Super Lungs

I was always a huge fan of football, and watching a game at the stadium was definitely one of the best ways to be free from work and relax. Therefore, the minute I heard the news that there would be a game of our home team against the team from Mississippi, I booked a front row seat, excited about having a fantastic weekend.

I was satisfied when I got seated in the stadium. When the game began, however, I discovered that I was sitting directly in front of a Super Lungs. He seemed like a nice guy. But his idea of having fun at a football game was obviously nothing like mine, or most normal, well-behaved football fans. It consisted of standing and yelling non-stop, as loud as he could. He yelled at the coaches, at the players, at the officials and at the Mississippi State fans in the next section, always at the top of his lungs.

Super Lungs made an astonishing performance and kept it for us for the entire 45 minutes and never showed any sign of tiredness. He was so caught up in his world that he failed to notice he was ruining the experience of hundreds of others.

I felt that my ear drums almost got broken. His mouth was only two feet away from my ears. For a while I thought of shouting back and stopping him yelling. People around were turning to look at him, and I could read their thoughts: “Is he never going to stop?” And he seemed blind to those looks.

At half-time I escaped by walking for a few minutes outside the stadium. I was thinking of seeking an empty seat in the student section across the stadium but to my disappointment, the seats were all taken. I had no choice but to go back to Super Lungs.

To make matters worse, when returning to my seat, I missed my steps and fell heavily on the stairs. As I was struggling to stand up, a pair of huge hands helped me from behind.

On the day when my mother let me choose a pet dog from the kennel(养狗场),Diana came over and started biting my shoelaces. She was playfully jumping around and licking me. I knew from the moment I set my eyes on her that she was the perfect dog for me. And, for some reason, her great energy was everything that I needed in my life.

We lived in a remote area, and my mother didn’t like me walking Diana too late after school. But I was a teenager and loved going against the rules, so I ignored her warnings and set out later than usual that day.

As the sun set, I couldn’t help but feel nervous. Thoughts flooded my head about losing my way. Or, worse still, some frightening creature came out of the dark unexpectedly. The hairs on the back of my arms stood on end.

I took a deep breath to try to calm my nerves. I looked around and could just make out the open surface of a dried-up lake. I knew that my home wasn’t far away. I had never walked across the lake before, and my mother had warned against it, but I just wanted to get home quickly. So, rather than going all the way around the lake, I decided I’d feel safer taking the shortcut across the lake.

Diana went first. In the dark light, I could see that the mud directly below her paws(爪)was dry. Following her, I stepped out onto the lake, but my foot went in a little deeper than expected. Cautiously, I took a second step. Diana pulled me forward. Suddenly I lost my balance. Below the hard-looking surface was wet-mud soup. I was sinking deeper.

Diana started to bark. She knew something was wrong. She jumped back to the side of the lake and landed on the hard ground. I saw her reach the safety of the shore.

To my amazement, Diana grabbed the leash(牵狗的皮带)in her mouth and started to pull me.

“What on earth has happened?” my mother asked.

Eight-year-old Evan stood by the sidewalk watching as Mrs. Carter opened her flower shop. He felt relieved that the shop hadn’t closed forever. Two days ago, when he passed by, there was a closed sign on the door and a note saying Mrs. Carter was sick. Evan was worried that he would never be able to get his “dream job” if the shop remained closed for too long.

Mrs. Carter, an 85-year-old woman, spotted Evan looking in her shop’s direction and waved hello to him. Excitedly, Evan ran up to her and expressed his desire to work at the shop. Mrs.Carter laughed quietly, finding it amusing that an eight-year-old wanted a job. Evan confidently explained that since his dad passed away, he had learned how to do various tasks, like taking out the rubbish, making sandwiches, and assisting his mom, Stacey, with groceries. He didn’t want any payment for his work; instead, he simply wanted a bouquet (花束) for his mom’ s upcoming birthday. He believed in working hard for what he wanted, just as his mom had taught him.

Impressed by Evan’s determination, Mrs. Carter agreed to hire him. She asked if he knew how to tie ribbons around flowers, and when she heard Evan’s affirmative(肯定的) response, they got down to making bouquets. Evan was excited to assist Mrs. Carter every evening for a whole week, and his presence brought joy to her boring work.Customers found Evan adorable and entertaining, which resulted in increased flower purchases and booming business for Mrs. Carter.

On Evan’s last day, Mrs.Carter felt emotional. Their bond had grown strong, and she saw him as a grandchild. As she prepared a splendid bouquet for Evan’s mother, tears welled up in her eyes. She invited him to visit her shop in the future, and Evan promised to tell his mom about her.

With the bouquet in hand, Evan rushed home to celebrate Mom’s birthday.

As Evan handed his mom the bouquet, they were surprised to discover an envelope with several hundred-dollar bills inside.