—Oh, I’ve never heard __________ one.

—We              go to Yun Nan, but we haven’t decided yet.

— It sounds great ______________ I won’t do that.

—Really? That’s just __________ to be true. Anyway, congratulations, baby!

Recently, I felt like I reached a very low point in life. My relationships weren’t good, I wasn’t enjoying my classes, and I felt like I had nothing to ________. My life seemed to be full of endless homework, tests and loneliness. Nothing anyone said seemed ________ to me. I wasn’t sure what to do about myself. All I wanted was to be happy again, but I didn’t know who or what would ________ that. During these days, I had trouble sleeping. I had to take sleeping pills but still woke up in the midnight. I had no ________ but to tell my dad. He ________ the book The Secret. I bought the e-book online at once and read the whole thing that night. I’m ________ quite a stubborn (固执的) person, but the influence on my mood after finishing the book was ________. Suddenly, I felt like life was beautiful again. I had never felt such a deep and quick ________ in my life before.

In fact, the book’s message was very simple-think positively (积极地). The book had many success stories about how people were able to ________ money, soul mates (心灵伙伴) and old friends back into their lives. I started learning to thank everything in my life like them. Little by little, I realized that The Secret could only work ________ I believed these people’s success stories.

Now I’m sure I can bring myself happiness.

One year ago, I worked at a traditional Chinese medicine store. Business was not bad. Every day we mixed medicinal herbs (中药) for patients, so the store was always full of a strong herbal smell.

After I had worked there for a time, a boy of 13 or 14 started coming and sitting on the stairs outside the store for a while every day. It seemed strange to me.

“Do you like the herbal smell?” I asked him one day.

“I grew up with this kind of smell,” he said. He told me that his mother took herbal medicine for years, so he could mix herbs for his mother when he was very young. He mixed the herbs with deep love, hoping his mother would get better as soon as possible.

“Is your mother well now?” I asked.

He shook his head. “My mother passed away three years ago.” Looking up into the sky, he went on: “When I first passed by here and smelled the herbs, I thought of my mother, It is comforting (安慰的) to remember those days when she was alive. So I come here every day to sit for a moment. When I sit around this smell, I feel as if my mother is still alive and is waiting for her medicine in her room.”

The children at the top of the class succeed by knowing a few basic skills that others can also easily learn. Here are the secrets of top students.

Study is the first thing. Once the books are open or the computer is on for study, phone calls are unanswered, TV shows unwatched, snacks unnoticed. Study is business; business comes before everything.

Study anywhere or everywhere. Study times are different for different children. Some work late at night when the house is quiet. Others wake early. Still others study as soon as they come home from school. It is agreed that consistency (持之以恒) is needed.

Get organized. Don’t waste time looking for a pencil or missing paper. Keep everything right where one can put one’s hands on it. Even for a student who doesn’t keep his own study area organized, a bag or a box is needed to put things in to save time.

Learn how to read. The secret of good reading is to be an active reader-one who continually asks questions that lead to a full understanding of the writer’s message.

Plan your time. If you want to be a top student, make sure to finish all your tasks before the deadline (最后期限).

Take good notes and use them. Reading the text is important, but the teacher is going to test you on what he or she emphasized (强调). That’s what you find in your notes.

Another kind of important “secret” of the top students is not so secret at all. For almost all of them, their parents’ help is important.

I didn’t just want to be a bodybuilding champion. I wanted to be the best bodybuilder of all time.

Deep, deep down ask yourself: “Who do you want to be?” Not what, but who. I’m talking about thinking it out for yourself: “What makes you happy?”

You have to think outside the box. That’s what I believe, after all. What’s the point of being on this Earth if all you want to be is be liked and avoid trouble?

We have so many rules in life about everything. I say break the rules. Don’t break the law, but break the rules.

I remember that after I had finished with my bodybuilding career I wanted to act. I wanted to be a star in films. Everyone had the same thought that it couldn’t be done. They said: “Look at this body, you have this huge body, you’re overly developed.” They thought I wouldn’t fit into movies. But I didn’t listen to them. Those were their rules. I was completely certain that I could do it.

Then I got my big break (重大转机) in Conan the Barbarian. That shows you should trust yourself no matter what anyone else thinks.

On that movie the director said: “If we didn’t have Schwarzenegger, we would have to build one.” Then when I did The Terminator, I said: “I’ll be back…” One of the most famous lines in movie history, all because of my crazy accent (腔调). It just shows you that you should never listen to those who say you can’t do something.

Don’t be afraid to fail. In everything that I have tried, I’ve always been willing to fail. Don’t be afraid of making decisions. You can’t be paralyzed (吓倒) with the fear of failure or you will never push yourself. You can push because you believe in yourself and your imagination. You know it’s the right thing to do and success will come. Don’t be afraid to fail.

—By Arnold Schwarzenegger—

Yu Minhong, president of New Oriental Education, shared his ideas with the young after the English speech competition of the 14th China Daily. Here is some of his advice to young people:

“One suggestion I’d like to give you is that it’s important to do what you like without fear of failure. And the process（过程）of working toward your dreams is more important than the results. Young people should take chances to show off talents. Take competitions like this one as an example: If you are afraid to fail, you’ll never get the chance to stand on the stage and make a speech. Above all, it’s most important to take part.

Another suggestion I want to give you is to read books. It is not easy to keep reading every day. For me, it is much more difficult and challenging to keep reading and taking notes every day than it is to walk 10,000 steps.”

In his speech, Yu also shared his view on life. He chose a different life rather than a more successful one. He uses the famous lines of American poet Robert Frost (1874–1963) to make his point: “Two roads diverged (分叉) in a wood, and I … took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.” Yu pointed out, “Your happiness should not be what others think you should run after. It is you who should make choices for your own life.”

Yu Minhong’s speech to young people

My English study

My three-year middle school life will be over. Looking back, I want to share my English study with you.