A visit to the hospital is rarely a pleasant one. As I made my way to the ward(病房), I took a deep breath and_______ a smile. After all, nobody needed another_______ face in the room.

As I entered the ward, I overheard my relatives making plans for a funeral. My grandfather had remained _______ for almost a week, with a _______ diagnosis from the doctor. Was this really the end for him? _______ at my grandparents' place since young, I_______a very close relationship with them. He would sneak me downstairs for ice cream when Grandmother was in the bathroom, while I _______added more sugar in his morning drink because he had a sweet tooth that Grandmother disapproved of.

I wanted to_______ this quiet man. I did not believe it was his time to go. I had read about paper cranes(鹤) and wishes coming true. For every one thousand folded paper cranes, we get a wish granted by the gods. Ridiculous as it sounds to the adults, I managed to_______ my sisters and cousin to carry out this sacred plan.

The last few cranes were ________but a week later he was still in a deep sleep. The one thousand paper cranes had not delivered our________ to the gods. We only had one wish -was that too________to ask for?

Just when all hope seemed________, a call from my aunt changed everything. She wanted us to come to the hospital immediately my grandfather was awake. A visit to the hospital is ________a pleasant one. However, this time, I was________by the scent(香气) of flowers that visitors brought. I stepped into my grandfather's ward and saw him holding our jar of paper cranes. This man of few words looked up at me and said, “My good girl, thank you.”

One year after Tom was born, his parents had a car accident. They never ______. Tom’s 85-year-old grandmother was too ______ to take care of him. As a result, he was put up for adoption (领养). He was adopted by a middle-aged couple who had no ______ of their own. They were not rich and received little education, but they were kind-hearted people.

As Tom was growing up, he ______ a lot of problems at school. He didn’t learn ______ and had trouble in reading. His ______ sometimes laughed at him. What they said made Tom ______.

As he couldn’t ______ the other students at school, he dropped out of school and came back home. But he didn’t stop learning. He had big dreams. Though he didn’t learn fast, he kept teaching himself at home.

After many years of learning at home, he ______ overcame his difficulties. Today he is a very ______ speaker and author. While he was growing up, his self-esteem (自尊) and ______ were low because of others’ making fun of him. It took him many years to realize his dreams.

When listening to his videos and tapes, he shows confidence. He tells about his ______ and how he overcame the challenges in his life. He has a very ______ sentence: “You cannot expect to achieve new goals or move beyond your present situations ______ you change.”

For those who have low self-confidence, I suggest you start reading about Tom’s world. Many people have so much potential (潜能) to be discovered. If you have a dream, then start today to move yourself towards it. If someone like Tom who has ______ in learning can make such achievements, why can’t you succeed?