Chris's parents were proud of him when he graduated from college. But it's been six months and he hasn't gotten a(n) 1 yet. In fact, he hasn't looked for it 2. He has no idea what he wants to do and he's always thinking of his old grad school(校友).

    He's 3 at home with his parents and their relationship are getting tense, especially with his father, who 4 Chris for being lazy and afraid to 5 the real world.

    Chris thinks his dad is being totally 6, after all, he's only young once and he needs some "space". During a recent 7, Chris said, "I'm not you, Dad. I have my own way of doing things. I want a job I 8." His dad replied, "That's a nice  9, but in the end they call it "work" because it's about making a productive living—not having fun."

    There are many youngsters like Chris who are having trouble getting 10 with a serious job and becoming self-reliant. Some, like Peter Pan, just don't want to grow up. Some are afraid of 11 a wrong decision or of being rejected. Others are  12 of what psychologists call "magical thinking." They believe that when the time is right, everything will fall into place, so they 13 good chance to come knocking or until they feel encouraged to take their next step.

    Unfortunately, it doesn't 14 that way. What's important is to begin. Things happen and opportunities 15 most often when we're moving, not standing 16. The ability to keep developing or being more 17 is very important. Basic physics says it's easier to 18 the course of a moving object than to start movement at the beginning. In the end, it's not really about finding yourself, 19  it's about making yourself.

    The first steps are the 20, but the key to success in anything is getting started.

    No one is born a winner. People make themselves into winners by their own 1.

    I learned this lesson from a(n)  2 many years ago. I took the head 3job at a school in Baxley, Georgia. It was a small school with a weak football program.

    It was a tradition for the school's old team to play against the 4 team at the end of spring practice. The old team had no coach, and they didn't even practice to 5the game. Being the coach of the new team, I was excited because I knew we were going to win, but to my disappointment we were defeated. I couldn't 6 I had got into such a situation. Thinking hard about it, I came to 7 that my team might not be the number one team in Georgia, but they were 8me. I had to change my 9about their ability and potential.

    I started doing anything I could to help them build a little  10 .Most important, I began to treat them like 11 .That summer, When the other teams enjoyed their 12 ,we met every day and 13passing and kicking the football.

    Six months after suffering our 14on the spring practice field, we won our first game and our second, and continued to15.Finally, we faced the number one team in the state. I felt that it would be a 16for us even if we lost the game. But that wasn't what happened. My boys beat the best team in Georgia, giving me one of the greatest17my life！

    From the experience I learnt a lot about how the attitude of the leader can 18 the members of a team. Instead of seeing my boys as losers, I pushed and19them. I helped them to see themselves 20 ,and they built themselves into winners.

    Winners are made, but born.

The Fitting-in of Suzy Khan

    The first time I saw Suzy Khan, I knew I had to help her. She was really small for her age of 12. The boys in my class often 1 about her and laughed their heads off. She would open a book, pretending to read, with tears dropping on the open page.

    All I knew was that she was an orphan (孤儿) from Africa. She had just been adopted by a family in town who 2 that the best way for her to learn American ways of life was to be with American kids. I looked down at this 3 girl and promised myself that somehow I would help her.

    But how could I help her 4 in with us? There had to be a 5 .

    One day, when I went into the classroom, I saw that Suzy had 6 her geography book to a picture of a train, and in her notebook, she had made a(n)  7 copy.

    I was surprised and thought that she could do something in the coming 8 show. So, I took her to see the art teacher, Miss Parker, and showed her what Suzy had 9. “why, it's wonderful,” said Miss Parker, who then showed us a poster she had painted 10the talent show. “I need more of these, but I just don't have enough 11. Could you help me, Suzy?”

On the day of the talent show, Suzy's 12 were everywhere —- all over the hall and all over the school, each one different.

    “And finally,” said Mr Brown, the schoolmaster, at the end of the show, “we have a (n) 13 award. I'm sure you've all noticed the wonderful posters.” Everyone nodded. “One of our own students 14 them.”

    I could hear everyone whispering. “Who in our school could draw 15 well?”

Mr. Brown waited a while before saying, “16 this student worked so hard on the posters, she deserves a 17 , too. Our mystery(神秘) artist is our new student —- Suzy Khan!”

    Mr. Brown thanked her for all the wonderful posters and gave her a professional artist's set. “Thank you,” she cried.

    I 18, at that time when I was looking at her excited face, she'd probably never 19 anything in her whole life.

    Everyone started to 20their hands. Suzy Khan gave them a shy smile and the applause was deafening. I knew then Suzy was going to be all right.

    Sometimes people come into your life and you know right away that they are meant to be there.

    They serve some sort of 1 in order to teach a lesson or help 2 who you are or who you want to become. You never know 3 these people may be — your roommate, neighbor, professor, long-lost friend, lover or even a complete 4, but when you keep an eye on them, you know at that very moment that they will 5 your life in some great way.

    And sometimes things happen to you and they may seem 6, horrible and unfair at the time, but 7 solving those problems, you would never have realized your potential, strength, willpower or heart. Everything happens for a(n) 8. Nothing happens by 9 or by means of good or bad luck. Illness, injury, love, lost moments of true greatness and stupidity—all occur to 10 the limits of your soul. Without these small tests life would be like a smoothly paved, straight, flat road to nowhere, safe and comfortable but dull and 11.

    The people you meet who affect your life and the successes and 12 you experience — they are the ones that create who you are. Even the 13 experiences can be learned from.

    If someone hurts you, betrays you or breaks your heart, 14 them, for they have helped you learn about 15 and the importance of being 16 about whom you open your heart to. If someone loves you, love them back 17, not only because they love you, but because they are teaching you to love and open your heart and eyes to things you would without them.

    18 have seen or felt Make every day 19. Appreciate every moment and take from it everything that you possibly can, for you may never be able to experience it again.

    "People are like tea bags — you have to put them in hot water before you know how 20 they are."

    Last December, just a week before Christmas, I went to a local KMart store to pick up my layaway(预付定金购物). Upon reaching the counter, I 1 the clerk my layaway receipts and told her I was there to pay off the balance and take the  2 home with me. She grabbed my receipts, and kept messing with the computer 3 something was wrong. I felt a little uneasy. I was4 her to tell me my layaway had been misplaced or something of the sort.

5, after about ten minutes, she said. "Oh, that's why I can't find it in our 6. You should have 7a phone call a few days ago that your layaway was paid off by a(n) 8 Santa. "I couldn't believe what I was hearing! This kind of story only happens in the 9. Why was my family 10 to receive such a blessing?

    Immediately I asked the cashier if there was a 11 that I could leave something for the Santa 12 his random act of kindness, but she said that the individual wanted to 13 completely unknown. It definitely 14 my heart. However. I felt 15. I kept thinking that perhaps some family out there was not going to have a Christmas because they really couldn't 16to pick up their layaway.

    I decided to pay it 17, so I used the money I had for the balance on my account to purchase some 18 and on my way out, I gladly 19 them off inside a huge toy donation box. Since I had received such a nice, heart warming gesture from someone, I wanted to keep the 20 going. And it felt nice to receive and to be able to give right back.

    A few days after Christmas, my friend Zachary came over with his snowboard. Zachary was very good at snowboarding, but I could 1 do it at all. I wondered if maybe my new board wasn't the right size for me, so I tried 2 Zachary's board, but I still didn't get very 3.

    While I 4 with Zachary's board, he was making run after run down the hill. He asked me if we could go to his favourite hill to do more runs, and not wanting to 5 his fun, I 6 said I would go.

    While out on the new hill, I still struggled to stay 7. I had fallen a few times when a teenager that I had never 8 before noticed that I was getting 9, and called me over to give me some advice. I don't talk to strangers as a 10, but my mom was with me, so I felt 11. So I listened to what he had to 12, and then I made another 13. He watched, and then came over to give me more 14. I did what he told me, and I was able to get all the way down the hill without 15. It seemed much easier with the instructions he gave me.

    This guy was so nice and helpful about 16 me. He could have chosen to make a few more runs for the day, 17 taking the time to help me. As 18 preteens, sometimes when we think of teenagers, we think of those who are troublemakers, or those who scare us. But this teenager made me feel 19 around him and was really helpful and kind to me.

    I'm a much better snowboarder now, thanks to the very 20 teenage stranger.