Once upon a time, the colors of the world argued.

Green said, "Clearly I am the most important. I am the sign of1and hope. I am the color of grass, trees and leaves.2me, all animals would die.”3 said loudly. "What is the color of the sky and the sea? Isn't water the most important thing for life?" Yellow laughed, "I bring laughter, happiness and warmth into the world. Every time people look at a 4, they start to smile. Without me there would be no fun." Orange said at the top of his voice, "I am the color of health and strength. Think of carrots, pumpkins and oranges. When I fill the sky at5 or sunset, everyone is6 at my beauty." Red could7 it no longer, so he shouted, "I an the color of danger and bravery. I give people courage." The colors went on8. Their voices became louder and louder. The thunder（雷）got angry and the9started to pour. When the colors began to cool, the rain said, "You foolish colors! Don't you know that each of you is special?10hands and follow me." They did what they were told and together made the most beautiful rainbow（彩虹）。

    One day,all the birds decided to hold a1to see who could be the king.

    The crow(乌鸦)said,“The one who flew the2could be the king.”Everybody3.As the birds got ready for the competition,no one noticed a small sparrow(麻雀）creeping(缓慢行进）under the wings of an eagle(老鹰).Before the competition was over,the sparrow came out from the eagle's wings and4shouted loudly.He wanted to fly the highest.

    The other birds heard the noise and found out what happened.They were angry5the sparrow and they decided to punish him,The sparrow flew into a small6in an old tree.None of the other birds could fly into the hole7it was too small.

    The owl was known to be the8.Other birds asked him to watch the hole and to9the sparrow.Hours passed and the owl grew sleepy.When the owl10his eyes,the sparrow flew away.

    The owl felt ashamed and thought that he would no longer be called wise.So he decided to come out only at night.He didn't want anyone to see him.

    Thanksgiving Day was near. The first grade teacher gave her class a fun 1 — to draw a picture of something for which they were thankful.

    Most of the class considered turkey and other traditional goodies of the season. These, the teacher thought, would be the 2 of most of her students' art. And they were. But in her class there was a different kind of boy, Douglas. He was always unhappy. When other children played together, he was likely to stand close by the teacher's side. The boy drew a hand in his picture. 3 else. Just an empty hand.

    Whose hand 4 it be? His abstract (抽象的) picture made classmates really 5. One child guessed it was the hand of the6, because they raise turkeys. Another suggested police officers, because the police 7 and care for people. Still others guessed it was the hand of God, for God feeds us. And so the discussion went — 8 the teacher almost forgot the young artist himself.

    When the children went on to other projects, she 9 at Douglas' desk, bent down, and asked him 10 hand it was. The little boy looked away and said in a low voice, "It's 11, teacher."

    The teacher recalled the times she had taken his hand and walked with him here or there, as she had the other students. How often had she said, "12 my hand, Douglas, we'll go outside." Or, "Let me 13 you how to hold your pencil." Or, "Let's do this together." Douglas was most thankful for his teacher's hand.

    Hearing the boy's words, tears ran down the teacher's face. She brushed aside a tear and went on with her work.

    The story speaks of 14 than thankfulness. It says something about teachers teaching and parents parenting and friends showing friendship. They might not always say 15, but they'll remember the hand that reaches out.

    One day, a lady on a carriage saw a young man walking on the rocky road.1 the young man didn't wear shoes and it seemed that there was 2 wrong with his feet.

    She asked the driver3him up, and said she would pay4 him. Then she asked the young man 5. He said he was going for the nearest sea-port, to offer himself as a sailor.

    Twenty years 6 on the same road, a sea-captain 7 was on a carriage saw an old lady walking along, and he made the driver stop his horses. He pulled up8old lady, saying, “I'll pay the money.”

    After 9 on the carriage, the old lady thanked the captain, “for,” said she, “I am10 poor to pay for a ride now.” The captain said, “I remember, twenty years ago when I was a poor man, near this very place, I 11 a ride on a carriage along the road by a kind lady.” “Ah,” she was 12“I am that lady! But things13with me since then.” “Well”, said the captain, “I have made some money, and have come home to enjoy it. I 14you twenty-five pounds a year if you accept my offer.” The  old lady's eyes were full of tears, and 15accepted the sailor's offer.

    I was living in a house with a long history in Halifax, Nova Scotia five years ago. One day one of my friends from the West Coast came out to visit me. He was1for 3 weeks so he brought a lot of bags and suitcases, and other things like a2. I told him he could sleep on the bed in the front living room.

      One morning after a late night of drinking, my friend ran into my room shouting" Fire, Fire". Without3, I jumped out of bed. The floor was4against my feet as I ran into the hallway, right behind my friend. I couldn't see the fire anywhere, 5as we ran towards the front door, I could hear the6making a loud noise all around me. It was inside the7. We ran out into the front yard and looked8at the house, seeing black smoke coming out of the9house.

      We were standing there watching the house when I looked down and10all of my friend's bags and suitcases11lined up on the front grassland, including his basketball. 12he noticed the house was on fire, he took all of them out to the grassland before coming back to13me about it. That fire had started in the basement（地下室）, and it spread up into the walls and was burning the14we were standing on. The floor and much of the house fell down not long after we came out. The firemen said we were very15.

Of course，we are not friends anymore.

    J. K. Rowling is the writer of Harry Potter, which is now one of the best-sellers in the world. She1born in Britain on July 31st, 1965. She has one sister who is two years2 than her. Both girls liked3to their father's bedtime stories. They especially loved stories about magic. Rowling wrote her first story4the age of six.

    On a long train trip in 1990, an idea came to her. She wanted to write about a boy who had magic but he didn't know it. In 1992, Rowling began5the first Harry Potter book for young6. It appeared in June, 1997. The book was a great success. And the film came out in November, 2001. Now the Harry Potter series (系列) is7with people of all ages and about sixty8books were sold in 200 countries. In this series, Harry is an ordinary boy: polite, friendly, brave and clever. So when children read about Harry, they can imagine being like him. That's9the Harry Potter series has been so popular.

    J. K. Rowling is very10with the success. Now she's really enjoying life. She said she would go on writing children's books.