Denzil wasn't a very clever donkey. He always did some silly things because he didn't think. "Look out," the other donkeys said. "Here comes Denzil—everybody runs away!"

    One day, Denzil carried two heavy bags of salt, one on each side of his back. When he was crossing a big river, he fell into the water. The salt began to melt. When he tried his best to stand up, all the salt was gone. "Hey, that's really great," thought Denzil. "I must remember that. Next time I can do it again when I'm crossing a river."

    The next time he carried two bags of cotton(棉花). "Watch this, everybody," said Denzil when he and his friends got to the middle of the river. He went into the water and was gone! Nobody told him that cotton could get heavier in water. The other donkeys pulled him out at once and luckily he was still alive.

C

    When my wife and I went to live in an Arab country, my friends told us to be prepared for a culture shock. Later, we realized that the advice given to us by our friends was correct.

    The culture shock started with the weather. Here, the burning sun can cook an egg in a minute! The hot weather made us feel so tired that we were falling asleep at mid-day!

    Another culture shock was the working week. We worked from Saturdays to Wednesdays, including Sundays. It was also strange to see people praying in a certain direction! They have strict rules for women. They do not let people see their faces in public. They do not let women drive cars, either. All dresses worn by women have to cover the body completely. They believe that women cannot be seen in public.

    At the weekends, we went camping in the desert. I will never forget watching the sun setting over the desert. We also enjoyed riding on the camels. In the end, we enjoyed living there, but their culture is very different from the American culture.

    Here is a story told an American general (将军) who was a very important figure in the American army during the First World War. Everybody in the Untied States knew him and many people wished to have a picture or something of his in their homes. Soon after the war the general returned to Washington. One day he went to a dentist (牙医) and had six teeth pulled out. A week later the general heard that his teeth were being sold in curiosity shops (古玩店) at $5 each. On each of the teeth there was a label (标签) with the name of the general and words, “Buy these teeth and show them to your friends at home.” The general got angry. He rushed to his office and ordered six officers to go around the city and buy all his teeth. The officers went out and visited every curiosity shop in the capital. They were away from the office all day. In the evening they returned and put on the table in front of the general the teeth they had bought. They had collected 175 teeth.

    Bill is a good boy. He is seven years old, and he likes going to school. But he cannot get up early.

    He always wakes up until (直到) nine or ten o'clock in the morning.

    His mother doesn't want him to be late for school, so she buys an alarm clock for him. She says to Bill, "You must get up when you hear the clock ring." "Yes, Mum," Bill answers. From then on, when he hears the clock ring at six o'clock in the morning, he gets up quickly.

    One day his mother forgets to wind up (上发条) the clock. And the next morning, Bill doesn't get up on time. It's time for breakfast, so his mother goes to wake Bill up, Bill is in bed and his eyes are open. "Why don't you get up?" his mother asks, "You tell me that I must get up when I hear the clock ring, so I am waiting for the clock to ring," Bill said.

    I am a Chinese middle school student. I am 1 . I am in Class Three Grade Seven. I go to school by 2 every day.

    I live in Beijing. There are four people in my 3 . They are my father, my mother, my 4 and I. My father is a manager and my mother is a secretary in 5 office. My sister and I are 6 school.

    There are some 7 in my city. And there are many trees in front of 8 buildings. There is a garden 9 my house. There are many flowers in it. I like them very much. There is a playground near my home. I often 10 football in it.