Most kids in Britain have pet bears. This animal is both furry (毛茸茸的) and friendly. But it cannot move or make any noise. That's because it is a teddy bear. Most teddies are in the shape of a small bear. They are usually brown and stuffed (填充) with cotton. Kids love them very much.

    Paddington bear is one of the most famous teddy bears in the world. Yet there are many types. Do you know Winnie the Pooh? He's another popular bear!

Cute, soft teddy bears were born in the 20th century. However, they don't have just one place of birth. Both American and German toymakers made the teddy bear at the same time!

    Teddy bears have long been a popular kids' toy. They are in songs, stories and films. There are even teddy bear museums around the world. And it's not even just kids who hold teddy bears. It's a popular present for lovers, usually on Valentine's Day.

    In the UK it is popular for a newborn baby to get a teddy bear as their first gift. The day I was born, my grandmother handed me a teddy bear. She made it herself. That makes him the same age as me! I took him everywhere I went, holding his arm at nighttime and falling asleep with him. And I still have that bear with me today. It is the best gift I have ever gotten.

Once, a gentleman （绅士） was traveling on a bus. ⑴He felt thirsty and got off at a station in search of water. However, before he got back to the bus, it left and he missed it. The man decided to find a place for a day's stay. He went to the nearby hotels to ask for a room but found none. 

At last he reached a small hut （小屋）. He asked the owner of the hut

⑵____he could stay in his house for a day or not. The owner agreed. On that day the owner served him food and gave him a room to stay in, but did not ask for or expect anything in return. 

⑤At night when it was about eight o'clock, the gentleman heard a knock at the door. The owner opened the door. A well—dressed man entered and asked the owner to pay his debts （债务）. 

The gentleman came to know that the owner was in need of money. The next morning he left some money and a note on the table in the room and left. 

When the owner saw the money, he found that there was also a note. It read, "You helped me but did not expect anything from me. Yesterday I heard the conversation between you and the stranger and came to know that you were in need of money. This is what you need. "

On a Friday night, a poor young violinist was playing his violin at the entrance of the subway station. He played such great music that people slowed down to l{#blank#}1{#/blank#} and put some money into his hat. 

The next day, the violinist came to the entrance again. He put down his hat as usual. Beside the hat was a piece of paper with some w{#blank#}2{#/blank#} on it. It said, "A George Sang has put an important thing into my hat by mistake. Welcome to claim (认领) it. " Soon the people were all attracted by the words and wondered w{#blank#}3{#/blank#} it could be. After a while a man rushed through the crowd, took the violinist's shoulders and said, "I knew you would certainly come here. " The violinist asked, "Did you l{#blank#}4{#/blank#} anything?" "Lottery (彩票). " The violinist took out a lottery ticket with Sang's name on it. Sang took it and danced happily. 

Sang was an office worker. He bought the lottery and w{#blank#}5{#/blank#} a prize of ＄500, 000. But when he gave ＄50 to the violinist for his wonderful music, the lottery ticket was thrown in, too. The violinist was a college student. That morning, he was going to fly to Vienna for high-education. However, when he f{#blank#}6{#/blank#} the ticket, he put off the flight and went back to the entrance. 

Later someone asked the violinist why he didn't take the lottery ticket to pay for his high education. He said, "Although I don't have much money, I live h{#blank#}7{#/blank#}. If I lose honesty, I won't be happy forever. "