An elephant and a monkey were arguing (争论).

    “Look, how big and strong I am!” The elephant said.

    The monkey didn't agree, “Look, how fast I can run and climb! Can you?”

    At last they asked a clever tiger, “Which is better—to be strong or to be quick?”

    The tiger said, “Go across the river and pick the fruit on that tree for me, then I can tell.”

    So they went to the river, but the water ran fast and the monkey was afraid.

    “Get on my back,” said the elephant proudly (自豪地), “I shall carry you.”

    Soon they crossed the river. There stood the tree. But the fruit was too high for the elephant to reach. He tried to pull the tree down, but failed.

    “Don't worry.” The monkey climbed quickly up the tree, and picked the fruit.

    Then they came back and gave the tiger the fruit. “Which is better — to be strong or to be quick?”

    The tiger smiled, “Both of you could not get the fruit alone. It took both the elephant's strength and the monkey's quickness to get it.”

    The mystery(悬疑) stories of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle are famous all over the world.

    The detective in his stories is called Sherlock Holmes. He solves mysteries in a most surprising way. Through it all, his assistant, Dr Watson, watches with admiration(钦佩). Watson then writes up the story of the mystery afterwards.

    This is a useful story writing skill. Because Watson is not very clever, the story remains a mystery until the end. The readers can sometimes pick up some clues before he does! Then, to make Watson understand the mystery, Holmes has to explain it all, step by step. So we, the readers, get to see it step by step too. Watson is almost as good a character in the story as Sherlock Holmes!

    The very first time they meet, Holmes greatly surprises Watson. When they are first introduced, Holmes says to Watson, "How do you do? I see you have been to Afghanistan.”

    Watson is too amazed by this to ask Holmes how he knows this. Watson has, indeed, been to Afghanistan. Later, he asks Holmes about it. Holmes explains that there is nothing magical about what he does. He gets to know it all by very, very careful observation (观察).

Observation One

    Watson was introduced to Holmes as a doctor. Yet Holmes thought that the way he stood and walked made him seem like a soldier. So, this meant he was probably an army doctor.

Observation Two

    Watson's face was quite dark skinned. But his wrists(手腕) were pale. So his dark face was probably sunburnt. This meant that he had been to a hot, sunny country. As he was a working doctor, this was not a holiday. He must have gone with the army.

Observation Three

    At the time, the British army had soldiers at bases in many parts of the world. So there were still a lot of places to choose from. However, Holmes saw that Watson looked very tired and he was always holding his left arm, as if it was painful. So, he had probably been with the army to a place where they were fighting. There was only one place where the British army was fighting at that time: Afghanistan.

    When I first arrived on this island, I had nothing. But I've found the ship and made a small boat. I've brought back many things I can use—food and drinks, tools, knives and guns. Although I have lost everything, I have not lost my life. So I will not give up and I will wait for another ship. I have already cut down trees and built a house. I go out with my gun almost every day to kill animals and birds for food. I'm even learning to grow fruit and vegetables.

    A few weeks ago, I found the marks of another man's feet on the sand. Who else is on my island? Not long after that, I saw some cannibals trying to kill two men from a broken ship. One of them died but the other ran towards my house. I helped him kill the cannibals. This man now lives with me and helps me. I named him Friday because that was the day when I met him. He is smart and I have already taught him some English.

—from Robinson Crusoe

    "Doctor Johnson, I don't want to eat now, that's because nothing has a taste for me. It's been like this for long. In fact, I didn't have a delicious meal after I caught a terrible cold last month, What can I do?"

    "Here are some medicine, Mrs. Harris. Take three pills three times a day for seven days and come back and see me. But remember, don't eat anything during the week, or you can just drink some water."

    Next week an upset Mrs. Harris came into Dr. Johnson's office. "Doctor! I'm doing it just as you told me, but delicious food is still tasteless for me. I don't know what was in those pills, but the problem is worse! What do you have to say for yourself?"

    "But when and how do you take these pills?" asked the doctor.

    "At first, I took these pills three times a day, just before dinner," continued the woman, "but these pills are too bitter (苦). So I had to take these pills after three meals."

    "Calm down, Mrs. Harris," said the doctor soothingly. "Now that we've fixed your taste problem, It's OK now, we'll work on your hearing!"