In an art class my friend Mareya and I took, we had to look at art made by lots of different artists and then try creating our own. We made pencil drawings and paintings using only small dots of paint.

For our very last task, our teacher asked us to paint a portrait of a friend or family member. Mareya and I looked at each other and nodded. We both had the same idea.

“You’ll each get one of these art sets,” said Ms. Williams. “Every set contains a small canvas (画布), some tempera paints (蛋彩画颜料), and two foam brushes (泡沫刷). You can paint in any style you choose.”Mareya and I put our sets into our art bags. Then we headed over to her house.

And then our friend Jasmine stopped us. “I was so excited to tell you my amazing news. My family just got the cutest dog named Ginger, and if you want to come over, you can meet her!” Jasmine's house is only a couple of blocks from Mareya’s, so after checking in with Mareya’s mom, of course we had to go. Ginger was the cutest dog imaginable. “Whenever she’s not running around, she’s sound asleep in dreamland,” said Jasmine. She led the way to the kitchen. “Do you have time for a snack?” “Sure!” we said.

After we ate some cookies at the kitchen table, Mareya and I stood up to leave. But when we went to pick up our art bags by the front door, we found a big surprise! Mareya pointed at our torn-open art sets. “Something tells me Ginger might not have been sleeping this whole time.” “Oh no!” I said. “Our foam brushes are now foam shreds (碎片)!” “Bad Ginger!” Jasmine shouted. “It’s OK,” said Mareya. “She’s way too little to know any better.”

On the walk to Mareya’s house, I said, “I hope Ms. Williams will understand why we couldn’t do our portrait task.”

We ended up having a great time making our portraits with our fingers.

On the walk home from school, my friend, Cherry, happily said, “Tomorrow is Mother’s Day. I’ve been saving up for the past month and plan to buy my mother the perfume (香水) she’s been wanting for so long.” Her excitement made me realize that I hadn’t prepared anything special yet. But I only had a little money left. I began to regret spending so much on snacks every day. “See you next week!” Cherry’s voice pulled me back to reality. We waved goodbye as she went into a perfume shop.

I continued walking along the road, carefully thinking about what gift I should choose. I planned to buy something like flowers or chocolate, but now it seemed like those were way too simple. Therefore, I pushed open the door to a mall (商场) and tried to find the perfect gift. The bright lights illuminated (照亮) the collection of various goods. I picked up a lipstick (口红) but immediately (立即) put it back after seeing its price. I could never afford that! Then I walked into another shop and saw a lovely cup. This cup, besides being beautiful, would also remind my mother to drink water. It’d be a wonderful gift. I picked it up and turned it over to see the price listed, hoping it was not too expensive. But once again, I couldn’t afford it even with all the money that I had. Feeling sad, I continued to wander around the shops. Time flew by quickly, and before I knew it, the sky began to darken, so I had to go home.

Since there was no time or money for me to pick out a gift, I decided to make a simple card. When I finished, the clock on my bedroom wall struck 11 p.m. I held up the card, examining its hardcover, handwritten letters, and the tiny pictures I’d drawn of my mom and me. It’s probably never going to compare to the expensive gifts that my friends bought for their mothers, I thought sadly.

A few years ago, as a teenager, I experienced daily migraines (偏头痛) that made me want to hit my head against a brick wall. I was desperate to find a cure. For those of you who have experienced this pain, I can sense you silently nodding in agreement, while for those of you who have not experienced it, it is by no means an overstatement to say that the experience is suffering.

I had tried everything. Unfortunately, nothing worked as a continuous cure for my unfortunate painful condition. In my hopelessness, my father told me to try acupuncture (针灸), which he had experienced once in Hong Kong. It had helped cure his lower back when no other forms of therapy or medicine had worked.

I had no idea about acupuncture and had never experienced traditional Chinese medicine before. With no expectations due to my previous dis- appointments in my search for a treatment, I went on my journey of acupuncture, and soon found myself in a middle-aged woman’s office which was surrounded by Chinese herbal medicines.

After I sat myself down on the patient chair, she asked me why I had come in. Then, she placed three fingers on my wrist and silently felt my pulse. I was then taken to a room and told to lie down. Soon, she took out the needles which made me quite worried because such objects make me uneasy.

The initial procedure of receiving acupuncture proved to be quite surprising. To address my migraines, acupuncture was first administered to the back of my hand, which is nowhere near my head. The feeling was quite unexpected too: as the doctor carefully tapped and twisted the needle in, I did not sense the needle itself, but rather an effect that rippled (起伏) throughout my entire body. The doctor then continued to tap and twist more needles throughout my entire body: head, face, stomach, legs, arms, and toes. The entire process was over in 20 minutes. She then gave some herbal medicine to me to drink every day for five days.

I returned to the doctor for a total of 10 times.

Acupuncture did change my life.

“I challenge you to a hundred-meter race,” my opponent, Julius, declared. He had beaten me countless times during practice, but I wanted to prove him wrong for a change. “That’ll wipe the smile off his face!” I thought, even as fear started to pour in my stomach. He was well-known around the school for being the fastest runner on the track-and-field team, while I tailed behind in second place- a respectable position, but not yet good enough to surpass (超过) him. Nevertheless, I shook his hand and said, “Challenge accepted!” However, negative thoughts flooded my mind. Would I be able to win? After all, Julius’ speed of light would guarantee a sure win!

Soon, all my friends and the teachers had gathered around to watch the challenge. “Oh no, I will lose and be embarrassed in front of the whole school!” I spoke in a low voice. Nevertheless, I turned my worried expression into a determined smile. To keep myself from sinking into self-doubt, I did some stretches and jumping jacks to warm up my body.

Finally, the crucial moment arrived. The referee(裁判)fired the starting gun and we took off like a shot. Adrenaline(肾上腺素) rocketed through my body as I launched myself forward. True to my expectations, Julius caught up with me easily and was in the lead! “No way will I lose! Victory, here I come!” I motivated myself as anger coursed through my body. As the race progressed, my eyes locked onto Julius, his athletic form effortlessly moving ahead. His quick steps and strong focus showcased his impressive skills. Yet, I refused to let doubt consume me. A fierce fire burnt within, fueled by a mix of unwillingness to admit defeat and anger. How dare he assume he was unbeatable? With every step, my determination solidified(变坚定), and my resolve to surpass him strengthened.

“Faster!” I screamed and in that instant, I felt like Superman.

“Yi Rou! Yi Rou! Yi Rou!” The whole school was cheering my name!

In a misty morning, Robert was hiking high in the mountains with Lucky, his tiny but energetic dog. Every weekend, the two would go together on a hiking to climb nearby mountains. As they got near to the top, the path was rocky and less-traveled. After an hour, they reached the top, touched by the beautiful view there. Lost in the breathtaking scenery, Robert felt refreshed. When he looked at the loyal friend beside him, the memory of meeting Lucky for the first time flooded into his mind.

It had been about two years since Robert got Lucky. She was small and a ball of energy. “The day when my mother let me choose a dog from the doghouse, she was playfully jumping around and licking (舔) me, barking (犬吠) loudly to show how much she wanted to be my family,” thought Robert. “She looked quite small, but from the moment I threw my eyes on her, I knew she was the perfect dog for me. And, for some reasons, that active energy was something that I needed in my life,” Robert kept thinking.

Time flew, dark night drawing near. Having got enough rest, Robert decided it was time to go home. Suddenly, Robert lost his balance, rolled down a rocky hill, hit his head really hard, and finally stopped upside down.

One of his leg was in between two rocks, so he couldn’t move. But that was the least of his worries. What Robert was really scared of was that he was going to sleep with a serious head injury. He tried to cry for help, but he was so weak that he was going to become unconscious (昏迷的). “If only there had been someone else,” Robert thought, sad and hopeless. As darkness fell further, the weather turned cold and windy and he was about to lose consciousness. What’s worse, Robert noticed something like a snake approaching him before he finally fell unconscious.

Fortunately, Lucky was there all the time and never stopped barking for help.

After seeing unconscious Robert, the two strangers managed to wake him up.

For as long as I can remember, my parents raised me with dogs, cats, birds and fish in the house, and I felt the most comfort with these pets in my surroundings. As an only child, I grew up talking to these animals since I never had a partner to play with at home.

I created characters for each of the pets and I included them in my imaginary adventures, tying capes onto the dogs, who were changed into superheroes, and giving headwear to the cats, who became girls. Even after I began attending pre-school, I’d eagerly await my return from school so that I could relay all the exciting details to my pets who would listen and pretend to be slightly interested in my wandering. In fact, I probably communicated with my pets more than I did with my friends, since these animals offered a sense of safety which no individual could provide. It never felt strange for me to talk with members of different species and I always felt satisfied after I spoke with them.

Imagine the shock I faced when I realized that certain cruel persons badly treated their pets. Over the spring break of third grade when I visited Aunt Judy and my cousins in Philadelphia, I met her one-eyed cat, Gordon. A cold, skinny creature, I firstly avoided directing my attention towards the cat. Aunt Judy must have noticed my strange behavior, so she took me aside and explained that the Gordon’s owner had deserted him. The cat was extremely unhealthy and injured when Aunt Judy discovered him.

After she had found medical treatments for the cat, my aunt decided to keep him because Aunt Judy said, “The unwanted animals are the ones most in need of someone to love them wholeheartedly.” After my aunt’s advice, I spent additional time to know Gordon and as days passed, he grew less afraid of me and I became more willing to love him.

Para 1: It broke my heart to see his sad eyes.

Para 2: No creature loves such a lonely end to their life.

Julie glanced across at her cousin, Mira. She was showing off a bright pink prom (舞会) dress to Aunt Clara, who examined the dress with a smile. “Aunt Clara? Will you look at the dress I’d like to get?” Julie asked. “Unfortunately, I can’t afford to buy two expensive dresses, Julie,” Aunt Clara turned. Julie hung her dream dress back and followed her aunt and cousin to the cashier.

Back home, Julie ran downstairs to the basement (地下室). She didn’t have a room of her own, but rather a corner of the basement. She opened her cookie box and smiled sadly as she looked at a photo of her dad and mom, then removed the stack (堆) of birthday and Christmas cards from her grandma. Her grandma didn’t have much, but she’d send Mira and Julie a card and some cash every year. Once she’d gathered the notes, she counted just over a thousand dollars! “More than enough for my dream dress!” Julie whispered.

Julie ran upstairs. Mira was parading her dress in the sitting room while Aunt Clara looked on proudly. Julie watched them for a moment, and her heart ached. If only her mom were still alive, Julie turned away from the happy scene and walked out the front door. Once she had her dream dress, she could join the prom. A few hours later, Julie returned home with her shopping.

Julie sat up in shock when she woke the following morning. Her new dress was gone! She was about to head upstairs to search for it when she spotted something moving in the yard that caught her attention. As she ran out, she found Jewel was tearing up the dress. Julie shouted in frustration and anger. It didn’t matter if she got the dress back from the dog now because it was already ruined (毁坏). Her dream dress was gone, and she couldn’t afford to replace it.

Tears stung (使……感觉刺痛) Julie’s eyes. Julie grabbed her dress and jumped on a bus. At the third stop, she jumped off and ran down the block.

Julie knocked on a familiar door and waited.

On the day of the prom, Julie wore a new dress made by her grandma.