Joy in the Journey If you have ever been discouraged because of failure, please read on. For often, achieving what you set out to do is not the important thing. Let me explain.

      Two brothers decided to dig a deep hole behind their house. As they were working, a couple of older boys stopped by to 1. “What are you doing?” asked one of the visitors.“We plan to dig a hole all the way through the   2!” One of the brothers volunteered 3.

     The older boys began to 4, telling the younger ones that digging a hole all the way through the earth was 5. After a long silence, one of the 6 picked up a jar full of spiders, worms and many other kinds of insects. He   7 the lid and showed the wonderful 8 to the scoffing（嘲笑的）visitors. Then he said quietly and 9, “Even if we don't dig all the way through the earth, look at what we have found  10  the way!”

      Their goal was far too ambitious, but it did cause them to dig. And that is   11    a goal is for — to cause us to move in the  12  we have chosen, in other words, to keep us 13! But not every goal will be fully  14. Not every job will end 15. Not every hope will come to pass. Not every love will last. Not every dream will be 16. But when you fall  17 of your aim, perhaps you can say, “Yes, but look at what I found along the way! Look at the wonderful things  18 my life because I tried to do something!” It is in the digging 19 life is lived. And I believe it is the joy in the journey, in the end, that truly  20.

    There is a workman in America who earns as much as a company director. He is Max Quarterman, a thirty-year-old plasterer (泥瓦匠).

    Max lives in an upper middle-class housing estate. His 1 are mostly bank managers, business executives, airline pilots and the 2, but Max's seven-bedroom house — 3 $ 80,000 — is the largest in the area. 4 outside the house are Max's $ 7000 sports car and his wife's Morris Mini. Indoors is a 150 colour TV set and the family's 5 — a circular bath with gold-plated taps. There are also many labour－saving 6 and luxury furniture.

    How can a plasterer 7 all this? The answer, says Max, is hard work. In 8 with another plasterer, Max 9 contract plastering jobs for a firm. The owner of the firm 10 them as human machines, the best and quickest in the 11, who can do as much in two days as 12 two-man team can in two weeks.

    How do they manage it? Not by working overtime. They work a(n) 13 eight-hour day, five days a week. The secret 14 in Max's hod (桶) in which he carries the plaster to the site of the job. Max's is a superhod — it contains double the usual 15 of plaster, and Max, a strong fellow, runs when he carries it. More time is thus 16 to get on with the plastering. Besides, 17 man wastes time smoking, and they 18 their lunch break to a 19 of an hour a day. Now Max earns over $ 800 a week which is four times the average weekly pay in Britain today, and if he gets as 20 as $ 15, it's a disaster.

    My name is Timothy. I'm 21 years old and I've been diagnosed with autism(自闭症) since the age of 2. I'd like to 1 my story with you about my life with autism.

    Firstly, autism makes me a loner. I can't easily2too much human-to-human communication at the same time. I find it difficult to process all that spoken and unspoken information. I also3some other stuff that has been a rocky roadblock during my life. It's very4to live through the times that I put up with during my life5 teasing, struggling to adapt to new6like schools, on and off depression.7seeing my relative's death and the struggles with my disability. Well,8all of those horrible barriers that tried to cut me down, I have overcome them.

    Those things I mentioned are just a(n)9part of my life.10 there are good things in my life. Currently, I work at a local library to get some11. Outside of that, I'm a writer and motivational speaker to reach people and12their spirits. Now, I'm writing a book titled Through My Eyes: Tim and his Poetry, which is about my life and the 5013I've written.

    Every day, there will be14challenges that are going to fall on me, but I will get stronger as I conquer them. Now, autism can still15me and I go back into my own little16for a short time, then I bring myself back by trying to be as17as I can. I have a few18to be sociable with people. The first one is to ask others about how their day is going19the reply, and then try to talk about something we have in20

Yasmeen's Mehndi

    Mrs. Cross, Yasmeen's social study teacher, announced, “Boys and girls, you have been learning about world customs. Be ready to 1 one of your family's customs tomorrow.”

    After school, Yasmeen dragged her backpack along, thinking about the day's2“I'm the only Indian student in my class,” she thought, “what will everyone think about my family's customs?”

    At home, Yasmeen was3 She opened the kitchen door and saw her mother busily crushing (压碎) henna (指甲花) leaves.

    “Ready for the4tonight?” Mother smiled.

    Yasmeen shrugged (耸肩). Normally, she'd be excited when her aunts, uncles and cousins came to5 the end of the ninth month of the Islamic year. This holy month is observed with prayers and fasting (斋戒) during daylight hours.

    Later, Yasmeen explored the house, trying to get a (an)6for her assignment. She 7her father's Koran (《古兰经》). She quickly turned over the worn pages of her father's holy book. “Maybe I'll take this to school,” she thought. But the Koran isn't a 8

    “Maybe I'll wear my salwar (沙丽) to school. Wrong! Everybody might 9me. Tears filled Yasmeen's eyes as she tried to figure out 10to share.

    Yasmeen walked into the 11 again and watched Mother mix henna powder into a smooth paste (膏), to be used at the party.

    That night all the girls12 their glittering dresses gathered around the sofa to have their hands 13 with Mehndi (henna paste).

    It was Yasmeen's14 Mother drew tiny flower patterns on her hands. Seconds later, “That's it,” Yasmeen shouted out, “Mehndi!”

    “On special Muslim holidays,” Yasmeen15the next day at school, “it's an Indian16to paint women' s hands with Mehndi designs.” Yasmeen17displayed the design on her hands. She also held up a bowl of crushed henna leaves for the class to see and then described how her mother prepared henna paste.

    “18you paint me a Mehndi design?” All her classmates held out their hands.

    Yasmeen's eyes moistened. She had always thought that Mehndi was only something 19in her own country, but now she was far too glad to see this ancient art on hands 20by people of different cultures.

    When I think about what my hero means to me, I realize that most of my special memories and feelings toward my hero come from the little things he does every day. My hero is not a celebrity or such a recognizable face. My hero is not a national hero or a multi – millionaire. He has never saved me from a burning castle or an avalanche（雪崩）, but he does 1 me and tell me to have a good day. He is just an 2, quiet man, whom I honor.

    My dad is my hero because he is brave, skilled, and 3. I know many people say their dads are their heroes, but my dad teaches me about becoming a man, which is extremely important for a young boy.

    Respect goes a long way with my dad, as does patience. As a(n) 4, my dad must deal with people every day, some of whom are nice and some are not. Either way, he 5 his well-mannered attitude.

    Dad is not afraid of many things, or if he is, he doesn't tell me 6he wants to seem tough. He may not be a big guy but since he works with his 7 all day, he is very strong. Dad works outdoors in all kinds of 8 but the worst thing he has to do is 9 up and work in an attic (顶楼) in the middle of the summer. Trust me, this is the 10 place you will experience as an electrician and when you come back 11, what is in your lungs will make you 12 for hours.

    My dad and I have a very good 13. We talk about almost everything. We go hunting, fishing, and everything a dad and son would do. My dad and I enjoy 14 most because it gives us time outdoors together and there is nothing like that. He has 15 and taught me everything I need to know about 16.

    I am 17 to be the son of Mike C. , and would not have it any other way. People come up to me all the time to 18 me I have a good dad. It makes me feel 19 that a lot of people think so 20 of him. He is a good teacher of my life and would do anything for me. This is why my father is my hero.

    It was 1972, and I was in second grade. In the classroom the teacher, Ms. Boyette, was 1 aloud to us from Island of the Blue Dolphins. And we had just come to a part of the book where the main 2 was training a wild dog. I was listening, caught up in the 3 of all.

    Not far away from me, there seated a boy who always frightened or 4 others, so I was 5 of this boy. While Ms. Boyette was reading, I looked over at him, for he was someone I was in the 6 of keeping an eye on. I 7 that he was listening too, that he was engaged by the 8 , that he was leaning forward in his seat and listening with all his heart. I 9 at him, open-mouthed. I was 10 with a sudden knowledge that this boy was in fact just 11 me. He was a kid who liked a story. The boy must 12 my eyes on him, because he turned. Then something 13 happened. He smiled at me. 14, I smiled back, unafraid. We were two 15 smiling at each other.

    Why have I never forgotten this 16 moment? Why do I still 17 every detail of it? I think it's because that moment illustrates so beautifully the 18of reading out loud.

    It shows us into a safe room, where everyone involved, the reader and the listener, can have that chance to 19 each other. We humans long not just for the story, not just for the flow of language, but for the 20 that comes when words are read aloud.