Unit 15　Learning

Life Lessons from Tiny Ants

　　动物对我们的生活很有启发，如从蚂蚁的群居生活懂得了协同分工的团队精神，从蚂蚁的失败意识到决不放弃......

　　When I was 7 years old，with my mum's help，I built an ant farm.First，we put clean sand in a glass box，and then we waited for the live ants to arrive.Shortly，after a number of ants were dropped into the glass structure，they got down to making tunnels.I was amazed that each one knew exactly what to do.1. I also kept a diary of what happened each day and named the ants.

　　One day a tragedy struck the ant farm.The pages of the diary，still wrinkled where tear drops fell，indicate the depth of the tragedy.I had put my face so close to the glass structure that I accidentally tipped it over，and all the tunnels collapsed.2. I was terrified as I watched them give up their tunnel­building to carry the dead bodies to a corner of the farm.My mother said that the ants were dying of "frustration"．They simply could not stand the reality that their tunnels had been destroyed.

　　Although much time has passed，I still think of that ant farm.Mom had hoped it would teach me about the natural world，but it taught me much more.Over the years，I came to realise the ants were a study in the benefits of teamwork.3. I also learned that they should be admired for their hard work.Day in and day out，each laboured at their task.The ant farm showed that teamwork and perseverance were indeed two key factors to success.

However，there is an even larger lesson that I did not realise until recently: adversity is a natural part of life，and must be accepted.Unlike the ants，humans can't give up when they face disappointment.Unlike the ants，we have to realise that if a tunnel collapses，we just have to build another.4.