Once there lived two brothers. The elder was called Simon and the younger Victor. They1each other very much, and always took care of one another. Every day they worked from morning 2night, getting as much grain(谷物) as possible from their fields.

    One late autumn evening, after their work in the3was done, Simon said to his wife, "Victor got married last month. He has many bills(账单) to pay. I think I will put a bag of rice in his barn(谷仓). “Oh, that's a good idea,” said his wife. “But please don't tell him,” said Simon, “If he knows I put the rice there, he will4take it.”

    So, late that night Simon took a bag of rice to Victor's barn. The next day, while looking at his own barn, he found5strange. “I took a bag of rice to Victor's house last night,6 I still have the same number of bags in my barn.7 did that happen?”

    Simon decided to take another bag of rice to his brother's barn that night. But the next morning, he found the8number of bags in his barn again! “This is very strange,” he thought. That night he9again. He carried a large bag of rice on his shoulder(肩膀); and walked down the road to his younger brother's house. In the bright moonlight, he could see another10coming down the road. He was carrying something on his11 too. “Younger Brother!” Simon cried, “What are you doing?” “I was12you, Older Brother,” said Victor, “Your family is13 than mine. I thought you needed more rice.” The two brothers quickly14that they had been taking rice to each other. They15what had happened. “It is good to have a brother like you,” they both said. And they lived happily ever after.

Who Is Cleverer, the Son or the Father?

    Mr Clarke works in a middle school. He likes reading and often1some books from the library. He enjoys2to the radio every morning and reading3after supper. So he knows much and teaches well. His4worship (崇拜) him very much. Mike, Mr Clarke's little son, is only nine. He5likes reading books. And he often asks his father some questions. Mr Clarke always thinks he's too6to understand him and chooses（挑选） the easiest ones7. Of course the boy is not happy with it.

    One day Mike reads8about the electric lights (电灯) and is9in it. When his father tells him to do some housework, he is thinking of it. He asks him10questions, and his father answers all. Then his father says proudly (自豪地), “Fathers always know more than sons!” The boy thinks11a while (一会儿) and says,“12!”

    “Oh? Why?”

    Mike doesn't answer13asks instead (反而), “Who invents（发明） the electric lights?”

    “14”answers Mr Clarke.

    “Why doesn't his father invent them, then?”

    Looking at his son, Mr Clarke doesn't know15to answer!

    In 1933 an unknown American called Clarence Nash went to see the filmmaker Walt Disney. He had a(n) 1 voice and he wanted to work in Disney s cartoon film for children. When Walt Disney heard Nash's voice, he said, "Stop! That's our 2!"

    The duck was the famous Donald Duck, who first appeared in 1934 in the film The Wise Little Hen. Donald lived in an old houseboat and 3 his sailor jacket and hat. Later that year he became a star after an eight-minute Mickey Mouse film. The cinema audience liked him because he was 4 and greedy (贪婪的) and he lost his temper (发脾气) very quickly. And they loved his 5 when he became angry with Mickey's eight nephews. Soon Donald was more 6 than Mickey himself, probably because he wasn't a goody-goody like Mickey.

    In the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s Donald and his friends Mickey, Goofy and Pluto 7 hundreds of Disney cartoons. He also made educational films about the place of the USA, and 8 in the home. Then in 1966 Donald Duck and his voice 9 —there were no more new cartoons.

    Clarence Nash died in February, 1985. But today's children can still see the old cartoons on 10 and hear that famous voice.

    In order to reduce the stress on the students, Nanjing No. 1 High School has1a "mark bank". The bank lets students "borrow" marks2they can pass exams, and then repay them in later tests.

    Here's3it works: The "mark bank" allows students to4marks if they fail the exam. But, just like real banks, it requires "clients (客户)" to pay back the loan (贷款) on time, with interest (利息).  So students have to pay for the loan by getting extra marks in future exams. Some teachers also allow the students to repay the bank5doing lab experiments or giving public speeches. Students who don't pay back their loans are blacklisted (列入黑名单) by the bank, just like in real life.

    "I was sick before the mid-term exams and missed several geography classes," one student said, "I failed the exam, so I am glad the 'mark bank' gave me a 6to pass the exam."

    7many people think the "mark bank" is a great idea, not8supports the idea.  Education expert Xiong Bingqi, for example, believes9the "mark bank" is not proper, but thinks that it takes stress off the students.  Others think that such an idea just causes students to be10in their studies.

    Charlotte's Web (《夏洛特的网》) is popular with readers of all ages. It is a story about two 1 : a little pig called Wilbur and a spider (蝴蛛) with the name of Charlotte.

    One day, the pig Wilbur is sold (卖) to a farmer. Wilbur has no 2 there, and other animals look down on (看不起) him. He is unhappy and sad. But his 3 turns around when he meets the spider Charlotte and Charlotte becomes a great friend to him.

    There is 4news for Wilbur. He is going to be slaughtered (屠杀). It seems that there is no5for him until Charlotte thinks of a clever plan to help him. She uses her web to write messages of praise (赞扬) about Wilbur. People in this town never 6messages in a spider's web. So they think that the messages must come from God! Wilbur becomes 7enough to go to a big game. He doesn't 8 the game, but the famous web makes sure that he will never be slaughtered. The sadness of the story is the spider Charlotte herself. Saving Wilbur makes her very9. And after giving birth to her babies, she dies (死). When Wilbur thinks he will have no friends again, three young and small baby 10come and become his new friends.

    You have probably heard the expression, "It's raining cats and dogs outside." It means that it's raining very hard but not that 1 cats and dogs are filling from the sky. 2, one day in June, 1882, it really did rain 3 over Dubuque, Iowa. The frogs began falling along with hailstones (冰雹) during a 4 storm.

    Hail is 5 when drops of rainwater are caught by heavy winds and are carried high up into the air. There the raindrops become 6. Many drops may freeze together to form 7 of ice; these ice balls, or hailstones, then 8 to earth.

    During the storm in Dubuque, the strong winds 9 small frogs from nearby ponds into the air along with raindrops. When some of these frogs became covered 10 ice, both hailstones and "frog-stones" fell onto the ground.