I was reading an article the other day about a man by the name of Steven Callahan. In 1982, he was crossing the Atlantic Ocean alone in his sailboat when it _____ something and sank. He was out of the shipping lanes and _____ in a life raft, alone. He had few _____ and his chances of survival were small. Yet when three _____ found him seventy-six days later, he was _____ 一 much skinnier than he was when he started.

His account of how he survived was _____ Somehow he managed to catch fish and even made a device to make fresh water from sea water. The most remarkable thing, _____, was how he managed to keep himself _____ when all hope seemed lost. _____ how often he must have thought there was no point in continuing with the ______ He was suffering a great deal. His life raft was punctured (刺破) and even after trying for more than a week to ______ it, it was still leaking air and it was wearing him out to keep pumping it up. He was hungry, totally exhausted.______ would have seemed to be the only choice.

Whenever you read about people who ______ these kinds of situations, you will ______ that they do something with their minds ______ give them the courage to keep going. However, there are many people in similarly hopeless situations that give in or go ______. The survivors do something with their ______ that help them find the courage to carry on.

For Callahan, he wrote simply, “I told myself I could ______ it. Compared to what those have been through, I was ______. I told myself these things over and over.”

Next time when it seems as if your own goals are far-off or when your problems seem too overwhelming, repeat that ______ over and over again, “I can handle it. I can handle it.”

   Each morning Grandpa was up early sitting at the kitchen table, reading his book. His grandson wanted to be just like him and tried to copy him in every way he could.

One day the grandson asked, “Grandpa, I try to read the book just like you, but I don’t understand it, and I forget what I understand as soon as I close the book. What good does reading the book do?”

The grandpa quietly turned from putting coal in the stove and replied, “Take this coal basket down to the river and bring me back a basket of water.”

The boy did as he was told, but all the water leaked out before he got back to the house. The grandpa laughed and said, “You’ll have to move a little faster next time,” and sent him back to the river with the basket to try again. This time the boy ran faster, but again the basket was empty before he returned. Out of breath, he told his grandpa that it was impossible to carry water in a basket, so he went to get a bucket instead. The grandpa said, “I don’t want a bucket of water; I want a basket of water. You’re just not trying hard enough.” The boy again dipped the basket into the river and ran hard, but when he reached his grandpa the basket was empty again. Out of breath, he said, “Grandpa, it’s useless!”

“So, you think it is useless?” the grandpa said, “Look at the basket.”

The boy looked at the basket and for the first time he realized that the basket was different. It had been transformed from a dirty old coal basket and was now clean.

“Grandson, that’s what happens when you read the book. You might not understand or remember everything, but when you read it, you’ll be changed, inside and out.”

   In my generation, most people assume (假设) a lot. We assume that after getting a driver’s license, we should see a brand new car sitting in our driveway. We assume that the latest iPhone product should be in our hands as soon as something goes wrong with our old one. We also assume that college, being as expensive as it is, should be given. However, what we don’t realize is that all of these things are very special privileges (特权).

New cars, the latest technology and college fees are something that most people have in the place where I live. I’m not necessarily complaining about this. I live in a very fortunate area, and I try to remind myself of that every day.

Getting nice things is great, but sometimes, the competition that rules our lives gets too fierce. When someone else gets something great, you begin to think, “Why can’t I have that?” When everyone around you goes to college, you think that one day you will obviously do the same, because who doesn’t?

Even now, having almost done with my first year of college, I constantly see people who forget why we’re here, and how lucky we are to be on this campus. All of the distractions can surely keep you from doing your best, and they can easily make you forget your real purpose at college. The parties, friends, events, and overall social life can move you into a never-ending whirlpool (旋涡) of not doing schoolwork. Having fun is a part of life, but balance is the key when it comes to college.

Appreciation nowadays is slowly changing into a distant thought. We constantly forget how lucky we are to have the things and the life that we live. Surely, who doesn’t dream of a new car waiting for them, or that brand new iPhone that you see in all of the commercials? But wanting something is different from expecting it. Setting yourself up with an “ I should get this” attitude will only push appreciation further away.

Appreciate what you have, but don’t expect what you don’t have. Say thank you to those who help and support you, and realize that whoever you are, you’re lucky in a great way.

In our life, we often regret what we did and what we couldn’t do. Actually, it doesn’t benefit from us at all. As for most of us, we have missed many chance to earn more money, to get a high position and to realize our dreams. We often regret that we don’t seize those opportunities, thus feel upset. Although we do know regretting the past is of no beneficial, we still can’t help doing it.

To avoid problem above, we need to pay more attention to which we are doing now, making us busier and having no time to recall the past. Moreover, we’d better set reasonably goals one by one. Only by doing so can we struggle for their better future.