I started treating others better. My mother is now married to a great man. Life is wonderful. I do not think life is hopeless and not worth living anymore. I have realized that I am happy, and I am glad that I did not give up on life. Last year, for the first time, I had a 4.0 on my final report card. I now have many friends, because I stuck with it. I pulled through a horribly hopeless situation, and things are not hopeless anymore.
我学到的最重要的一条人生法则是：“不管生活有多么艰难，我都不能放弃。”我必须继续坚持，想方设法改变不利的处境。我的生活应该是有价值的，我要试着快乐地生活，我必须学会正确地对待不同的生活。任何事都不能放弃，因为不管处境多么艰难，总有人在关心我、爱护我。
我曾经挣扎在大多数人都不会想到的困境之中。很多人只是摇头，根本不愿相信会发生这样的事情。在我想要说给他们听时，一些人只是说好像没那么糟糕，便不愿再听下去了。不过，其实我的确需要讲给什么人听，因为我要是忍着不说，情况会更糟，甚至不可挽救。
现在的生活并不像我以前想的那样毫无希望。当时，我甚至不敢确定自己现在还能不能真的活在世上，我甚至因为自己所受的罪而对上帝产生怀疑，也开始责怪母亲，为什么总是因为一些该做却没有做的小事，如喂狗之类的事情，而让我们挨揍、受罚呢？有一天，大约3点钟，我忘了喂狗，便被惩罚24小时不准吃饭。
另外一次是在我8岁时，距离圣诞节只有七天了。早上6:00的时候，生父把我和7岁的妹妹叫醒，让我们去清扫院子。院子里都是他的啤酒瓶和垃圾。我和妹妹感觉院子非常干净了，就回到屋里，打开电视机看。这时，他走了进来，开始大喊大叫地骂我们，说我们不但懒，而且不听话。他说台阶下边还有一小片纸，因此就不过圣诞节了。那年，我们真的没有过圣诞节。
还有一次是在我9岁时，生父在修理搬运车时，叫我把工具递给他。我不知道他要什么工具，就站在原地没动。他站起来，冲我大叫道：“为什么不递给我工具？”我只好说不知道是哪件，他就打了我一顿，尖叫着说过去我看到过他修车，看到别人给他递过哪件工具，我就应该知道他想要什么工具。结果是我被关在房间里待了一个星期。
这就是我的生活，大多数人都无法想象的生活。从我会爬的时候开始直到母亲离开，那个家每年都没有什么变化，我只要睁开眼睛，就心怀恐惧。13岁之后，我才有朋友到家里来。从那以后，我可以坦然地问问题，可以与母亲和继父一起吃冰淇淋。在我13岁前，生父一直是当着我和妹妹的面吃冰淇淋，却不让我们吃一口。不久，我就意识到母亲当初也为她自己和孩子们感到害怕，只是不知道该如何是好而已。上帝终于给了她力量和勇气，使她逃离了苦海。
以前，因为在这样的环境中长大，我的生活态度十分差，无论是对我爱的人，还是陌生人，我完全是一副冷漠的态度。我不但脾气不好，也不尊重权威。而且，我学会了整天坐在那里编造谎言。在我慢慢长大，懂得一切之后，我认识到自己有能力改变，有能力成为一个与过去不同的人。我不必像生父那样，我会善待他人，不发脾气，用和善的态度对待每个人。我已经知道，假如我对人家好，人家也会对我好，同时这也意味着我有了更多的朋友。
我开始更加友善地对待他人。如今，母亲和一个很好的人结了婚，生活得很美满。我也不再觉得生活很绝望，活着没有乐趣了。我认识到自己很快乐，也为自己没有放弃生活而感到高兴。去年，我第一次在期末报告书上得了4分。现在，我有很多朋友，因为我付出了不懈的努力。我改变了令人绝望的生活环境，并且现在的一切都充满着希望，令人鼓舞。
生活，只有充满希望，才会充满阳光！也才会有春暖花开，繁花盛夏，秋实累累……
treatment ['tri:tmnt] n. 治疗；处理；疗法；待遇
His treatment of her was beyond endurance.
他这样对待她是无法忍受的。
biological [,bai'ldikl] adj. 生物学的
Some biological molecules have the form of a helix.
有些生物分子呈螺旋状。
crawl [kr:l] v. 爬行
The baby often crawls on all fours.
婴儿经常匍匐而行。
authority [:'riti] n. 权力；权威；当局
This old man is a leading authority on wheat diseases.
这位老人是小麦病虫害方面的权威。
不管生活有多么艰难，我都不能放弃。
我曾经挣扎在大多数人都不会想到的困境之中。
上帝终于给了她力量和勇气，使她逃离了苦海。
I can not give up on life even if the situation is horribly hopeless.
even if：即使；纵然；尽管；甚至
I should try to be happy, and I must learn how to deal with whatever life throws at me.
deal with：论述；涉及；处理；对付；安排
成功的奥秘
There Is Good in All Things
塞隆·迪蒙 / Theron Dumont
One of the most beneficial practices I know of is that of looking for the good in, for there is good in all things. We encourage a person by seeing his good qualities and we also help ourselves by looking for them. We gain their good wishes, a most valuable asset sometimes. We get back what we give out. The time comes when most all of us need encouragement; need buoying up. So form the habit of encouraging others, and you will find it a wonderful tonic for both those encouraged and yourself, for you will get back encouraging and uplifting thoughts.
Life furnishes us the opportunity to improve. But whether we do it or not depends upon how near we live up to what is expected of us. The first of each month, a person should sit down and examine the progress he has made. If he has not come up to "expectations" he should discover the reason, and by extra exertion measure up to what is demanded next time. Every time that we fall behind what we planned to do, we lose just so much for that time is gone forever. We may find a reason for doing it, but most excuses are poor substitutes for action. Most things are possible. Ours may be a hard task, but the harder the task, the greater the reward. It is the difficult things that really develop us, anything that requires only a small effort, utilizes very few of our faculties, and yields a scanty harvest of achievement. So do not shrink from a hard task, for to accomplish one of these will often bring us more good than a dozen lesser triumphs.
I know that every man that is willing to pay the price can be a success. The price is not in money, but in effort. The first essential quality for success is the desire to do—to be something. The next thing is to learn how to do it; the next to carry it into execution.
The man that is the best able to accomplish anything is the one with a broad mind; the man that has acquired knowledge, that may, it is true, be foreign to this particular case, but is, nevertheless, of some value in all cases. So the man that wants to be successful must be liberal; he must acquire all the knowledge that he can; he must be well posted not only in one branch of his business but in every part of it. Such a man achieves success.
The secret of success is to try always to improve yourself no matter where you are or what your position.Learn all you can. Don' t see how little you can do, but how much you can do. Such a man will always be in demand, for he establishes the reputation of being a hustler. There is always room for him because progressive firms never let a hustler leave their employment if they can help it.
The man that reaches the top is the gritty, plucky, hard worker and never the timid, uncertain, slow worker. An untried man is seldom put in a position of responsibility and power. He is placed there because of his reputation of putting vigor and virility into his efforts, and because he has previously shown that he has pluck and determination.
