A little boy was visiting his grandparents on their farm. He was given a slingshot(弹弓）to   21 in the woods. He practiced and practiced but could never   22  the target. Becoming somewhat   23 , he headed back for dinner.

As he was returning, he saw Grandma’s   24 duck. Without thinking, he shot his slingshot, hit the duck right   25 the head and killed it. He was shocked and sad. Quickly, he   26 the dead duck in the wood pile, only to see his   27 watching. Sally had seen it all, but she said nothing.

After   28 that day, Grandma said, “Sally, you wash the dishes.” But Sally said, “Grandma, Johnny told me that he wanted to   29 in the kitchen today, didn't you, Johnny?” And then she   30 to him, “Remember, the duck?” Then Johnny did the dishes.

Later, Grandpa asked if the children wanted to __31__ fishing, and Grandma said, “I’m sorry but I __32__ Sally to help me make supper.” But Sally smiled and said, “Well, that’s all right. Johnny told me he wanted to __33__.” And she whispered again, “Remember, the   34  ?” So Sally went fishing and Johnny   35 at home.

After several days, Johnny finally couldn't   36 it any longer. He went to Grandma and   37 that he had killed her pet duck and asked for her   38 .

Hearing this, Grandma knelt down, gave him a hug, and said, “Sweetheart, I know. You see, I was standing at the   39 and saw the whole thing from the house. And because I   40 you, I forgive you, but I was just wondering how long you would let Sally make you her slave.”

A young student was one day taking a walk with a professor, who was commonly    21   the students’ friend. As they went    22    , they saw lying in the path a pair of old    23    , which they supposed to belong to a poor man who was employed in a   24   close by. The student turned to the professor, saying, “Let’s play the man a   25  : We will hide his shoes, and 26   ourselves behind those bushes, and wait to see his   27  when he cannot find them.”

“My young friend,” answered the professor, “we should never   28   ourselves at the   29   of the poor. But you are   30  , and may give yourself a much greater   31  by means of the poor man. Put a coin into each shoe, and then we will hide ourselves and   32   how the discovery affects him.” The student did so, and they both placed themselves behind the bushes. The poor man soon finished his work, and came   33  the field to the path   34   he had left his coat and shoes. While   35  his coat he slipped his foot into one of his shoes; but feeling   36 , he stopped down to feel   37  it was, and found the coin. Astonishment and wonder were seen upon his face. He now put the money into his pocket, but his  38  was doubled on finding the other coin. He fell upon his knees, looked up to heaven and uttered aloud a fervent（热烈的）thanksgiving, in which he   39  his wife, sick and helpless, and his children without bread. The student stood there deeply   40 , and his eyes filled with tears.

A certain student passed all his examinations. Then he went to college to  21  his studies. There he wrote down his  22 for a course in English, but after the first 23 , he didn’t go to it any more.

The English lecturer 24_this student was always absent (缺席的) and thought he had  25_to another course, so he was  26  when he saw the boy’s name on the list of students who wanted to take the English  27at the end of this year.

The lecturer had  28 a difficult paper, which followed his  29 closely, and he was eager (热切的) to see  30 this student would answer the questions. He  31__the boy’s answers would be very bad, but when they  32 him and he examined them  33 , he was able to find only one small mistake in them. As this surprised him greatly, he  34 the paper repeatedly but still couldn’t find more than one mistake, so he  35 for the student to question him about it.

When he came and sat down, the lecturer asked him, “I  36 you came to my first lecture and you’ve been absent from all the others. But I’ve examined your  37 carefully and I’ve found only one small mistake in it. I’m curious (好奇的) to know your  38 .”

“I’m very  39  about that mistake,” answered the student. “After the examination, I  40  what I should have done. I would not have made that mistake if I had not been confused by your first lecture.” 

A well-known speaker started off his speech by holding up a $20 bill. In the room of 202, he asked, “Who would 31 this $20 bill?”

Hands started 32 up. He said, “I am going to 33 this $20 bill to one of you, but first, let me do this.”

He crumpled (压皱) the 20-dollar 34 . He then asked, “Who still wants it?” Still the hands were up in the air. “Well,” he replied, “what if I do this?” He dropped it on the 35 and started to grind (磨碎)it into the floor with his 36 . He picked it up, now crumpled and 37 .

“Now, who still wants it?”　 38 the hands went into the air.

“My friends, you have all 39 a very valuable lesson. No matter what I did 40 the money, you still 41 it because it did not 42 in value. It was still worth $20.”

“Many times in our lives, we are 43 , crumpled, and ground into the dirt by the decisions we 44 and the circumstances (环境) that come our way. We feel as though we are worth 45 ; but no matter what happened or what will happen, you will 46 lose your value (价值).”

“Dirty or 47 , crumpled or finely folded (折叠), you are still priceless to those who 48 you. The 49 of our lives comes not in what we do or who we know, but by WHO WE ARE.”

“You are 50 — don’t ever forget it.”

31　 A. admit　　　　　　　　　　 B. appreciate 　　　　　　 C. like　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. react

32　 A. going　　　　　　　　　　 B. standing　　　　　　　　 C. putting 　　　　　　　　 D. raising

33　 A. give　　　　　　　　　　　 B. post　　　　　　　　　　　 C. send 　　　　　　　　　　 D. pay

34　 A. check　　　　　　　　　　 B. note　　　　　　　　　　　 C. paper　　　　　　　　　　 D. notice

35　 A. sofa　　　　　　　　　　　 B. chair　　　　　　　　　　　 C. ground　　　　　　　　　 D. table

36　 A. shoe　　　　　　　　　　　 B. hand　　　　　　　　　　　 C. coat　　　　　　　　　　　 D. trousers

37　 A. tidy　　　　　　　　　　　 B. fantastic　　　　　　　　 C. attractive　　　　　　　 D. dirty

38　 A. Thus　　　　　　　　　　 B. Still　　　　　　　　　　　　 C. Even　　　　　　　　　　 D. Yet

39　 A. known　　　　　　　　　 B. followed　　　　　　　　 C. studied　　　　　　　　　 D. learned

40　 A. at　　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. for　　　　　　　　　　　　 C. to　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. in

41　 A. wanted　　　　　　　　　 B. needed　　　　　　　　　 C. brought　　　　　　　　 D. took

42　 A. raise　　　　　　　　　　　 B. fall　　　　　　　　　　　　 C. increase　　　　　　　　 D. miss

43　 A. moved　　　　　　　　　 B. contacted　　　　　　　 C. dropped　　　　　　　　 D. fell

44　 A. imagine　　　　　　　　　 B. consider　　　　　　　　 C. form　　　　　　　　　　 D. make

45　 A. nothing　　　　　　　　　 B. anything　　　　　　　　 C. everything　　　　　　　 D. something

46　 A. never　　　　　　　　　　 B. ever　　　　　　　　　　　 C. often　　　　　　　　　　 D. possibly

47　 A. ugly　　　　　　　　　　　 B. clean　　　　　　　　　　　 C. dry　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. bright

48　 A. leave　　　　　　　　　　 B. push　　　　　　　　　　　 C. hate　　　　　　　　　　　 D. love

49　 A. enjoyment　　　　　　　 B. worth　　　　　　　　　　 C. nature　　　　　　　　　　 D. luck

50　 A. common　　　　　　　　 B. average　　　　　　　　　 C. special　　　　　　　　　 D. ordinary

Once upon a time a king, in the company of his ministers, went to the imperial garden for a walk. When he was walking around a pond, a strange idea 26 upon him and he asked, “How many buckets(桶) of water are there in the pond?” The ministers looked at each other,  27 to give an answer.
Rather 28 , the king ordered, “You have three days’ grace. Any one who offers an answer will be handsomely awarded. Those who fail will be 29 .”
The time limit was due in the twinkling（闪烁）of an eye, yet the ministers were still at their wit’s end. At this time a child appeared who declared that he knew the answer. The king told his 30 ministers to go with the child for the measurement. To their 31 , the child refused the suggestion with a smile, “It is very easy. No 32 to go to the pond.” This made the king laugh 33 ,  “Alright, let us know what it is.” The child winked (眨眼) and said, “That 34 on the size of the bucket. If it is as big as the pond, there is one bucket of water; if it is half as big, two buckets; if one third as big, three buckets; if...”“Stop! That’s it. You’ve got the 35 .” The king was satisfied and the child was duly rewarded.
Why did the ministers feel it so different to settle the problem? Because they fell in a pitfall (陷阱), following a wrong way of thinking. People’s thinking often goes a habitual way — the beaten track of straightforwardness. 36  is a static (静态的) way presupposing every object definite and certain, i.e. the size of the pond and the bucket should be clearly 37 . If one of them is unknown, it will be difficult to do the measurement, let alone 38 . Why not change your mode of thought — from static to dynamic（动态的）, from concrete to 39  ? If you adopt an indirect way and try to find out the proportional relation between the pond and the bucket, you’ll get an answer — flexible yet 40 to solve the problem.
Sometimes to get out of the difficulty one must change one’s way of thinking, or simply change one’s approach towards a problem.