In a big amusement park, there were some students sitting on the ground. They were listening to a speech after spending a happy morning there. At the beginning of the speech, the speaker told them a story about himself. "When I was in middle school, our class was once asked to write about our dreams. That night I wrote down my dream of opening up an amusement park. However, my teacher gave me an "F" and told me to write it again," the speaker said. "Her reason was just that it was impossible for a poor boy to make such a dream come true. I went back home and asked my father what I should do. He told me to make the decision by myself. So I decided to make no changes. My teacher can keep the "F" and I'll keep my dream."

"And what happened?" the students asked. All of them were anxious to know more about the story.

"This is what is happening now. You are listening to my speech in my dream park," said the speaker. "I told you this story in order to make you know one thing: follow your heart, keep your dream and never let others destroy your dream."

When the students were leaving the park, their teacher went over to the speaker. "Thank you, Mr. Black. I think my students have learned a lot from your speech. Here I have to say sorry to you. Some years ago, I was once a dream stealer and stole a lot of students' dreams, including yours. But you didn't give your dream up because of me," she said and then left.

When I was young, each family worked in our father's store. We started working by doing small jobs like cleaning, tidying shelves and packing, and later graduated （毕业）to serve customers. As we worked and watched, we learned that work was about more than living and selling things.

One day, I was tidying the toy area. A little boy, five or six years old, came in. He was wearing an old brown coat, and his hair and shoes were dirty. The little boy looked poor to me—too poor to afford to buy anything. He looked around the toys, picked up some of them, and then carefully put them back.

At that time, Dad walked over to the boy. He smiled and asked the boy what he could do for him. The boy said he was looking for a birthday present to buy for his brother. Dad told him to take his time and look around. He did.

After about 20 minutes, the little boy carefully picked up a toy plane, walked up to my dad and said, "How much for this. Sir?

“How much do you have?" Dad asked.

The little boy held out his hand and opened it. He counted the coins and said, “27 cents. But the price of the toy plane is ---US$3.98!”

“That will just about do it. "Dad said softly. Dad's reply still rings in my ears. When the little boy walked out of the store. I didn't notice the old coat or the dirty shoes. What I saw was a lovely child with a treasure.

“I will think of it.” It is easy to say this, but do you know what great things have come from thinking?

Sir Isaac Newton was sitting in his garden when he saw an apple fall from a tree. He began to think and tried to find out why the apple fell. Then he discovered how the sun, moon, and stars are kept in their places.

A boy named James Watt sat quietly by the fire, watching the lid of the kettle (水壶盖) move up and down. He wanted to find out why the steam in the kettle moved the lid. From that time he went on thinking and thinking. And when he became a man, he improved the steam engine (蒸汽机) so much that it could easily do the work of many horses.

James Ferguson was a poor boy. Once, seeing the inside of a watch, he wondered. “Why should I not make a watch?” But how could he get the materials to make the mainspring (钟表的主发条)? He soon found he could make it with whalebone (鲸骨). He then made a wooden clock which kept good time. His motto (座右铭) was “I will think of it.” And he made his thoughts useful to himself and the world.

Boys and girls, when you have a difficult lesson to learn, don’t lose heart, and don’t ask someone for help before helping yourselves. Think, and by thinking you will learn how to think to some purpose.