Dad is a reserved man of few words but is always strict. What's more, he is quite different from others in ideas and 1: beating or bringing to account his son in the presence of neighbors as he strongly believes in such a2: a dutiful son is the 3 of the rod, which is deeply impressed in his mind from his father. So I was emotionally upset and 4 in spite of just a 10-year-old kid, who thought, “I was randomly beaten, so I would bring blows on other smaller kids”. And Dad would deal me a heavier 5the next time.

    It 6 that I completely lost control of this blow and found it impossible for me to 7 on my lessons as I came to blows with other kids all day long . Everything went from bad to worse for me so much 8 I couldn't write out the English alphabet, 9 could I do arithmetic (算术). 10, I was sent into a reformatory school(劳教所) where I stayed guilty for two and a half years. This time Dad shed bitter tears , saying, “Son, it is not that I don't love you but that I should not have been so angry at your failure to 11 my expectations!”

    Retiring from the army, he gave me 10,000 US dollars for a trip around the world. 12 getting back from this trip, he said to me, “Book knowledge is 13 valuable but he who travels far and wide should know better at the time of your life. I guess you are now fully prepared to get started for work.” At 26, I started up Runhua Machinery Co., Ltd., which was later poorly 14 and went bankrupt(破产); it was not long 15I started to engage in a dye-stuff plant which happened to be blown up. At all these, my father only gave me such words, “I will congratulate you on your god-given setbacks and failures, which will help you make 16 mistakes in life.”

    The Ph.D. graduation ceremony was grandly started and my parents were 17 invited to 18. Dad didn't say a single word 19 me but cried bitterly again this time, and at this very moment, my mind was in a state of 20 emotions and I stood on the stage with warm tears in my eyes.

    There was a small boy living on a farm which seemed so far away from everywhere. He was1 to get up before sunrise every morning to start his work and to go out again later to work in the evening.

    During sunrise he would take a 2and climb up on a fence, so in the distance he could see a house with golden3. He thought how4it would be to live there and began to5the modern equipment that might be6in the house. He thought, “If that is a house with golden windows, then there7be other nice things in the house.”8, he promised himself, “Some day I will go there and see this wonderful place9.”

    Then one morning his father told him to stay at home as his father would do the work. Knowing that was his10, he packed a sandwich and11across the field towards the house with golden windows.

    12 the afternoon going on, he began to realize how he had misjudged the distance.13, something else was wrong. As he came14to the house, he saw15golden windows but a place16by a broken fence which badly needed17. He went to the door and knocked. A small girl opened the door.

    He asked the girl if she had seen a house with golden windows. “18,” said the girl and invited him to sit on the porch (门廊). As he sat there, he looked19. There the20turned the windows of his home golden.

A friend of mine opened his wife's underwear drawer and picked up a silk paper wrapped package: "This," he said, "isn't any1package." He unwrapped the box and2both the silk paper and the box .

"She got it 3 we went to New York 8 or 9 years ago. She has 4put it on. And she was5 it for a special occasion(场合)", he told me.

    He got near the bed and placed the gift box next to the other6 he was taking to the funeral home(殡仪馆); his wife had just died. Then he turned to me and 7:

"Never save something for a special occasion. Every day in your life is a8occasion".

    I still think those words 9my life.

Now I spend more time with my10, and less at work. I"ll wear 11clothes to go to the supermarket, if I feel like my new clothes. I don't save my special perfume(香水)for special occasions; I use it 12I want to. The words "Some day ..." and "One day ..."13 gradually from my dictionary. If it's worth seeing, listening or doing , I want to see, listen or do it now.

    I don't know what my friend's wife would have14if she knew she wouldn't be there the next morning, and this 15can tell. I think she might16her relatives and closest friends. She might call old friends to make peace over past17. She might go out for a Chinese, maybe her18food. It's these small things that I would regret(后悔) not doing, if I knew my19had come. I would regret it because I would no longer see the relatives and the friends, even the delicious food.

    Now, I try not to20anything that could bring laughter and joy into my life. And on each morning, I say to myself that this could be a special day. Each day, each hour, each minute, is special.

    Diana got married and had a 5-year-old son named Dusfin. They lived a very happy life and have been expecting a new family member coming. But a disease forced her to experience an emergency operation to deliver their new daughter.At 12 inches long and 1 only one pound and nine ounces，she was a premature baby.But the doctor's soft words dropped like 2.“I don't think she's going to make it” he said.“There's only a 10-percent 3 she will pull through the night，and even then，if by some chance she does make it，her future could be a very 4 one.”

    David and Diana listened as the doctor 5 the serious problems the newly—born baby，Anna，would 6 face if she survived.She would never walk；she would never 7；she would probably be blind；and so on.

    “No! No!” was all Diana could 8.The whole family had long 9 the day they would have a daughter to become a 10 of four.Now，within a matter of hours，that dream was slipping away. But Diana insisted，“I don't care what the doctors say! One day she will be coming home with us!”

    Certainly，there was 11 a moment when Anna suddenly grew 12.But as the weeks went by，she did 13 gain an ounce of weight here and an ounce of 14 there. At last，when Anna turned two months old，her parents were able to 15her in their arms for the very first time though 16 continued to gently but coldly17 that her chances of surviving，much less living any kind of normal life，were next to zero.

    Finally，Anna went home from the hospital，just as her mother had 18.Today，five years later，Anna is a little but lively young girl with bright gray eyes 19 a strong interest for life. She shows no 20 of any mental or physical injuries. Simply，she is everything a little girl can be.

    Until a few years ago, I had what most people would call a good life. I had a 1 job that paid the bills; I had a good family that I was close to, and I had a place to live and money in the bank for trips and 2, and there was nothing much wrong in my life. 3, I was bored.

    I wanted more. I wanted to live 4 and loudly and make sharp memories instead of the 5 ones of everyday life. But I was 6. I had never had any 7 in myself. As a child, even buying something in a shop caused me a great deal of 8, and even though I did get better as I got older, I never quite 9 that childhood shyness.

    And I tried everything, like reading books about confidence. I also took tiny steps leading to my goals. But none of them really 10.

    So I 11 that the small steps weren't enough. I signed up for an internship (实习期的工作) of teaching English in Vietnam, an 12 huge step, one that 13 me as much as it excited me. And then the day came and I left my home and my loved ones. I was alone in a country where the food was 14 and the streets were unfamiliar. I had no idea whether I would be able to 15 everything that this very strange environment would 16 at me.

    I spent five months in Vietnam, teaching, exploring and laughing, I'd learnt to 17 myself, my skills, my abilities and my decisions. I returned home 18, even to myself, let alone to others. The 19 that had controlled my life and the self-doubt were 20.

    That one big chance changed everything for me, and in me.