I used to abandon(放弃) myself to despair(绝望). Last year, my mother 1 from a stroke(中风） and had a operation on her brain. I felt my whole life turn upside down and I had no 2 what I could do to help her to relieve her 3. Tears welled up in my eyes whenever I was alone.

    Last month I 4 a precious watch, which was an 18-year-old birthday gift from my father. I could not fall asleep for a couple of nights because I felt 5 about the loss.

There have been many 6 like these in my life. I could never figure out how to deal with such tough things 7 I read " If You Have a Lemon, Make a Lemonade" by American writer Dale Carnegie.

"When the wise man is handed a lemon, he says, ‘What 8 can I get from this? How can I 9 my situation? How can I turn this lemon into a lemonade?'" He wrote.

    I suddenly 10 that life is full of ups and downs, so I need to stay11 all the time. Now when I think of my past, I wish I could have handled things 12. When my mother was fighting for 13, I should have held her hands in mine, telling her things would get better instead of14 and crying.

    Several weeks ago, I took part in a campus singing competition. I didn't 15 a prize. If I had not 16 the article, I would definitely have felt 17 again. But instead, I smiled after the competition. I was happy that at least I had got some stage 18.

    Life is not just a bed of roses. There are thorns as well, but these thorns help us become 19 and strong. When life 20 us a lemon, let's try to make a lemonade.

    “Look, it's Baldy!” A boy shouted in my direction across the playground. Even though I was used to regular insults (侮辱) because of the1on my head, it was2horrible to hear. I sighed as I headed back to the class.

When I was just 20 months old, I suffered serious3after a bowl full of hot oil fell on my head. I was4to hospital and had to stay there for weeks while the doctors5to save my life. “Holly's very6to be alive,' "they told Mum and Dad. “But she'll be7with scars on her head, and of course her hair won't grow there. ”

    As a child, I cared much about my scars, so I8wore a scarf to cover them up when I left home.9I didn't, people would call me horrible names like Baldy. Although my friends were always comforting me, they never10understood how it felt.

Then through the hospital I was11to a children's burns camp, where children like me can get any help. There, I1214-year-old Stephanie, whose burns are a lot more serious than mine. But she is so13that she never lets anyone put her down. "You shouldn't14what people say about what you look like because we're not different from anyone else, Holly,” she15me. “And you don't need to wear a scarf because you look great16it! ” For the first time in my life I could speak to someone who'd been through something17.So weeks later, at my 13th birthday party,18by her bravery, I gave up my scarf and showed off my scars. It felt amazing not having to19away behind my scarf.

    Now, I am20of what I look like and much happier, because I have realized it is your personality(个性) that decides who you truly are.

    I had a good day today. It 1 with a morning walk with my dogs under the moonlight before daybreak. It was so beautiful. After the 2 it was time for a warm breakfast  3 by some exercise and prayer. Then I 4 to the office. The warm sunlight made me  5and since I was alone with nobody else to be disturbed（打扰）, I 6along with the CD playing in my car with a loud voice and a happy heart.

    My good day was just beginning, 7. I helped it along by giving cheerful  8to everyone I met. I shared smiles and was happy to have them9. I offered a helping hand to one friend and a pat on the back to another. Later at the store I  10the door for a lady with her arms full of packages. I told a  11cashier（收银员）what a good job she was doing and watched her whole face 12.

    When I got home I gave my daughter a hug, kissed my oldest son on the head, and  13with my youngest son before doing some work on the computer. Then I answered letters  14to share a loving thought or two with my friends around the world. Later in the evening I spent some  15time reading a good book, petting my dogs on the head. 16I ended the day the way I started it: walking my dogs  17, and thanking God for this world, my life, and the  18 to live for one more good day.

    Perhaps the key to having a great life is to live it one good day 19 . Perhaps the key to being  20 in this world is to love all we have today and let God take care of our tomorrow.

    I learned about life from an ant farm. When I was seven years old, my family tried to 1 an ant farm at home. First, we put clean sand in a thin glass box, and then we brought some ants from the backyard and placed them into the 2 home.

    Shortly after the new 3 were dropped into the glass structure, they got to work making tunnels. I was amazed that each one knew 4 what to do. After hours of staring, I realized that the ants had particular given jobs. With my mom's help, I kept a journal of what happened each day and 5 the ants. My favorite was the biggest, Cinderella. I drew a picture of her in my journal, which I still have.

    On day five a disaster 6 the ant farm. While I was 7 the ants, I had put my face so close to the structure that I accidentally tipped it over, 8 in all the tunnels. Although the ants 9 their earthquake, one by one they began to die. I was 10 as I watched them give up their tunnel-building to carry the bodies to a corner of the farm. My mother reported that the ants were dying of "frustration"—feeling annoyed and impatient as they couldn't control the situation. They simply could not 11 the reality that their tunnels had been destroyed. Cinderella was the last to die; she did so while carrying a dead ant on her back.

    Although much time has passed, I still think of that ant farm. Mom had hoped it would teach me about the natural world, 12it taught me much more. 13 the years, I came to realize the ants were a study in the benefits of 14. Working together, they were able to create a(n) 15 world for themselves. I also learned that they should be 16 for their hard work. Day in and day out, each labored at their task. The ant farm demonstrated that teamwork and perseverance are indeed two key 17 to success. But there was an even larger lesson that I did not 18 until recently: Disaster is a natural part of life, and must be 19. Unlike the ants, humans cannot give up when they face 20. Unlike the ants, we have to realize that if a tunnel caves in, we just have to build another.

    Yuan Longping, a great Chinese agriculturalist, was born in a poor farmer's family in Qianyang, Hunan Province in 1930. He 1 from Southwest Agriculture College in 1953 and has since devoted himself to agricultural education and research. Since his graduation, 2 ways to grow more rice has been his life goal. As a young man, he saw the great need for 3 the rice output. At that time, hunger was a 4 problem in many parts of the countryside. Yuan Longping searched for a way to increase rice harvests without expanding the area of the fields. 5 his help, Chinese farmers now produce more rice and these increased harvests mean that 22% of the world's people 6 from just 7% of the farmland in the world. Yuan Longping, 7 considers himself a farmer, is now circulating his knowledge in some less developed countries to increase 8 rice harvests. Thanks to his research, the UN has more tools in the battle to rid the world of hunger. 9 his hybrid rice, farmers are producing harvests twice as large as before. Dr Yuan 10 5-million-yuan State Supreme Science and Technology Prize for his high hybrid rice species. This award is viewed as "Chinese Nobel Prize".

    About rice, he always has a dream…

I was shocked when my socially awkward sister, who had suffered from Asperger Syndrome (阿斯伯格综合症), decided to sing in front of the school. I knew she would 1 me in some way, so I protested. However, my parents insisted that she 2 and I would have to be part of the audience. I silently hoped that something would happen to 3 me from watching her losing face.

As I waited in the hall, sweat 4 my forehead. I comforted myself that no one knew she was my sister and tried to persuade myself that it would be 5 . The lights darkened and the 6 opened to reveal (使露面) my sister standing alone on stage. She seemed 7 , taking a minute to stammer (结结巴巴地说) her name and class. 8 began to be heard in the audience.

I shifted nervously in my seat, afraid what was about to happen. But as my sister started to sing, I was 9 . Her voice flowed effortlessly and melodiously, filling the hall with its 10 . I watched in wonder, realizing I had never known she could sing so 11 . I listened carefully to the lyric (歌词) she had written herself, feeling ashamed for doubting her 12 . My heart gave way as I heard the heartfelt words.

 In that moment, guilt and shame flooded my heart. 13 my unwillingness to support her, she had never taken anything that I had done to her to heart. It was then that I determined to love her 14 . It was as if a veil (面纱) had been 15 from my eyes, and my heart was full.