From an early age, Parker always said that he would be an astronaut. But no matter ____much he studied, worked, and took tests, he never passed. Finally, he ____ (grow) over the maximum(最高的) age for taking the test. He would never be able to realize his dream.

    People ____ ( feel )sorry for his dream. Although he____ (tell) about having to give up his dream, Parker continued training and studying, as though he was going to sit the tests next month.

    He carried this on as he got ____ (old), and when he was a very old man he heard that they were doing some very important medical experiments. For those experiments they needed ____ very old astronaut. Parker, who now walked with a stick, was the only old man in the whole world who was trained to fly in a rocket.

    So Parker found ____(he) flying in space at last. The experiments were very ____ (succeed). The knowledge from the experiments helped doctors to cure one of the ____(bad)sicknesses for old people, and Parker was celebrated as a hero. Photos of the astronaut with a walking stick and no____ (tooth) spread all over the world. It showed  that persistent effort always brings reward, even though that reward may not be in the form we had first expected.