Stop wasting your time thinking of reasons for your failures and shortcomings. Instead, realize that the seeds of success were planted within you when you were born. Only you have the power to make those seeds grow.

The seeds, and the power to grow them, are contained in the human mind. Success is a choice and not a chance. You can be a success if only you make the right choice.

You cannot be successful without first developing your self-esteem (自尊). Your level of self-esteem is always based on the degree of control that you are able to exercise over yourself, and thus over your life. People with low self-esteem do not believe that they have any power, or responsibility for their lives. They are leaves tossed (摇摆) by the winds of chance blown about with any sudden change in the weather.

You can exercise control over your life only to the degree that you believe that you are responsible for whatever happens in your life. Failures think that everything happens by accident while successful people realize that they are responsible.

Everything happens as a result of something. If we can identify the cause, we can control the effect. We are responsible for what we consciously choose to accept and believe. Thoughts and beliefs cause everything. Our attitudes and actions are a result of habits ingrained in us over a period of time. One generally rises to the level that one expects. We are responsible for setting our expectations. Our success depends upon our level of confidence. We are responsible for either reinforcing (强化) good habits or kicking bad habits and consciously replacing them with consistently practiced good habits.

If you associate with positive-thinking people, you are definitely going to achieve success. On the contrary, the opposite happens. We are responsible for finding, planting, and nurturing (培育) the seeds that contain future victory, born from setbacks.

In short, in all areas of your life, whether they are financial, physical, emotional, or spiritual, you are responsible. Once you recognize this, accept it, and firmly believe it, you are on the road to success.

(1) People with low self-esteem are compared to leaves because they ________.

A. are ready to change their minds

B. are easily affected by windy weather

C. don’t have the power to face their fate

D. can’t exercise control over themselves

(2) Losers would think that ________.

A. success is the result of hard work

B. working hard will lead to success

C. their failure is only because of bad luck

D. they don’t make efforts to succeed

(3) It can be inferred from Paragraph 5 that ________.

A. whether we will succeed depends on our attitudes

B. developing confidence is the key to future success

C. thoughts and beliefs are the result of creative mind

D. setting our expectations is essential before taking action

(4) The last paragraph serves as ________.

A. the proof of the writer’s points

B. the conclusion of the argument

C. an introduction to another topic

D. a comparison between two views

(5) Which is the best title for the text?

A. Success Is a Choice	B. The Secrets of Success
C. Develop Our Confidence	D. How to Achieve Success