I was eighteen years old and I was the golden girl. I was president of the college drama society, a member of the student senate and so on. I was the 1of all my friends and I was in a state of 2.

    The old Greek tragedies 3us that when pride rises, punishment falls. My universe 4with great suddenness. The scenery（舞台布景道具） fell on my head and I was left almost 5for the next four months.

    My memory was in a mess and within a few months all my 6were taken away. I was even told that I would have to leave the college at the end of the spring term 7, clearly, I couldn't do academic work."

    Sad, I took one last 8by Dr. Jacob Taubes. He was the most brilliant teacher I had ever 9and in his class, I began to raise a tentative 10and ask an occasional question. He would answer with great intensity, and soon I found myself asking 11questions constantly.

    One day I was walking to the bus when I heard Dr. Taubes 12me, "Miss Houston, let me walk with you. You know, you have a most 13mind."

    "Me? I have a mind?"

    "Yes, of course." Then he asked my understanding of some problems discussed in the classes.

    From that day on, Dr. Taubes continued to14me to the bus, always 15me with intellectually vigorous questions. Within several weeks my eyesight came back and my spirit 16.

    What I acquired from this experience was a 17sense of life. I remain deeply 18for the attention Dr. Taubes had shown. He 19me when I most needed it. I swore then that I would try to20and acknowledge the unlucky person as I had been acknowledged.

    Oxford and Cambridge have decided to remove the words CAN”T and IMPOSSIBLE from their dictionaries. Cox, 25, a girl born without arms, stands inside a(n) 1. Although she was born without arms, that has 2 stopped her from doing one thing: using the 3“can't”.

    Cox got the Sport Pilot certificate recently and became the first pilot licensed to 4 using only her feet. She made what's seemingly 5 become a reality. Her certificate6 her to fly a light sport aircraft of 10,000 feet.

    “She's a good pilot and she's strong,” said Parrish, the flying 7 at San Manuel's Ray Blair Airport. Parrish 8 a company of PC Aircraft Maintenance and Flight Services and has trained many pilots, some of whom didn't come close to Cox's 9 “When she came up here driving a car,” Parrish recalled, “I knew she'd have no 10 flying a plane…”

    Doctors never learned why she was born without arms, but she 11 early on that she didn't want to use prosthetic（假体的）12.

    Not only did Cox 13 a license to fly airplanes on October 10, 2008, but she also has a college degree in psychology, and a successful 14 as a motivational speaker. What doesn't Cox have? Arms. From 15 on, her feet became her hands. She can drive a car and fly an airplane using her feet, without any 16 adaptations.

    “I highly encourage people with 17 were confident enough to consider flying,” Cox said, “It helps 18 the traditional idea that people with disabilities are powerless into the belief that they are19and capable of setting high 20 and achieving them.”

    When I was a kid, my mum liked to make breakfast food for dinner every now and then. And I remember one night 1 when she had made dinner after a long, hard day at 2.

    On that evening so long ago, my mum 3 a plate of eggs, sausage and extremely burned toast in front of my dad. I remember 4 to see if anyone noticed! 5 all my dad did was reach for his toast, 6 at my mum and ask me how my day was at school… I don't remember what I told him that night, but I do remember 7 him spread butter and jelly on that toast and eat every bite!

    When I got up from the table that evening, I remembered hearing my mum 8 to my dad for burning the toast. And I'II never 9 what he said: "Honey, I love 10 toast."

    Later that night, I went to kiss Daddy good night and I asked him if he really 11 his toast burned. He 12 me in his arms and said, "Your Momma put in a hard day at work today and she's really 13. And besides, a burned toast never 14 anyone!"

    15 is full of imperfect things... and imperfect people. I'm not the best at anything, 16 I forget holidays and anniversaries just like everyone else. But what I've 17 over the years is that learning to accept each other's 18 — and 19 to celebrate each other's differences — is one of the most important keys to creating a healthy, growing, and 20 relationship where a burned toast isn't a deal-breaker!

    A few years ago a group of salesmen went to a regional sales meeting in Chicago. They had1to their wives that they would be home on Friday evening. In their2to catch the plane home, one of these salesmen accidentally kicked over a table which held a display of apples.

    Apples flew everywhere. Without3or looking back they almost all managed to reach the plane in time.

    ALL BUT ONE! He 4, took a deep breath and felt sympathy for the girl whose apple stand had been overturned. He 5 his friends to go on without him, asking one of them to call his wife when they6and explained his taking a later flight. Then he7 to the place where the apples were all over the floor.

The girl was8blind! She was softly crying, tears running down her cheeks in9and at the same time helplessly groping (摸索) for her spilled apples 10 the crowd walked past her ,no one stopping or11her trouble.

    The salesman knelt on the floor with her, 12up the apples, put them back on the table and helped 13her display. As he did this he 14that many of them had become bruised (碰伤的).So he set these 15 in another basket. When he had finished, he pulled out his wallet and said to the girl ,"Here please take this $40 for the 16 we did." "Are you okay?” She nodded through her tears.

    He continued, "I hope we didn't17your day too badly." As the salesman started to walk away, the confused blind girl called out to him "Mister..." He paused and 18to look back into those blind eyes. She continued, "Are you Jesus?"

    He stopped and wondered. Then slowly he made his19to catch the later flight with that20 burning in his soul: "Are you Jesus?"

    Jason, our son, was born with cerebral palsy（脑瘫）. My wife and I often comforted him as he faced many 1 in his early years.

    It was 2 to see him regularly chosen last for baseball, but his most 3 time came when he began high school. One afternoon, Jason returned home in 4 and shouted: "I'm never going to school again!" He was 5 with food that other kids had 6 him on the school bus on the way home. Jason later told us what had 7. A few days earlier, Jason had 8 up for the school running team. That day, a few older students made 9 of his performance on the track. I called the headmaster about the 10, and it never happened again.

    One day, as the other kids exercised in the gym, they 11 one lonely runner-Jason jogging around the snow-covered track. A few weeks later, Jason said to me, "Dad, I was ready for the 12. He added that each month, each student 13 an "athlete of the month" and voted for the 14. Jason's name had never been 15. But that day, one student said: "Sir, I would like to propose Jason for athlete of the month. "The coach looked 16. "He works harder than any of us, Sir," the student continued. Tears 17 in Jason's eyes as everyone in the class put their hands up. We, also in tears, looked on as he 18 displayed his certificate.

    Whenever I despair, I think of this story. I 19 myself that challenges are not overcome by 20, but by patience, determination, and faith.

    I was a shy girl and I was afraid to talk to people I didn't know. I enjoyed the1 of exploring nature. 2, at school I had to spend all day in the company of others. My3was reading. I spent a lot of time studying and was 4  good grades. My only failure was Spanish — I'd get all As on my written work and tests, but Ds and Fs on the5 part.

    Eventually I went to college. During my third year of college, I had6of being shy and determined to change my outlook and behavior. One day while at school, I noticed an advertisement for7on the local classical music radio station. I had8listening to classical music, and I could easily pronounce names such as Tchaikovsky and Chopin.

    I had no background in radio, and absolutely no hope of getting the job. The idea of9thousands of listeners in "radio land" terrified me. However, I10survived the interview. I was given brief descriptions of symphonies（交响乐）and a public service announcement to read, and a list of composers' names11 . It wasn't hard for me. I left the recording session（录音场次）with a sense of relief and a sense of12. About two weeks later I actually landed the job. It was a13 job, but I grew to14 it greatly. I began to feel comfortable talking to people.

    Although I now spend many hours each week talking with people, I'm15basically a quiet person. Perhaps it is my soft voice and my16nature that helps draw people out when they respond to my questions when I17 them. My former shyness is a18, as I can relate to people who feel discomfortable when they talk to reporters. I still enjoy moments of loneliness and the19found in nature. But I'm also glad I decided to make a20in my life that has opened many doors and opportunities that I never knew existed.