Down in a Well

One day a farmer's donkey fell into an abandoned well．The animal cried piteously for hours as the farmer tried to figure out what to do．Finally，he decided the animal was too old and the well needed to be covered up anyway；so it just wasn't worth it to him to try to retrieve the donkey．

He invited all his neighbors to come over and help him．They each grabbed a shovel and began to shovel dirt into the well．Realizing what was happening，the donkey at first cried and wailed horribly．

Then，a few shovel fulls later，he quieted down completely．The farmer peered down into the well，and was astounded by what he saw．With every shovel full of dirt that hit his back，the donkey would shake it off and take a step up on the new layer of dirt．

As the farmer's neighbors continued to shovel dirt on top of the animal，he would shake it off and take a step up．Pretty soon，the donkey stepped up over the edge of the well and trotted off，to the shock and astonishment of everyone．

Life is going to shovel dirt on you，all kinds of dirt．The trick to getting out of the well is to stop wailing，and not let the dirt bury you，but to shake it off and take a step up．Each one of our troubles is a stepping-stone．We can get out of the deepest wells just by not stopping，never giving up！Shake it off and take a step up．

Words and Expressions

- piteously adv．可怜地，慈悲地

- retrieve vt．找回，回复，挽回

come over过来，从远处来

- shovel n．铲子

- wail v．痛哭，哀号

- astound vt．使震惊，使大吃一惊

on top of在……之上

- trot v．匆匆忙忙地走；小跑

to the shock and astonishment of everyone让大家震惊的是

Read and recite the following sentences：

Life is going to shovel dirt on you，all kinds of dirt．The trick to getting out of the well is to stop wailing，and not let the dirt bury you，but to shake it off and take a step up．Each one of our troubles is a stepping-stone．We can get out of the deepest wells just by not stopping，never giving up！Shake it off and take a step up．

Now try writing out the sentences here：

Life is going to __________ you，all kinds of __________．The trick to __________ the well is to __________，and not let __________ you，but to __________ and __________．Each one of our troubles is __________．We can get out of the __________ just by __________，never __________！__________ off and __________ up．

参考译文

井中之驴

有一天，农夫的驴子掉进了一口废井里。驴子悲伤地叫了几个小时，农夫也一直在思索着该怎么办。最后他决定放弃这头驴，反正驴子已经老了，而这口井也需要填平，所以，不值得花力气把它弄上来。

他把所有的邻居都叫过来帮忙，每个人拿着一把铁锹，开始铲垃圾填井。刚开始，当驴子意识到发生了什么事时，它痛苦地号叫起来。

后来，让大家奇怪的是，它安静了下来。农夫又铲了些垃圾，当他再次望向井底时不禁大吃一惊。对落在自己身上的垃圾，驴子做了一件不可思议的事：它把它们抖下来，然后踩上去。

当农夫的邻居们不断地把垃圾铲到它身上时，它就不断地抖下来，再踩上去。很快，每个人都惊讶地看着驴子踏上井口的边沿，然后疾驰而去。

生活会把个各种各样的垃圾铲到你身上。从井里跳出来的方法就是：抖掉身上的垃圾，然后踩上去。每一个麻烦都是一块踏脚石，只要我们永不停息，永不放弃，把它们抖下来，踩上去，即使再深的井也能爬出来！