2 . It was a dark day, one of depression, sorrow and anger. As I climbed out of the _____, after witnessing my time in the 100 yard freestyle, I did not feel like speaking to anyone. I saw the bright smiles of swimmers who had just _____ a best time. _____ , I had failed. Or at least that is what I thought at the time.

I was lying on my cool bed when an idea _____ my head. Success is the _____ to go from failure to failure without _____ your enthusiasm. At practice the next day, I told my swimming teammates about my goal time and they all either laughed or replied with a _____ similar response like, “You can’t do it” or “Probably not”. Believe it or not, these are the responses that made my goal _____.

Finally came the day when I had to _____ to myself and others that with ______ there is no limit to your achievements.

With the starting gun ______, I dove with perfect form into the pool. I felt the cool water running ______ my back. I swam like a fish, bouncing off each ______ at the wall as if it was a spring board. On the ______ turn, I came back to the wall with every piece of strength I had. I ______ the final wall with my fingertips and knew that I had swum the ______ race.

I had done it! I had achieved my best time! Joy filled my ______ like water does a cup. I saw the ______ on all of my friends’ faces as I ______ out of the pool: their jaws dropped to the ground. I began to laugh and gave them thumbs up.

I have ______ in life that having belief in yourself opens all gates. Never forget that anything the mind can conceive and believe can achieve.

3 . It was a normal Monday morning at an assembly, and the old headmaster was giving the students a speech about important things in life and about _______ourselves to what is important to us. This is_______the story went: An old man lived in a certain part of London, and he _______wake up every morning and go to the _______, where he got the train right to Central London, and then sat at the street corner, _______. He did this every single day of his life. He sat at the same street corner and begged for almost 20 years.   His house was dirty, and it smelled_______. The neighbors could not _______the smell anymore, so they asked the police officers to _______the place. The officers knocked down the _______ and cleaned the house. There were small bags of ________ all over the house that he had ________over the years. The police counted the money, and they soon realized that the old man was a ________. They waited outside his house expecting to share the good news with him. When he arrived home that evening, he was met by one of the officers who told him that there was no need for him to beg any more ________ he was a rich man now. He said ________at all; he went into his house and locked the door. The next morning he woke up as usual, went to the street and ________ to beg. ________, this old man had no great plans, dreams or anything important for his life. We learn nothing from this story other than staying ________ the things we enjoy doing. We should remain true to our course, which may mean devoting yourselves to things that people around you may disapprove . Let nothing prevent us from being happy, let nothing else decide our fate (命运), but ________. What makes us happy is what ________ in the end…not what we gain.

This particular story is one such lesson that I will never forget. Every time I don’t focus on courses, I ________ myself of this story.