Last month I 4precious watch, which was an 18-year-old birthday gift from my father. I could not fall asleep for a couple of nights because I felt5about the loss.

There have been many 6like these in my life. I could never figure out how to deal with such tough things7I read "If You Have a Lemon, Make a Lemonade" by American writer Dale Carnegie.

"When the wise man is handed a lemon, he says, ‘What8 can I get from this? How can I9my situation? How can I turn this lemon into a lemonade?" he wrote. I suddenly10that life is full of ups and downs, so I need to stay 11 all the time.

    Now when I think of my past, I wish I could have handled things 12. When my mother was fighting for 13, I should have held her hands in mine, telling her things would get better instead of 14and crying.

    Several weeks ago, I took part in a campus singing competition. I didn't 15 a prize. If I had not 16this article, I would definitely have felt 17again. But instead, I smiled after the competition. I was happy that at least I had got some stage18.

    Life is not just a bed of roses. There are thorns（刺）as well, but these thorns help us become19 and strong. When life 20us a lemon, let's try to make a lemonade.

Value Now No Longer Missed

    John, a famous musician, took his priceless antique zither(齐特琴)and played it in the crowded subway station. The music emanating from the zither was delicately streaming1the whole station. However, during the one-hour play, only six or seven people were truly2the charming music. John only got 52 dollars for his work that day.

    However, in normal days, when John is about to hold a 3, one ticket can be sold at more than 100 dollars and it is extremely 4to buy a ticket even at such a high price. Therefore, later, many passers-by in the station that day felt deeply5for not recognizing the famous musician and missing such a valuable but 6music feast.

    I have a very7friend who had totally changed after knowing that his wife8an acute illness. He cooked by himself for the family and took a walk with his wife every day. Nonetheless, his wife still did not manage to9the illness and passed away after three months. After that, he often sighed 10that due to his past busy life, he had missed a lot of beautiful time with his wife. But now, it is11to make up for it.

    It is no use crying over spilt milk. We have12a lot of precious things in our life without knowing how to13them. Actually, I also missed something 14before. The reason is simple: we had thought that we could still own them tomorrow.

    Nevertheless, tomorrow is actually15reliable. There was a famous Buddhist monk saying that in many people's lives, they have only done two things: waiting and 16 . The result is that they were always too late to cherish 17they had before they lost it. We would often claim to do something when we 18, or when we have money or when we become old, etc. However, when we reach the19, we could no longer realize our20, because we have lost it by then.

    I lost my elderly mother a few weeks ago. Actually, my mother had fallen over during the night and had not been able to 1 again. She had woken up the neighbors by banging on the wall. The 2 called an ambulance, which took her 3 to the hospital.

    My mother has 4thought that hospitals are a real horror. She believes that doctors and hospitals give you 5 diseases. My father went to hospital a year ago, and after a few weeks, he 6. The fact that he was also in the final 7 of lung cancer was certainly related, but by my mother's logic, my father's death was 8 with the hospital.

    When a neighbor 9 me up and told me that my mother had been taken off in an ambulance, the first thing I did was similar, which was to ring Queen Elizabeth Hospital. The paramedics(护理人员) had told my neighbor that my mother would 10 be taken there, 11 I was told that no one by that name had been 12, so they gave me the numbers of two other West Midland hospitals. Both of them also 13 that they were holding my mother . I rang the 14 and asked them to find her, but the nice officer said he could only do that if she had been reported as a(n) 15 person.

    It took six calls to 16 my mother. She had been in Queen Elizabeth Hospital all along, but because their computer system hadn't been updated overnight, there was no record of her 17. My mother had spent more than a 18 in the hospital when it turned out there was nothing 19 with her. I managed to get her out within 10 days, but only by agreeing that in the future, she would live downstairs. In return, the hospital said they would 20 for a social worker to visit the house three or four rimes a day.

    Luckily, my mother is safe. Thank all the people who have given their help to us.

    There was a little, but always strange girl. Everything was bad for her. She wished to meet an enchantress (女巫) that would turn her life a 1tale.

    One day an enchantress came and said that one of her wishes would 2 The girl became very happy at first, but then she started to think that she had a lot of wishes and all of them were 3 for her. She could not 4 just one. Then the 5 enchantress that she would help her realize one wish every day. The girl became 6—now all her dreams will become realities.

    From that day on, she was waiting every morning with joy and 7. Then as days passed, the dreams became real ones.... But soon the little girl realized that 8 of the wishes d give her joy and happiness which she 9for. Many wishes brought her disappointment, and some 10 a pain. Almost every dream was an empty little girl's caprice (任性). Though being 11 she suddenly found that she did not 12 this. Soon she started to 13 dreams. She was afraid to 14 every day, waiting for the realization of another wish. Crying, she asked the enchantress to 15 only one her dream-to live as she lived 16and enjoy life.

    The good enchantress had 17 upon the little girl. She waved her magic wand and disappeared. The girl was happy 18 she knew that now she would carefully seek for her one big 19 dream, not wasting time with short-term20 quite unnecessary wishes.

    A nurse took a tired and anxious soldier to the bedside of an old man, “Your 1 is here.” She had to repeat the words several times 2 the patient's eyes opened.

    Heavily drugged with sleep because of the 3 of his heart attack, the old man could 4 see the uniformed soldier. The soldier held the old man's hand, expressing a(an) 5 of love and encouragement. All through the night the soldier sat there beside the bed, 6 him words of love and strength. Now and then the soldier said a few 7 words. Along towards dawn, the old man 8.

    Finally, the nurse offered words of sympathy（同情）, but the soldier 9 her.

    “Who was that man?” he asked.

    The nurse was 10. “He was your father,” she answered.

    “No, he wasn't,” the soldier replied. “I never saw him before.”

    “Then 11 didn't you say something as I took you to him?” asked the nurse.

    “I knew 12 there had been a mistake, but I also knew he 13 his son for his last moment, and his son just wasn't here. Knowing he was too 14 to tell whether or not I was his son, knowing how much he needed me, I15.”he answered.

    Most of us probably have a few hours a week that we can devote to our hobby. What if you could change your hobby into a(n) 1?

    They say if you find a job you love, you will never 2 a day in your life. But this old 3 is a little too simple for Peter, CEO of Fossil Realm. Peter's hobby of fossil (化石) 4 began in high school. His parents worked at the Royal Ontario Museum, so he inherited (遗传)an interest in natural history. Peter remembers 5 his pocket money at 13 to 6 a mineral trade show in Detroit where he 7 a few fossils with the remaining money. Returning home, he 8 to sell all the fossils he collected for money.

    This is the first small 9 leading to more trips south. Later Peter began selling his fossils online. The 10 remained by work(业余工作)to fund him 11 college. By graduation, he had opened his own e-business 12 . Running Fossil Realm is really his passionate(热爱的) and rewarding business: 13 , he says, "Though your 14 what you love, that doesn't mean it'll 15 easily nor will it necessarily be 16 or satisfying. So you need to work hard." His Fossil Realm has 17 to include many museum-quality finds. But the root of his growing business is the passion of Peter, who has 18 lost the love of fossils from the 19. Having passion will surely push us to 20 something we love and change that passion into action.