A little stream ran down from a high mountain through many villages and forests. Then it ______ a desert. “I have overcome ______ difficulties so I should have no problems crossing the desert,” she thought confidently. As she started, she found herself slowly vanishing (消失) into the sand. After many tries, she ______ failed. “Maybe I will never reach the ocean,” she said ______ to herself.

At this time, a deep ______ said, “If wind can cross the desert, so can a little stream.” It was the desert. But the little stream answered, “That’s because the wind can fly, but I can’t.”

“That’s because you can’t give up what you are. Let ______ evaporate (蒸发) into the wind and it can take you across me”, said the desert. “Give up what I am now? No! No!” The little stream could not ______this idea. “The wind can carry the vapor (蒸汽) across the desert and let it leave as rain. The rain will form a river again,” said the desert. “And ______ you’re a river or vapor, your nature (本质) never changes.” After hearing this, the little stream went into the open arms of the wind. It carried her to the next stage of her life.

The course of our lives is ______ the experience of the little stream. If you want to go through difficulties in your life to head for success, you should also ______ the way you are.

A lady once wrote a long story. She sent it to a famous editor. After ________weeks the editor _______ the story to her. The lady was ______. She wrote back to editor: “Dear Sir, Yesterday you sent back a story of mine. ________ do you know that the story is not good? You did not read it. _______ I sent you the story, I pasted pages 18, 19 and 20 together. This was a(n) ________ to see whether you would read the story. When the story came back yesterday, the pages were still pasted together. Is this the ________ you read all the stories that I sent you?” After some days the editor wrote back to her:

“Dear Madam,

At breakfast I have an egg. I don’t have to eat the whole egg in order to find that it is bad.”