Emily White was born seventeen years ago with so many birth problems in her body. Some of her organs, bones and muscles were out of shape. No one expected her to survive. She did make it but with her strange body figure, everyone could recognize her, even from a distance.

In Emily White’s hometown, there was a yearly outdoor performance in the school auditorium (大礼堂). It had been performed for so many years and actually had become one of the most important events of the Christmas season for many of the town’s people.

Many people tried out each year for it, but so many were turned away. It can only include the most excellent people in the field.

Emily had a beautiful singing voice. Last year she went to Mrs. Owens — her music teacher to ask to join in the performance. Without letting her sing, Mrs. Owens took a look at Amy’s body and said, “Child, you just don’t fit. Everyone would stare at you and that would make you uncomfortable. It would make them uncomfortable, too.”

Without singing a single note, Emily was sent back through the door of the choral room. Hurt and upset, she decided never to try out again. But Mrs. Owens then retired.

This year, there came a new music teacher, Mr. Buttler. He heard about Emily and suggested that she have a try.

Emily didn’t want to be rejected again, so she hesitated a little about it. As Emily struggled, the door was pushed open and Mr. Buttler called, “Emily, you’re next.” Although kind of nervous, Emily did as Mr. Buttler told her to do. Mr. Buttler sat by the piano to keep Emily company. When Emily finished her testing performance, she thanked Mr. Buttler and knew the result would be posted on the door of the choral room the next day.

Emily couldn’t sleep that night. She was suffering from the feelings that she didn’t fit and the great need to be accepted. By the next morning, her stomach was even in pain because of stress.

Paragraph 1: The next day, Emily nervously glanced at the list on the door of the choral room.

Paragraph 2: Finally, the day of performance came.

A Little Boy

A little boy selling magazines for school walked up to a house that people rarely visited. The house was very old and shabby and the owner hardly ever came out. When he did come out, he would not say hello to his neighbors or passers-by but simply just glared at them.

The boy knocked on the door and waited, sweating from fear of the old man. The boy’s parents told him to stay away from the house, and a lot of other neighborhood children were told the same thing from their parents.

Dusk found the boy lingering on and hesitating what to do. As he was ready to walk away, the door slowly opened. “What do you want?” the old man said impatiently. The little boy was very afraid but he had a quota (定额) to meet for school with selling the magazines. So he got up the courage and said, “Uh, Sir, I am selling these magazines and, uh, I was wondering if you would like to buy one from me.”

The old man just stared at the boy without a word. The boy could see inside the old man’s house and saw that he had dog figurines (小雕像) on the fireplace mantle. “Do you collect dogs?” The little boy asked. “Yes, I have many collections in my house. They are my family here and they are all I have.” The boy then felt sorry for the man, as it seemed that he was a very lonely soul.

“Well, I do have a magazine here for collectors. It is perfect for you. I also have one about dogs since you like dogs so much.” The old man was ready to close the door on the boy and said, “No, boy. I don’t need any magazines of any kind, now goodbye.”

The little boy was sad that he was not going to make his quota with the sale. He was also sad for the old man being so alone in the house that he owned. The boy went home and then had an idea. He had a little dog figurine that he got some years ago from an aunt. The figurine did not mean nearly as much to him since he had a real live dog and a large family.

The little boy headed back down to the old man’s house.

From that day on something changed inside the old man.

4 . The Battista family of New York City was on vacation in Ocean City, Maryland when their 2-year-old Fisher went lost on July 4, 2020.

The Battistas immediately blanketed the area with missing posters, barraged (炮击) social media, and even got Fisher face-time on a local floating billboard (广告牌).

With no leads, the family decided to remain in the area for an extended stay. They hired a tracker and even consulted with an “animal communicator” in hopes of tapping into Fisher’s whereabouts (行踪) — all to no avail.

The family also set up a find-fisher Facebook page, which quickly gathered 8,000 followers, and launched an online fundraiser to raise awareness and help them in their efforts to bring their beloved fur baby home.

“Signs have been posted, and we’ve extended our stay in Ocean City and arranged to bring in a professional dog tracker, in addition to making continuous searching trips in a car, on foot, and on a bike,” Matthew Battista wrote.

On April 20, 2021, 290 days after Fisher made his unauthorized Independence Day exit, Baltimore City resident Wayne Horn was repairing his motorcycle when he noticed a stray (走失的) dog in the road. When a friend of Horn’s posted picture of the found dog to Facebook, the responses of “That’s Fisher!” came back faster than a boomerang (回旋镖).

Informed of the news, Elissa Battista recognized Fisher immediately. “From the moment I saw the photos I knew it was him from the markings and his little tongue sticking out,” she posted to Facebook.

The reunion was quickly arranged. The Battistas had some local friends pick him up from the Horns, and then Elissa made the five-hour trip to retrieve Fisher and bring him home. Apart from minor signs of possible frostbite (冻伤), Fisher was in excellent shape.

5 . Scientists don’t have all the answers to the question “How to Strengthen Your Immune System?”, but exercise, proper diet, and stress management can make you more recoverable at any age.

One aspect of the COVID-19 pandemic that has kept us guessing since the early days is why some people who get the virus don’t suffer much and others become desperately ill. All the more, while the elderly have been particularly hard hit, some— even centenarians(百岁老人)— survive, whereas countless younger people, whose immune systems are supposed to be stronger, have succumbed to it. So what factors give some people a stronger immune system than others, regardless of age? What does it mean if, for example, your partner or child gets sick and you don’t, or vice versa?

We know that our immune systems slowly decline as we age. Doctors call it immunosenescence. It’s slow and insidious (在不知不觉之间加剧的). Think of a photo of yourself from ten years ago versus one taken this afternoon. “You see changes in your face, skin, and hair color,” says Insoo Kang, MD, director of allergy and immunology at the Yale School of Medicine. “It takes time. Same process with your immune system.”

The difference in rate of decline between individuals is one of science’s big mysteries. The immune system is complex, but most of us understand the basics: Our bodies detect an intrude— a virus, bacterium, parasite, or foreign object— and produce white blood cells to fight against the problem. How many of these cells you produce when you’re, say, 73 versus when you were 45 is the million-dollar question. And it’s at the heart of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Fortunately, we won’t always be in a pandemic. But we can use this one to gain an understanding of how the immune system changes with age and how we might slow the decline and stay stronger in the future.

6 . When I was a little girl, growing up in Anammosa, lowa, my favorite thing to do was read— same as today. So when I thought about what I wanted to be when I grew up, I figured I’d be a librarian. Our town librarian, Mrs. Tonne, was really important to me becoming me. The library had a two-book limit, but she knew I’d blow through those in just a few days, so she always let me check out a big stack. And when I was in fourth grade, our school librarian, Mrs. Ketelsen, sent some poems I’d written about dinosaurs to Highlights magazine. My first published writing!

At the University of Iowa, majoring in journalism, I quickly learned that I did not want to be a newspaper reporter. I’m shy about interviewing people, which amuses almost everyone who knows me and thinks I’m outgoing. (I am, but only with people I know! ) So I was thrilled when I was selected for a summer internship (实习岗位) at Reader’s Digest.

Ten years after that, I came back to RD to work as an editor. I’ve worked at other magazines too, but I’ve spent most of my career here, reading magazines, newspapers, websites, and books for stories we could condense; writing articles; even choosing jokes.

This issue seems like the perfect one to introduce myself to you all. “The Tractor War” takes me home to the Midwest. “Something to Sneeze At” reminds me of all the sneezing I did when I moved to New York City and was suddenly allergic to grasses and trees. “Pet Besties” makes me think about my cats, brothers Reggie and Smoky, who are sitting together at the windows as I write.

I relate to lots of our stories this month, and I hope you do too. Enjoy!