The Benefits(益处)of Doing More than You Are Paid for

One rainy afternoon an old lady walked into a Philadelphia department store.Most of the clerks ignored(忽略)her,1only one young man asked if he could help her.She replied that she was just 2for the rain to stop.He told her he wouldn't try to3her anything she didn't want.Instead he brought her4.

When the rain stopped,the lady5the young man and asked for his card.A few months passed,the owner of the store received6inviting this young man to Scotland to get orders for providing goods for a large company!The letter was7the old lady for whom the clerk had provided a chair.She happened to be owner's mother of the large company,8

When the young clerk had his bags packed for Scotland,he had already been one of the9in that department store,all because he had shown a little10to a stranger when no one else would.

    Mr. Miller had a shop in a big town. He1ladies' clothes, and he always had two or three shop girls to help him. They were always 2because they were cheaper than older women, but none of them worked for him for very3 , because they were young, and they did not meet many boys in 4shop.

    Last month a girl came to work for him. Her name was Helen, and she was very good.

    After a few days, Mr. Miller5a young man come into the shop. He went 6 to Helen, spoke to her for a few 7 and then went out of the shop. Mr. Miller was very 8and when the young man left he went to Helen and said, "That young man didn't 9 anything. What did he want to 10?"

    Helen answered, "He just wanted to see me."

The Bone in Throat

    Once upon a time, there was a lazy wolf living in a forest. Near his house was a pond. Many animals came to 1 to drink water. The wolf was always there in search of food.

    One day, he was sitting near the pond, hoping to get something 2. When suddenly he saw a dead bull, “Aha! What a luck! Now I can eat all I want.” he thought and his 3started watering.

    He began to eat the bull. A thought came into his mind, “if 4 beast comes this way, he will ask for a share. I had better eat 5.” ‘Grub! Grub! Grub!' he chewed, faster and faster. Suddenly, a piece of bone stuck in his throat. “Ohh! Errk!” cried the wolf. He tried to pull it out of his mouth. He tried to cough it out but it didn't 6 . Next, he tried to swallow (吞) it down but he failed.

    “Ooh, the bone in my throat hurts me. What 7 I do now?” thought the wolf. Soon he remembered that a crane (鹤) lived on the nearby river bank.

    The wolf went to the crane and pleased, “My dear Crane! I have got a bone stuck in my throat. I will give you a present 8 you pull it out of my throat.” The crane took pity on the wolf. He asked the wolf to look up 9 his mouth open. The crane then put its head into the wolf's mouth and pulled out the bone. “Oh! What a relief!” the wolf said. “Now where is my present?” asked the crane. “What present?” the wolf replied, pretending not remembering its promise. “You said that you would give me a present if I removed the bone from your throat,” said the crane angrily. “Hah! Isn't it a present that you put your head into my mouth and got out 10? I could have easily broken your head while your head was inside my mouth.”

    As I held my father's hands one night, I couldn't help but notice their calluses(老茧）and roughness. His hands tell the story of his life as a 1 , including all his struggles.

    One summer, I remember, a drought (旱灾）hit Ontario,turning it into a 2 desert.On one og those hot mornings I was picking sweet corn with my dad to fill the last 3 from the grocery store.Fifty dozen was all we needed, which normally took twenty minutes. That morning, however, the process didn't 4 quickly. After forty minutes of aimlessly walking in the field, we still needed twenty dozen. I was completely frustrated and 5 . Dropping the basket heavily, I declared, "If the store wants its last twenty dozen, they can pick it themselves. "Dad 6 ."Just think, my little girl, only ten dozen left for each of us and then we're 7 ." Such is Dad—whatever problem he 8 , he never gives up.

    Unfortunately, the bad effects of the drought were felt all over our county. It was a challenging time for everyone, 9 Dad remained optimistic. He 10 to be grateful for other things like good health and food on our plated. Only then did I truly begin to appreciate dad and his faith that guided us through the hard times.

    Dad is also a living example of real 11 . From dawn to dusk, he works countless hours to 12 our family. He always puts our happiness 13 his own, and never fails to cheer me on at my sports games even though he was 14 after long days. His loving and selfless nature has inspired me to become more sympathetic and friendly, putting others first.

    Dad, the life 15 I have learned from you will stay with me forever.You are my father,teacher,friend and,most importantly,my hero.