The Strength of Three

There was once a family of three sons. The boys were not kind to one another. In fact, they fought constantly, each one trying to beat the others in some sort of sport. For instance, if one boy were building a raft（筏子）, another had to build a canoe（独木舟）.（26）_____ Because each of them worked alone, their work was difficult, and the results were not always worthwhile.

Their father feared they would never learn to cooperate.（27）_____ He gathered up a large bundle of reeds（一大捆芦苇杆）and tied them together. At dinner, he announced a contest: "I challenge you to break this bundle of reeds in half, for whoever figures out the secret will win a life of rich rewards."

（28）_____ He took the bundle in his hands and used all of his strength to try to break the reeds, but they would not break. His younger brother took on the challenge. He balanced the reed across the top of the table and used all of his weight to try to break the bundle, but it did not break. Finally, he gave up, and the youngest brother took the bundle in his hands.（29）_____

Finally, the father took the bundle from them. He divided the bundle into three equal piles. "Now break your bundle, "he said. The task was easy, Each broke his bundle with hardly any effort. "When you divide your work, it is easy and you can accomplish much," the father said. And with that, the young men understood that alone each of them was weak.（30）_____

（27）_____