Marmi, my big sister, was eagerly looking for a pup (小狗) to look after and love all her life, so she would ask Mummy many times for a pup of her own, but the answer was always no. You see, my mum is not very fond of dogs, never has been, and always says they're too big a responsibility. She's just not a dog person. Well, that didn't stop my sister from looking or hoping for a dog. She used to search online for her favourite breed (品种). Until one day Marni found some Cavapoo pups advertised for sale. She immediately showed Mummy and begged to go and see them. Not sure how my sister persuaded her, but to our surprise, Mummy said we could go and have a look at them but not to get high hopes. Marni rushed everyone in the car before Mummy changed her mind. Off we sped to the advertised breeder's house which luckily wasn't too far. We got to the house and I bet I could hear my sister's heart dancing with excitement. As we rang the doorbell, we could hear cute little barks coming from inside. We went in and saw lots of little black pups excitedly jumping around. There were other people there too, so we needed to choose one fast if you know what I mean. It was rather crowded but the breeder let us hold and cuddle (搂抱) the pups. The breeder handed a little confident pup to Marni. The little pup seemed an old friend with my sister. But after a lot of cuddles, Mummy said we had to go and would have to think about it.

As we were walking towards the door, the little pup followed my sister.

The little pup made a mess (杂乱) of our home.

I was a volunteer for an organisation at the beginning of this year. The organisation is aimed at helping children who suffer from cancer. One day, we were asked to raise money for cancer research and programme funding at an event.

Since my friend Lisa was also a volunteer for the organisation, I went to the event with her. There were many people at the event. After seeing our poster, some people came to us and talked with us. But few people donated money. It was a bit hot that day. Both Lisa and I got really upset.

Half an hour later, Lisa started complaining, “I don’t think we can raise much money today. ”

“Don’t worry. The event lasts for three hours. There is still a lot of time left，” I said, though I also thought poorly of our plan to raise much money that day.

While Lisa and I were talking, a little boy of about eight years old came to us. He stood in front of our poster and started reading.

After a while, he asked, “What is cancer？”

I explained what cancer is. Then I said, “Many people around the world are suffering from cancer. It can be really dangerous. More research is needed to learn about it so that people with it can suffer less. That’s why we’re collecting money for it. ”

“Do children suffer from cancer, too？” asked the boy.

“Yes. Many children suffer from cancer. Some of them may die. They need help. ” Lisa said and I nodded.

Hearing that, the boy became sad. Then the boy asked, “How much money have you collected？”

Both Lisa and I were embarrassed to tell him that we didn’t raise much money. At last, we said, “Not much. ”

The boy looked into our donation container and only saw a few one­dollar and five­dollar bills. The boy said nothing after seeing that and left. Then some girls came to us and we started talking with them. Neither Lisa nor I thought the boy would return. However, about twenty minutes later, the boy did return.

It was the day of the big cross-country run. Students from seven different primary schools in and around the small town were warming up and walking the route(路线)through thick evergreen forest.

I looked around and finally spotted David, who was standing by himself off to the side by a fence. He was small for ten years old. His usual big toothy smile was absent today. I walked over and asked him why he wasn’t with the other children. He hesitated and then said he had decided not to run.

What was wrong? He had worked so hard for this event!

I quickly searched the crowd for the school’s coach and asked him what had happened. “I was afraid that kids from other schools would laugh at him,” he explained uncomfortably. “I gave him the choice to run or not, and let him decide.”

I bit back my frustration(懊恼). I knew the coach meant well—he thought he was doing the right thing. After making sure that David could run if he wanted, I turned to find him coming towards me, his small body rocking from side to side as he swung his feet forward.

David had a brain disease which prevented him from walking or running like other children, but at school his classmates thought of him as a regular kid. He always participated to the best of his ability in whatever they were doing. That was why none of the children thought it unusual that David had decided to join the cross-country team. It just took him longer—that’s all. David had not missed a single practice, and although he always finished his run long after the other children, he did always finish. As a special education teacher at the school, I was familiar with the challenges David faced and was proud of his strong determination.

Last Saturday, David was taking a walk in the park near his home when he noticed a woman with a boy of about eight years old. When David passed them, he heard the woman yell, “How stupid you are! You′re good at nothing.” David stopped and looked at the little boy. The boy said nothing. He just stood there, looking upset.

David was reminded of his English teacher Mrs. Brown in middle school. After he entered middle school, David lacked self-confidence because he was often made fun of by others.

He was told that he was good at nothing, which David believed. But one day it all changed.

In an English writing class, Mrs. Brown asked them to read a novel and write a new essay for the novel after finishing reading. A few days later, David handed in his story. He didn′t give it much thought. But the next day, to his surprise, the comment “well done” from Mrs. Brown came into view the moment he turned to the page where the story was written.

When David saw that, he almost burst into tears. He never expected to be praised one day. He suddenly gained some self-confidence.

That day, after he returned home he wrote a short story and gave it to Mrs. Brown the next morning. And again he was praised.

David became very interested in writing. He often wrote short stories and asked Mrs. Brown to read and correct them for him. Mrs. Brown always pointed out the mistakes he had made and gave him good advice to improve them. One year later, David joined the school newspaper and became an editor of it. He was no longer the boy who lacked self-confidence. He gained his confidence and was hopeful about his future.

He succeeded in entering college and kept writing. Several years after graduating from college, he had his first book published. With more books coming out, he became famous as a writer in his country. And he owed his success to Mrs. Brown′s encouragement. Without her encouragement, his life might be very different now.

Inspired by his own life story, David decided to do something for that boy.

The mother was ashamed when she heard that. She realized that she shouldn′t have called her son stupid, which would make him lose confidence in himself. So she said, “Thank you for your advice. I′ll never say such things to him again. Instead, I′ll find out what he′s good at and encourage him.” The woman then left with the boy. Looking at the back of the boy, David felt happy, hoping his action could make some confidence to the boy.