A boy was walking home from school when he saw a large, tempting（诱人的）apple on one of the branches of an apple tree hanging out over a tall fence. The boy wasn't much of a fruit-eater, preferring a bar of chocolate if given the choice but, as they say, the forbidden fruit can be tempting. Seeing the apple, the boy wanted it. The more he looked at it, the hungrier he felt and the more he wanted that apple.
He stood on tiptoe(脚尖)，stretching as high as he could, but even as his tallest height he was unable to touch it. He began to jump up and down, as high as he could, at the top of each jump stretching his arms to get the apple. Still it remained out of reach .
Not giving up, he though, if only he had something to stanf on. His school bag wouldn't give enough height and he didn't want to break the things inside, like his lunch box, pencil case, and Gameboy. Looking around he hoped he might find an old box, a rock, or, with luck, even a ladder, but it was a tidy neighborhood and there was nothing he could use.
He had tired everything he could think to do. Without seeing any other choices, he gave up and started to walkaway . At first he felt angry and disappointed thinking about how hungry he had become from his efforts , and how he really wanted that apple. The more he thought like this, the more unhappy he became.
However the boy of our story was a pretty smart guy, even if he couldn't always get what get he wanted. He started to say to himself. "This isn't helpful I don't have the apple and I'm feeling miserable as well. There's nothing more I can do to get the apple—that is unchangeable—but we are supposed to be able to change our feelings. If that's the case, what can I do to feel better?"