I am a team leader in an insurance company. We are going through a lot of changes right now, which is   36  much stress for all of us.
A few weeks ago I was having a day so   37  that I even doubted if I had the ability to do this challenging work, and was about ready to change to a less stressful job   38  . Something happened that day to change my way of   39  and I am so appreciative of this young lady. I want to let her know that the small act   40  .
On the top of my cubicle (工作隔间) I have a small collection of lighthouses (灯塔) to let people know where I am sitting   41  my team members have to find me for emergencies.
That day I came into the office and was about to get the day   42  when Crystal came over. I asked if she needed anything. And she said, “I   43  you something.” I looked at her with a   44  look and said, “Well, thank you, but why   45  you buy me anything?” I had never spoke to this young lady   46 . She said, “Every day I stand up and look across the     47  and see your lighthouses. Then I feel I am not alone and I encourage myself that there are always   48  things in life. I saw this on the way to work and thought   49  would like it. I wish it would have the same   50  as your lighthouses do.” In her hand she had a small globe with a lighthouse and a ship on it. I gave her a hug and   51  her. I don’t think she knows how much that small act of   52  changed my day: I remained   53  the rest of the day.
For anyone that reads this, I hope you remember, no matter what the   54  is, you could change someone’s day,   55  even his views on life.

Here is a picture where we can see grass growing in stones strongly． This picture    36  me of my father, a most determined man． He was born in a very    37 black family in the country, and both of my grandparents were   38  ．My father began to work in the cotton(棉花) fields when he was seven years old． He had a strong desire to change his own fate（命运） ever since he was a little boy． He   39 himself how to read and write in the evening． Later with his parents'    40    he managed to go to school where he studied computer science at Yale University． He later became a professor of Stanford University and was an expert in programming． He could   41  programs (程序) for supermarkets, restaurants, hotels, parks and bookstores all by himself． I'm    42  of my father   43   of his determination.

The best way to know a strong man, I think, is to let him   44   a severe test． Whenever we want to test a man's character, we should find out whether he can   45   __ adversity （逆境）, because adversity can always prove the   46  character of a man．Only when we make up our own mind can we overcome any    47  ． Some people would give up halfway． Such men can hardly expect to succeed． If we do not give up hope, nothing is impossible．

I left university with a good degree in English Literature, but no sense of what I wanted to do. Over the next six years, I was treading water, just trying to earn an income. I tried journalism, but I didn’t think I was any good, then finance, which I hated. Finally, I got a job as a rights assistant at a famous publisher. I loved working with books, although the job that I did was dull.
I had enough savings to take a year off work, and I decided to try to satisfy a deep-down wish to write a novel. Attending a Novel Writing MA course gave me the structure I needed to write my first 55,000 words.
It takes confidence to make a new start — there’s a dark period in-between where you’re neither one thing nor the other. You’re out for dinner and people ask what you do, and you’re too ashamed to say, “Well, I’m writing a novel, but I’m not quite sure if I’m going to get there.” My confidence dived. Believing my novel could not be published, I put it aside.
Then I met an agent（代理商）who said I should send my novel out to agents. So, I did and, to my surprise, got some wonderful feedback. I felt a little hope that I might actually become a published writer and, after signing with an agent, I finished the second half of the novel.
The next problem was finding a publisher. After two-and-a-half years of no income, just waiting and wondering, a publisher offered me a book deal — that publisher turned out to be the one I once worked for.
It feels like an unbelievable stroke of luck — of fate, really. When you set out to do something different, there’s no end in sight, so to find myself in a position where I now have my own name on a contract（合同）of the publisher — to be a published writer — is unbelievably rewarding（有回报的）.
【小题1】What does the underlined part in Paragraph 1 mean?

I was working with a client who was completely burned out on her career and life and then ready for a career change. As we were talking, she said, “I just wish I had meaningful work. I don’t feel like I am making a difference. I am just wasting my life.” This is the theme I hear most often from clients who have been in the workforce awhile.All of us want to feel like we are making a difference. We want to believe our work means something. The problem comes in defining “meaningful work”. What is it? That answer is different for everyone. For some meaningful work might be helping others organize their office. For others it may mean making a million dollars.
What really matters is how you see it. What is meaningful work to you? Take out a piece of paper and answer these questions. How do you define meaningful work? When do you feel like you are really making a difference? What work have you done so far that feels the most meaningful? Write down whatever comes to mind.
What you want to do is meaningful. It is very easy to start judging yourself as being selfish. Stop! Allow yourself to be honest. The fact is when Picasso painted; he was doing it because he liked to paint. He was not thinking, “Oh, I hope this brings joy to others’ lives.” He painted because he wanted to. When Beethoven composed, he did it because he loved music. Even scientists searching for a cure for cancer are immersed in their work because it fascinates them.
Don’t look down on your work. It is easy to downplay the importance of work that feels meaningful. I remember Tony Robbins told a story of talking with the owner of a major company. The man said to Tony, “I wish I could do what you do because it makes such adifference in people’s lives”. Tony said, “You have got to be kidding! Look at what adifference you make. You provide work, health insurance and security for thousands ofpeople!” Don’t underestimate the value you provide.
Take a look at what you have written about meaningful work. Do you see any themes? How do you wish to contribute to this world? Whatever you choose, remember that the greatest gift you can give is to find work that makes you feel fulfilled and delighted. Respect your preference because giving your gifts to the world, whatever they look like, is the most meaningful action you can ever take.
【小题1】. What does the writer mean by mentioning the famous people?

I left university with a good degree in English Literature, but no sense of what I wanted to do. Over the next six years, I was treading water, just trying to earn an income. I tried journalism, but I didn’t think I was any good, then finance, which I hated. Finally, I got a job as a rights assistant at a famous publisher. I loved working with books, although the job that I did was dull.
I had enough savings to take a year off work, and I decided to try to satisfy a deep-down wish to write a novel. Attending a Novel Writing MA course gave me the structure I needed to write my first 55,000 words.
It takes confidence to make a new start—there’s a dark period in-between where you’re neither one thing nor the other. You’re out for dinner and people ask what you do, and you’re too ashamed to say, “Well, I’m writing a novel, but I’m not quite sure if I’m going to get there.” My confidence dived. Believing my novel could not be published, I put it aside.
Then I met an agent(代理商) who said I should send my novel out to agents. So, I did and, to my surprise, got some wonderful feedback. I felt a little hope that I might actually become a published writer and, after signing with an agent, I finished the second half of the novel.
The next problem was finding a publisher. After two-and-a-half years of no income, just waiting and wondering, a publisher offered me a book deal—that publisher turned out to be the one I once worked for.
It feels like an unbelievable stroke of luck—of fate, really. When you set out to do something different, there’s no end in sight, so to find myself in a position where I now have my own name on a contract(合同)of the publisher—to be a published writer—is unbelievably rewarding(有回报的).
【小题1】What does the underlined part in Paragraph 1 mean?