In the recent interview, Evelyn Glennie who was the first lady of solo percussion in Scotland, recalled how she became a percussion soloist (打击乐器独奏演员) in spite of her disability.

    “Early on I decided not to allow the 1 of others to stop me from becoming a musician. I grew up on a farm in northeast Scotland and began 2 piano lessons when I was eight. The older I got, the more my passion (酷爱) for music grew. But I also began to gradually lose my 3 . Doctors concluded that the nerve damage was the 4 and by age twelve, I was completely deaf. But my love for music never 5 me.”

    “My 6 was to become a percussion soloist, even though there were none at that time. To perform, I 7 to hear music differently from others. I play in my stocking feet and can 8 the pitch of a note (音调高低) by the vibrations (振动). I feel through my body and through my 9 . My entire sound world exists by making use of almost every 10 that I have.”

    “I was 11 to be assessed as a musician, not as a deaf musician, and I applied to the famous Royal Academy of Music in London. No other deaf student had 12 this before and some teachers 13 my admission. Based on my performance, I was  14 admitted and went on to 15 with the academy's highest honours.”

    “After that, I established myself as the first full-time solo percussionist. I 16 and arranged a lot of musical compositions since 17 had been written specially for solo percussionists.

    “I have been a soloist for over ten years. 18 the doctor thought I was totally deaf, it didn't  19 that my passion couldn't be realized. I would encourage people not to allow themselves to be  20 by others. Follow your passion; follow your heart, they will lead you to the place you want to go.”

    Everyone enjoys a fitting reply; it is wonderful to say the right thing at the right time!

    When I was a senior in high school, I 1 knew I wanted to pursue writing as a career.

    Writing had basically 2 me when I was only 7 years old, 3 since that time, I'd been bombarded(轰炸) by guidance counselors and career planners who all 4 me to have " a back-up-plan" in case writing didn't work out.

    I'd never even 5 a different career path, so I was very 6 and worried. After much thought, I decided 7 would be my "back-up-plan", and I signed up for a class through my high school.

    This8that every morning, I would serve as a teacher's helper for my favorite 6th grade teacher, Mr. Ralston. Morning after morning, I showed up in Mr. Ralston's classroom and9 papers for him.

    Sometimes, I even 10 a lesson or two. It was fun, and the students seemed to like me, so I was surprised when it came time for my 11.Mr. Ralston looked me right in the eyes and asked, "Do you really want to teach?"

    "Had I really been that 12?" I thought.

    "Don't misunderstand. You'll do fine in teaching," he continued. "But, is your 13 really in it?"

    "Not really," I14 "I want to write. I want to write new stories and fiction and poetry and so much more... but I've been told it's tough to make it as a writer 15 I thought maybe I would teach and then use my summers 16 to pursue writing."

    As I shared with Mr. Ralston my hopes, dreams and carefully plotted-out back-up plan, he smiled and said, "Why are you preparing to 17 with this back-up plan? If you want to be a writer, go for it! Pursue writing!"

    Mr. Ralston's 18 to follow my dreams was the little nudge(推动) I decided to help me push past my 19 of not making it as a writer and simply "Go for it!"

    That's what an encouraging word will do when spoken in love in 20 season. So, let's try and be like Mr. Ralston and speak that word of encouragement at just the right time and make a difference in someone's life today.

    My son Joey was born with club feet(天生特厚的畸形脚). The doctors assured us that with treatment he would be able to walk1, but would never run very well. The first three years of his life were2in surgery(手术). By the time he was eight, you wouldn't know he had a 3when you saw him walk.

    The children in our neighborhood ran around as most children do during4, and Joey would jump right in, run and play, too. We5told him that he probably wouldn't be able to 6 as well as the other children. So he didn't know.

    In seventh grade he7to go out for the cross-country team. Every day he 8 with the team. He worked harder and ran9 than any of the others—perhaps he sensed that the10that seemed to come naturally to so many others did not come naturally to him.11the entire team runs, only the top seven runners have the potential to12points for the school. We didn't tell him he probably would never make the team, so he didn't know.

    He13to run four to five miles a day, every day —even the day he had a 103-degree fever. I was14, so I went to look for him after school. I found him 15all alone. I asked him how he felt. “Okay,” he said. He had two more16to go. The sweat ran down his face and his eyes were glassy from his fever.17he looked straight ahead and kept running.

    Two weeks later, the names of the team runners were18. Joey was number six on the list. Joey had made the team. He was in19grade —the other six team members were all eighth-graders. We never told him he shouldn't20to make the team. We never told him he couldn't do it… so he didn't know. He just did it.

    I stopped to watch my little girl busy playing in her room. In one hand was a plastic phone; in the other a toy broom. I listened as she was speaking to her make-believe(假想的) little friend and I'll never forget the words she said, even though it was1.

    She said, “Jane's in the corner because she's not been very 2. She didn't listen to a word I said or do the things she should.” In the corner I saw her baby doll all dressed in lace and pink. It was clear she'd been put to sit 3and think.

    My daughter continued her “4”, as I sat down on the floor. She said, “I'm all5up. I just don't know what to do with her any more. She cries whenever I have to work and wants to play 6, too. She never lets me do the things that I just have to do. She tries to help me with the dishes, but her arms just cannot7. And she doesn't know how to fold towels. I don't have the8to teach. I have a lot of work to do and a big house to keep clean. I don't have the time to sit and play — Do you see what I 9?”

    And that day I thought a lot about making some 10in my life, as I listened to her words that cut me like a knife. I hadn't been paying enough 11to what I hold most dear. I'd been caught up in responsibilities that increased over the years.

But now my 12has changed, because, in my heart, I realize that I've seen the world in a different light13my little darling's eyes. So, let the cobwebs(蜘蛛网) 14the corners and the dust rabbit rule the floor. I'm not going to worry about keeping up with them any more.

    I'm going to fill the house with15of a child and her mother, for we are granted only one childhood, and we will never get another.

    My father always told me: "All work is noble." He wasn't 1 , but he earned a reasonable living. Thanks to his 2 , I was able to go to Art College. I, however, wanted to do something 3 , something more interesting-I was special！

    After graduation, I moved to New York in search of a graphic designer job. It was winter and, ever the optimist, I'd only brought enough money to 4 myself for about a month. I wasn't 5 -I was sure I'd find a fantastic job immediately.

    Within a few weeks, though, I found myself wandering around the streets having been 6 by every design office in town. My hostel 7 was almost gone and I hadn't eaten in days. “How had I reached this point？""I wondered as I 8 in my thin jacket.

    I was just about to 9 when my dad called. He suggested that I get a job in a 10 until something else came along. At first, pride made me 11. But I was cold, hungry, and unwilling to go home feeling 12 and defeated.

    I entered an expensive-looking cafe near one of the design offices that had turned me away and asked the manager if they were 13. She said they were 14, and offered me a job right away.

    15, I found that I really enjoyed serving people. I started making big 16 right away. Later, the manager learned that I had a design 17 and asked me to design the cafe menus. That led to a part-time job at an advertising company.

    Previously, I'd have never considered being a 18, but there I was. I 19 got my dream design job, but that winter I learned not to make 20 about work.

    Johnny and I lived in a small neighborhood in 1955. We had bought our two young sons two 1 for Christmas and Johnny would assemble them on Christmas Eve.

    But on Christmas Eve day, Johnny 2 to go to Brookley Air Force Base in Mobile to repair a jet. I had my hands 3 with flour, preparing for Christmas dinner and 4 two energetic boys.

    I was making the chocolate cake when a(n) 5 knocked on the door. It was Beatrice who was the 6 person on our road with a telephone. The base had 7 to say that a heavy torque wrench (扭矩扳手) had come apart in Johnny's hand, making the hone 8 . My sister-in-law Ruth and her husband, Otto, took me to the 9 while my mother-in-law stayed with the children.

    We got there only to10 Johnny with a cast on his arm, eager to get home although the doctor required that he 11. It was Christmas Eve, Johnny 12, and he had bikes to assemble for his boys. The doctor said he'd consider 13 him the next morning if Johnny could find someone to drive him home.

    On Christmas morning, Johnny tried calling the motor pool (车辆调配所). They said 14 must come from higher up, so Johnny15 making calls. 16, a big blue car rolled up to the hospital asking for the man who needed a 17 home.

    Johnny's mother and I were putting dinner on the table when we heard the car. We were 18 to see Johnny. With Otto's help, Johnny assembled the boys' gifts.

That cold Christmas Day, our hearts were full of 19 for those who had gone the extra mile to bring us 20 on the holiday.