“Everything happens for the best,” my mother said whenever I faced disappointment. “If you can carry on, one day something good will happen.”

After graduating from college in 1932, I decided to try for a job as a sports announcer (播音员) on the radio. I took the bus to Chicago and knocked on the door of every radio station. But I was refused every time. In one studio, a nice lady told me that big radio stations didn’t want to accept inexperienced (没经验的) persons. “Go to the countryside and find a small station that’ll give you a chance,” she said.

I returned home, Dixon in Illinois. My father said Smith Ward had opened a store and wanted a local sportsman to manage its sports department. Since I had played high school football in Dixon, I applied. The job sounded just right for me, but I still failed in the interview. As I left his office, I felt sad. I asked aloud, “How can a man become a sports announcer if he can’t get a job in a radio station?”

I was waiting for the lift when I heard Smith Ward calling, “What did you say about sports? Do you know anything about football?” Then he made me stand before a microphone and asked me to broadcast an imaginary (想象的) game. As a result, I did a wonderful job and was told to broadcast Saturday’s game!

On my way home, I thought of my mother’s words again: Everything happens for the best if you carry on. One day something good will happen.

There was a man playing the piano in a bar. He was a good piano player and always performed in this bar. People came in just to hear him play. But one night, a customer told him that he didn’t want to hear him just play the piano any more. He wanted him to sing a song.

The man said, “I don’t sing.”

But the customer was persistent (固执的). He told the bar manager, “I’m tired of listening to the piano. I want that man to sing!”

The manager shouted across the room, “If you want to get paid, sing a song. Our customers are asking you to sing!”

So he did. He sang a song. A piano player who had never sung in public did so for the first time. And everyone was surprised by his song — “Mona, Mona Lisa”. He got lots of applause (掌声) that night.

He had such a talent for singing, but he just had been sitting on his talent for the past years! If without such a chance, he may have lived the rest of his life as a no-name piano player in a no-name bar. However, now he had become one of the best-known singers in America.

You, too, have skills and abilities. Maybe your “talent” is not as great as the singer above, but it may be better than you think! And with effort, most skills can be improved. So, in your life, you should be brave enough to try doing different things and find out what talents you really have!

I recently ran into a friend I hadn’t seen for a long while. Our conversation was lively and full of news from both sides. Before we parted she said，“You’ll have to drop in sometime. ” I immediately sensed that if I simply “dropped in” I would take my friend by surprise，and I would be discouraged by the image of her standing in her doorway，staring at me，and asking，“Oh，er. . . what brings you here？”

Whatever happened to the unannounced drop­in visit？When I was growing up in the 1960s，it seemed that people—mostly relatives，but also friends—were always popping in. My parents would put coffee on，and my mom would find something in the kitchen to serve along with it. Then the conversation would begin.The neighbor lady，a worrier，was unloading her sadness while my mom quietly listened. The Irish man next door had such an accent that I remember asking what language he spoke. My Polish relatives arrived in packs.But I never heard my parents say anything like “We weren’t expecting you” or “This isn’t a good time. ” Drop­in visitors had a certain right of way and became No.1

What happened to such visits？Actually I know the answer. Times have changed. Everybody gets busy with work. There is no longer a stay­at­home mom keeping a pot of hot coffee or tea ready throughout the day for a surprise guest. Exploding malls and stores are now replacing homes as a central form of entertainment.

Just the other day a former student of mine showed up. “I’m sorry for the surprise visit，” my student began. “I just wanted to see if you still lived here. I’ll only stay a minute. ”My response was immediate. “No，you won’t，” I said. “Just come in，sit，have coffee，and we’ll talk. ”

    I had nothing in the kitchen but we ordered pizza. And we had a lovely time. I have tried to keep the drop­in tradition alive though it takes some effort.

D

If you have something to say about someone, say it today! It may make a world of difference. Last week at the Night of Hope in downtown Los Angeles, Victoria Osteen, one of my best friends, shared a story about a very special birthday present from a dear friend. It wasn’t expensive jewelry or a designer handbag. It was an attractive box. And though it was lovely, the box wasn’t the real gift.

When the friend presented it to Victoria, he said some wonderful things about the birthday girl. Then, he acted as if he were putting those compliments into the box and began passing it around to everyone else at the table. One by one, Victoria’s family and friends also said loving things about her, and one by one they “places” their kind words into the birthday box. Victoria shared how much that night had meant to her, and that day she put that beautiful box in a striking place in her bedroom as a reminder of the sweet words that were put in the box and in her heart.

I related this story because I also have what I call “an encouragement drawer”. As a writer, I hope to sell articles and present my picture books to the right editor, but I sometimes get rejection letters from editors and publishers. Thankfully there have been acceptance letters, contracts and awards along the way, too. But do you know what means even more? The thank-you cards and sweet notes that I’ve received from other writers I’ve met at the many writers’ conferences made me serve as a lecturer.

I remember looking forward to one particular conference more than 15 years age. I knew the cost of attending it really wasn’t in our budget, but I also knew that if I asked my husband to give me the conference ticket as my birthday present, he would. And that’s exactly what he did. We were living in Texas, and the writers’ conference was several thousand miles away. I had researched the editors who were going to appear there and the works to be offered, and I was sure the conference would be life-changing for me.

It was just not in the way I’d expected.

During the very first day of the “Writing for Children” conference, I sat in the front row. I was so excited that I hardly slept the night before. I couldn’t wait to learn from a fruitful children’s book writer. She greeted us with “Well, I wish I had better news. The children’s market is almost impossible to break into right now. I mean, I am well-published in it but I’m having a tough time making a sale.”

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing! Some people got up and left. I stayed until the end, hoping her mood would improve and offer some words of wisdom. But neither happened. I walked back to my house that afternoon defeated, discouraged and downright mad. Later that night, I said to myself, “I should encourage others to write for children.” That’s why when I received emails, thank-you notes and cards saying “Thank you for helping me see that I can really make it a freelancer(自由作家),” “Thank you for encouraging me to write that devotional proposal---I got a contract”, or “Thank you for being so excited about my manuscript(手稿) about children. I was about to give up before meeting with you”, I would put them in my “encouragement drawer”.

And, on those days when I received three rejection letters or a bad review of a recent book, I would walk into my office, open one of those encouragement drawers and read a few cards. Like Victoria, I immediately felt uplifted after spending a few moments reading the nice things that people had written to me.

Maybe you don’t have a birthday box filled with wonderful compliments or an encouragement drawer filled with thank-you cards and notes, but you can spend some time on the good things and write a few thank- you notes of your own.

In her outstanding book, “Choose the Happiness Habit”, Pam Golden wrote, “Take the story of two twin brothers for example. One grew up and became an alcoholic (酒鬼), while the other became a successful businessman. When asked why he became an alcoholic, the alcoholic replied, “Because my father was a drunk.” However, the successful businessman’s answer was also “Because my father was a drunk.” when asked why he succeeded. The same background. The same upbringing (培养). However, the results were quite different. Why? The reason is that they had different choices. The brothers chose different thoughts which formed the situations they found themselves in at last, so they had different experiences.

There was a time in my life when I thought difficulty was due to “bad luck”. Have you ever heard the saying “When it rains, it pours”? That was my answer when others asked me how things were going on when I was in trouble. So what do you think I got? “RAIN”. More and more “RAIN”. I couldn’t understand why bad luck was always with me.

Pam Golden says, “You’re either living in the problem or you’re living in the solution.” Now, when I’m faced with what I used to think was a negative (消极的) situation, I use a different way to think about it. I force myself to replace those negative thoughts that make me lose heart in my mind with positive thoughts which encourage me to fight against the difficulty bravely. Sometimes I write down some ideas that may be a solution, which I combine with the lessons I have learned from the bad situations and the difficulties that troubled me in the past, and often, I find a solution to the problem soon. It seems that I should thank the difficulty I met with. The RAIN that poured in my world has become great experiences that provide me with valuable experience, from which I can benefit.

Now, it doesn’t “rain ” as much in my life as it used to. In fact, most days are beautiful, cloudless and sunny! Sometimes I do get a rain, but I think it makes me stronger just like the rain helps plants grow up.

A

If you are trying to achieve big goals in your life and work, the chances are that, from time to time, you hit rock bottom. Nothing works, nothing goes right, and nothing succeeds. At times like these, you may feel like throwing in the towel. But before you do, read the following story. It might just change your mind.

One day, a small business owner decided heˈd had enough. Enough of the endless work, enough of the lack of response, enough of the disturbing loneliness.

He went into the woods to have one last talk to the wise man. "Mr. wise man," he said. "Can you give me one good reason why I shouldnˈt give up?"

The answer took him by surprise. "Look around you," the wise man said. "Do you see the fern (蕨类植物）and the bamboo?"

“Yes.” the man replied.

“When I planted the fern and the bamboo, I took very good care of them. I gave them both equal amounts of food and water. I gave them sunlight in spring and protected them from the storms in autumn. The fern quickly grew from the earth. Yet nothing came from the bamboo seed. But I did not give up on the bamboo. In the second year, the fern grew even better than before but nothing came from the bamboo seed. But I did not give up on the bamboo. In year three there was still nothing from the bamboo seed. But I would not give up. In year four, again, there was nothing from the bamboo seed. Still I would not give up."

Then in the fifth year a tiny sprout(芽)came out from the earth. Compared to the fern it was seemingly small. But day by day the sprout grew. Within six months, the sprout had risen to a height of 100 feet. It had spent the five years growing roots. Those roots made it strong and gave it what it needed to survive. "Did you know, young man, that all this time you have been struggling, you have been growing? Grow the roots that you need to produce your fruit."

"Donˈt compare yourself to others. All things have different purposes, and different journeys.  The bamboo has a different purpose from the fern. Yet they both make the forest beautiful. Your time will come. You will rise high."

The small business owner left the forest. And never went back.

If nothing seems like it is happening in your life, despite all the work youˈre putting in, remember that youˈre probably growing roots not fruit. Stick with it. One day not far from now, thereˈll be a great harvest.

A

Lillian Hanson, a college student, expects to graduate in about two years. What makes Mrs. Hanson different from her classmates is her age-----73 years. She has been studying at college, a few courses at a time, for 27 years.
　　When Lillian Hanson graduated from high school, she went to the bank to borrow money for further education. The banker gave her no encouragement. He didn’t think that a country girl should borrow money to go to college. He thought she should be at home doing work in the house or around the farm. So Lillian Hanson went home and raised a family of nine children instead of going to college. Mrs. Hanson never forgot her dream of getting a higher education. When her children were grown, she tried again.
　　She finds that it is the hardest part of going back to school at her age to sit in class for long periods of time. Because she is not as quick as she used to be, Mrs. Hanson often gets up and walks around classes to keep from getting stiff(不灵活). At the beginning of a course in using the computer, the other students all stood up to give her a warm welcome when she introduced herself and explained why she was there and what her aims were.

　 a. she began her studies at college.                    b. She finished high school.

　 c. She got married and gave birth of nine children.       d. She had her 73 rd birthday.

　 e. She went to the bank to borrow money.

A

 （2015安徽卷）When her five daughters were young, Helene An always told them that there was strength in unity (团结). To show this, she held up one chopstick, representing one person. Then she easily broke it into two pieces. Next, she tied several chopsticks together, representing a family. She showed the girls it was hard to break the tied chopsticks. This lesson about family unity stayed with the daughters as they grew up.

Helene An and her family own a large restaurant business in California. However, when Helene and her husband Danny left their home in Vietnam in 1975, they didnˈt have much money. They moved their family to San Francisco. There they joined Dannyˈs mother, Diana, who owned a small Italian sandwich shop. Soon afterwards, Helene and Diana changed the sandwich shop into a small Vietnamese restaurant. The five daughters helped in the restaurant when they were young. However, Helene did not want her daughters to always work in the family business because she thought it was too hard.

Eventually the girls all graduated from college and went away to work for themselves, but one by one, the daughters returned to work in the family business. They opened new restaurants in San Francisco and Los Angeles. Even though family members sometimes disagreed with each other, they worked together to make the business successful. Daughter Elisabeth explains, "Our mother taught us that to succeed we must have unity, and to have unity we must have peace. Without the strength of the family, there is no business."

Their expanding business became a large corporation in 1996, with three generations of Ans working together. Now the Ansˈ corporation makes more than $20 million each year. Although they began with a small restaurant, they had big dreams, and they worked together. Now they are a big success.