I did very badly at school. My headmaster thought I was 1 and when I was 14 he said, “You're never going to be 2 but a failure.”

    After five years of 3  jobs, I fell in love with a very nice middle-class girl. It was the best 4  that could have happened to me. I 5  to do something positive (积极地) with my life because I wanted to prove to 6  that what people said about me was 7 . Especially her mother, who had said to me, “Let's 8  it, you've failed at everything you've ever done.” So I tried hard with my 9  and went to college. My first novel (小说) 10  while I was at college.

    After college I taught during the 11  in high schools and attended evening classes at London University, where I got a 12  in history. I became a lecturer at a college and was thinking of 13  that job to write full time 14  I was offered a part-time job at Leeds University. I began to feel proud of myself — 15  was a working-class boy who'd 16  school early, now teaching at the university.

    My writing career (职业) took off when I discovered my own style. Now I'm rich and 17 , have been on TV, and met lots of film stars. 18  what does it mean? I 19  wish all the people that have put me down had 20 : “I believe in you. You'll succeed.”

    When 12 girls from San Fernando High School in California received a grant(经费) to develop an invention to solve a real-world problem, they decided to create a solar-powered shelter to help the homeless.

    For over a year, the girls have been using all their free time to complete the 1“They have this amazing internal(内心的)2that I've never seen in any individual,” Violent Mardirosian, a teacher at San Fernando High who is3with the team on the project, told The Huffington Post. “I thought4that maybe some of them would give up, say 'I didn't5this much work,' but they haven't. They're just working hard and they're not giving up and they're super6.

    Living in a low-income community, the girls have seen the 7 of homelessness first-hand. Many of them are from immigrant families and hoped the 8 which is powered by rechargeable(可再充电的) solar panels(控制板), would help the9.

    Seventeen-year-old Maggie Mejia told the Huffington Post that10she had no previous 11experience, the girl figured out as a team how to12the shelter using how –to videos and books that taught them how to code. But the most important13she's learned during the project isn't technical.

    “I've learned a lot about14others, helping the community and being selfless and showing a better world to other people and15someone else's life,” she said. The project was carried out with DIY Girls, a nonprofit that helps fund STEM-science, technology, engineering and math- projects for16.

    Mardirosian said all the participating students have17their interest in STEM through this project.

    “Many of them didn't think about engineering before. They thought maybe they're not18out to be an engineer. But working together, now they 19their skill - whether a writing skill or a drawings skill or a speaking skill, they're all20in this field. Everyone has found their importance in this picture,” she said.

Eating the Cookie

    One of my patients, a successful businessman, tells me that before his cancer he would become depressed unless things went a certain way1was “having the cookie”. If you had the cookie, things were good. If you didn't have the cookie, life was 2.

    Unfortunately, the cookie kept3.Some of the time it was money, and sometimes power. At4time, it was the new car, the biggest contract. A year and a half after his diagnosis(诊断) of prostate cancer, he sits5his head regretfully. “It seems that I stopped learning how to6 after I was a kid. When I give my son a cookie, he is happy. If I take the cookie away or it7he is unhappy. But he is two and a half and I am forty three. It's taken me this long to understand that the8 will never make me happy for long.

    The9you have the cookie it starts to fall to pieces or you start to 10about it crumbling (弄碎) or about someone trying to take it away from you. You know, you have to11a lot of things to take care of the cookie, to keep it from crumbling and be12that no one takes it away from you. You may not even get a chance to eat it13 you are so busy just trying not to lose it14 the cookie is not what life is about.”

    My patient laughs and says15has changed him. For the first time he is16.No matter if his17is doing well or not, no matter if he wins or loses at golf. “Two years ago, cancer18me, 'What is really important?' Well, life is important. Live any way you can have it, life with the cookie, life without the cookie. Happiness does not have anything to19with the cookie: it has to do with being 20.

    In 1975 my father had just begun building his second hospital in the Himalayas when tragedy（悲剧） struck our family. My mother and youngest sister Belinda were flying into the mountains to join him when their small airplane 1.

    It was years before Dad fully 2. Only through more adventures and projects in Nepal could he3 it. He has now built 42 schools and hospitals there.

    As I grew up, some of Dad's restlessness seemed to 4 me. I know many people think that being Edmund Hillary's son, I cannot help 5 mountains. Well, I am, at the age of 48, a mountain man. I have been on more than 30 mountaineering expeditions（探险）. And yes, I have climbed Everest twice. I am 6 because I have all that my father taught me, too.

    On one awful day in 1995, it was his 7 that saved my life. I was in a group of eight climbers just below the top of K2 in the Himalayas. We had just another 400 meters left to climb. But the 8 was going from bad to worse, and something didn't feel 9.

    At that time I heard my father's voice inside my head: “Down. Go down. Don't let the others 10 you to continue.”

    Then, from 11 I heard the voice of a fellow climber. “Come up,” she called. “Use the red rope.”

    Again my father's 12: “Don't do it. It's not 13.”

    Finally I told my climbing partner that I was going down. He too was feeling 14, but decided to go on ahead anyway.

    As I headed down, I looked back at my fellow climbers who were all climbing toward the 15. Soon black clouds appeared between us, and I 16them.

    Fear makes you careful. As my father always told me, 17 is not something that you should deny(否认). It is something you should 18. When I woke up in my tent the next morning it was silent and still all around. I found out that I was the only one who had managed to 19 what had to be done. The seven above had 20.

    There was my mother, standing in a fuzzy (毛绒绒的) pink bunny(兔子）costume. This can't be, 1 I thought to myself. Being ten was 2 enough.

    Our class was taking a trip to a convalescent home（疗养院) that day.I had 3 to stay at home pretending I'd caught some rare disease. My mother who's a(n) 4, sent me to school anyway.

    When we got there, I 5 wished for that 6. I'd fall to the ground and be 7the humiliation (耻笑) of anyone ever knowing that I 8every day after school there, dressed as a bunny.

“Hi, Shelly!” The residents waved at me, “ Do you know them?” someone asked. “No! They 9 me for someone else. I'm Machille,” I responded. I didn't look up 10 I might make eye contact with them. Then, Mrs. Deist, our teacher, handed us tulips (郁金香) to give to the residents. I quickly went to the back of the 11. My mother just went along her way— hopping（单足跳跃）. Last year, we hopped together. 12, “I'm too old for that now”, I thought.

    I hid behind my class. “ Shelly, how about a game of Fish?” Lou asked. My class and teacher 13 and stared. “ Machille, do you know these people?” Mrs.Deist asked me.

“Um….yes！”  

    “Well you should 14 the way,” she said, smiling. So I stepped forward, handed a tulip to Rose, waved to Frank and gave Mr. Blusso a high-five.

    “My mother is in a convalescent home. I wish she could have someone like you to 15 her.” Mrs Deist said. My mother hopped over then. “This is my mom. Every day she looks after these special people who need nurses' care.” I stood straight as I 16 the information. My mother then explained a program where kids can 17 after school. The residents cheered at the18, and my class seemed excited, too.

    I realized how 19 it made me to make other people smile and feel good. I should never be 20 of that.

    When I entered Berkeley, I hoped to earn a scholarship. Having been a Straight-A student, I believed I could1tough subjects and really learn something. One such course was World Literature given by Professor Jayne. I was extremely interested in the ideas he2in class.

    When I took the first exam, I was3to find a 77, C-plus, on my test paper,4English was my best subject. I went to Professor Jayne, who listened to my arguments but remained5.

    I decided to try harder, although I didn't know what that6because school had always been easy for me. I read the books more carefully, but got another 77. Again, I7with Professor Jayne. Again, he listened patiently but wouldn't change his8.

    One more test before the final exam. One more9to improve my grade. So I redoubled my efforts and, for the first time,10the meaning of the word “thorough”. But my11did no good and everything12as before.

    The last hurdle(障碍) was the final. No matter what13I got, it wouldn't cancel three C-pluses. I might as well kiss the14goodbye.

    I stopped working hard. I felt I knew the course material as well as I ever would. The night before the final, I even15myself to a movie. The next day I decided for once I'd have16with a test.

    A week later, I was surprised to find I got an A. I hurried into professor Jayne's office. He17to be expecting me. “If I gave you the As you18, you wouldn't continue to work as hard.”

    I stared at him,19that his analysis and strategy(策略) were correct. I had worked my head20, as I had never done before.

    I was speechless when my course grade arrived: A-plus. It was the only A-plus given. The next year I received my scholarship. I've always remembered Professor Jayne's lesson: you alone must set your own standard of excellence.