Once Mr. King had a cat, and he loved it very much. He called it "Sky", because he thought "Sky" was the strongest name in the world.

    One day he had a meal at a restaurant with his cat. He met his old friend. He told him about his lovely cat and its name. His friend said, "How foolish you are! Sky is not the strongest thing in the world. My cat is called „Cloud' because cloud is stronger than sky." After hearing this, Mr. King called his cat "Wind" because he thought wind was stronger than cloud.

    After a few days he suddenly thought that "Wall" was stronger than wind. And "Mouse" was stronger than wall. So he went to his friend to ask for an idea. His friend said, "Don't you think Cat is stronger than mouse？" "Yes, but..."

    The man thought and thought and then decided his cat's name had better be "Cat" because a mouse was always afraid of a cat. Don't you think Mr. King is very silly or funny？

    The Kennedy Elementary school band(乐队)is special. That's because Tony Boland, a member of it, is a 79-year-old flute(长笛)player. His story tells us that you're never too old to toot the flute.

    After working at the school for more than ten years, Tony joined the fifth graders in the band. His grandchildren were at the school. He help with reading.

    He started tooting the flute many years ago, when his wire tried to throw away(扔掉)their daughter s flute.

    "You will play better if you play with others," he told a reporter.

    Brian Enabnit thought Tony would make a difference to the band. "He's great. He's helping the students around him, "Enabnit said.

    Tony practises with the students once a week and performs with them. They played at the Dubuque Community School District's Band Festival earlier this month.

    Fifth-grade student Courtney Less thought her older classmate was successful. "He's an excellent player," Courtney said. "All of us are afraid when giving a performance, but he isn't."

    "Oh, my son!" a lady cried.  Her child fell into the river. The water carried him away quickly. A man came and said, "Can you give me the clothes or shoes of your son?"

    The lady gave him a pair of shoes. The man turned to his dog. He first pointed to the shoes, and then to where the child had sunk(下沉).

    The dog jumped into the river. Soon people saw him swim back with something in his mouth. When people pulled the child and the dog from the water, everyone was happy. The lady ran to her son. The child was alive(活着的)! The lady said to the dog's owner, "Oh, sir. Thanks for saving my son. I'd love to give you anything to buy the dog!"

    "Madam, I am very glad that my dog helped you.  But I would not give him to others for anything in the world," said the man.

    It seemed that the dog knew they were talking about him. He lay down beside his owner's feet and seemed to say, "Nothing can separate(使分离) me from my owner. "

    On the first day in her new house，Mouse wrote a letter to her old friend.

    On the way to the post office, Mouse saw Beaver. He gave Mouse a big smile.

   "Perhaps I should say hello, "thought Mouse." Beaver's teeth are so long and sharp（锋利的）. Beaver wouldn't make a good friend. Not like Vole, whose smile was kind." So Mouse left without saying hello.

    After lunch, Mouse heard a knock on her door. Then she peeked（偷看）out the window. It was Squirrel.

   "Perhaps I should invite her in for tea, "thought Mouse." But Squirrel talks a lot. Squirrel wouldn't make a good friend. Not like Vole, who always listened." So Mouse didn't open the door.

    That night, Mouse looked at a picture of herself and Vole. She thought back to the first time she met Vole. She remembered feeling afraid-afraid of Vole's eyes and Vole's large size.

    In fact, Vole had seemed so different that Mouse almost decided Vole wouldn't make a good friend.

    Mouse realized something." I made a mistake!" she cried.

    The next morning, Mouse made some cakes and put them in a basket.

    She went to Beaver's house first, and next to Squirrel's house.

    When Mouse returned home, she was smiling. She went to her desk and wrote a letter to Vole.