C

    June lived in a small southern village (村庄). It was very hot there. She had a friend named Dec. Dec lived in a cold northern village. They often wrote to each other. June liked reading Dec's letters very much. He often talked about snow. She wished she could see it herself.

    One day, June wrote a letter to Dec and asked him to send her snowflakes(雪花). A few days later, she got a box from Dec. Dec said that he sent her many snowflakes in the box. June was excited. But after she opened the box, she found no snowflakes, only water. June cried. She cried for a long time until she slept.

    Then she had a dream. She dreamt that a snowflake talked with her. The snowflake told her that she only needed to make a wish to see snow. She then wished as hard as she could for snow. The next morning, June got up. She remembered her dream and her wish. She then ran out. The earth was covered with white snow. It snowed!

    This was the best gift for June! She really liked it.

    "My dear lady," says Holmes. "You're shivering. Are you cold? Do you want a cup of hot tea?"

    "I'm not cold," the woman replies. "I fear for my life!"

    "We are here to help you. Don't worry about anything. I don't know you. But I know many things about you. For example, I know how you travel. You came to London by train. You also rode to the train station on a horse­drawn wagon(马拉车). "

    "Why, yes. You're right. But how do you know these things？"

    "I see a return ticket in your glove. I see fresh mud on the left arm of your dress. Now tell us your problem. "

    "My name is Helen Stoner," she states. "My mother and father are dead. I am living with my stepfather, Dr Grimesby Roylott. He comes from a rich family. But they are no longer rich. They have nothing except a small piece of land and a huge old house. We are living in the house. Dr Roylott is using my mother's money for expenses(开支). Part of it was for my sister and me. It was for our marriages."

Holmes is sitting in his chair. His eyes are closed. He is listening carefully to Helen's story. He hears every detail.

    Helen continues. "My stepfather has no friends. He fights with everyone. He is strong and gets angry quickly. Everyone is afraid of him. "

    "He has no friends at all?" asks Holmes.

    "No. He talks to no one except the gypsies. They are poor people who travel from place to place. A band of gypsies is staying on our land right now."

    "Are you and your sister afraid of the gypsies?"

    "My dear Mr. Holmes. You are making me so sad. My sister is dead. That is why I am standing here in this room."

It was a lovely 1 afternoon. My classmates and I were playing happily on the playground when I let out a 2 , "OW! OW! Something in my shoe is biting me."

Everyone was shocked by the cry. They took me into a classroom and3 take off my shoe. "Which foot is it?" one asked. "Let us have a look."

Suddenly, I remembered the holes in my socks. My family was very poor during those years. I wore welfare socks, which 4 only a little, but those cheap welfare socks didn't 5 long. Soon there were holes at the bottom. 

I refused to take off my shoe. I couldn't 6 others seeing the holes in my sock. I tried to7 my tears. Yet, each time the thing in my shoe bit me, tears raced down my face. 

My teacher, Miss Diane, hurried into the 8 . "What's wrong?" she asked. 

"Something is biting her right foot,9 she doesn't let us take off her shoe," one of my classmates answered. 

Miss Diane lived next door to me. She knew 10 about my family. She put both hands on my shaking shoulders and looked into my painful and hopeless eyes. 

"Oh, yes, it must be a sock-eating ant," she said,11 she had already seen the thing inside the shoe. "I had a bite from one of those ants. By the time I took my shoe off, it had eaten 12 the whole bottom of my sock." My classmates nodded while they were listening to the teacher 13 , although they all looked a little puzzled. 

Miss Diane took off my right shoe and sock and shoot them over the dustbin. Two red ants 14 into it. 

"Just like what I thought, the ants have eaten part of her sock." When she placed an alcohol (酒精) cotton ball on the bites, she added, "You are such a brave girl to take so many bites."

The alcohol made me feet cool on the hot afternoon and a little girl's 15 was saved by the "sock–eating ant" story.

One day, a father took his son to go back to their hometown. They visited the little boy's uncle who lived on 1 farm. They spent three days and nights on the farm. When they were 2 the way home, the father asked his son," How was the trip?"" It was 3 , Dad." said the son.

" What did you learn from the trip?" asked the father.

The son answered," We have one dog 4 they have five. We have a small pool that reaches the middle of our garden and they have a big river 5 has no end. We have some 6 in our garden and they have the stars at night. We have a small piece of land to 7 on and they have fields that go beyond(超出) our sight. We need to buy our food, but they grow theirs. We have walls to protect 8 , but they have friends to protect them. The boy's father 9 by his son's words.

Then his son added," 10 rich they are! Thank you for showing me what a poor life we live."