. Among them, a very _________ one is that of former weightlifting champion Óscar Figueroa. He _________ in the Olympics four times, but with those events came plenty of _________ before he finally won his victory.

21-year-old Figueroa made his first _________ in the 2004 Olympic Games. Though ranked fifth—a good position, he was _________. He looked forward to the 2008 Beijing Games to prove himself. _______ , just two weeks before the event, his hand was injured, which _________ Figueroa in his weightlifting and cost him the competition. Figueroa had got _________ than ever by the 2012 London Games. So he took home the silver medal. Though he’d already _________ all, he still wanted more. In 2016, he headed to Rio to __________ for the top prize and he did. After his final lift, knowing just how __________ his performance had been, Figueroa fell to the ground in __________. Then he put his shoes on the stage, indicating he would __________ from the Olympics. That year, he became the first Colombian man to have ever taken home the __________ in his category.

“It’s many years since I started; now is the time to stop,” he said at the 2016 Olympics. “But I am full of emotion. It’s as though I was __________ for the whole country.”

6 . When I was 12 years old, I already knew that my teen years were going to be the worst years of my life. I was a total outsider, bullied(欺凌) at school. I felt completely alone in my small town.

But by starting to do volunteer work when I was 14, I turned my problem into a passion for helping others. The opportunity to practice kindness made me feel like my life had a greater purpose. The more positive energy I shared, the more kindness and appreciation I received. I realized that my purpose in life would be to reach out to people, specifically teenagers, and help them feel less alone.

Books were my true friends back then. I was so thankful that the authors who wrote those books. The kindness that they offered me with their books saved my life. One of my biggest dreams was to become an author, so I could write books that would help other teenagers the way those books helped me.

After surviving terrible experiences at school and at home, I made a choice to take the optimistic, positive road in the next steps of my journey. My dream career, one I thought was only possible for the authors I loved, is what I am doing now. I have been a full-time author of teen novels since 2007 and am grateful for this amazing opportunity to reach out to readers every single day.

Kindness saved me when I needed help the most. Even small acts of kindness can change someone’s life. You never know what someone else is going through. But by practicing daily kindness, you become an architect of positive change.

7 . Every time Oksana Chusovitina competes in a gymnastics event, she catches the audience’s attention. The Hangzhou Asian Games proved no exception. When the 48-year-old Uzbek gymnast took part in the event on Monday, thousands of audiences cheered for “Qiu Ma”, which translates to “Mother Chusovitina”.

“I’m touched by Chusovitina’s story. She tried to save her son and just never gave up. She is beautiful both as an athlete and as a mother,” said Zhang Anqi, a Hangzhou local who attended the event.

After completing her competition, Chusovitina blew a kiss to the audience and formed a “heart” shape with her hands. “It is the love and support of the people that keep me going and give me the strength to achieve more,” Chusovitina said. “I am not very satisfied with my performance tonight. Actually, I was a little over-excited. I will increase the difficulty in the final,” she added.

Chusovitina has a storied history at the Asian Games, having won eight medals, including two golds in 2002. Her Olympic journey began in 1992, representing the former Soviet Union. She later stood for Uzbekistan. When Chusovitina’s son got a serious illness in 2002, she chose to take German citizenship (国籍) to compete at global events for a higher income and better medical treatment. She took her Uzbek citizenship in 2013 again.

Her heartfelt feeling, “I dare not grow old until you are well,” has moved many. After her son’s recovery, Chusovitina continued her gymnastics journey simply out of love for the sport. Though she announced her retirement after the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, she decided to return shortly after. “The biggest power is my desire. I want to perform. I love gymnastics, and it brings me great joy. I’m just doing what I love, so why should I stop?” Chusovitina said.

8 . The Best Activities in Melbourne

It’s time to start planning how you’ll keep entertained. We’ve put together four family-friendly activities for you.

Some visit the show for the thrilling rides, the others feel amazed at award-winning cakes, the cutest baby animals…or maybe you’re all just united in a love of sugar-filled show bags. This year’s Melbourne Royal Show is set to be bigger and better than ever, running for 11 days, with all the fantastic attractions that we know and love.

If your family has a love for the fantastical, you can get up close to mysterious dragons at Kryal Castle. There will be a wide rage of activities themed around the famous creatures, including an exciting dragon egg trip and dragon soldier training. You’ll come face to face with dragons, and catch the thrilling Dragon Cup Tournament, where noble soldiers and brave knights battle for the Dragon Cup.

The activity is inviting kids to express their creativity at the immersive (沉浸式虚拟现实的) art experience. The organizer will have little kids use their personal creativity to create their own artworks that can be taken home, surrounded by the world of art and culture as inspiration. There will also be free gifts and interactive art plays. It’s suitable for age 5 to 12.

MoPA is a kids’ museum, a place where kids can engage with fun exhibits. The exhibits at MoPA are designed for kids aged 1 to 9. Kids can practice their fine motor skills, build and race in the Zoom Room, climb up to Sunset City for a sweet view of the museum and get creative at the MoPA Art Car.