When I was about 12, I had an enemy. A girl liked to point out my _____ Week by week her _____ grew: I was very thin; I wasn’t a good student; I talked too much; I was too _____ , always feeling superior to others, and so on. I tried to hear all these as long as I could. _____ , I became very angry. I ran to my father with _____ in my eyes.

He listened to me _____ , and then he asked, “Are the things she says true or not? Janet, didn’t you ever _____ what you’re really like? Well, you now have that girl’s _____. Go and _____ a list of everything she said and mark the points that are ______. Pay no attention to the other things she said.”

I did ______ he told me. To my great ______, I discovered that about half the things were true. I couldn’t ______ some of them, but a good number I could — and suddenly I wanted to change. For the first time I had a fairly ______ picture of myself.

I brought the list back to Daddy. He ______ to take it. “That’s just for you,” he said. “You know the truth about yourself ______ than anyone else. But you have to learn to ______, not just close your ears in ______, feeling hurt when something said about you is true, and you’ll find it of help to you. Our world is full of people who think they know your affairs. Don’t ______ your ears. Listen to them all, but hear the truth and do what you know is the right thing to do.”

Daddy’s advice has always ______ me at many important moments. In my life, I’ve never had a better piece of advice.

   It is a hot summer day， and you feel thirsty. A friend gives you a glass of cold lemonade. How do you feel when you see the glass? Will you describe your feeling as happiness or as pleasure? I believe you will say it is a feeling of pleasure. There is a connection between these two kinds of feelings，and sometimes one causes the other， but they are not the same. Pleasure is more dependent on the five senses while happiness is independent of them.

When you are happy，unpleasant events usually do not disturb you. When you are unhappy，you feel as if everything is against you. You may compensate for it by eating chocolate and sweets because this gives you pleasure，yet you still stay unhappy. A person may smoke cigarettes because it gives him pleasure，yet this does not make him happier，especially if he knows the fact that it is not good for his health.

The physical world is always in a changing state. At each moment a new thing is being created，changed， transformed and then destroyed. This is the normal state of things and no one can change it. If we stay still in a certain state， we are sure to experience unhappiness sooner or later. On the other hand，if we adapt to the environment，nothing can influence our moods. Then outer events have nothing to do with our inner joy of mind.

The room of the mind is filled with worry or fear. If you are free of thinking about them，the room will be empty，and then you will see what is happening and experience it. When your mind stays quiet，you will see that happiness comes from the inside.

I have learnt the announcement that the summer camp would be held in Singapore in the Internet. I am interesting in it.

I have a good command（掌握）of English，which enable me to communicate with friends from other part of the world without difficulty. Therefore，having a rich knowledge of Chinese culture，I will make more people to know our splendid culture. More importantly，I have strong belief that I will broaden my mind by learning about their cultures.

I’d appreciate it whether I could be accepted and I will value the chance to improve yourself. Looking forward to your early reply.

Yours，

Li Hua