I always felt sorry for the people in wheelchairs. Some people, old and weak, cannot get around by themselves. Others seem perfectly healthy, dressed in business suits. But whenever     I saw someone in a wheelchair, I only saw a disability, not a person.

Then I fainted(昏倒)at Euro Disney due to low blood pressure. This was the first time I had ever fainted, and my parents insisted that I rest for a while after first aid. They said to me, “Never mind!” I agreed to take it easy, but as I stepped toward the door, I saw my dad pushing a wheelchair in my direction! Feeling the color burn my cheeks, I asked him to wheel that thing right back to where he found it.

I could not believe this was happening to me. Wheelchairs were fine for other people but not for me, as my father wheeled me out into the main street, people immediately began to treat me differently.

Little kids ran in front of me, forcing my father to stop the wheelchair suddenly. I was thrown back and forth. “Stupid kids! They have perfectly good legs. Why can’t they watch where they are going?” I thought. People stared down at me, pity in their eyes. Then they would look away, maybe because they thought the sooner they forgot me the better.“I’m just like you!” I wanted to scream.” The only difference is you’ve got legs, and I have wheels.”

People in wheelchairs are not stupid. They see every look and hear each word. Looking out at the faces, I finally understood: I was once just like them. I treated people in wheelchairs exactly the way they did not want to be treated. I realized it is some of us with two healthy legs who are truly disabled.

There are two roads that people can take. 【小题1】No matter which choice you make, one thing is certain.【小题2】

My father taught me this important rule. Each week he would lay out the chores (家务) for the next seven days. Many of them could be done any time during the week.【小题3】 If completed, we could do something fun with the family. If not completed, fun was taken away and that person stayed home to complete the chore. I only had to miss my deadline a couple of times to realize that I needed to pay up front and finish my work on time.

【小题4】 I’m teaching it to my children, Elizabeth and Joe. I want them to realize that there is no such thing as a “free lunch”. 【小题5】The sooner they can take control of their desires (欲 望) and give them up to life’s demands, the more successful they will become. John Foster said, “A man without decision of character can never be said to belong to himself — He belongs to whatever can make captive (俘虏) of him.” My friend often reminds me that “when we pay later, the price is greater!”

Are you a tiger? According to the Chinese zodiac, people born in the Year of the Tiger are kind, caring and energetic.【小题1】Thus, while we admire the handsome animals, we also fear them. But there are lessons from the lives of these striking cats.

Tigers rarely feed in groups in the wild, but when they do, males allow females and cubs (幼崽) to eat first. 【小题2】We, too, should consider the needs of others before we act.

Tigers go after large prey, so they have big ideas. Despite all their planning, tigers only end up with a meal once out of every 12 attempts to catch something. Yet they do not give jom up; they keep trying until they succeed.

Most kinds of cats avoid water, but tigers enjoy water and are very capable swimmers. This fondness of water allows them to live in many different environments. Learn from the tiger, and decide for yourself what you can and cannot do.【小题3】 Explore surprising places.

Tigers’ love of water also allows them to hunt and fight crocodiles. Typically, tigers make a kill by biting the neck of their prey. But a crocodile’s neck has a thick coat of armor. Tigers are not put off by this. Instead, they change their strategy and attack the creature’s vulnerable (脆弱的) areas like its stomach or eyes. Like the tiger, don’t let difficult situations stop you from succeeding.【小题4】

Tigers are as different as people are. 【小题5】 So be yourself and show off your stripes (条纹).