In March, days before her 15th birthday, Ashima Shiraishi successfully climbed Horizon on Mt. Hiei in Japan. She became the first woman and youngest person ever to solve the “V15” boulder( 攀岩) problem, considered the most difficult type of problem in the sport.

Shiraishi is also the world’s youngest person to solve the V10,V13,and V14 boulder problem, which she did at ages 8, 10, and 13.

“Once I have a project in mind, I don’t really give up,” she said. “And even if my skin is looking really bad from bouldering, I’ll just get back on it.”

The New York City native first got to know the sport at age 6 when she saw park-goers climbing Rat Rock in a city park in New York City. Attracted, she started climbing it every day after school and began training at an indoor climbing gym soon after.

She won her first competition at age 7, competing against grown women climbers.

“It was mostly the movement that really attracted me because it was almost like dancing. It felt like I was dancing on the rock,” she said.

Watching Shiraishi climb is like watching a dance of mental and physical courage. At 5-foot-1 and 100 pounds, she could be considered at a physical disadvantage compared to taller climbers who can reach holds more readily. But she makes up for it with smooth movements that only a climber of small size could make.

“The most important part of climbing is not really thinking at all. Once you start thinking, you doubt yourself, and that’s the worst that could happen to you,” she said.

Shiraishi hopes to compete on the most important stage for sports, the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, where climbing will make its first official appearance.

When I was 19 years old, I was at a dance club. As we were walking to my car one cold night, a man walked up to us. Behind him was a woman carrying a small child. The child had a jacket on but it wasn't buttoned up (扣上). The man began to tell us he wanted to borrow some money for the night to get his wife and kid into a hotel. He had a job but no place to live in and was waiting for the first paycheck. He said he could get our mailing address and mail the money back.

The guy I was with reached into his pocket to give this man a $20 bill. As the other man was extending his hand out to take the money, I put my hand on my new friends’ hand and said, “Can I talk to you for a minute？”

I told him that every day people asked my mother for money on her way to work. She said they made more money than she did, simply begging for money. These people were scamming those with soft hearts. And if they were truly worried about their child suffering from the cold, they would have at least buttoned his jacket or covered him with his blanket.

My new friend looked at me with disappointment and said, “Michelle, I know there are people out there that take advantage of others. I also know there are people out there that are one paycheck away from being homeless. If I give $ 20 to 10 people and only one of them really needs it and uses it for the right thing, it is worth it.”

I am now 37 years old and have never forgotten what he said to me. I don't even remember his name. But I do remember that that experience changed the way I look at different situations.

A．He had been begging for a long time near the dance club.

B．He would spend the cold night at an expensive hotel.

C．He was careless and didn't take good care of his child.

D．He might be just lying in order to get some money.

Annette Larkins is an incredible woman who looks like a healthy 40-year-old, although she just turned 70. She follows a special raw diet and only drinks rainwater.

She looks so young that people mistake her to be the daughter, when she’s out with her husband of 54 years, but I suppose he isn’t complaining.

Mrs. Larkins says the secret to her beauty lies in her special diet, consisting of organic vegetables, fruits, seeds and nuts grown in her own garden; she calls it the “fountain of youth”. The woman doesn’t touch anything that has been cooked.

And another strange thing she does is to collect rainwater, to keep her garden blossoming, but also to drink. But the residents of Miami-Dade County, Florida, didn’t always have such a healthy lifestyle. In fact, she consumed meat regularly, as her husband used to own a meat factory way back in the 1960s. It was then that she decided to change her eating habits forever. And what a great decision that was. I mean, just look at her!

When she started off, Mrs. Larkins was just looking for a few health benefits and never anticipated that she would look like a 40-year-old at the age of 70. Over the 27 years that she has been eating raw, Mrs. Larkins has written two booklets railed Journey to Health and also produced a DVD containing all her healthy secrets.

Her husband, Mr. Larkins, wishes he had followed her example, because now he looks much, much older and also suffers from diabetes(糖尿病)and high blood pressure. He takes prescription medicine every day, but Annette doesn’t even take an aspirin.