I was lucky to have a happy childhood, one that most people would want to have. My family lived in a tiny     1     in Scotland. Our neighbors next door had a son named Danny, and we grew up together.

We     2     long summer evenings in the forests, digging up worms for fishing, and collecting feathers left by the birds. It was here that I discovered that I was allergic (过敏) to the tiny flies which     3     me and made my face swell (肿). There were a few walnut trees above the village and we would frighten the squirrels away and wait for them to ripen (成熟). However, the village was too far north for a proper     4    .

Danny was a     5     boy, and we made things out of branches, which we tried to sell in the village shop. We even     6     a tree house. Once I lost my footing, fell out and     7     my foot, so Danny washed my wounds in the river. He was a very     8     boy for someone so young. My mother     9     blamed me for tearing my clothes.   

It was the finest     10     anyone could have, and I’m proud of calling him my friend.

The 75­-year­-old Joe lived very happily in a village and had a big warm family. His children     1     and moved to different cities. Now he has four grandchildren, and they usually visit him during their holidays.

During one     2     , Joe was preparing his home for the kids: cleaning the house and cooking their favorite foods. After he finished working, he realized his watch was     3     . The watch was from his     4     and he treasured it very much, so he was very upset. He looked for it but could not find it anywhere.

When his grandchildren came, they promised him they would find the watch which was given by their grandma.

One granddaughter asked, “Grandpa, do you remember when you saw it the     5     time?”

“I guess when I was cleaning the     6     ! ” he replied.

The children looked for more than two hours with Joe, but they couldn’t find it. The kids were now also sad, but they tried to comfort their grandpa.

One grandson went back to the garden to look again. He was there for about 15 minutes and rushed back with a(n)     7     look on his face.

Then everyone was very surprised to see the watch in his hand. They asked how he was able to find it. The little boy replied, “I sat there without making a noise. After a few minutes, I heard the ‘tick, tick’ sound and found the watch.”

Joe hugged and     8     the little boy.

This is the power of silence. If we stay calm (冷静), we are more able to find the ways of solving problems.