If you were to begin a new job tomorrow, you would bring with you some basic strengths and weakness．Success or 1 in your work would depend, to 2 great extent, 3 your ability to use your strengths and weakness to the best advantage． 4 the utmost importance is your attitude．A person 5 begins a job convinced that he isn’t going to like it or is 6 that he is going to ail is exhibiting a weakness which can only hinder his success．On the other hand, a person who is secure 7 his belief that he is probably as capable 8 doing the work as anyone else and who is willing to make a cheerful attempt 9 it possesses a certain strength of purpose．The chances are that he will do well．
10 the prerequisite skills for a particular job is strength．Lacking those skills is obviously a weakness．A book keeper who can’t add or a carpenter who can’t cut a straight line with a saw 11 hopeless cases．
This book has been designed to help you capitalize 12 the strength and overcome the 13 that you bring to the job of learning．But in group to measure your development, you must first 14 stock of where you stand now． 15 we get further along in the book, we’ll be 16 in some detail with specific processes for developing and strengthening 17 skills．However, 18 begin with, you should pause 19 examine your present strengths and weaknesses in three areas that are critical to your success or failure in school：your 20 , your reading and communication skills, and your study habits．
I once went to a town in the north of England on business．It was about 7∶30 in the evening when I reached the hotel．The manageress, a strict old lady of about 60, showed me to my room．When I asked her what time the dinner was, she said there was only one sitting at 6∶30, and I had 1 it．“Never mind, ”I said．“I’m not very 2 ．I’ll just have a drink in the bar(酒吧)and a sandwich．”
“Bar!” she 3 her voice．“This is a respectable hotel, young man．If you want 4 , you must go somewhere else．” She spoke 5 a glass of beer was a dangerous drug．I went to a bar and had some beer and sandwiches and then went to the cinema．At about 11∶30 I 6 ．Everything was in darkness．I knocked at the door, but nothing happened．The 7 sound was the church clock opposite, which suddenly struck the half-hour with such 8 that it made me jump． 9 a window opened upstairs．The old lady 10 and asked me what was going on．I explained who I was and she let me 11 after ten minutes’ wait．She was in her nightdress．She told me seriously that guests were 12 to be back in the hotel by 11 o’clock．
I went to bed but could not sleep．Every quarter of an hour the church clock struck and at midnight the whole hotel shook with the noise．Just before dawn, I finally 13 ．When I arrived at 14 , everyone else had nearly 15 and there was not enough coffee to go round．
“Did you 16 well, young man?” the old lady asked．“ 17 , I don’t think I could go through 18 night in that room,” I replied．“I hardly slept at all．” “That’s because you were 19 all night drinking!”she said angrily, putting 20 to the conversation．
We’re trying to decide where to go on our vacation this summer．We 1 go to Lake Arrowhead for a 2 of weeks, but we’d like to go somewhere else 3 year．We’re tired of doing 4 thing summer after summer．Some 5 of ours suggested that we go to Hawaii．That would be 6 !I’m sure we’d 7 a trip like that, but of course it’s impossible．In the first place, it would be terribly 8 , and in the second place, there wouldn’t be enough 9 ．If we were to make a trip like that, I would want to be able to 10 three or four weeks．If we’re 11 enough to save some money between now and next summer, and if I’m fortunate① enough to get four weeks of 12 instead of two weeks, maybe we can go to 13 next year．As a matter of fact, if we wanted to 14 a trip like that, it might be 15 to stay home this summer and not to go to 16 place． 17 , if we were to stay here, I could 18 to work instead of taking two weeks 19 ; then maybe my 20 would recommend② that I be given four weeks’ vacation next summer instead of two weeks．
Randy Kraus was paralyzed (瘫痪)．His left side was useless．But his right hand was 1 enough to lift a bucket to his forehead．Once，he’d been a police officer and owned a private－eye agency．Once，he’d been strong and able．Now，he felt he was nothing．
His 2 started with Parkinson’s (帕金森) disease，but it didn’t 3 there．In July 2002，the 60－year－old Kraus went into the hospital for an operation to control the shaking． 4 ，during the operation，he had a stroke (中风)．He was paralyzed．The 5 man，who loved golf，could think，but couldn’t 6 ．Kraus wanted the doctors to 7 it to him straight．“You may never walk again，” they told him．“Maybe you won’t 8 be able to talk．”
Once home，he 9 he couldn’t lift a fork or take a drink by himself．Physical treatment was so painful and slow．What did he have to 10 for? So now Kraus held the gun against his head． 11 the cold metal on his skin，he began to consider not his pain，but the pain he 12 cause his wife，daughters and grandchildren．He didn’t pull the trigger (扳机)．
“You are where you are”，his exercise physiologist (生理学者)，Andrew Garud told him．“The pace (进度) would be slow；the pain would be 13 ．But as long as you are 14 ，you have the ability to get better．” After three months of 15 with Garud，Kraus wanted to see if he could 16 ．He could．Then he took three steps，sat down and cried like a baby．One step 17 to another．Next he managed a short walk．It was the hardest 18 of Kraus’s life．
Garud kept saying he could 19 more．Now，Kraus can brush his teeth，shave himself and get around the house with a walker．Little success only the paralyzed can 20 understand．
One morning I wasted nearly an hour watching a tiny ant carry a huge feather．Several times, it 1 several obstacles in its path．And after a momentary pause it would make the necessary detour． 2 one point, the ant had to cross a crack about 10mm wide．After some 3 thoughts, the ant laid the feather over the crack, walked 4 it and picked the feather up on the other side, then continued on its way．I was 5 by the cleverness of this ant．It was only a small insect, lacking in 6 yet equipped with a brain to reason, explore, discover and overcome． 7 this ant, like the other two-legged creatures 8 on the earth, also shares human failings．
After some time the ant 9 reached its destination－a flower bed and a small hole that was the entrance to its 10 home．It was there that the ant met its 11 ．How could that large feather possibly 12 such a small hole?Of course, it couldn't．So the ant, after all the 13 and using great brightness, overcoming problems all along the way, just gave up the 14 and went home．The ant had not thought the problem through 15 it began its journey and in the end the feather was 16 more than a burden．Isn't our 17 like that?
We worry about our families; we worry about the 18 of money; and we worry about all kinds of things．These are all burdens－the things we pick up along life's path, and drag them around the obstacles and over the cracks that life will bring, only to 19 that at the destination they are 20 and we can't take them with us．