Mary is an American girl. Her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Smith find work in China. So they live in Wuhan now. Mr. Smith works in a big shop. Mrs. Smith teaches English in a middle school. Mary goes to that school on weekdays. On Sundays she goes shopping with her mother. She likes dumplings very much. Every time they'd like many dumplings. It's 6:30 in the evening now. Mrs.Smith is cooking. Mr. Smith is helping her with the housework. What's Mary doing? She is doing her homework carefully.

阅读下列短文，从下面每小题的A、B、C、D四个选项中选出最佳选项。

    A couple of sparrows(麻雀) lived happily in a huge tree in a jungle. The female sparrow had laid her eggs and they were expecting their babies soon.

    One day, an elephant was unable to tolerate the heat of the summer sun. He destroyed all trees, including the tree where the sparrows lived.

    The sparrows managed to escape by flying away, but they lost their babies. The eggs fell down to the ground and broke into pieces. They cried loudly and decided to kill the elephant.

    They asked their friends, a woodpecker and a fly for help. The fly took them to meet one of his friends, an old frog. The frog was wise and he came up with a good plan soon.

    The frog explained, "Fly! Your task is to buzz in the elephant's ears in order to make him sleepy. The woodpeckers task is to hurt his eyes and make him blind. In this hot summer days, he will certainly search for water. I will sit by the nearby pit(深坑) and shout at the top of my voice."

    He continued, "When the thirsty elephant hears me, he will think there is a pond or lake nearby and follow my voice. And when he does so, he will fall into the pit and die."

    The others agreed to the frog's plan. Everyone did their tasks perfectly. Finally, the elephant fell into the pit and died.

    I'm Sharon. One of my favorite countries to go on vacation is China. After falling in love with the country on business（生意）trip two years ago, I took my children to China last summer.

    We visited three cities, but Xi'an was the most interesting one. This old city is amazing and our children loved to ride bicycles on the famous City Wall. The wall is about 14 kilometers long and it has a very long history. Visitors can rent bicycles there and it is very cheap. And on each corner（街角）you can take a rest and enjoy a bottle of cold water, because it was very hot when we visited it in July. Trust（相信）me, your children will love the trip!

    Comments（评论）

    Tina Reply

    Aug 31, 2018

    Hi, Sharon! I also think China is a great country to visit. We just came back from Beijing and we had great fun. Next time, we'll go to Xi'an on vacation. Can you tell me some other interesting activities in Xi'an?

    Sharon Reply

    Sep 1, 2018

    Hi, Tina! I'm glad that you love China, too. I think you can try some Chinese food in Xi'an. There're also a lot of places of interest in Xi'an. I'm sure you'll love them!

    "Can I see my baby?" asked the happy new mother. When the baby was in her arms, she couldn't believe her eyes. The baby was born without ears.

    Time proved that the baby's hearing was perfect though he had no ears. He got on well with his classmates. But one day, he said to his mother, tears in his eyes, "A big boy called me a freak(畸形物)."

    The boy's father asked the family doctor, "Could nothing be done?"

    "I believe I could graft(移植)on a pair of outer ears if they could be gotten," the doctor said. They tried to find a person who would be helpful to the boy.

    One day, his father said to the son, "You're going to the hospital, son. Mother and I have found someone who will donate the ears you need. But we must keep it a secret who the person is."

    The operation was a great success, and a new person appeared. His cleverness and hard work made him a very successful person. He married and lived a happy life.

    He would ask his father, "Who gave me the ears? I could do enough for him or her."

    "I can't tell you," said the father. "The agreement says that you are not allowed to know…not yet."

    It was kept a secret for years, but the day did come. He stood with his father over his mother's body. Slowly, the father raised the thick, brown hair. To his surprise, the son found his mother had no outer ears.

    "Mother said she was glad she never had her hair cut," his father said in a low voice, "and nobody ever thought Mother less beautiful, did they?"

    Last summer holiday, I got a job working at a coffee shop.

    One rainy day, one of my regular customers(顾客)came in. He looked upset. He said he wanted to get in bed, pull the sheets（波单）up over his head, and stay there for a few years. I knew that he was unhappy.

    Before he left, I handed him a bag along with his iced coffee. He was surprised, since he hadn't ordered anything but coffee. I had given him his favorite type of doughnut(油炸图饼).

    "It's on me, "I told him." Have a nice day."

    He smiled and thanked me before heading into the rain.

    The next day, it was still raining. I spent my afternoon hanging out the window handing people their orders. I was wet and cold. Worse, no one was tipping(给小费)that day.

    In the evening, the customer from the day before drove up to the window. He handed me a pink rose and a note. He said that not many people took time to care about others today. With a friendly wave, he drove away.

    I ran to the back of the shop and read the note. It read：Christine, Thanks for being so sweet, kind yesterday. It is so nice to meet someone who's so nice. Please don't change your ways!

    Have a great day!

——Hank

    After that, whenever I felt upset, I thought of Hank and his kindness. Then I would smile, hold my head up high, clear my throat and ask politely, "How can I help you？"