Nick was a proud (自负的) boy. He thought that he was the best in everything he did. Whenever he lost, he would always find excuses (借口).

One Friday, Randy and Jack came to the playground to play badminton. Jack was much better at badminton than Randy. After about half an hour, Randy said to Jack, “Oh, I need to take a rest. I have to say that you are really good at this game.” Their classmate Nick heard this. He laughed out loud and said, “Randy, that’s because you are really bad at the sport. I am the best of the three of us.” Then, he asked Jack if he would like to play with him. Jack said, “OK.” Then, the two began to play.

As a tall boy, Nick showed great skill (技巧) at playing badminton. It was not easy for Jack to win, but still, he won the game. To Jack’s surprise, Nick said, “I can win if I have a racket (球拍) as good as yours.” However, Jack didn’t think so. He said, “Let’s swap rackets to play again.”

Unluckily for Nick, he still lost the game. This time round, Nick had no excuses. He lowered his head and planned to leave. However, Jack went over to him, saying, “Do not be sad! You are a skilled player, too.” Hearing this, Nick learned that he should not be too proud because there would always be somebody better than him.