In Lauderdale lives a young girl, Mary Lou. She is a(n)______bird-watcher at a very young age. In fact, she’s so______about birds that she has already written a children’s book about them. It’s______for a 13-year-old girl in school.

It all started when her family moved to a new neighborhood. Mary would feel very______at times with few kids living on her street. Becoming a bird-watcher helped her______the new neighbourhood and feel more at home.

She became deeply attracted to bird-watching in Grade Six when she had to write a book for a school project. She decided to write something she knew—the mockingbird. The homework was just the______of Mary’s great writing adventure.

Every morning Mary takes her binoculars (望远镜) and heads out to______birds. To watch birds, one must not make a lot of______. If a watcher makes any sudden movements ,the birds will probably become______and fly away.

Mary usually uses her binoculars to______different types of birds. Sometimes she just sits in the wildlife areas,   ______the various birds as they come to eat and drink at the nearby lake. Mary is quite a(n)______on types of birds, but she can’t always name every bird she sees. So she thinks there are always new lessons and the sky is full of______.

When Mary was writing her bird book for children, she studied hard by searching the Internet, She also______ some of the birds for the book herself with her color pencils. Finally, after nine months of______, the book was finished.

Last fall I hung outside my window a bird feeder (喂鸟的食槽). Knowing _______ about wild birds, I assumed that _______ I hung this bird feeder outside, numbers of beautiful birds would be swooping (飞扑) to my new addition. However, days, weeks, and months _______ , NO BIRDS.

I asked so many people, “What to do? _______ was I doing wrong?” “Nothing,” most of them replied, “just   _______!” So I waited and waited and waited, trying everything _______ to attract these birds. I cleaned off the deck (平台),   _______ the feed and washed the feeder. I _______ made the cat go out of the other door! Nothing seemed to _______. But I waited with patience and ________. Two months later, on a Saturday afternoon, I ________! What came to my eyes was the most beautiful bird I have ever seen in my life! All of a sudden, hundreds of birds were ________ from everywhere!

What a beautiful lesson I learned from this little creature! Patience and hope will attract the beautiful things in life. Yet I had never ________ how much patience I really do have and how much I do rely on hope to ________ the questions in my heart.

So I keep hoping and waiting, waiting and hoping. I will try to use this “little lesson” with so many other things in my life. I guess patience is a ________ after all.