It had long been troubling a little boy: his deskmate could rank (排列) the 1st in the class every time while he only ranked the 21st.

At home, he asked his mom, “Mom, am I more stupid than others? I feel I’m as ________ as my deskmate, but how come I always fall behind?” His mom went wordless, not knowing how to ________ it.

In another test, the boy ranked the 15th, and his deskmate remained the 1st. Back home, he raised the same ________. Mom really wanted to tell her son that intelligence (智力) is different, which means that students ranking 1st are supposed to be cleverer than others. ________, was this answer in her son’s best interest? Thank goodness she did not open her mouth.

There were times she wanted to tell him, “Your father and I used to be outstanding. Why aren’t you just as clever as we are?” But she stopped because she felt it was wrong to blame(责怪) him. She needed a better ________.

Time flies swiftly. Though he made great efforts, he was still unable to keep up with his deskmate. To ________ the stress on her son, Mom decided to take him to the sea. During the trip, she ________ to give him an answer.

Now, the boy no longer worries about his rankings, because, with the 1st ranking, he has entered a top university. Later he mentioned that ________ experience, “When my mother and I were sitting on the beach, she pointed to the front and said, ‘Do you see the seabirds over there? When the waves (海浪) come near, little birds can rise ________ while it would take longer for clumsy seagulls (笨拙的海鸥) to complete the process. However, have you ________ the birds that finally fly across the endless ocean are clumsy seagulls?’ You might be a little slower, but you will be the one who will make it!”