A story happened when the telegraph（电报）was the fastest method of long-distance communication. One day, a young man went to an interview for a job as a Morse code operator（莫尔斯电码报务员）.

 Answering the ad in the newspaper, he went to the office address. When he arrived, he walked into a large, busy office filled with noise, including the sound of the telegraph. An office worker asked him to wait until he was called to go into the inner office. Seven other people were already in the waiting area for the interview. The young man sat down and waited with them. After a few minutes, the young man stood up, crossed the room to the door of the inner office, and walked right in. Naturally the other people wondered what was going on.   They were sure that the young man made a mistake and would be refused.

 A few minutes later, however, the boss came out of the inner office with the young man and said to the other people,“Gentlemen,thank you very much for coming, but the young man has got the job.”

The other people were surprised, and one of them said, “Wait a minute. I don't understand. He was the last to come in, and we never even got a chance to be interviewed. Yet he got the job. That's not fair!”

 The boss said, "I'm sorry, but all the time you've been sitting here, the telegraph has been sending out the following message in Mores code: "If you understand this message, then come right in. The job is yours." None of you heard it or understood it. This young man did. The job is this.

    In ancient times, there was a king who loved flowers. His palace was always decorated with beautiful orchids(兰花)and other flowers. As the king grew older, he knew that one day he would have to give up his throne(王位). He had to find someone new to rule the country.

    He came up with a competition. He asked his servants to travel to every part of the country and give every person a flower seed. He then announced that whoever grew him the most beautiful flower would take his throne.

    Everyone in the country then got their own seed. One young man named David was especially excited about the competition, as he had experience growing flowers himself,

    David planted his seed in a pet and put it in a place where it would get lots of sunlight. He took care to water it every day. But as hard as he tried, his flower simply would not grow.

    Finally, it was time for everyone to show their flowers to the king. David took his empty pot to the palace.

    "Your Majesty, I am sorry to say that I could not grow a flower this time at all, ________,"he said.

    The king was quite satisfied with David's honesty. Although he did not choose David as the new king, he gave David a job as a judge(法官). He believed that David's honesty would make him the right person to make sure the justice(公正)in the country.

    Once upon a time in Greece, there lived a young man called Narcissus. He lived in a small village and was famous on land because he was quite handsome. Villagers would turn up in the street to stare at the beautiful child.

    When he grew up, people always said, "How handsome Narcissus is!”Villagers thought that Narcissus could not be more handsome than he already was. But as years passed, Narcissus became a teenager. His beauty increased and became so great that he was known all over the country.

    As he grew, Narcissus was very proud of his good-looking face.

    "Oh! You are so handsome, Narcissus!" Narcissus said one day as he looked into a pool. "There's nobody more handsome in the whole world! I'd love to kiss you. And that's just what I'll do!”

    He leaned closer to the water. Suddenly he lost his balance and fell into the pool.

    Narcissus tried to reach the bank of the pool, but he could not swim and he drowned.

The Basket

    Two things changed my life; my mother and a white, pretty bike basket. My mother is a strict parent and I had to earn my pocket money by doing housework around the house.

    One day, my mother drove me to the bike shop to get a tire fixed, and there it was in the window; white, shiny, and decorated with beautiful flowers. It was so special and I knew I had to have the basket. "It's beautiful," my mother said when I pointed it out to her.

    "Mom, please, can I get it? I'll do more housework for as long as you say, but I need that basket. I really love it……"

    "You know," she said gently, "If you save up, you could buy this yourself." "By the time I make enough, it'll be gone!"

    "I'll buy the basket for you, but you have to work for it," she said.

    My mother bought the beautiful basket and put it safely in some secret place I couldn't find. Each week I eagerly counted my growing income. And then, weeks later, I jumped for joy. Oh, happy day! I made it! I finally had the exact amount we'd agreed upon.

    Days later, the unthinkable thing happened. A neighbor girl appeared with the exact same basket on her shiny, new bike. The eight-year-old me cried and ran fast back home to tell my mother about this terrible news.

    And then came the lesson I've taken with me through my life; "Honey, it doesn't matter that the baskets look the same. Your basket is extra-special," Mom said, gently drying my hot tears. "Your basket is special because you got the basket through your hard work."