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.”

I'm a booklover but like sharing my love for books！So I've been bought books constantly. Finishing reading one book，I placed it in my school so that some of my schoolmate can enjoy themselves when reading it. I especial like placing it on a stone table in the little garden that students might have time to take a rest. I was delighted when I saw the card left on the table to say thanks the other day. And from the card，I knew my book turned out of to be a birthday gift for a strange girl. It was so lovely find out that my book could bring anyone pleasure！

   I still remember the day when I lost my job. I said to my parents，"I would like to go _________，have an experience in an English-speaking country and look for a（n）_________there. "My parents answered，"What are you saying？You are 30！You are too old...and you don't have a good level of English. It will be _________ for you."

Yes，it would be hard _________ not impossible. I didn't care about my age，my basic English and people's _________；for the first time I was really _________ about my choice. I knew that I could do it. The work situation in Italy _________me several times. Despite my _________ in Medical Biology，I couldn't find a good job in my industry. And what's more，I really wanted to learn English. So I decided to _________.

That's how the biggest __________ of my life started.

I was afraid but at the same time so __________. I planned everything：4 months of English courses and then 4 months of work experience in the medical area.

The time that I __________ in Alpha College was amazing. I met people from all over the world getting the opportunity to know new __________.Teachers were skilled，helpful and they coached me step by step. I couldn't believe how __________ my English was getting better. When I did the job interview，I was definitely __________ about my English. I got the job easily. My work _________ inspecting and testing all packaging materials. Moreover，every week，there were courses and training for new __________ like me.

My work experience was finishing when，one day，my boss __________ a contract（合同）to me. I was completely astonished… my dream was coming true！__________ I accepted it and I'm still working here.

This is the end of a beautiful story...MY STORY！But，please，don't think that it can't be also your __________. There is no age to learn English or to start a new life...just believe in yourself！If you want you can！

   Yesterday I was a bit early for a date so I stopped in at McDonald’s for a coffee. I think they make the best coffee. Two very pleasant young girls were working at the counter and the customer ahead was hard to please!

The young girl was sweaty and near tears. I only wanted coffee but I liked lots of milk in it. I really didn’t want to be difficult so I said, “You go ahead and add lots of milk and if it’s not enough, I’ll ask for more.” She smiled. She made a perfect coffee. I left her two pink candies as a tip (小费).

I went to her supervisor and let the leader know how well she dealt with such a difficult customer ahead of me. More of that needs to be done for young people starting out — probably the first job.

I remember how hard it was. I would have run away crying and quit, if it had been me yesterday serving those customers. I’d still be crying too.

Comments posted by molliecat on July 29, 2018

READERS’ COMMENTS

FayBaby wrote: Customer service can be one of the most difficult and thankless jobs at times. Your expression of appreciation (感激) probably made her day.

Mish wrote: How dear you were to lend support there, dear molliecat. Love you!

Kiwicat wrote: My sons both have very unpleasant first job stories of how rude and demanding customers can be. I now always encourage a new cashier or someone to do job training. Thanks for the reminder (提醒物) that we can be more thankful to those who offer front-line customer service.

Mindyjourney wrote: Thank you for helping calm the young worker with your appreciation and thoughtfulness. So many good lessons you have earned are shared. Blessings, dear molliecat.

My new friend Tom is good at English writing. One day, I asked him how he did so well in written English. He told me that he has a habit of keep a diary every day. "You can try them, too. I'm sure you will improve your written English quickly in this way, "he said. I thought Tom was right, but I decided to follow his advices. I started to write down something interested every day. Sometimes when I didn't know why to spell a word, I would look it up in a dictionary. When I didn't know how to write a sentence correct, I would ask my teacher for the help. My written English has really improved a lot because that.