A man stopped at a gas station and bought a soft drink. He stood by his car to 1 and he watched a couple of men 2 along the roadside.

    One man would dig a hole two or three feet 3 and then move on. 4man came along behind to fill in the hole. While one was digging a new hole, the other was about 25 feet behind 5 in the old hole.

    The man with a soft drink was confused. "I can't stand this," said the man walking toward the men. "Stop it," he said to t e men. "Can you tell me what's 6 here?"

    "Well, we work for the county government," one of the men said.

    "But one of you is digging a hole and the other is filling 7up. You're not accomplishing anything. Aren't you 8 the county's money?"

    "You don't understand," one of the men said.

    "Normally (通常地) there are 9 of us: I Rodney and Mike. I dig the hole Rodney sticks in the tree and Mike here puts earth 10."

    "Yeah," said Mike. "Today Rodney is sick. But that doesn't mean we can't work, does it?"

    One day, a farmer took a bag of wheat（小麦） to town. He didn't know what to do when the bag fell off his horse. The bag was too heavy for him to lift. He hoped that someone would come and help him.

    Before long a man came over. But the farmer's heart sank when he saw the man, because he was the famous judge（法官） in town. The farmer was afraid to ask him for help.

    As soon as he came up to the farmer, the judge got off his horse and said, “You need my help, don't you? Let me help you，” Then he took one end of the bag, the farmer took the other. They lifted the bag of wheat onto the horse.

    “Sir” asked the farmer, “how can I pay you?”

    “Well,” the judge replied, “if you see anyone in need of help, do the same for him,”

    Mr. White lived in a house less than two miles from his office, so he could1 home for lunch every day. Every time he drove back home, 2cars were parked outside his house and there was no room for his car. He had to park his car somewhere else, and then walked back home. This made him very 3.

    Then he wrote "NO PARKING"4 a small board, in the garden facing the road, but it didn't work. People seem to obey only a public notice.

    Mrs. White asked him to 5 a police notice. But he was afraid to do so. Then Mrs. White asked him to make6 just like a police notice. But he said he was not a 7and couldn't use the word "police". However, after a few days, Mr. White made a notice board.

    "Oh, dear!" Mrs. White looked at the board and said. "You told me you couldn't use the word 'police', 8why do you use it?"

    "9 at it again, please." Mr. White said. Mrs. White looked at it 10 this time and found it was a "polite" notice. She started to laugh, "You are really clever."

    Ever since I was a child, my mouth has caused me trouble. I'm not a bad person, but I have a hard time learning when to stop saying things to others.

    My mum has told 1 again and again, "Robert, you bad words are hurting me. 2 you continue to be this rude, you will get into big trouble."

    It has been a problem at school several times too. One day, in English class, I was working on my homework when I heard a classmate 3behind me. It was Nathaniel, who liked doing that as usual.

    I thought of what my mother had said to me and 4 nicely, "Nathaniel, would you be quiet?"

    However, Nathaniel kept saying something to the boy next to him loud. I5shouted, "Nathaniel, shut up!"

    6the next five minutes, we threw hurtful words at each other.

    "At least I don't have an ugly lazy eye like you!" I cried out.

    I knew this would make him 7 and it would hurt his feelings and shut him up.

    What I said filled him anger. He ran to my 8 and tried to catch me as he shouted, "That's it! That's it!"

    Surprised at his reaction, I sat back in my seat. I had9seen Nathaniel act like this before. Later on, we were taken to the teachers' office. There, Mr. Black. Our English teacher, told us to 10the problem between us. Only then I finally found that 11I hurt someone physically(身上), he can finally get healthy again. But when I hurt someone with my 12, sometimes the pain never goes away.

    At the end of the discussion, I said 13to Nathaniel.

    When I went back to my room, I began to14 how often what I said hurt others. I'll remember what my mom said to me and learn when to keep my 15closed.

Devon Gallagher, a college graduate from Philadelphia, wants the world to know where she's been during her great worldwide vacation in a(n) 1way.

    The traveler, who was 2 with a bone disease, had her right leg 3 at the age of four. 4 the amputation (截肢) caused hardships for Gallagher early on, she, at the age of 22 now, 5 it as an inspiration for making the 6 of her life.

To spread that 7, Gallagher has 8 to social media, 9 she shares photos of her travels across the world, but instead of 10 using a geotag (地理标签), she draws her location across her artificial leg before taking a picture.

    Now she has been taking pictures 11 Europe. "I get a new leg every two years and I can choose the design on it. One day I had a sudden 12 that my new leg could be used as a blackboard," Gallagher said. "My mum and grandmother weren't too 13 the idea, but my friends thought it was great and told me to go for it, so I did."

Gallagher said people often stare when she's 14 on her leg, but once she shares the photos, she 15 only praise and encouragement. "My leg hasn't 16 me from doing anything I've wanted to do," she said. "I don't know 17 it is my determination to prove to myself that I can do it, but anyhow, I've been able to 18 up with my peers and lead a pretty great life."

Gallagher shows us that you should never let anything stand in the 19 of your dream. And if you meet with an obstacle (障碍), get 20 with it— if life gives you an artificial leg, make art.

    A group of frogs were traveling through the woods. Unluckily two of them fell into a hole. When the other frogs saw how 1 the hole was, they told the two frogs that they couldn't be saved. The two frogs didn't 2 them and tried to jump out of the hole. The other frogs kept telling them to 3. Finally, one of the frogs believed what the other frogs were saying and 4. He fell down and died. The other frog continued to jump as 5 as he could. Once again, the crowd of frogs shouted at him to stop. But he jumped even harder and 6 made it out. When he got out, the other frogs said, "Didn't you 7 us?" The frog explained to them that he was 8. He thought that they were 9 him all the time.

    This story teaches us a (an) 10:

    There is power of life and death in 11. An encouraging word to someone who is 12 can lift him up and help him 13 while a discouraging word can even 14 him.

    Be careful of what you say. Speak hopefully to those who cross your path. It is sometimes 15 to understand that an encouraging word can go such a long way. Remember anyone can say words that can encourage another person to continue his way in difficult times.