The snowstorm was supposed to hit the evening of Monday, Jan. 31. I was working from home but I had to leave that afternoon and go to my office to sign an emergency financial aid check for a student. The route to the office took about 30 minutes along the highway. When I got there, my colleague came to my office to co-sign the check, and left. As I was packing up, I noticed he had left his laptop bag in my office.

“I can bring it to you,” I assured him. It was just past 4:30 p. m. The snow wasn’t supposed to start until later. On the way to his place, I picked up a new cellphone charger, and filled up my SUV with gas.

It took me about 15 minutes to get to my colleague’s house, where I dropped off the laptop case and got back on the road. Then the snow started, and it was coming down fast. Within minutes, the windows were fogging up and getting covered with snow, so I rolled down my driver’s side window, thinking I could better follow the edge of the road and keep to a straight line. But really, I didn’t have a clue where I was or even which side of the road I was on.

I called 911, but the dispatcher (调度员) told me that nobody was coming to get me until morning at the earliest. The storm would continue for longer than predicted and I worried I’d freeze to death.

Breathe, I told myself. Panicking won’t help.

I stopped the car, pinning my location on Google Maps, figuring out that I was on a road called Bouvier Lane, in between two farms. I posted this new information to my Facebook community group, pleading for anyone who knew who lived on the farms to help me get rescued.

At 8 p. m., my cellphone rang. It was the son of the farmer, André Bouvier, who owned the land beside the road I was stuck in. He told me that his dad had just helped two other cars get to his house, a father and his two kids, and a couple with their daughter. He comforted me that his dad was coming to get me.

Then, about 45 minutes later, I saw a tall figure, pacing toward me in the dark, carrying a flashlight.

We reached the house at last, I driving slowly behind Andre Bouvier.

George was so excited he could hardly wait to get to the store. He walked so fast that his sister Beth had to run. “Do you have to hurry like that?” she puffed. On his way from school he had seen that baseball cap in Rogers’ store window. Only a dollar and this was the last cap! George had looked at the cap a long time. He wanted it more than anything. Every boy at school had one.

George thought of his piggy hank, into which he put every coin for running errands (差使) for his family and neighbors.

George raced home, not stopping for anything. He held the fat iron pig, opened it carefully, and poured out the coins. Ten...twenty...thirty...ninety cents. If only he had one more dime (一角硬币)!

Lost in thought, George stared out the window. “What’s wrong, George?” asked Mother George told about the money and the cap. “If you give me what you have, I’ll add a dime,” Mother said, handing him a dollar bill.

George jumped up. “Oh, thanks, Mom. That’s great!” George gave all his coins to Mother and took the dollar bill. And away went George and Beth to the store with the dollar bill in George’s pocket.

They turned the last comer. Ahead was a group of boys and girls, talking heatedly and looking down at the sidewalk.

One of the children was Ronny, a new boy who had been in this town only a short time. Ronny’s father had been sick, so there wasn’t much money for extras - like baseball cap.

“What’s the matter?” Beth asked, anxiously.

“It’s Ronny,” answered one of them. “He’s been working and finally saved up a whole dollar, and now it’s lost!”

George went over to Ronny.

“We’ll all help look. We’ll find it!”

“I was going to get that last cap in Rogers’ window. I wanted it a lot. With that cap, I could join them.” Ronny said slowly.

Suddenly George remembered how Ronny had watched the fellows playing baseball, his eyes lighting up eagerly as they shouted and ran.

George stared at the ground, thinking hard.

Forcing a smile, George showed Beth the empty pocket.

Sports Day was getting close in the school. All the children were very excited and were practicing for the big race. John, one of the fast runners of the school, was confident that he would win for he was not doing anything at all. “You have to work hard to come first in the race John. You are not practicing at all,” said John’s mother.

“Mom, you know how fast I am! Why should I waste my time running? Only I will win; no one else will win!”said John. “John, you may be right but talent (天赋) without hard work is not good at all. This laziness of yours will cost you greatly,” his mother warned him. John just laughed. He was so confident that he would win the trophy (奖杯) as no one else in his class was as fast as he was!.

Tim, a classmate of John, was also participating (参加) in the running race. He was not a fast runner. However, he practiced till late at night and had developed great endurance (持久力) to run the race.

There were a few days left for the Sports Day but John did not practice at all. On the other hand, Tim practiced day and night.

The Sports Day was almost around the corner but John was confident that no one could beat him and had not practiced at all. But Tim with his hard work had become a very great runner.

At last, the Sports Day arrived. All the students showed up on the ground to cheer their favorites. The coach blew the whistle (口哨) and everyone began to run toward the finishing line. It was so exciting. John and Tim left all the racers far behind. Both of them were neck to neck.

Suddenly, John went ahead of Tim.

John’s mother came up to Tim and praised him for his hard work.

I was sixteen years old and I loved music very much. I was dying to buy an album by my favourite band. However, the pocket money my parents gave me was just enough to get by. I didn’t have any extra money to buy the album (音乐专辑), which made me disappointed.

Luckily, I found that there were many opportunities for part-time work in my neighbourhood. There were so many old people who needed help. So, in order to buy the album I wanted, I decided to find a part-time job to earn money.

I chose the oldest person I knew, Mrs. Hudson, who was over eighty years old, and could not tend her garden anymore. She had flowers, a grass lawn, and some tomato plants. I knocked on her door, trying to build up enough courage to ask her for work. Fortunately, she answered that she indeed needed help in her garden.

That was a really hot summer day. My first job was to pull out weeds. I got down on my knees and began to pull them out one by one. The task was tiring and boring, and I soon became really tired. However, thinking of the album I wanted, I gathered all my energy and kept moving.

“If only I had a portable electric fan (便携式电风扇)!” I said to myself, wiping the sweat from my face. After several hours of hard work, I was paid ten dollars. It was less than I thought, but it was enough for the album.

After getting that ten dollars, I couldn’t wait to go to the supermarket to buy my favourite album. I believed it would be a memorable moment when I was able to buy what I liked through my efforts.

On the way to the supermarket, I was singing a song excitedly when I happened to see my mother who was working on the opposite side of the road. Actually, I had never seen how she worked before; I just knew she was a saleswoman.

My mother was handing out leaflets (传单) to passers-by.

I continued making my way to the supermarket.

It was a Saturday afternoon. I was having lunch when Dad told me to get ready. I became unhappy. I don’t like Saturdays! Even though it’s a holiday for most children, it is not for me because I need to go to football club.

Many kids love sports, but I am not one of them. I prefer to stay at home and read. I don’t like running, so in a team I am a bad player. The coach is tired of me and my teammates sometimes think I’m useless.

I have no idea how to play football. Usually, after practice my teammates would ask me to stay out of the game and I would just nod.

Last Thursday, the coach told us that we would be competing with another team in a month and many people would come to see the game. Our opponents (对手) were the winner last year and I froze and thought how awkward it would be if the team lost because of me.

So I decided to practice hard for the match and I went to practice every single day.

After one month, when the game day came, my teammates were unwilling to take me in the team, and I also wished to stay away from the ground as well. But they happened to be short of one player and had no choice but to take me in the team.

Our team was the Big Blues. There was a great cheer on our arrival in the field. I got very nervous. The game started and within two minutes, I got a blue card. By the time I was allowed back, the score was two goals for each team and the next goal would decide the winning team.

When the ball came towards me, I froze.

Our team, The Big Blues, won the match!