A poor farmer had a friend who was famous for the wonderful apples he grew.

One day, his friend gave the farmer a young apple tree and told him to take it home and plant it. 75.The farmer was pleased with the gift, but when he got home he did not know where to plant it.

He was 74①_________       that if he planted the tree near the road, strangers would steal the fruit. If he planted the tree on his farm, his neighbors would come at night and steal some of the apples. If he planted the tree near his house, his children would take the fruit.

Finally he planted the tree in a forest where no one could see it. But74②__________ sunlight and good soil, the tree soon died.

Later, the friend asked the farmer why he had planted the tree in such a poor place. "What's the difference?" the farmer said loudly. uIf I had planted the tree near the road , strangers would have stolen the fruit. If I had planted the tree on my farm, my neighbors would have come at night and stolen some of the apples. If I had planted it near my house, my74③_______children would have taken the fruit."

“Yes," said his friend, "but at least someone could have enjoyed the fruit. Now no one can get a taste of the fruit . What's worse, you have destroyed a good apple tree!"

There was a farmer who lost his watch in his barn（谷仓）. It was not an ordinary watch because it had great value to him. After searching in the hay（干草）for a long time, he gave up and asked a group of children who were playing outside the barn to help him look for it. He promised them that whoever found the watch would be rewarded（酬劳）.

Hearing this, the children hurried inside the barn and searched the whole place. But none of them could find the watch. Just when the farmer was about to give up, a little boy went up to him and asked to be given another chance.

The farmer looked at him and thought, “Why not? After all, this kid looks sincere enough.” So the farmer sent the little boy back in the barn. After a while, the little boy came out with the watch in his hand! The farmer was happy and surprised. He asked the boy how he succeeded while the rest had failed.

The boy answered, “I did nothing but sit on the ground and listen. In the silence, I heard the ticking of the watch and just looked for it in that direction.” A peaceful mind can think better than a restless mind. Give yourself a few minutes of silence every day and see how it can make your life a bit easier and happier.

In a little fishing village in Southern Thailand, there are some boys who like to play football. They play with a lot of excitement and interest, running, jumping and kicking. These boys are really good at controlling the ball because their football field is a raft (木筏) in the middle of the sea. They live on Koh Panyee Island, but even though it is small, the football team from the village has been very successful. The Panyee Football Club has won the Thai Youth Football Championships seven times since 2004.

The story of the Panyee Football Club began in 1986 when some young boys from the village were watching the World Cup Football Championships on TV. Suddenly one of the boys said, “We watch football on TV, but we’ve never played it.” The boys made a decision. “Our football team starts today. We want to become world champions!” They shouted. But the villagers laughed at them. They asked, but have you found a football field yet? How can you practise?”

The boys made up their mind to make their dream come true. They used old fishing boats and pieces of wood to make a floating (漂浮的) football field. They practised for hours every day, even when it was very wet and smooth after a heavy rain. In their first year, they made it to the semifinals of the local football competitions.

The story reminds us that anything is possible only if we set our mind to chase our dreams. The boys never gave up their dream, even when they faced many difficulties. Their hard work paid off, and they became champions.