A poor farmer had a friend 1 was famous for the 2 apple he grew. One day, his friend gave the farmer a(n)3 and told him to 4 it home. The farmer was 5 with the gift, but when he got home he did not know 6 to plant it.

    He was 7 that if he planted the tree 8 the road, the fruit would be stolen. If he planted the tree in one of his field, his neighbors would come 9 and steal some of the apples. If he planted the tree near his house, his children would take the fruit.

    10 he planted the tree in his wood where no one could see it. The farmer was very 11 of what he did. However, as time went on, he found that the tree didn't 12 any fruit. He didn't know without 13and good soil, the tree soon 14 after he planted it.

    Later the friend asked the farmer why he had planted the tree in such a 15 place. "What's the difference?" the farmer said 16. "If I had planted the tree near the road,17 would have stolen the fruit. If I had planted the tree in one of my field, my neighbors would have come and stolen some of the apples. If I had planted it near my house, my own children would have taken the fruit."

    "Yes," said the friend, "but at least someone could have 18the fruit. Now you not only have robbed every one 19 the fruit, but also you have 20 a good apple tree!"

    I guess the day I went to college was one of the happiest of my mother's life. Istill remember the day we 1 there.

    Because, to my mother who dropped out of school during the war, this was a big 2, on which she insisted that I 3 a white shirt and a necktie. But when we finally reached the campus and got off the car, we were 4 by young men in tank tops (背心)and shorts. I felt that my mother made me 5.

    She wanted to know where the 6 was, and found someone to give us 7, “Charley, look at all the books!” she felt 8. “You could stay in here all four years.''

    Everywhere we went she kept 9. “Look! That small area—you could study there.” And, “Look, that cafeteria table, you could eat there.” I 10 it because I knew she would be leaving soon.

    An hour later, I carried my trunk to the stairwell of my dormitory. My mother was holding my two baseball bats.

    “Here,” I said, 11 my hand,” I'll take the 12.”

    “ I'll go up with you. ”

    “No, it's all right.”

    “ 13 I want to see your room.”

    I couldn't think of anything else that wouldn't 14 her feelings, so I just pushed my hand out farther. Her face 15 and handed me the bats.

    “Charley,” she said. Her voice was 16 now, and it sounded different. “Give your mother a kiss.” I leaned forward. She threw her arms 17 my neck and drew me close. I could smell her perfume and her hair spray that she used for this 18 day.

    I pulled away, lifted the trunk, and began my climb, 19 my mother in the stairwell of a dormitory, as close as she would 20 get to a college education.

One day a farmer's donkey fell down into a well. The animal cried 1 for hours as the farmer tried to figure out 2 to do. Finally he decided the animal was 3and the well needed to be 4 up anyway, so it just wasn't 5 it to rescue the donkey.

He invited all his 6to come over and help him. They all grabbed (握起) a shovel (铁铲) and began to shovel 7into the well. At first, the donkey 8what was happening and cried horribly. Then, to everyone's9, he was quiet.

A few shovel loads later, the farmer looked 10 the well and was 11 at what he saw. With every shovel of dirt that12his back, the donkey was doing something amazing. He would 13 it off and take a step up. As the farmer's neighbors 14 to shovel dirt on top of the animal, he would shake it off and take another 15 up. Pretty soon, everyone was surprised as the donkey stepped up over the 16 of the well and ran off.

    Life is going to shovel dirt on you, all kinds of dirt. The best way of 17 out of the well is to shake it off and take a step up. Each of our18is a stepping-stone. We can get out of the deepest 19 just by not stopping, never20! Shake it off and take a step upward!

    A young man was getting ready to graduate from college. For many months he had loved a beautiful sports car in a dealer's showroom, and knowing his father could well 1 it, he told him that was all he wanted.

    As 2 drew near, the young man expected 3 that his father had bought the car. Finally, on the morning of the special day, his father called him into his study. His father told him how 4 he was to have such a fine son, and how much he loved him. He handed his son a beautiful wrapped (包装好的) gift box. Curious, but a little bit5, the young man opened the box and found a lovely, leather-bound (皮边的) Bible (圣经).

    Angrily, he raised his 6 to his father and said, “Is a Bible 7 you can give me with all your money?” He then stormed out of the house, leaving the Bible.

    Many years 8 and the young man was very successful in business, but 9 his father was very old, he thought perhaps he 10 go to see him. He had not seen him since that graduation day. 11 he could make the arrangements , he received a telegram which 12 him of his father's death, and all the possessions (财产) left to him.

    13 arriving at his father's house, sudden sadness and regret filled his heart. He began to 14 through his father's important papers and saw the still new Bible, just as he had 15 it years ago. With tears, he opened the Bible and began to 16. As he was reading, a car 17 dropped from the back of the Bible.

    How many times do we 18 blessings (祝福) because they are not wrapped as we expected? Do not spoil (搞糟) what you have by desiring (渴求) what you have not; but remember that what you now have was once 19 the things you hoped for. What may appear as bad fortune (运气) may 20 be the door that is just waiting to be opened.

    Once upon a time, a group of businessmen were sailing on the Atlantic Ocean, 1 much American goods back to Paris, however, they 2 a terrible thunderstorm, both the men and ship 3 into the Atlantic Ocean 4 their goods.

    The only survivor of the shipwreck was washed up on a small, 5 island. He prayed 6 for God to rescue him, and every day he 7 the horizon for help, but none seemed forthcoming. 8, he eventually managed to build a little hut(小木屋) out of driftwood to 9 him from bad weather, and to store his few 10. But then one day, after searching for food, he arrived home to find his little hut in flames, the smoke rolling up to the sky. The worst had happened; everything was lost. He was shocked with 11 and anger. "God, how could you do this to me!" he cried.

    Early the next day, 12, he was awakened by the 13 of a ship that was 14 the island. It had come to rescue him. "How did you know I was here?" asked the 15 man of his rescuers. "We saw your smoke 16," they replied. It is easy to get discouraged when things are going bad. But we shouldn't lose heart, because God is at work in our lives, even in the midst of pain and 17.

    Remember, next time your little hut is 18 to the ground, it just may be a smoke signal that calls for the grace of God. For all the 19 things we have to say to ourselves, God has a positive 20 to it.

One teacher had two students. One of them had a positive vision while the other had the 1 one.

One day, the teacher 2 for a park with both the students and while wandering in the garden, they 3 a mango tree from which some ripe and juicy mangoes were 4 . On seeing this, the teacher thought to 5 both of his students. Then, he asked the first one, "My dear child, what do you think of this mango tree?"

The student answered instantly, "Teacher, in spite of people 6 this tree with stones, it gives us sweet and juicy mangoes. It does 7 but still it gives us fruits. I wish all human beings learn this important 8 from the mango tree-to share their 9 even if they have to suffer for this."

After that, the teacher asked the other student the same question. The student 10 answered, "Teacher, this mango tree is no good and will not give mangoes by itself but only when we hit it with stones and 11 . Therefore, we should hit it hard to get sweet mangoes from it. That is the only way to 12 these mangoes. It is also clear from this tree that in order to get good 13 from others, we need to be violent and only when we become violent, then and only then will we get 14 ."

The teacher was delighted with the answer given by the first student because he had an admirable vision and 15 the tree with positive vision.