One morning during the summer vacation, a teenage boy named Alex was sorting out his snacks when the wildfires not far from the place where he lived started.

Alex’s parents got the bad news from the Internet. His mother. Sofia, came up to him and showed a video of the horrible scene to him. When Alex saw the condition of the victims, his heart sank. Some had minor or serious injuries. Others lost homes and had to live in shelters temporarily. Although the government was providing relief, food couldn’t reach all the victims for a short time.

“Turn it off, Mom. The video makes me too sad,” Alex said. Sofia realized that her son, sympathetic and caring, was really concerned. They needed tq reach out. But what could they do? She felt lost,

“Why not put up a lemonade stand (柠檬水摊)?”Alex suggested. He told his parents that he wanted to have one stand, supplying lemonade and other food for free. His parents thought it was time to teach him how to help others and a good chance to provide some support for the place they loved.

Finally, Alex put up the lemonade stand with the help of his family in the disaster area. The family offered a range of items, including rice, fruit, candies, sandwiches, lemonade, fresh water and even Alex’s snacks to the stand, which the victims could help themselves to.

The great support quickly went beyond the physical lemonade stand. Alex’s good behavior soon attracted the attention of others. Neighbors first rushed to donate to the stand, making sure that there was always enough food and drink for everyone in need. The stand soon turned into a center of charitable activities and a symbol of teamwork and hope,with donations pouring in from all directions. People from all walks of life came together, united by a common goal: to help those affected by the wildfires and bring hope to their lives. Most amazingly, as word about Alex’s selfless actions further spread, more and more children were inspired to join and support the cause (事业), including his friends and their parents.

Alex’s friends admired him very much and tried their best to help.

Later, the children’s parents also joined the cause.

I was ten the summer my dad helped me buy my first ten-speed bicycle from a second-hand store. I put up $60 of my grass cutting and snow shoveling (铲) money, and my dad put up the other half. I would pay him back in installments (分期付款) over the next six months. Although it was a bit out of style, it was my ticket to the adult world.

I spent that summer and autumn riding. I was able to ride to every corner of town. However, my sister Liz, a prisoner of her five-speed bicycle, never had a chance to keep up. Just before the Christmas deadline to pay my dad back, we were hit with several snowstorms. This allowed me to shovel enough driveways to pay off my debt. I was now officially a bike owner; it was a feeling unlike any other.

While my mom and dad were fantastic parents, they always passed off gloves, sneakers, and shirts as “presents”. Then came that fateful Christmas morning, my father gave me a used portable record player. I was excited. However, my excitement was short-lived after my dad took my sister to the garage. There, on the steps, stood a brand new ten-speed bicycle. I didn’t hear her screams of joy-all I could hear was the noisy engine of the lawnmower, the endless scraping (刮擦声) of the metal snow shovel on concrete. I’d gone through far too many hours of hard work for my used bike while Liz got her shinny new machine less than a week later.

“Let’s go for a ride, Rob!” Liz sang, my dad holding the bike upright as she got on the shining leather seat.

“Too snowy to ride,” I refused, pushing the record player farther away from me.

I seethed (生闷气) for the rest of the day.

Reflecting on my dad’s words, I figured out what he meant.

A five-year-old child heard her parents talking about her little brother. All she knew was that he was very sick, and that they had no money left. Only a very costly operation could save him now and there was no one to lend them the money.

When she heard her daddy say to her tearful mother with whispered desperation (绝望), “Only a miracle (奇迹) can save him now,” the little girl went to her bedroom and pulled her piggy bank from its hiding place in the closet. She poured all the change out on the floor and counted it carefully.

Holding the valuable piggy bank tightly, she came to the local drugstore. She took all the coins from her bank and placed them on the glass counter.

“And what do you want?” asked the pharmacist (药剂师). “It’s for my little brother,” the girl answered back. “He’s really, really sick and I want to buy a miracle.”

“His name is Ming Ming and he has something bad growing inside his head and my daddy says only a miracle can save him. So how much does a miracle cost?”

“We don’t sell miracles here, child. I’m sorry,” the pharmacist said, smiling sadly at the little girl.

“I have the money to pay for it. If it isn’t enough, I can try and get some more. Just tell me how much it costs.”

In the shop, a well-dressed customer asked the little girl, “What kind of a miracle does your brother need?” That well-dressed man was Dr Zhao, a surgeon, specializing in neurosurgery.

“I don’t know,” she replied with tears in her eyes. “He’s really sick and my daddy can’t pay for an operation, so I have brought my savings.”

“How much do you have?” asked the man. “One yuan, but I can try and get some more,” she answered bitterly.

“Well, what a coincidence (巧合),” smiled the man, “One yuan —— the exact price of a miracle for your little brother.”