farmer and donkey

 　　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 decided¹ 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 retrieve² the donkey.

　　He invited all his neighbors to come over and help him. They each grabbed a shovel³ and began to shovel dirt into the well. Realizing what was happening, the donkey at first cried and wailed⁴ horribly.

　　Then, a few shovel-fulls later, he quieted down completely. The farmer peered down into the well, and was astounded⁵ 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 trotted⁶ off, to the shock and astonishment⁷ 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 wailing⁸, 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.

　　一日，农夫的驴子掉进了一口枯井里。这只动物凄惨地叫了几个小时，与此同时农夫努力地思考该如何处理。最后，他认为这头驴太老了，而且这口井也该填上，花力气把这头驴弄上来很不值得。

　　他找来所有的邻居帮忙。他们每个人都拿了一把铁锹，开始往井里扔土。驴子意识到将要发生什么，于是发出了痛苦的哀嚎声。

　　然而，几锹土下去之后，驴子平静了下来。农夫向井里望去，他被眼前的景象惊呆了：每当有一锹土落在驴背上的时候，它就会把土抖掉，踩在脚下。

　　当邻居们不断地把土扔到井里的时候，驴子就会把土抖掉踩在脚下。很快，驴子脚下的土就和井口一样高了，于是，它大摇大摆地从井里走出来，惊呆了周围的每一个人。

　　生活可能会把各种各样的土加在你的身上。从井中走出的秘密就在于停止悲叹，不要让土把你掩埋，抖掉身上的土，向上走一步。生活中遇到的每一次麻烦都是你向上攀登的台阶。只要不放弃，不停止奋斗，即使最深的井你也可以走出来。抖掉身上的土，向上走一步！

1 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

2 retrieve   

vt.重新得到，收回；挽回，补救；检索

参考例句：

• He was determined to retrieve his honor.他决心恢复名誉。
• The men were trying to retrieve weapons left when the army abandoned the island.士兵们正试图找回军队从该岛撤退时留下的武器。

3 shovel   

n.铁锨，铲子，一铲之量；v.铲，铲出

参考例句：

• He was working with a pick and shovel.他在用镐和铲干活。
• He seized a shovel and set to.他拿起一把铲就干上了。

4 wailed   

v.哭叫，哀号( wail的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• She wailed over her father's remains. 她对着父亲的遗体嚎啕大哭。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The women of the town wailed over the war victims. 城里的妇女为战争的死难者们痛哭。 来自辞典例句

5 astounded   

v.使震惊(astound的过去式和过去分词)；愕然；愕；惊讶

参考例句：

• His arrogance astounded her. 他的傲慢使她震惊。
• How can you say that? I'm absolutely astounded. 你怎么能说出那种话？我感到大为震惊。

6 trotted   

小跑，急走( trot的过去分词 )； 匆匆忙忙地走

参考例句：

• She trotted her pony around the field. 她骑着小马绕场慢跑。
• Anne trotted obediently beside her mother. 安妮听话地跟在妈妈身边走。

7 astonishment   

n.惊奇，惊异

参考例句：

• They heard him give a loud shout of astonishment.他们听见他惊奇地大叫一声。
• I was filled with astonishment at her strange action.我对她的奇怪举动不胜惊异。

8 wailing   

v.哭叫，哀号( wail的现在分词 )；沱

参考例句：

• A police car raced past with its siren wailing. 一辆警车鸣着警报器飞驰而过。
• The little girl was wailing miserably. 那小女孩难过得号啕大哭。