When Helen was in the {#blank#}1{#/blank#} grade, she joined the city {#blank#}2{#/blank#} competition. She practiced dancing {#blank#}3{#/blank#} five hours every day and her dancing teacher came four times a week to help her. Then the big day finally {#blank#}4{#/blank#} .She was so nervous when they called her name. She went up and started to dance. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} she was dancing, everyone sat quietly and watched carefully. She danced {#blank#}6{#/blank#} making any mistakes. Then she waited for them to called out the {#blank#}7{#/blank#} of the competition. When she heard her name, her heart was beating so {#blank#}8{#/blank#} that she thought she would stop breathing. She {#blank#}9{#/blank#} believe it. She {#blank#}10{#/blank#} the first place in the city dancing competition. It was the happiest day of her life.

    Last year I was 14 years old. I had an " enemy", a girl who liked to point out my shortcomings(缺点). Day by day her list grew: I was very thin; I was {#blank#}1{#/blank#}; I sometimes didn't respect the teachers, I talked too much: I was too proud, and so on. At last, I couldn't stand it. I cried and{#blank#}2{#/blank#}to my father. He listened to me quietly. Then he asked," Alfred, are the things she says true or not? Didn't you ever wonder what you are really{#blank#}3{#/blank#}? Well, you now have that girl's opinion. Go and make a list of everything she{#blank#}4{#/blank#}and find out the points that are true. Pay no attention to the other things you heard."

    I did {#blank#}5{#/blank#}my father told. To my surprise, I discovered that about half the things were true. Some of them I couldn't change （like being very thin）, but a large number I could and suddenly I wanted to change. For the first time I got a fairly clear picture of {#blank#}6{#/blank#}.

    I brought the list back to Daddy. He refused to take it. "It's just the case for you, he said," you know better than anyone the {#blank#}7{#/blank#}about yourself But you have to learn to listen, not just close your ears in anger and feeling hurt. When something said about you is true, you'll find it will be of great help to you. Our world is full of people who think they know your duty. Don't shut your ears, listen to them all, but hear the fact only and do what you know is right thing{#blank#}8{#/blank#}.

    In my life. I've never {#blank#}9{#/blank#}a better piece of advice. Thanks for the shortcomings that someone has pointed out for us. They can make us know ourselves more and improve us{#blank#}10{#/blank#}as we grow up.

    One afternoon many years ago, I got out and had a walk in the park near my home. Later, I sat down on a bench and {#blank#}1{#/blank#}.

    I watched a little boy, about 2 years old, running freely on the grass as his mother watched from a {#blank#}2{#/blank#} distance(距离). The boy would fall to the grass, get up and {#blank#}3{#/blank#} looking back at his mother, run as fast as he could as if nothing happened.

    When kids fall down, they don't think of the fall as a failure. But they think of it as a learning {#blank#}4{#/blank#}, they try and try until they succeed. Each time he got up, he looked so confident and natural. His only aim was to run as freely as he could.

    I learned a lot from the boy on that afternoon. I understand what kind of attitude I should have towards my future.