Shelly was a teenage girl full of energy and curiosity. She found herself in a familiar yet exciting situation as New Year’s Eve drew near. Her parents, busy doctors in the emergency department, were eager to spend the festive occasion with family at her grandparents’ house. Jason and Judy, Shelly’s loving grandparents, were excited to host the joyous celebration.

In the midst of the busy preparations, Shelly found herself alone in the attic(阁楼) , filled with old trunks and forgotten relics. As she searched through the dusty relics in the attic, her eyes caught a bronze item among the forgotten treasures. It was a Scout badge(童子军徽章) , her father’s from his youthful days as a Scout. This badge held a profound meaning, symbolizing her father’s adventurous spirit and dedication to service.

Eager to share her find, Shelly carefully put the badge into her pocket and rejoined the celebration. As the evening progressed, she proudly showed off the badge to her friends in the neighborhood, sharing tales of her father’s Scouting adventures. However, time flew by with laughter and joy. It was then that the badge slipped unnoticed from her grasp, disappearing into the dark night.

Panic stricken and heartbroken, Shelly quickly searched for the lost badge, checking every corner she had been. But the badge was nowhere to be found. Tears streamed down her face as she knew how disappointed her father would be if he knew she had lost his precious Scout badge. The loss of the badge was not just a physical loss, but a symbol of the connection she felt with her father and his past. Shelly’s world felt incomplete, and she prayed that somehow, she would find the badge and restore the broken bond. She decided to search the neighborhood again.

Ms. Pinelli was walking her dog, Boomerang, past our driveway when I told her that it had been barking throughout the afternoon. We assumed it probably saw a squirrel or something.

After school the next day, I was practising the piano when Boomerang started barking again. (No, my piano playing isn’t that bad!) Anyway, it never used to bark when I practiced. Ten minutes later, it was still barking. Jumping up, I decided to play detective instead of the piano. The Pinellis’ trees were small, and I didn’t spot anything that disturbed it in them. The curtains were open, but I couldn’t see Boomerang looking out. I wondered if something was wrong.

After thinking it over, I called Ms. Pinelli at work and told her Boomerang was barking nonstop again. Ms. Pinelli returned immediately and put it into her car and drove off.

Later, after dinner, she dropped by my house and told me that the vet (兽医) had checked it out. Boomerang was fine but it probably missed Leo, Ms. Pinelli’s son. He used to be its playmate but started college in the fall. During our conversation, I knew how Boomerang got its name. It was like a boomerang (飞镖) when playing fetch, running off and then returning with a ball with Leo. To tell the truth, I missed Leo too because he had taught me how to throw a ball in the yard.

We felt bad for the dog and were eager to find a way to help it cope with Leo’s absence. Ms. Pinelli mentioned that she would leave the TV on the next day, hoping that the noise would distract it.

The following day, when I got off the bus, I could hear Boomerang’s barking loud and clear. I rushed to have a check, finding Boomerang pacing back and forth restlessly. Ms. Pinelli was busy with her computer work. She asked me whether I could do her a favor to keep an eye on it for a while. I gladly said, “Yes!”

When Mark was five years old, his father died and his life fell apart. His mom Jane and he lived a hard life. They had to move from California to Arizona and live with Mark’s grandmother, Moria. That meant Mark lost all his friends and his carefree life.

It could have been the end of Mark’s childhood, but then he met 76-year-old Mr. Kelsey, Moira’s next-door neighbor. One day, he was kicking a soccer ball around the yard when one kick sent the ball over the fence into Kelsey’s yard. Mark came to Kelsey’s home, feeling a little nervous.

“Grandpa, can I get my ball back?” Mark said cautiously. “Of course,” Kelsey said gently with a smile. “Come over and have a talk with me, will you?” Then they had a pleasant chat.

Kelsey lived alone but had a loving and patient heart to children. Over time, the two of them gradually established a deep friendship, enjoying each other’s company.

Half a year later, something unexpected happened. Mark learned Kelsey had a serious eye disease but he couldn’t afford the $3,000 surgery (外科手术). Without timely treatment, he would go blind completely. However, Jane and Moria were also on a tight budget, unable to spare any money for Kelsey.

Mark made up his mind to wash cars at the parking lot of the shopping center on the weekends to raise money for poor Kelsey. He offered to wash each car for one dollar. Mark knew he had to wash a lot of cars to make up the money, but he was determined.

A few days later, one of his customers, named Jason, asked curiously, “What do you do this for, kid?” “My neighbor, Mr. Kelsey. He needs an eye surgery. I’m raising money for him. I badly need $3, 000,” Mark replied. “You’re a kind boy,” Jason said softly. “Where do you live?” Mark told Jason his address. Deeply moved by what Mark was doing, Jason decided to help him another way.

Jason shared Mark’s story online, appealing for donations.

I heard about Matthew through my Aunt Mary. He was the son of Aunt Mary’s sister and she referred to him too often.

We were compared hundreds of times as we grew up. I remembered the first day I began school. I lay on the floor in the classroom, crying that I wanted to go home. At night, my mother said Aunt Mary told her that Matthew started school on the same day and enjoyed his school life like a duck to water.

And so it went on. What a genius (天オ), he knew his nine - times table (九九乘法表) like the back of his hand, while I was still hopelessly stuck in the fours ; I began to be afraid of Aunt Mary’s visits. She always brought chocolate for me, but as soon as she had gone, Mother was sure to say the words:

“Tom, Aunt Mary was telling me that Matthew…”

According to Aunt Mary, Matthew never took a math exam without getting a full mark and never took part in a football match without scoring a goal while I was bad at neither Math nor sports.

Aunt Mary kept saying we boys should meet each other and be good friends. Luckily, Matthew and I never got to meet each other.

When I was in high school, news about Matthew stopped after Aunt Mary stopped visiting us. She passed away. But Matthew was still a role model in my mind. I studied as hard as I could, minding nothing else. My hard work paid off and I was admitted to a key university. Personally speaking, I was really grateful to Aunt Mary and did want to meet Matthew in person. They both shaped my life.

One day, I was reading a book on campus when a fat short boy of my age with big glasses approached me, asking shyly whether I was Tom.

I had never seen the boy before, wondering who he was.

He was surprised, saying Aunt Mary told him

I was an average student in my early elementary years. I came home with a steady flow of B’s, C’s and the occasional F’s in second language subjects. I was told that I wasn’t applying myself and, as every report card I ever brought home clearly stated, I talked too much.

I didn’t write when I was supposed to write. I talked to others while the teacher was giving instructions. That I could recite what she had said to the class while I was talking was not helpful because I had a negative effect on my classmates’ learning. So I regularly brought home disappointing report cards.

My parents and my teachers didn’t know what to do with me. Punishments didn’t seem to work. Rewards didn’t seem to either. And, frankly, I don’t think I knew what I could do to “apply myself”. And I certainly didn’t know how to not enjoy talking with my classmates! What I knew was that I talked too much. Until grade 5.

That autumn, we had a sudden change in teachers as our elderly teacher took a medical leave. In his place, a young substitute (代课老师) arrived — Mrs Royal. She looked like she was freshly out of university and seemed too young to be cast in the role of being responsible for a class of tween, but there she was, charged with a lively group, and me.

I don’t remember many details of that year except the afternoon when I got my first report card from her. She handed out the report cards right after the afternoon break and invited us to look them over. Then she let us know that we could all talk quietly amongst ourselves while she called each student up one at a time, in alphabetical order (按字母顺序), to discuss our report cards with her.

I looked over my report card, expecting the usual result.

Then it was my turn to talk with her.

When the sun rose one summer morning, Mark, a high school student, was riding his bike on the way to school as usual. He admired the attractive sights along the road with colorful flowers on both sides, and fresh air full of pleasant smell. It seemed to be a great day.

Mark was passing a park when he noticed an elderly woman walking about 100 meters ahead slowly falling down onto the ground. He felt his heart standing still with great concern. With nobody else around to turn to for help, Mark decided to ride over to see what was wrong with her for himself.

As he approached the old lady, he found her lying on the ground and looking pale and weak. Judging from her untidy clothes and messy hair, she might have been out for more than one day.

“Are you all right, Granny?” Shaking her arm, Mark asked anxiously. The old lady opened her eyes, a confused and lost expression on her face. She hesitated and then took a closer look. Immediately a big smile appeared on her face. Grasping Mark’s hand, she said with shining eyes, “John, there you are at last! My son, I’m hungry... hungry... Give me food...” She repeated, patting herself on the stomach.

Not knowing what to do, Mark anxiously asked her, “Granny, where is your home? Can you tell me who your son is?” But the old lady didn’t respond, only mumbling (嘟囔), “I’m hungry. Give me food, John.” Obviously, she mistook Mark for her son.

All of a sudden, Mark realized the old lady might be a patient with Alzheimer’s (痴呆症)disease because his own late grandpa used to suffer from such a condition. “She might have gone out without being noticed by her family. They must have been worried about her. Maybe they’re searching like crazy for her everywhere.” Mark thought to himself, “But she is so starved. I must give her some food before I get in touch with her family.”

Looking around, Mark saw Billy’s Hamburgers nearby.

Just then the old lady reached into her pocket, a note dropping out.