Have you ever been sad because you failed in doing something? If so, please remember that sometimes achieving your goal is not the most _________ thing.

One day, after watching a science program, a little boy decided to dig a _________behind his house. As he was working, a couple of boys _________ by to watch. “What are you doing?” asked one of them. “I want to dig a hole all the way through the earth!” the boy shouted excitedly. The older boys laughed and told him that it was _________ to do it. Then they left. The little boy didn’t _________ it. He dug and dug. Later, a few small colorful stones caught his eye. He collected them and put them into a glass jar _________. Soon the jar was filled with the colorful stones. Then the boy went to the older boys with the jar and said happily, “Maybe I _________ finish digging all the way through the earth, but look at what I have found while digging!”

The little boy’s goal was too difficult, but it made him _________ digging, in other words, made him enjoy working!

Not every goal will be achieved. So next time when you are doing a task, and you can’t achieve your goal, maybe you can say to yourself, “Yes, maybe I can’t finish the task in a short time, but there are so many wonderful things that have _________   in my life because I have tried to do something!” It is the unexpected __________ on the journey that really has a special meaning.

One autumn afternoon, Maddie was moving her towel at the window. “I wish I didn’t have to wash these windows,” she said _____. “I think washing windows is the worst housework in the world.”

As she washed her towel into the buckets (水桶) again, Maddie saw Mr. Smith, her _____, standing in his front yard (院子) next door. He looked so _____.

“Mr. Smith,” Maddie called, “How are you?”

“Well, Maddie, but I have to rake (用耙子耙) these leaves (叶子),” Mr. Smith said. “Raking is the _____ housework for me.”

“I’ll take them for you,” Maddie said happily. “I _____ building piles (堆) of fallen yellow leaves.”

“You would do that for me, Maddie?” Mr. Smith asked.

“Sure,” Maddie answered. “I’d be glad to _____. I’ll finish washing my windows later.”

“Thank you,” Mr. Smith said, handing Maddie the rake. “I really _____ the help.” Then he went away.

Maddie raked and finally got all of her small leaves together into one high mountain. “It’s time to wash my _____.” she thought. But when she reached her yard, she _____.

Tom, her neighbor, was standing there, facing the living room window. “What is Tom doing?” she thought.

“He’s _____ the windows!” she suddenly realized.

“Tom, why are you washing _____ windows?” Maddie asked.

Hearing Maddie’s loud voice, Tom was _____. He turned around and said, “Oh, after I came back, I saw Mr. Smith washing my clothes in my yard. I asked him what I could do for him. Then he remembered you didn’t finish cleaning your windows _____ you were raking his leaves.”

“And I,” Tom said, “love to wash windows.”

Maddie laughed. “I guess there’s _____ for everyone,” she said. “Thank you for doing my windows, Tom. The housework chain (联手) is really _____!”

An old man was telling his own story to a group of boys, who were going to throw stones at a noisy bird.

“Fifty years ago, I liked throwing stones because I had no other boys to play with and I became very skillful. One day I went to work for an old couple (夫妇) who were very _________ to everybody, even to the birds. And the birds seemed to _________ the old couple, too. For seven years, a bird had come and built her nest (鸟巢) in the _________ place. She and her mate had just returned on the day when I went to work, and the old couple _________ them happily. During the day, I thought I would try my skill upon her. Suddenly the bird flew to a tree near me. I found a nice stone, and 1 threw it with my _________ skill. It hit the bird on the head and she _________ dead!

“I was sorry the moment I saw her _________ off the tree. But it was too late. All day long her mate flew about, and cried so _________ that he made my heart ache. I said nothing to the old couple, but one of their grandchildren told them about it. _________ the old couple never said a word to me, I knew that they were very sad. I could __________ look at them in the eye and tell them how sorry I was. They have been dead for many years, and so has the poor bird. But don’t you see __________ that stone rebounded (反弹) and hit me? For fifty years I have still remembered it, though I have never spoken of it before. But if my story __________ you, I will be happy.”

The boys at once dropped the stones in their hands and the bird had no more trouble from them.