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.

    One thorn(刺) of experience is worth many times of warning.

    Ralph Wick was seven years old. In most things he was a fine boy, but he would cry from time to time. When he could not have what he wanted, he would 1for it. If he was told that it would hurt him, and he could not 2 it, he would also cry.

    One day, he went with his mother into the 3. The sun shone. The grass was cut. The flowers were starting to come out.

    Ralph thought he was, for once, a good boy. A 4 was on his face. He wished to do as he was told. Ralph helped his mother with the farm work and he was very happy.

    “Now you must be tired and 5,” said his mother. “Have a good rest here and eat some cookies. I will get a beautiful red rose for you.” So his mother brought the red flower to him. When he saw his mother still had a white rose in her hand, Ralph 6 it.

    “No, my dear.” said his mother. “See how many thorns it has. You must not touch it, or you would be sure to hurt your 7.” When Ralph found that he could not have the white rose, he began to cry, and 8 took it away. But he was soon very sorry. The thorns hurt his hand. It was so 9 that he could not use it for some time.

    Ralph would never 10 this. From then on, when he wanted what he should not have, his mother would point to his hand which had been hurt before. He at last learned to do as he was told.

    Sophie was a ten-year-old girl. She loved 1. She drew before breakfast. She drew after breakfast. Sometimes she even drew on her way to 2.

    One day Sophie arrived 3 at school. "Why are you late, Sophie?" asked her teacher. "I'm sorry, Miss. I was drawing a big house on the way to school. I forgot about the class.

    "Oh, Sophie," said her teacher. "You must think 4 about your drawing and more about school. Can you give me your 5 now please?"

    "I'm sorry, Miss, I don't have it finished."

    "6 , Sophie?"

    "Yesterday I was in town. I saw a 7 running down the road. He had a handsome face so I drew him." The teacher gave Sophie a strange look. "But Sophie, there was a 8 robbery (抢劫案) in town yesterday..."

    "Maybe that was the man I 9," said Sophie. "Maybe I have drawn a picture of the robber!"

    After school, Sophie went to the police station. She 10 her picture to a policeman. "Where did you 11 this picture?" asked the policeman.

    "I drew it," said Sophie. "I drew it yesterday in 12."

    "This is a picture of Ronnie, the Robber," said the policeman. "So Ronnie robbed the bank! Thank you, Sophie. Now we can 13 him."

    A week later, the policeman 14 a letter to Sophie's school. "Sophie's drawing helped us catch Ronnie the Robber," he said. "She is a very clever girl."

    Now her teachers were very 15 of Sophie, the girl who loves to draw

    A traveler was in a large desert, planning to walk across it in one month. Twenty more days passed the journey had been going on1. "Soon I'll be able to walk out of this desert," he thought gladly.

    But the desert was never friendly2travelers. In a short time, there came a strong sandstorm. He hurriedly3his head with the clothes, prostrate on the sand. After about ten minutes, the sandstorm4. He shook the clothes and stood up. At that moment, he found himself in a hopeless situation-the backpack with food and water was swept away by the5.

    As we know, it seems 6 to leave the desert without food and water.7, he had a pear left. He held it in his hands tightly. "Not too bad, at least I have a pear. I8I can walk out of the desert."

    Days and nights went by quickly, but the desert still looked endless. Besides, hunger, thirst and fear of9were always around him like ghosts,10, each time he was close to losing hope, he forced himself to stare at the pear that he had been11. "Not too had, at least I have a pear."

    A small pear became the12for his survival(生存). Three days later,13he saw a village not far away, he laughed with excitement. He felt completely relaxed-the "pear" brought him back to14.

    To keep hope is the best weapon(武器) for victory, so never tell you "15" because only if you try to search, you can always find a "pear" to pull you out of trouble.

    When I was a little girl, my grandma told me if I planted something in spring, I would get more in autumn. I1what she said without doubt（怀疑）.

    At the age of six, while I was eating a big apple, 2hard pressed against my tongue（舌头）. I spat（吐）it out. It was a(n)3! I was so scared that I cried and ran into my grandma's room. She looked at the tooth and4, "Don't worry, dear. It's a baby tooth. You will have a new tooth in a few5. "

    "A new tooth? In a few months?" I felt very6.

    "Yes, you will have your new teeth7you get old, and you must protect your new teeth well. When you become an old woman, the teeth will fall again. 8at that time, they won't grow again. So it's not9for old people to eat something hard," my grandma said.

    I went out of my grandma's room and thought,"10should I put the tooth?"

    I thought for minutes, and then I had a good11—why not plant it in the garden? If I took good care of it, day after day, maybe it would become a big tree. When12came, there would be many white and strong teeth on the13. I could pick them and send them to some14people. Then they could eat hard things with these teeth.

    Of course my "tooth tree" couldn't15into a big tree at all, but what my grandma said had been in my mind for years.