1 . A farmer owned an old mule (骡子). One day the mule _______ into the farmer’s well (井)unluckily. The farmer heard the mule crying. He tried every possible way to save the mule, but _______.

After carefully thinking about the situation, the farmer decided that neither the mule nor the well was worth greater efforts. _______, he called his neighbors together, told them what had happened, and asked them to help carry dirt to _______ the old mule in the _______ and put him out of his disaster.

At first, the old mule was mad! But as the farmer and the neighbors _______ shoveling (铲土)and the dirt hit his back, an idea _______ to him. Every time a shovelful of _______ landed on his back, he would shake it off and step up!

This he did, blow after blow. “Shake it off and step up… shake it off and step up… shake it off and step up!” He repeated to _______ himself. No matter how painful the blows, or how ________ the situation seemed, the old mule overcame his fear and just kept right on shaking it off and stepping up!

It wasn’t long ________ the old mule, tired out, stepped successfully over the wall of that well! What seemed to have destroyed him actually ________ him…all because of the way ________ which he dealt with his adversity (逆境).

That’s life! We should ________ our problems and respond to them ________, and refuse to give in to fear, bitterness, or self-pity.