There was a little boy with a bad temper(脾气). His father gave him some nails(钉子)to drive into the fence(栅栏)when he lost his temper.
The first day the boy drove 37 nails into the fence. Then it began to become less. He found it was easier to control his temper than to drive those nails into the fence.
Finally the day came when the boy didn't lose his temper at all. He told his father about it and the father suggested that the boy should now pull out one nail for each day that he was able to control his temper. The days passed and the young boy was finally able to tell his father that all the nails were gone.
The father took his son by the hand and led him to the fence. He said, "You have done well, my son, but you look at the fence. It will never be the same. When you say things in anger, they leave a scar(伤痕)just like this one. You can put a knife in a man and draw it out. It won't matter how many times you say I'm sorry, the wound(伤口)is still there. A verbal(言语)wound is as bad as a physical one. It is important to practise self-control.
