B

    A man bought a donkey (驴子) at the market one day and took him home. Now the man has owned several donkeys already and he knew them very well. One of the donkeys was very strong and brave, another was moody(喜怒无常的). One donkey was very lazy, he hated going to work in the morning and he did as little as he could all day long. When the other animals were being loaded(装载) up, he always tried to be the last so that he would get the lightest load.

    The man took the new donkey into the yard. For a moment he stood there, looking at his new friends. Then, without thinking, he walked up to the lazy donkey and began eating comfortably at his side.

    Though it was late in the day, the man immediately took the new donkey out of the yard, straight back to the market. "You cannot do like this," said the merchant (商人), "It is only ten minutes since you bought him."

    "I don't need him any more," replied the man, "I know just what he is like from the friend he chose for himself. Take him away and give my money back. I don't need donkeys like him."

    Nadia Comaneci, a famous gymnast(体操运动员), was born in Romania in 1961.

    When she was doing cartwheels (侧手翻) on the playground at the age of 7, a PE teacher saw her. He told her family that she was very good and advised Nadia to train in the capital of Romania. Although it was a long way from her home, Nadia went because she loved gymnastics(体操).

    After that, she trained hard and took part in lots of competitions. In 1975, she was named as one of the Athletes of the 20th Century.

    In 1976, Nadia went to the Olympics in Canada. She was so fantastic in the competition that everyone waited for the score, a high score. But the score board showed 1.00!

    Everyone was surprised. There wasn't a sound for a moment. Then a voice came. "Ladies and gentlemen, Nadia Comaneci…10!"

    The audience cheered very loudly. So what happened? Well, when the scoreboard was built, no one thought a score of 10.00 was possible. The decimal point(小数点) was in the wrong place! In fact, the scoreboard only had three digits (数位) to show scores, such as 9.50 or 9.85 at that time.

    In the 1976 Summer Olympics, Nadia Comaneci scored a perfect 10, which was thought impossible before. From then on, she was looked as a hero. In 1984, she got retired (退休的).

    Brother Bear and Sister Bear know quite a lot about Bear Country. They know where the best honey trees are. They know the best places to see a rainbow (彩虹). But they don't know much about money. When they get some money, they run quickly to the Bear Country Mall and spend it. Sometimes, Sister puts her money in her piggy bank. But she usually spends it just a moment later. Brother doesn't even have a piggy bank!

    One day, Brother and Sister go to the mall. They see a new video game. It looks exciting. They run home to ask Papa to buy it. Papa gets angry. He shouts, "Video game! At the mall! You must think money grows on trees!" "You must make your money! Life is about working, making money and saving (存钱) for a rainy day!" Now Brother and Sister know how serious (严重的) it is. They begin to think about making money.

    In fact, Brother and Sister are very good at making money. They sell flowers by the side of the road. They sell strawberries door to door. They take visitors to see the most beautiful rainbow. They take care of pets for neighbours. Sister's piggy bank is full. Brother has to borrow Mama's sugar bowl to keep all his money.

    "I think that's enough. Look at them!" says Papa. "Yes. In the past, they didn't care about money. But now they care too much about it," says Mama. "Come here, children." says Papa. "Are you going to spend all your money?" "Yes!" Brother and Sister say together. "That's not good," says Mama. "You should spend only some of the money on useful things. And put some money there for a rainy day."

    Brother and Sister ask, "Where do we put our money?" "I think the Bear Country Bank is a good place, says Mama. "Good," says Papa. "The money can be your nest egg (存款)." That day the Bear family goes to the bank and opens an account (帐户) for Brother and Sister.

    There is a pilot (飞行员) and four people in a small plane. Suddenly there is something wrong with the machine while it is flying in the air. The plane begins to fall down. The pilot tells the people there are only four parachutes (降落伞). They all become worried and start to make excuses.

    "I must go," says the pilot, taking one of the parachutes and jumps out. The first person stands up, "I'm a doctor," he says. "I help people live longer and I save lives." He takes a parachute and jumps out.

    The next person says, "I must have a parachute. I am a very clever person. I have to attend an important match. I know I will win the game because I'll be the cleverest person there." He picks up a pack and jumps out.

Two men are left—an old businessman and a young mountain climber. At this time the plane is going down fast. The businessman says, "Young man, I am old but you are still young. You take the last parachute." The young mountain climber smiles. "Don't worry," He says. "We can both jump out because there are still two parachutes. Just now the clever man jumped out with my backpack."