One afternoon, I went to pick up my mother from work. I got there a little _______, so I stopped my _________ by a small park, and waited for her.

As I looked outside the car window, I saw a little boy, around two years old, running _______ on the grass as his mother _________ from a short distance. The boy had a big smile on his face as if he had just been set free from some prison. The boy would then fall to the grass, _________ up, without looking back at his mother, run as _________ as he could, again, still with a smile on his face, as if nothing had happened.

At that moment, I thought to myself , “_________ aren’t most adults this way ?” Most adults, when they fall down, make a big deal out of it (出大问题) and don’t even make a _______ try. They would be _________ embarrassed(尴尬) that they would not try again if someone saw them fall. Or, because they fall, they would find a good excuse __________ themselves that they’re not fit for it. They would end up too afraid to try again for fear of failure(失败).

However, with kids, when they fall down, they don’t consider their falling down as a failure, instead, they treat it as a __________ experience. They try again and again until they ________. The answer must be that they have not connected “falling down” __________ the word “failure”. As a result, they are not discouraged in any way. Besides, they ________ think to themselves that it’s quite okay to fall down and that it’s not wrong to do so. In other words, they allow themselves to make __________, so they stay energetic.

I was deeply impressed by the boy’s persistence(坚持不懈) and the manner in which he did.

One day, Frank was walking with his mother outside. When they came to a pretty garden, he called to his mother and said, “Mother, I wish I could open the gate and walk in.”

The gardener, being near, heard what Frank said, and kindly invited him and his mother to come into the garden.

Frank’s mother thanked the man. Turning to her son, she said, “Frank, if I take you to walk in this garden, you must take care not to meddle with (乱动) anything in it.”

Frank walked along the paths and looked at everything, but touched nothing. He was careful that his clothes should not brush the tops of the flowers in case he might break them.

The gardener was very pleased with Frank because he was so careful not to make trouble. He showed him the seeds (种子) and told him what the flowers and plants were.

While Frank was admiring the beauty of a flower, a boy came to the gate. Finding it locked, he shook it hard. But it would not open. Then he said, “Let me in. Let me in. Will you not let me in this garden?”

“No,” said the gardener. “I will not let you in, for when I let you in yesterday, you meddled with my flowers, and even picked some fruit. I do not let boys into my garden who meddle with the plants.”

Ashamed, the boy walked away slowly.

Seeing this, Frank felt how much happier a boy may be by not meddling with that which does not belong to him.

“A friend in need is a friend indeed.” Friends are important to us. Friends help us get through hard times. Friends also influence us a lot. Let’s enjoy two poems about friendship.

Both poems are famous in their cultures, but they tell different stories. Li Bai described the scene (场景) of his friend seeing him off. US poet Robert Frost wrote about a friend’s visit when he was working. Li made a comparison. His poem shows the friendship between him and his friend is deeper than the deep water. Frost’s poem, on the other hand, tells the readers that we should stop what we are doing to talk with our friends. It tells us that nothing should get in the way of spending time with friends. The language is simple but sincere.

That night the wind and the rain woke Mary up.

“Horrid(非常讨厌的) rain!” she said. “It came because it knew I didn’t want it.”

Then she heard another noise. It was the strange crying sound. She got out of bed, picked up the candle and went out into the long, dark corridor(走廊) outside her room. As she followed it, the sound became louder and louder. Finally, she arrived at a door. She opened it quietly and went in.The room was large and full of beautiful old furniture.There was a fire in the fireplace and a candle next to a big bed. In it she could see a boy and he was crying. He had a white face, long dark hair and big grey eyes. He looked ill but he wasn’t crying because he was in pain.

Mary went towards the bed. The boy turned his head and stared (注视) at her.

“Who are you?” he whispered. “Are you a ghost?”

“No,” Mary answered. “Are you a ghost?”

He stared at her with his big eyes.

“No,” he replied. “I am Colin. Colin Craven. Who are you?”

“I am Mary Lennox. Mr Craven is my uncle.”

“He’s my father,” said the boy.

“Your father! I didn’t know that he had a son!” shouted Mary. “Why were you crying?”

“I was sad and my head hurt.”

“Did the servants (仆人) tell you about me?” asked Mary.

“No, because they know that I don’t want to see people.”

“Why not?”

“People talk about me because I’m always ill. I don’t like it. My father doesn’t like it either. But I’m going to die. If I live, I’m probably going to be a hunchback(驼背的人) like him.”

“Does your father come and see you?”

“He doesn’t want to see me.”

“Why not?” Mary asked again.

“My mother died when I was born. He feels sad when he looks at me. I think he almost hates me.”

“He hates the garden because she died,” said Mary, half speaking to herself.

“What garden?” the boy asked.

“Oh, just a garden she liked,” Mary said.

Then she said quickly, “Do you always stay in bed?”

“Yes. But a doctor from London said I must go out in the fresh air. I hate fresh air.”

“Oh,” said Mary.

Mary learned a lot about Colin. Mary began to understand that Colin was spoilt. His father gave him everything he asked for. And Colin never had to do anything if he didn’t want to do it.          

“Everyone has to do what I want,” Colin said. “I get ill if I’m angry.”

—Taken from The Secret Garden

No one is perfect. It’s not always easy to get along with everyone.What should we do when we hurt someone’s feelings?     46    

Why apologize(道歉)?

Saying you’re sorry is more than just words. You’re also saying that you care about his or her feelings. After apologizing, you will feel a little better. The other person probably will, too.

What does an apology sound like?     47     Here are some examples:

I’m sorry I lost your book.

I was crazy, but I shouldn’t have called you names.I’m sorry.

I’m really sorry I pushed you. That was wrong. I won’t do it anymore.

When should we apologize?

Here are some times when an apology can make the difference:

If you hurt someone, even if you didn’t mean it.

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If you didn’t keep a promise.

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Sometimes a heartfelt(诚挚的) “I’m sorry” fixes everything right away. At other times, it might take a long time for someone to get past feeling sad.     50