1 . No matter what life throws our way, having a positive attitude makes room for the future. Let’s read Hervey Bay teenager Mark Farrell’s ____ story. At the age of 14, he took a dive into a swimming pool, which would ____ his life forever.

“I jumped into the pool and broke my ____ ,” he says. “It’s a very unusual story because I jumped into the deep end, where most spinal (脊柱的) injuries   ____ .”

Mark has been in a wheelchair ever since and now, at 27, is very calm about any ____ life might throw at him. In fact, he finds it ____ to name any challenge. “I just live my life and ____ it day by day,” he says.

For the past few years, Mark has worked with the Spinal Education Awareness Team (SEAT) whose aim is to ____ students to prevent spinal injuries, telling his   ____ to young people in the Hervey Bay region. “If I can ____ one kid’s life, it makes my ____ worthwhile,” he says.

Mark stresses the importance of checking the ____ of water before diving in and being more ____ in general. He says that if his talks can prevent one spinal injury in a young person, he’s ____. Mark’s contribution to preventing spinal injuries was ____ in 2017, when he was named Young Australian of the Year.

3 . I was never very neat, while my roommate Kate was extremely organized. Each of her objects had its place, but mine always hid somewhere. She even labeled (贴标签) everything. I always looked for everything. Over time, Kate got neater and I got messier. She would push my dirty clothing over, and I would lay my books on her tidy desk. We both got tired of each other.

War broke out one evening. Kate came into the room. Soon, I heard her screaming, “Take your shoes away! Why under my bed!” Deafened, I saw my shoes flying at me. I jumped to my feet and started yelling. She yelled back louder.

The room was filled with anger. We could not have stayed together for a single minute but for a phone call. Kate answered it. From her end of the conversation, I could tell right away her grandma was seriously ill. When she hung up, she quickly crawled (爬) under her covers, sobbing.

Obviously, that was something she should not go through phone. All of a sudden, a warm feeling of sympathy rose up in my heart. Slowly, I collected the pencils, took back the books, made my bed, cleaned the socks and swept the floor, even on her side. I got so into my work that I even didn’t noticed Kate had sat up.

She was watching, her tears dried and her expression one of disbelief. Then, she reached out her hands to grasp mine. I looked up into her eyes. She smiled at me, “Thanks.”

Kate and I stayed roommates for the rest of the year. We didn’t always agree, but we learned the key to living together: giving in, clearning up and holding on.

4 . I learned how to accept life as it is from my father. ________, he didn’t teach me acceptance when he was strong and healthy, but rather when he was ________ and ill.

My father was ________ a strong man who loved being active, but a terrible illness________ all that away. Now he can no longer walk, and he must sit quietly in a chair all day. Even talking is ________. One night, I went to visit him with my sisters. We started ________ about life, and I told them about one of my ________. I said that we must very often give things up ________ we grow — our health, our beauty, our friends — but it always ________ that after we give something up, we gain something new in its place. Then suddenly my father ________ up. He said, “But, Peter, I gave up ________! What did I gain?” I thought and thought, but I couldn’t think of anything to say. ________, he answered his own question, “I________ the love of my family.” I looked at my sisters and saw tears in their eyes, along with hope and thankfulness.

I was also________ by his words. After that, when I began to feel angry at someone, I ________ remember his words and become ________. If he could replace his great pain with a feeling of love for others, then I should be ________ to give up my small anger. In this ________, I learned the power of acceptance from my father.

Sometimes I ________ what other things I could have learned from him if I had listened more carefully when I was a boy. For now, though, I am grateful for this________.

6 . “No one can promise that life will be fair,” but no matter what happens, follow the example set by Rehan Staton, and never lose sight of your goal.

Staton, a 24-year-old former sanitation (环卫) worker in Maryland, US, recently celebrated his acceptance into Harvard Law School.

Staton’s life was relatively normal until a series of setbacks impacted his family life and studies. “Things were pretty good until I was 8 years old. My mom abandoned my dad, my brother and me when she moved back to Sri Lanka.” he said.

When he was in seventh grade, a teacher even recommended that he be placed in special education classes. His brother Reggie then brainstormed ways to help boost his grades. An aerospace engineer also offered to tutor him free of charge. Staton’s grades did improve and he became an honor student.

However, he was rejected by every college he had applied for. So to help support himself and his family, Staton began working at a sanitation company. He spent his days transporting trash and cleaning dumpsters (垃圾箱), waking up every morning to get dressed around 4 am.

“The sanitation workers were the only people in my life who told me I could be somebody,” Staton said, “They would say, ‘You’re too young to be here. Go to college, and come back if it doesn’t work out’”.

The son of the company’s owner helped Staton contact a professor at Bowie State University, and the university eventually accepted Staton.

Things began to look up. Two years later, he transferred to the University of Maryland to continue pursuing his undergraduate degree. But Staton still struggled to pay for his father’s medical bills. He’d work in the morning and take classes in the afternoon.

After graduation, Staton worked at a national consulting firm while applying for law school. He plans to start at Harvard this fall, where he will major in sports law to pursue his dream of becoming a sports agent.

“For Rehan, the sky is truly the limit. Whatever he chooses to do in the future, he will definitely achieve,” said a chief operating officer of Staton’s firm.

For anyone looking for inspiration during difficult times, Staton recommends to “love yourself enough to get what you want out of life,” he told news outlet ABC. “You can always see the light in any dark situation, and you need to hold on to that light.”

7 . Last year, my parents and I visited our relatives in New Jersey. Every day I enjoyed walking a circular way starting from their house. One evening I decided to be adventurous and changed from my ________ way — I was looking forward to a longer walk, ________ that I would be able to find my way back.

My walk took me ________ the living area and into a beautiful place with fields on both sides of the road. With the sun beginning to ________, it was really wonderful. After about thirty minutes, I noticed that I was not ________ back in the direction I had come — I seemed to be moving further away. I searched my pocket for the mobile phone to get help, but it was not there. I had ________ it at home.

However, I remained ________. Although there weren’t any people about, there were some ________ and I was sure that someone would stop and ________ me in the right direction. As each car came, I stopped and ________, but no one stopped. No one seemed to feel any ________ for me. About forty minutes passed; I was beginning to feel ________. There was no one in sight and my family didn’t know my ________.

When I just gave up all hope, a car ________ me and stopped. A mother and daughter wanted to know how they could help. I told them I was lost and gave them my address. The mother pointed to a turning and ________ me I was pretty close to home. Expressing my thanks, I started off at a fast ________.

I had been walking for about five minutes when I heard a car drive up behind me and stop. It was them again. They realized that they had not given me the correct ________ and my destination was much further away.

They offered to ________ me home. During our brief conversation I know about the ________ that the daughter was going to a party and would arrive late. We didn’t ________ names but I will never forget their help.

8 . I strongly believe that we can have a great influence on anyone we meet. Some acts that we think _________ can shape someone else’s future. The right words at just the right time could _________ change someone’s life.

Years ago, that was what happened to me. I was the only _________ child at Blue Creek Elementary School. From almost the first day there, the other kids _________ me mainly because of my hearing aid and the way I talked. And I also had _________ with most of my schoolwork.

When the other kids laughed at me, I was sure that I was a_________ person. I saw myself as a boy who wasn’t smart enough to_________ the class.

Mrs. Jordan, my 5th-grade teacher, _________ all of that with a simple three- word phrase.

One morning, she asked the _________ a question. I read her lips from my front-row seat and immediately raised my hand __________ I was sure I had the right answer. But when she called my name, I was __________. Here was an opportunity to impress the powerful teacher and__________ her I was worthy of her love. Maybe I would even impress my classmates a little. I didn’t want to blow it. __________ my fears, I took a deep __________ and answered Mrs. Jordan’s question.

I will never forget what __________ next. Mrs. Jordan enthusiastically slammed her right foot on the__________ and with sparkling eyes and a wide smile she __________. “THAT’S RIGHT STEPHEN!”

For the first time in my young life, I was a star. I __________ a little taller in my chair.

From that day forward, my grades and speech __________ greatly. My popularity among my peers increased. It was all because Mrs. Jordan believed in me and wasn’t afraid to __________ it.