I did not pass the boys’ basketball tryouts (预选赛) in seventh grade. Making the team was very important to me, but my name was not on the list.

On the way home, I was both angry and upset. “I can’t believe I didn’t make the team,” I said loudly. “How did Alex make the team? He can’t keep up with a tortoise (乌龟)! Why is Jimmy a better choice than me? He just stands around moving his arms!”

“Adam!” my mom said, cutting me off. “Why don’t you just stop and think? Maybe you need a little more practice.”

Suddenly, I knew she was right. It was nobody’s fault (错误) but my own. I decided to work hard for the team over the next year. I practiced hard every day and had lessons every week.

When summer came, I took part in lots of basketball camps. Through camp after camp, my abilities grew, and I knew I was ready for tryouts in the fall.

The day finally came. As everyone crowded around the lists, I played it cool and waited for my chance to read the names. I slowly looked down the list. Not only did I make it on the list, but my name was the very first!

Habits and field paths (小径) are formed in the same way: by repetition (重复). Villagers, as a rule, do not make a foot path to the next village on purpose (有意的). 【小题1】 Day after day a people go and come the same way. Their feet beat the earth hard. By their repeated walking in the same direction (方向) a path is made. Similarly, the more often we do anything in the same way or at the same time, the more we shall do it that way. 【小题2】

Usually it is much easier to from bad habits than good habits. 【小题3】 For example, it is easier to lie in bed on a cold morning than to get up early. It is easier to put off today’s work to tomorrow than to do it at the right time.

【小题4】 The forming of good habits needs time and calls for hard work at first; but every time we do the right thing, it makes doing the same thing next time much easier. If you keep doing it every day for some time, it will become “a piece of cake” in the end. 【小题5】

Get into the habit of early rising, and you will not want to lie in bed like a lazy bone. Get into the habit of telling the truth, and you will find it really hard to tell a lie.

Once in a village lived two friends Rinku and Mohan. They together bought a piece of land and decided to start planting rice on it. Mohan was hard-working while Rinku just sat and prayed(折祷).

Every time Mohan asked Rinku to come with him to work in the fields, Rinku refused. Instead, he stayed at home and prayed for a good harvest(收获) all day.

Time passed and after months, Mohan took the harvested rice to the market and sold all at a very good price. Mohan told Rinku, “I should get more share(份额) of the money because I was the only one that worked hard in the fields.”

On hearing this, Rinku said, “No, I should get more share of the money. I prayed for a good harvest day and night. Without my pray, how could we get so much rice?”

They went to the wisest man in the village for a final decision. After listening to them, the wise man brought two large bags of rice. In each bag, there were some pebbles(鹅卵石).

He gave each of them a bag of rice and said, “By tomorrow morning, both of you have to separate the pebbles from the rice. It will help in deciding who should get more share of money.” Mohan didn’t sleep all night, separating the pebbles from the rice while Rinku went home and prayed.

The next morning, each of them came with the bag of rice. Mohan’s bag of rice was clean, without any pebbles left in it. When the wise man opened Rinku’s bag of rice, he found that rice and pebbles were the same as before. He said loudly. “Most of the money from selling rice should go to Mohan.”

Rinku realised his mistake. Hard work is necessary to get good results. He apologised to Mohan and changed himself from that day on.