Once, a king showed two men a large basket in the garden. He ___1___ them to fill it with water from a well. After they began their work, he left, saying, “when the sun is down, I will come and see your work.”

　　At last one of the two men said, “What's the use of doing this foolish（愚蠢的）work ___2___ fill the basket.” The other man answered, “That's none of your business.” The first man said, “You may do ___3___ you like. but I am not going to do such a foolish thing.” He ___4___ his basket and went away. The other man said no word, and kept on carrying ___5___.

　　As he poured the ___6___ basket of water into the basket, he saw a bright thing ___7___ it. He picked it up. It was a beautiful gold ring. Just then the king came. He knew that he found the kind of man he wanted ___8___ he saw the ring. The king told him to keep the ring for ___9___ “You have done so well in this little thing,” he said, “Now I know I can ___10___ you with many things.”

“Can I see my baby?” asked the happy new mother. When the baby was in her arms, she couldn’t believe her eyes. The baby was born without ears.
Time proved that the baby’s hearing was perfect though he had no ears. He got on well with his classmates. But one day, he said to his mother, tears in his eyes, “A big boy called me a freak(畸形物).”
The boy’s father asked the family doctor, “Could nothing be done?”
“I believe I could graft(移植)on a pair of outer ears if they could be gotten,” the doctor said. They tried to find a person who would be helpful to the boy.
One day, his father said to the son, “You’re going to the hospital, son. Mother and I have found someone who will donate the ears you need. But we must keep it a secret who the person is.”
The operation was a great success, and a new person appeared. His cleverness and hard work made him a very successful person. He married and lived a happy life.
He would ask his father, “Who gave me the ears? I could do enough for him or her.”
“I can’t tell you,” said the father. “The agreement says that you are not allowed to know…not yet.”
It was kept a secret for years, but the day did come. He stood with his father over his mother’s body. Slowly, the father raised the thick, brown hair. To his surprise, the son found his mother had no outer ears.
“Mother said she was glad she never had her hair cut,” his father said in a low voice, “and nobody ever thought Mother less beautiful, did they?”
【小题1】The mother was surprised at the first sight of her baby because the baby __________.