Stone is all around us. Stone is usually very hard, but it can also be s ____48____ . Stones have many uses. In some countries, a ____49____ carve beautiful things out of soft stones,because they can be shaped easily. In a ____50____ times,people carved small persons or animals out of soft stones which could be carried along with. While in some European c ____51____ , statues are carved from hard stones and they do not change easily. In summer the hot sun s ____52____ on these statues and in winter the snow falls on them, but they still r ____53____ beautiful. Stone is strong and long-lasting. So it is good e ____54____ for buildings. A house built of stone does not catch fire as easily as i ____55____ made of wood. Some stones are colored,so they make the buildings look w ____56____ . People can also get a fire with stones. Besides, some kinds of stones can be used to m ____57____ jewelry. We’re found stones are really amazing.