Once upon a time there lived a cruel lion in a thick forest.All the other animals are1of him.One day the lion was trapped in a2trap and no animal wanted to rescue him.

    A man3to come into the forest and saw the lion.The lion said,“I will die of4if I stay here.Please help me 5.I promise your kindness will be rewarded.”The man felt sorry for the lion and set him free.As soon as the lion got6,he let out a fierce roar.“I have been trapped in the cage for a long time.I am7I will have to eat you,said the lion.looking at the man.The man was8.

    However,he was clever enough to say,"Alright,you can eat me.But let's find someone and let him decide9 you are right in eating the person who has rescued you."

    The lion was10that no animal would speak against him,so he11.Just then a fox came and the lion asked the fox to be the12He said to the lion,"Sir,would you please13me how it all happened?"The lion was too14He entered the cage and closed the cage door.The fox15bolted（将……闩上）the cage from outside.And the ungrateful lion was16in the cage again.

    The lion asked the man for help again,but the man knew the lion wouldn't be17to him.He just walked away.

    When we're18by others,we should be thankful to others instead of returning bad for19.If we do that,we'll be left to20the consequences（后果）.

    Many years ago, Dad worked as a farmhand （农场工人）. At that time, he had a horse. Every Saturday he1to the town after dinner and spent a few hours on social2 with other farmhands, such as drinking, chatting, and playing cards in the café. On Saturday evenings, the café was 3 because many farmhands were there. Before midnight Dad returned home on his horse, quite satisfied with his4 In his words, he5 thought of changing his job.

    At the age of 31, Dad married my mother who was a schoolteacher. In the following spring I came6 into the world. Life became hard, so my mother felt7 She told Dad that they must make a8

    My mother had 9of how some famous persons, especially Thomas Edison who was born in a poor family, fought against fate and achieved greatness and 10And she 11 that I would some day become a great leader 12 men or cities and Dad should be a successful businessman. So she 13Dad to give up his job as a farmhand, sell his horse and 14a small business of his own. And I went to high school and college. She even sent me abroad for 15 education when I graduated from college. Under the drive of my mother's hope, Dad and I16what we have today. Dad runs a big international 17and I am a successful lawyer18great fame in my country,19not a leader as my mother expected.

    Dad said, without my mother, we wouldn't be what we are today; at least, he would remain a farmhand.20 he got a lesson of life —sometimes we really need drive from outside.

    There was once a famous king whose name was Tamerlane. Like Alexander the Great, he 1 to become the master of the whole world. So he raised a great 2 and made war on other countries. He conquered many kings and 3 many cities. But at last his army was beaten; and Tamerlane escaped alone from the field of 4.

    For a long time he wandered in 5 from place to place. His enemies were 6 him. He was about to lose all hope.

    One day he was7 under a tree, thinking of his failure. He had now been a wanderer for twenty days. He couldn't  8any longer. Suddenly he saw a small object climbing up the trunk of the tree. He looked more 9and saw it was an ant,10a grain of wheat as large as itself.

    There was a 11 in the tree only a little way above, and that was the home of the ant.

    “You are 12, Mr. Ant,” he said, “but you are carrying something that is too heavy for you.” Just as he 13, the ant lost its footing and fell to the ground. But it 14 held on to the grain of wheat. Tamerlane 15 the little insect. It tried the second time, the third time ... the twentieth time — but always with the same 16. Then it tried the twenty-first time.17, one little step at a time, it climbed across the rough place where it had 18 so often. The next minute it climbed 19 into its home, carrying the grain of wheat. “Well done!” said Tamerlane, “you've taught me a lesson. I, too, will try again,20 I succeed.” And he made it.

    One young person, who was well educated, went for a job as a manager in a big company. The president did the final 1.

    He discovered the youth was 2 and felt satisfied. Then the president asked who paid for his school fees. The youth answered, "My mother did it. She worked as a clothes 3."

    The president requested the youth to 4 his hands. So the youth did. They were smooth. Then he asked, "Have you ever 5 your mother wash the clothes before?" The youth answered, "Never, my mother always wanted me to 6."

    "Go and clean your mother's 7 when you go back today, and then 8 me tomorrow morning," the president said 9.

    The youth felt his chance of getting the job was high, so when he went back, he 10 requested his mother to let him clean her hands. However, his tears fell 11 he cleaned his mother's hands slowly. It was the first time he had 12 that his mother's hands were so wrinkled (布满皱纹的). After that, the youth didn't say a word and washed all the remaining clothes for his mother 13. That night, Mother and Son 14 for a very long time, longer than any talk before.

    The next 15, the youth went to the president's office. The president noticed the tears in the youth's eyes and asked: "Please tell me how you 16 about helping your mother." The youth said, "Number One, I know now what 17 is. Without my mother, I wouldn't be successful today. Number Two, by helping my mother, I realize how 18 it is to get something done. Number Three, I've come to realize the 19 of family relationship."

    The president said, "You are 20. This is what I'm looking for to be my manager."

    I was correcting students' homework in my office when I came across a piece of work which was quite similar to what I had read on line. At that moment, a 1 picture was called to my mind.

    It was in a Chinese class that my teacher praised me for my 2 composition. After giving some positive 3 on it, he asked me to read my composition 4 as a model to the whole class. I stood in front of the class 5 and proudly, reading it in my best voice. "The mountain stands there like a…"the mountain stands there like a…" I 6the first part of the sentence, but could not move on. What was worse, I heard some murmured voices which made me more7.

    "Did she write it?"

    "Hey, you must have8 it from others!"

    I stood there, staring at the notebook, mind totally9.

    10, at that moment, a low and gentle voice from my teacher saved me. I looked up at him and saw a friendly smile 11 his face. I realized that I was 12to continue. So, again, I raised my voice and 13 on my composition successfully.

    I did copy those words from a famous work. When I 14my composition I found a few beautiful lines in a book. "They will 15 color to my composition if I use them as mine." I thought 16 . Finally, those sentences became an important part of my homework.

    After class, I looked at my teacher 17 and waited for his criticism. But to my 18, he said, "You did quite well, but you can do better next time." Then he left, without any critical words.

    From then on I never copied others' work; 19, I wrote authentic compositions.

    Coming back from my memory, I 20 to correct my students' homework. I carefully underlined the part copied and just put down a question mark. Everyone makes mistakes. To error is human, to forgive, divine.

Another person's enthusiasm was what set me moving toward the success I have achieved. That person was my stepmother.

I was nine years old when she entered our home in rural Virginia. My father1me to her with these words: "I would like you to meet the fellow who is2for being the worst boy in this county and will probably start throwing rocks at you no3 than tomorrow morning."

My stepmother walked over to me, 4my head slightly upward, and looked me right in the eye. Then she looked at my father and replied," You are5This is not the worst boy at all, 6the smartest one who hasn't yet found an outlet(释放的途径) for his enthusiasm."

That statement began a(n)7between us. No one had ever called me smart. My family and neighbors had built me up in my8as a bad boy. My stepmother changed all that.

She changed many things. She9my father to go to a dental school, from which he graduated with honors. She moved our family into the county seat, where my father's career could be more10and my brother and I could be better11.

When I turned fourteen, she bought me a secondhand12and told me that she believed that I could become a writer. I knew her enthusiasm, I13 it, and I saw how it had already improved our lives. I accepted her14 and began to write for local newspapers. I was doing the same kind of15that great day I went to interview Andrew Camegie and received the task which became my life's work later. I wasn't the16beneficiary(受益者). My father became the17 man in town. My brother and stepbrothers became a physician, a dentist, a lawyer, and a college president.

What power18has! When that power is released to support the certainty of one's purpose and is19 strengthened by faith, it becomes an irresistible(不可抗拒的) force which poverty and temporary defeat can never20.

You can communicate that power to anyone who needs it. This is probably the greatest work you can do with your enthusiasm.