Have you ever been sad because of failure? Please remember, for quite often achieving what you set out to do is not the most important thing.
A boy decided to dig a deep hole behind his house. As he was working, a couple of older boys stopped by to watch.“What are you doing？” asked one of the visitors.“I want to dig a hole all the way through the earth！” the boy answered excitedly. The older boys began to laugh, telling him that digging a hole all the way through the earth was impossible. After a while, the boy picked up a jar. He showed it to the visitors. It was full of all kinds of stones and insects. Then he said calmly and confidently，“Maybe I can't finish digging all the way through the earth, but look at what I've found during this period！”
The boy's goal was far too difficult, but it did cause him to go on. And that is what a goal is for — to cause us to move in the direction we have chosen, in other words, to cause us to keep working!
Not every goal will be fully achieved. Not every job will end up with a success. Not every dream will come true. But when you fall short of your aim, maybe you can say，“Yes, but look at what I've found along the way! There are so many wonderful things having come into my life because I tried to do something！” It is in the digging that life is lived. It is the unexpected joy on the journey that really makes sense.
语篇解读：本文通过一个小男孩挖洞的故事导入到目标在我们的生活中的重大价值，尽管我们可能无法实现目标，但在朝着目标努力的过程中，我们学会了很多，也得到了很多。
1．The older boys laughed at the boy because he was thought to be________.
A．brave B．impolite
C．foolish D．warmhearted
解析：选C 推理判断题。根据第二段“The older boys began to laugh, telling him that digging a hole all the way through the earth was impossible.”可知其他男孩都嘲笑他，说挖穿地球是不可能的事情，而他还在做。他们都嘲笑他愚蠢。故C正确。
2．Why did the boy show the jar to the older boys?
A．To drive them away.
B．To show what he had found in digging.
C．To show how beautiful the jar was.
D．To attract them to join him in the work.
解析：选B 推理判断题。根据第二段最后一句“Then he said calmly and confidently, ‘Maybe I can't finish digging all the way through the earth, but look at what I've found during this period！’”可知他拿着那个罐子告诉其他男孩，虽然他可能不会挖穿地球，但是在这过程中他会找到很多有趣的东西。以此来说明朝着梦想奋斗的过程是很有趣的事情。故B正确。
3．What can be learnt from the fourth paragraph of the text?
A．No dream can come true.
B．All work will end successfully.
C．Goals shouldn't be set too high.
D．Goals will make us work harder.
解析：选D 推理判断题。根据文章第四段“But when you fall short of your aim, maybe you can say, ‘Yes, but look at what I've found along the way! There are so many wonderful things having come into my life because I tried to do something！’”可知当我们没有能够实现自己的目标的时候，我们会发现在朝着目标努力的过程中，我们会学到很多有用的东西。也就是说目标会让我们更加努力。故D正确。
4．The best title for the text should be________.
A．A Boy Dug a Hole
B．Joy in the Journey
C．No Pains, No Gains
D．Failure Is the Mother of Success
解析：选A 标题归纳题。本文通过一个小男孩挖洞的故事导入到目标在我们的生活中的重大价值，尽管我们可能无法实现目标，但在朝着目标努力的过程中，我们学会了很多，也得到了很多。四个选项中只有A项和文章内容相关，其余三项与主题无关。故A正确。
