He lost his arms in an accident that claimed① his father’s life—who was the main source of support for the family. Since then， he has had to depend on the arms of his younger brother. For the sake of taking care of him， his younger brother became his shadow②， never leaving him alone for years. Except for writing with his toes， he was completely unable to do anything in his life.
One late night， he suffered from diarrhea③ and had to wake up his younger brother. His younger brother accompanied him into the toilet and then went back the dorm to wait. But being so tired， his younger brother fell asleep， leaving him on the toilet for two hours till the teacher on duty discovered him. As the two brothers grew up together， they had their share of problems and they would often quarrel. Then one day， his younger brother wanted to live separate from him， living his own life， as many normal people do. So he was heart-broken and didn’t know what to do.
A similar misfortune④ befell a girl， too. One night her mother， who suffered from chronic⑤ mental illness disappeared. So her father went out looking for her mother， leaving her alone at home. She tried to prepare meals for her parents， only to overturn the kerosene⑥ light on the stove， resulting in a fire which took her hands away.
Though her elder sister who was studying in another city， showed her willingness to take care of her， she was determined to be completely independent. At school， she always studied hard. Most of all she learned to be self-reliant. Once she wrote the following in her composition： “I am lucky. Though I lost my arms， I still have legs； I am lucky. Though my wings are broken， my heart can still fly.”
One day， the boy and the girl were both invited to appear on a television interview program. The boy told the TV host about his uncertain future at being left on his own， whereas the girl was full of enthusiasm for her life. They both were asked to write something on a piece of paper with their toes. The boy wrote： My younger brother’s arms are my arms；while the girl wrote： Broken wings， flying heart.
They had both endured the same ordeal⑦， but their different attitudes determined the nature of their lives. It is true that life is unpredictable⑧. Disasters can strike at any time. How you handle misfortune when confronted with it， is the true test of your character. If you choose only to complain and escape from the ordeal， it will always follow you wherever you go. But if you decide to be strong， the hardship will turn out to be a fortune on which new hopes will arise.
① claimv. （疾病，意外）夺去（生命）
② shadown. 形影不离的人，尾随者
③ diarrhean. 腹泻
④ misfortunen. 不幸的事，灾难
⑤ chronicadj. （病）慢性的，（人）久病的
⑥ kerosenen. 煤油，火油
⑦ ordealn. 严峻考验，苦难，折磨
⑧ unpredictableadj. 不可预料的，出乎意料的
翅膀断了，心飞翔
在一次事故中，作为家中顶梁柱的父亲永远地离去了，他也因此失去了双手。从此弟弟的手便成了他的手。为了照顾他，弟弟从小到大总是形影不离地跟在他的身边，他除了学会了用脚趾头写字做作业外，生活上完全不能自理。
有一次，他因肠胃不好，半夜起来要上厕所，于是他叫醒了弟弟。弟弟帮着他进了厕所后，就回宿舍躺下了。由于太劳累，弟弟闭上眼就睡着了。结果他在厕所里等了整整两个小时，才被查夜的老师发现。慢慢长大了的两兄弟也有了烦恼和争执，有一天弟弟终于提出要离开他，因为弟弟要和很多正常人一样需要过自己的生活。为此，他很伤心，不知如何是好。
无独有偶，另一个女孩也有着同样的遭遇。因为妈妈长期患有精神病，在一天晚上无故出走，爸爸去找妈妈了，家中便只留下她一人。她决定做好饭菜等爸爸妈妈回来吃，却不小心将灶台上的煤油灯打翻，结果双手便被大火夺走了。
虽然在外地读书的姐姐愿意照顾她，可倔强的她一定要自己照顾自己。在学校，她不但读书认真，更重要的是她学会了生活自理。她曾在一篇作文里写道：我幸福，虽然断了双手，但我还拥有一双脚；我幸福，虽然翅膀断了，但心也要飞翔……
有一天，他们被一家电视台邀请到了演播室。面对主持人，男孩表现出了对前途的迷茫，而女孩则对生活充满了热情。主持人要求他们分别在一张白纸上写一句话。他们分别用脚趾头夹起了笔，男孩写的是：弟弟的手便是我的手。女孩却写下了：翅膀断了，心也要飞翔。
他们俩都经受了同样的苦难，但不同的人生态度却决定了其生活的本质。是的，人生多变幻，苦难总是在不知不觉中骤然降临。如何应对苦难，是对你的性格的真正考验。面对苦难，如果选择抱怨与逃避，苦难就永远如影随形；但如果选择坚强，苦难便会化作甘泉，滋润美好的希望。
