A Classmate Who Has Influenced Me Most in College

　　Once upon a time, I was not so confident about my study and was subject to being pessimistic when confronted with frustrations. However, I found myself gradually changing as Tom, one of my classmates in college, strived to encourage me. I really appreciate his help.

　　I used not to be good at English; however, whenever I was confused about the teacher’s explanation, he always interpreted it to me in an explicit way. Gradually, I found English not so difficult and made progress day by day. In addition, it was Tom who kept guiding me how to live through all kinds of setbacks and frustrations in life. I’ll never forget the very day when I failed my speech contest and was overwhelmed and ashamed. Tom told me that nobody can defeat a person if he is determined to stand up to every failure. With his encouragement, I regained confidence in learning, realizing that optimism was always the key to success.

　　Thanks to Tom, I eventually learned the significance of self-confidence and optimism. They not only serve as indispensable characteristics of personality but also will benefit people all his life.

　　(译文) 对我影响最大的大学同学

　　我曾对自己的学习并不那么自信，而且遇到挫折时就容易悲观。然而，当我的一个大学同学汤姆竭尽全力鼓励我的时候，我发现自己渐渐地有所改变。我非常感激他对我的帮助。

　　以前我的英语不好，然而每当我对老师的讲解感到迷惑不解时，汤姆总是用清晰明了的方式给我解释。渐渐地，我发现英语并没那么难，并一天天地取得进步。不仅如此，汤姆还一直引导我如何应对生活中各式各样的挫折和失败。我永远也忘不了我演讲比赛失败那一天，我当时不知所措，觉得很羞愧。汤姆告诉我，没有谁能打败一个在每一次失败面前都坚定地站起来的人。在他的鼓励下，我重拾了学习的信心，认识到乐观常常是成功的关键。

　　多亏汤姆，我最终认识到了自信和乐观的重要性。它们不仅是人们必备的品格，而且还将使人终身受益。