阅读理解

　　Some people who find themselves facing a problem react by just giving up．But it is not good to escape from problems by giving up or by making excuses for failures．You may be sure that all young people go through the same difficult process that you are going through：meeting new situations, developing new skills, and testing their abilities．

　　If you are unhappy about something, face it．Try to state the problem in a few words, so that you will know exactly what you are up against．Then see if you can “put your finger” on the cause of your unhappiness．

　　In many cases, we only “think” there is no solution to a particular problem．But often we can overcome the problem and achieve the goal by making a direct attack．

　　For example, a boy wanted to be a debater(辩论家)．When he tried out for the debating team as a freshman, the coach thought he was hopeless．He was shy; he had a high-pitched voice; and his posture(体态)was poor．Although he was given little hope of success, he took advantage of every opportunity to debate．He studied successful speakers and evaluated his own weaknesses and advantages．Then he spent many hours learning all the facts on the topics for debate, and worked at developing good posture and at speaking clearly．By his junior year, he made the school debating team, and in his senior year he was on the winning team in his state．He achieved his goal because he had made a direct attack upon his problem．

　　Although direct attack is often the best way to meet problems, we have to be realistic(现实的)in judging situations．Sometimes it is necessary to change either the method or the goal．

　　A boy who wants to be a great football player may not be too strong and not quite fast enough for football．In this situation, becoming a great football player may be an unreasonable goal for him．However, he may become outstanding in tennis or golf, and satisfy his desire to take part in sports．

　　A girl who is not good-looking may decide that she cannot win popularity with her face, and so she may try to develop an interesting personality, which eventually will get her much further．In this situation, she must change her method of achieving her goal．

　　So, although direct attack is often the best way to handle problems, it is important to study the situation and make a wise decision about what to do．