Four Seasons of a Tree（一棵树的四季）

       Four Seasons of a Tree（一棵树的四季）
       Don’t judge a life by one difficult season．
There was a man who had four sons． He wanted his sons to learn to not judge things too quickly． So he sent them each on a quest，in turn，to go and look at a pear tree that was a great distance away．
The first son went in the winter，the second in the spring，the third in summer，and the youngest son in the fall．
When they had all gone and come back，he called them together to describe what they had seen．
The first son said that the tree was ugly，bent，and twisted． The second son said no － it was covered with green buds and full of promise．
The third son disagreed，he said it was laden¹ with blossoms that smelled so sweet and looked so beautiful，it was the most graceful² thing he had ever seen．
The last son disagreed with all of them；he said it was ripe and drooping³ with fruit，full of life and fulfillment．
The man then explained to his sons that they were all right，because they had each seen but one season in the tree’s life． He told them that you cannot judge a tree，or a person，by only one season，and that the essence of who they are － and the pleasure，joy，and love that come from that life － can only be measured at the end，when all the seasons are up．
If you give up when it‘s winter，you will miss the promise of your spring，the beauty of your summer，fulfillment of your fall． Don’t let the pain of one season destroy the joy of all the rest．

1 laden   

adj.装满了的；充满了的；负了重担的；苦恼的

参考例句：

• He is laden with heavy responsibility.他肩负重任。
• Dragging the fully laden boat across the sand dunes was no mean feat.将满载货物的船拖过沙丘是一件了不起的事。

2 graceful   

adj.优美的，优雅的；得体的

参考例句：

• His movements on the parallel bars were very graceful.他的双杠动作可帅了!
• The ballet dancer is so graceful.芭蕾舞演员的姿态是如此的优美。

3 drooping   

adj. 下垂的，无力的 动词droop的现在分词

参考例句：

• The drooping willows are waving gently in the morning breeze. 晨风中垂柳袅袅。
• The branches of the drooping willows were swaying lightly. 垂柳轻飘飘地摆动。