【正文】 take life for granted. We know that one day we must die, but usually we picture that day as far in the future. When we are in buoyant health, death is all but unimaginable. We seldom think of it. The days stretch out in an endless vista. So we go about our petty tasks, hardly aware of our listless attitude toward life.　…　I have often thought it would be a blessing if each human being were stricken blind and deaf for a few days at some time during his early adult life. Darkness would make him more appreciative of sight。 just as if both had passed through the grave, and we stood at God’s feet, equal — as we are!”　——　Charlotte Bronte 　　5Winner Never QuitA little girl—the 20th of 22 children, was born prematurely and her survival was doubtful. 　When she was 4 years old, she contracted double pneumonia and scarlet fever, which left her with a paralyzed left leg. 　At age 9, she removed the metal leg brace she had been dependent on^ and began to walk without it. 　By 13 she had developed a rhythmic walk, which doctors said was a miracle. That same year she decided to bee a runner. She entered a race and came in last. 　For the next few years every race she entered, she came in last. Everyone told her to quit, but she kept on running. One day she actually won a race, and then another. From then on she won every race she entered. Eventually this little girl—Wilma Rudolph, went on to win three Olympic gold medals. 　Winner never quit!　6PersistencePersistence is the key to success, whether for a single person or an organization. The lack of it would mean failure in reaching a certain goal. Success seldom es ^easily on the first try. What separates the successful from the unsuccessful is persistence. Successful people also fail from time to time, but they don’t let their failure defeat their spirit. Successful people^ learn from defeats, ^revise their strategy as needed and try again and again until they succeed. Unsuccessful people try something once or twice and when it fails, they give up, usually passing the blame on to someone or something else, and learn nothing from their own experience.　Successful people expect periodic defeats, learn^ what went wrong and why, don’t waste looking for someone to blame, make necessary adjustments, ^and try again. If you are persistent, you will almost inevitably succeed. If you are not persistent, you will almost certainly ^fail.7A Courageous LeaderKoffi Annan has a tough job. As SecretaryGeneral of the United Nations, he has made it his goal to fight against ^poverty, disease and war in the world. He has called upon the nations of the world to step in and try to solve these problems together. In Annan’s view, seeing a crime and failing to prevent it is as bad as mitting the crime. He believes that the idea that states can do^ as they please ^within their borders is nonsense. Many people support Annan’s goals, but wonder if they are realistic. The United Nations has little power ^to act on its own. It has to receive permission from its member nations, but powerful countries like the United States often disagree with, and sometimes ^actively oppose, Annan’s ideas. 　Despite the difficulties, Annan has succeeded in restoring a sense of respect to the United Nations. Though he speaks with a soft voice, and is known at the United Nations for being polite and elegant, he is also often praised for his toughness and courage. Annan’s goals may be difficult to achieve, but that hasn’t kept him from trying. Courage, he believes, will win out over cowardice in the end.8HabitLike everyone else, I have good and bad habits. Most of my habits don’t have a very serious effect on my daily life. Unfortunately, one of them does.　I am a procrastinator. I always put off doing things until the last possible moment. I picked up this bad habit from my brother. This habit really causes me problem, especially when I have many assignments due^ about the same time. My life seems to run in cycles of leisurely heaven and incredibly frantic hell. I wish I could get rid of this terrible habit.　9Learn ConstantlyLearning intelligibly is one of the characteristics that distinguish humans from other animals. In other words, learning spontaneously is one of man’s unique traits. Throughout the history, human have even learned acculturation, handing down their cultural heritages from generation to generation. Therefore, we can conclude that all forms of learning, inclusive of the acquisition of skill, the shaping of views, the absorption of knowledge, take a very essential part in the course of human civilization. 　Once learning stops, vegetation arises. To each of us, the process of learning may be full of frustrations and boredom, yet the fruit is often sweet and satisfactory. In terms of learning, I am convinced that it’s better late than never. In this knowledge explosion era, in particular, no one should withstand the trend and concept of “l(fā)ifelong learning”. The more effor