Another person's enthusiasm was what set me moving toward the success I have achieved. That person was my stepmother.

    I was nine years old when she entered our home in rural Virginia. My father1me to her with these words:“I would like you to meet the fellow who is2for being the worst boy in this county and will probably start throwing rocks at you no 3than tomorrow morning.”

    My stepmother walked over to me, 4my head slightly upward, and looked me right in the eye. Then she looked at my father and replied, “You are 5.This is not the worst boy at all, 6the smartest one who hasn't yet found an outlet（释放的途径）for his enthusiasm.”

    That statement began a(n) 7between us. No one had ever called me smart, My family and neighbors had built me up in my 8   as a bad boy. My stepmother changed all that.

    She changed many things. She 9my father to go to a dental school, from which he graduated with honors. She moved our family into the county seat, where my father's career could be more 10and my brother and I could be better11.

    When I turned fourteen, she bought me a secondhand12and told me that she believed that I could become a writer. I knew her ernthusiasm,I13it had already improved our lives. I accepted her 14and began to write for local newspapers. I was doing the same kind of15 that great day I went to interview Andrew Carnegie and received the task which became my life's work later. I wasn't the 16beneficiary (受益者).My father became the 17man in town. My brother and stepbrothers became a physician, a dentist, a lawyer, and a college president.

    What power 18 has! When that power is released to support the certainty of one's purpose and is 19strengthened by faith, it becomes an irresistible（不可抗拒的）force which poverty and temporary defeat can never 20.

    You can communicate that power to anyone who needs it. This is probably the greatest work you can do with your enthusiasm.

    When I was 13 my only purpose was to become the star on our football team.That meant1Miller King,who was the best2at our school.

Football season started in September and all summer long I worked out.I carried my football everywhere for 3.

    Just before September,Miller was struck by a car and lost his right arm.I went to see him after he came back from4.He looked very5,but he didn't cry.

    That season,I6all of Miller's records while he7the home games from the bench.We went 10-1 and I was named most valuable player,8I often had crazy dreams in which I was to blame for Miller's9.

    One afternoon,I was crossing the field to go home and saw Miller10when he was going over a fence—which wasn't_11to climb if you had both arms.I'm sure I was the last person in the world he wanted to accept12form. But even that challenge he accepted.I13him move slowly ever the fence.When we were finally 14on the other side,he said to me,“You know,I didn't tell you this during the season,but you did15.Thank you for filling in for 16”

    His words freed me from my bad17.I thought to myself,how even without an arm he was more of a leader. Damaged but not defeated,he was18ahead of me.I was right to have19him.From that day on,I grew20and a little more real.

    Despite the great progress in medical science, human beings are constantly attacked by cancer, which means death. A woman named Bonnie suffered a 1of discomforts caused by the treatment of cancer. She didn't regard cancer as a 2 disease, but a laughing matter. She treated it in a humorous way. To put it in3way, she is teaching people that even though cancer isn't4 we can treat it in a humorous way.

    Her second child was going to be born three months away5she was diagnosed with cancer. Suddenly, a6 mother turned into a helpless woman afraid for her own7 It was after she had had her baby8that she had an operation9 came chemo (化疗) and her life seemed to be made up of fears and10 But the11moment in her life came after she lost all her hair and a free wig(假发) arrived. She12 it on as her older son Kyler watched.

    “That was when I decided how to 13 it: crying over this bad wig or laughing about it14way would make15remember it.” Bonnie said. She spent a lot of time looking for anything funny from cancer patients. She got a lot out of collecting16 stories. She started laughing a lot, finding it the perfect medicine. Using herself as a bald (光头) model, Bonnie 17 to design her own greeting cards and calendars, making fun of the sufferings of chemo.

    “To have joy, we badly18 to laugh,” she said.

    Clearly, you can increase your confidence to 19 over any disease and trouble20 laughing.

    When Meghan died in a car accident at the age of sixteen, Colleen Keefe together with another friend wrote the following to remember her:

    When I heard the news of you 1 us so soon, all I could do was hug my blanket to me. On my way down to 2 your mom and dad, I realized I needed to give you a 3 of me. I could not cut out my heart, even though it is 4 at this time. So I give to you, my friend, a piece of my blanket in the 5 of a heart. Attached to it is a(n) 6 of the three of us—you, me and Shauna.

    Now, I have to 7 that this blanket was given to me by my grandfather, who is in heaven with you. He will 8 the blanket. He might not recognize my picture, as he has been gone for over fourteen years. But don't be 9--he's really a teddy bear. Give him a big hug and a kiss 10 me, and tell him I said to take care of you. He will 11.

    Now that we know you are being taken 12 of, we can move on with our lives. We found out that one who received your organ（器官）donation is doing 13. Even in your 14 you have helped others. We will be seeing your family soon, and staying in 15 with everyone.

    Good-bye, my friend, we16 you already. You will never be 17 from our thoughts. Give us a nudge（轻推）when we are heading in the 18 direction and, of course, keep “dancing”.

    Every time I 19 my blanket around me I will 20 your presence. Stay warm.

    I never forget the single act of kindness that changed my life over 25 years ago. During a vacation trip, I needed to find my 1 to the Greyhound bus station, some 30 miles away. Being a 2student, I had little money to get there.

    I3to call various taxis and shuttle（往返汽车） services but they were all to4or too far away to pick me up. Then, I got one person on the5who managed to make out that I needed a ride to the Greyhound station but only had limited financial 6 and he agreed to transport me! He came to pick me up about 45 minutes 7. The driver was older and I remember8why the shuttle didn't have a meter (计时器) but his ID was there and I could see this was his9. The driver was so kind. He knew I was10so he distracted me with stories and good11. He said I looked like his granddaughter.

    At one point, I asked him why he12so little to the others. Then, he patiently explained that he was13retired and hadn't removed his number from the phone book but when I called, clearly upset, he felt 14to help. This man drove an hour out of his way to help a person he didn't know for a fee that only15his gas, if that! Because of his 16, I knew things were going to be okay. This man's kindness warms my heart every time I think of him. 17 , I didn't get his name and his face has18gradually from my memory but he is on my mind often and I wish I could thank him19 "Thank you Mr. Angel Shuttle-Man! I hope your granddaughter knows what a(n)20grandfather she has!"

    More than 700 years ago, Scotland was fighting with England. The king of England wanted to 1 Scotland. He had a strong army so it was 2 for the Scots to fight. They lost many times, King Robert of Scotland had to run from the English army.

    One rainy day, King Robert lay in an old house. He thought that he was not good enough to be king. He was so 3 that he didn't even see a spider (蜘蛛) near him. He 4 when he saw the spider climbing. It was trying to climb up its web at the top of the house but it fell down.

    "How sad," thought King Robert. "The spider is like me. It's not 5 enough." He watched while the spider climbed up again. It fell down a second time.

    "Be careful, little spider, or you might die," he said. "Life is so hard. You'll never get back to your web." But the spider 6 again and again. King Robert watched while it 7 climbed back to its web. After an hour, the spider got to the web.

    "You are such a great 8," he said. "If you can keep trying. I can too. I must keep on fighting. I won't let the English win." His 9 grew strong and they 10 the English army. Scotland was free.

    Nobody knows if this is a true story. Many parents tell it to their children because they want them to keep trying.