A long time ago, a father was old and sick. He did not have much time to live, and he wanted     1     (give) his sons a good lesson before he died.

Recently, he noticed that his sons     2     (fight) among themselves and seemed unable to agree on anything. The old man feared what would happen after his     3     (die). He was afraid that his sons would begin to argue. “They will disagree about everything,” He thought. “Soon they     4     (be) enemies, each going his own direction.”

He called his sons together in his room. “Bring     5     (I) a bundle (束) of stick,” he asked his servant (仆人). Soon enough, a thick bundle of sticks arrived, tied     6     (close) together. One by one, he gave the bundle to each son, and asked him to break the bundle. One son after another pulled and twisted (拧) with all of his strength (力量),     7     the sticks would not break. The old man smiled and ordered his servant to untie the bundle of sticks. He handed one stick to each son and said, “Now break the stick.”

The old man smiled and ordered his servant to untie the bundle of sticks. He handed one stick to each son and said, “Now break the stick.” Of course, the single stick     8     (break) in two easily. The old father looked at his sons. “Do you understand this lesson?” he asked.

Each son, being intelligent,     9     (understand) the meaning at once. Alone, it is easy for one of them to be harmed. But together, they are strong and can’t be harmed even     10     great forces (势力). That’s the meaning of the sticking together. In unity, there is great strength.