How can we improve our life? Many people think that they have to accept whatever life throws at them. They’ll say, “this is my destiny (命运). I cannot change it.”
Certainly not! You don’t have to suffer too much. Your destiny depends on yourself, not on any other factors.
I know someone who says she just accepts what life gives her because she has done everything she can to improve it. Guess what her lifestyle is? She wakes up in the morning, goes to work, comes back home, relaxes, chats with people, watches TV, then goes to sleep. Next day, the same routine cycle follows. Huh! Is this what she calls “doing her best”? She believes she has tried her best. But in fact she hasn’t.
Remember that you get what you pay. You just don’t sit around and wait for a million dollars to fall from the sky. You have to get off the couch, get your eyes off the TV screen, get your hands off the phone. Don’t expect your luck to change unless you do something about it. If something goes wrong, don’t just regard it as a little failure, but use it as feedback (反馈). Learn your lesson, make the most of the situation, and do something to solve the problem. It’s not enough to think positively (积极地), you also have to act positively.
If someone’s life is in the trouble, do you just hope that things will turn out fine? Of course not! You get to do anything you can to save the person. So it is with your own life. It is not enough to hope for the best, but you have to do your best. In other words, don’t just stand (or sit) there, do something to improve your life.
【小题1】The writer’s attitude towards destiny is that ________.

Mary, a 22-year-old young woman, stands in the kitchen of the Edsa Shangri-La Hotel inManila, preparing a cake. It would seem to be ?? ?? for a cook, but Mary is not normal. She has no hands.

Her disability (残疾), however, only slows her down while working. Using other parts of her body, Mary can cut grapes and strawberries into pieces. “When I first saw Mary, I was worried she might hurt herself when using a knife, but that has never been a ?? ?? ,” says the boss of the hotel. “She does not get special treatment and works just as hard as the rest of the cooks.”

Mary has come a long way since the day in September 2002 when she and her uncle were attacked by two men, who were trying to force her family off their land. The 11-year-old girl passed out (晕倒) as she tried to ?? ??? herself from the attack. After she came to her sense, she found her uncle dead and saw her arms broken. Later, the doctors did an operation. They saved her life but could not save her hands.

In 2006, with the help of the family, Mary went to live at the House with No Steps, a Manila rehabilitation (康复) and training centre for disabled people. She learned how to write and do housework there. And more ?? ?? , she became used to her disability. She believed she could live a normal life although she was disabled. She thought she had something important to do in life because she was ?? ??? alive after the terrible attack. After she finished high school, she took a two-year Hotel and Restaurant Management course because she had enjoyed cooking since she was a little girl.

Mary didn’t shy away from the attention when she was reported on television. “I wanted others living with disabilities to believe it’s ?? ??? to live a normal life,” Mary says. “It is difficult to make a living, but I don’t lose hope. I believe nothing is impossible if you dream and work hard.

1.A. attractive????????????? ????????????? B. natural????????????? ????????????? ????????????? C. necessary????????????? ????????????? ????????????? D. important

2.A. moment????????????? ????????????? ??? B. way????????????? ????????????? ????????????? ????????????? C. problem????????????? ????????????? ????????????? D. topic

3.A. save????????????? ????????????? ????????????? B. keep????????????? ????????????? ????????????? ????????????? C. prevent????????????? ????????????? ????????????? D. protect

4.A. strangely????????????? ????????????? B. importantly????????????? ????????????? ????????????? C. suddenly????????????? ????????????? ????????????? D. politely

5.A. yet????????????? ????????????? ????????????? ????????????? B. already????????????? ????????????? ????????????? C. just ????????????? ????????????? ????????????? ????????????? D. still

6.A. possible????????????? B. excellent????????????? ????????????? ????????????? C. simple????????????? ????????????? ????????????? ????????????? D. exciting?????????????