I will never forget the tenth summer of childhood with my grandfather in western Norway at the mountain farm where my mother was born. As a boy ,I always thought people simply bought whatever they need. Whether Grandfather knew this, I don't know. One day he said, ”Come, I have something for you.”

I followed him to a workroom. “You should have a toy boat. You can sail it at Storvassdal.” He said. Great, I thought,looking around for the boat. But there was none.

Grandfather pointed to a block of wood. “The boat is in there,” he said. Then he handed me some tools and showed me how to use them properly. “It'll be a fine boat,and you'll make it with your own hands,” he said,”No one can give you what you do for yourself.”The words rang in my head as I worked. Finished the boat. It wasn't much to look at ,but I was poud. Then I sailed it at Storvassdal.

We had to return to America. “You cannot bring that boat home with you,” my mother said. We already had too much baggage. Feeling sad, I hid my boat under a big rock at Storvassdal.

I said good-bye to Grandfather, not knowing I would never see him again.

In 1964, I went to Storvassdal with my parents and my wife and children. To my surprise,for 34 years my treasure stayed here,waiting for my return. I felt we three were togethet again although my grandfather had died 22 years before.

I carved "1930”and "1964”on its side and put it back.

I returned to the lake in 1968,1971,1977 and 1988. Each time I had the boat and carved the year,my grandfather seemed near.

My last trip to Storvassdal was in 1991. I brought my granddaughters: Catherine,13; Claire,12. I hoped they would understand the importance of the little boat and its simple message. At Storvassdal, Claire said softly, ‘Grandpa,someday I'll come back.' She added,”And I'll bring my children.”

阅读下列材料，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C、D）中，选出最佳选项。

    After that, we went on down the river. It was very dark that night and it wasn't easy to see where we were going. Suddenly, a big steamboat came at us very fast, and the next minute it was right over us. Jim and I jumped off the raft (木筏) into the water. The boat hit the raft and went on up the river.

    When I came up out of the water, I couldn't see Jim anywhere. I called out his name again and again, but there was no answer. “He's dead!” I thought. Slowly, I swam to the side of the river and got out. I saw that I was near a big old wooden house. Suddenly a lot of very angry dogs jumped out at me. They made a terrible noise and someone called from the house, “Who's there?”

“George Jackson,” I answered quickly. “I've fallen off a river boat.”

    Well, the people who lived in that house were very kind, and they took me in and gave me some new clothes and a good meal. I told them that my family were all dead, so they said I could stay with them as long as I wanted. It was a beautiful house and the food was good there, so I stayed.

    A few days later one of the slaves in the house came to me and said, “Come with me!” Together, we went down to some trees by the river. “In there!” he said and went away.

    On the ground, I found a man, asleep. It was Jim! I was really pleased to see him. When the steamboat hit the raft, Jim told me, the raft didn't break up. Jim swam after it and caught it. Then he began to look for me.

We decided to leave at once. It's all right living in a house for a little while, but you feel more free and easy and comfortable on a raft.

根据短文理解。选择正确答案。

    At my primary school, I was one of the smartest kids there, I never studied, but always got perfect scores. I thought I was born clever. At least I believed so. I was also a prodigy in music according to myself. I could sing better than almost everyone else in my school. I was pretty sure that once I got t sixth grade, everyone would be surprised by me.

    But actually, they weren't.

When I arrived at my new class, I couldn't wait to show everyone what I could do. However, there weren't" always someone else who could do them better. My grades began to suffer. More talented (有天资的) girls often sang solos(独唱). I believed I wasn't smart. I believed I wasn't talented. I believed I was a failure.

   Over the next two years, I had to work very hard. Every prize for the singing competition was given to me for hard work and effort. Grades were still very low but improving little by little. I worked really hard. However, I was never the best at everything.

    I haven't realized until recently that I really don't have to be the best at everything. I was too hard on myself. In fact, when I did badly in a test, my classmates never laughed at me.

    No one is perfect. There will probably always be someone better than me at something. Anyway, there are about seven billion people in this world. I will never be the number one at everything, and that's really okay.

    In a faraway kingdom, there was a river. It was the home to many golden swans (天鹅). The swans spent most of their time in the river. Every six months, the swans would leave a golden feather (羽毛) as a paying for using the river. The soldiers of the kingdom would collect the feathers and gave them to the king.

    One day, a homeless bird saw the river. "The water in this river seems so cool and nice. I will make my home here," thought the bird.

    The minute the bird landed near the river, the golden swans noticed her. They came shouting, "This river belongs to us! We pay a golden feather to the king to use this river. You can not live here."

    "I am homeless, brothers. I will also pay. Please give me a place to live in," the bird pleaded (乞求). "How can you pay for it? You do not have golden feathers," said the swans, laughing. They added, "Stop dreaming and leave at once." The poor bird pleaded many times. But the arrogant (傲慢的) swans still drove the bird away.

"I will teach them a lesson!" decided the bird, feeling angry.

    She went to the king and said, "Oh, my king! The swans in your river are rude and unkind. I pleaded for a home but they said that they had paid to live in the river with golden feathers."

    The king was angry with the arrogant swans for having driven the homeless bird away. He ordered his soldiers to bring the swans to his palace. In no time, all the golden swans were brought to the king's palace.

"Do you think our kingdom depends on your golden feathers? You can not decide who lives by the river. Leave the river at once or I will kill you!" shouted the king.

    On hearing the king's words, the swans flew away sadly. The bird built her home near the river and lived there happily. She gave homes to all other birds who came to the river.

Jingxi Taiping Drum is a traditional folk dance that is popular in Mentougou of Beijing. It was included in China's national intangible cultural heritage (非物质文化遗产) in 2006.

This art dates back to the Spring and Autumn Period (770- -221 B.C) and it was originally (最初) used to wish for good luck. The art was first called the Taiping Drum during the Northern Song Dynasty (960- -1127). At the beginning of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), it started to be popular in and around the capital, and then by the end of the Qing Dynasty, it was introduced to Mentougou area of Beijing.

Jingxi Taiping Drum is usually made up of a shell, a cloth skin, and a handle. And this single-sided drum is usually played with a wooden hammer. The instrument is in the shape of a fan, as this design suits the performance better.

Jingxi Taiping Drum dance has been performed in local villages as well as on national and international stages. It has been performed in lots of cultural events, including the opening ceremony of the 1990 Asian Games in Beijing and the 2011 China's Cultural Heritage Day. In 2006 and 2007, it was also performed in Olympic activities in Australia and the United States.

Today, the folk art of the Jingxi Taiping Drum is being taken up by the young and is showing its lively artistic beauty all over the world.

Once, three fish lived in a pond. One evening, some fishermen passed by the pond and saw the fish. "This pond is full of fish," they told each other excitedly. "We have never fished here before. We must come back tomorrow morning with our nets and catch these fish!" So saying, the fishermen left.

When the eldest of the three fish heard this, he was afraid. He called the other fish together and said, "Did you hear what the fishermen said? We must leave this pond at once. The fishermen will return tomorrow and kill us all!"

The second of the three fish agreed. "You are right," he said. "We must leave the pond."

But the youngest of the three fish laughed. "You are worrying without reason," he said. "We have lived in this pond all our lives, and no fisherman has ever come here. Why should these men return? I'm not going anywhere—my luck will keep me safe."

The eldest of the three fish left the pond that evening with his entire family. The second fish saw the fishermen coming in the distance early next morning and left the pond at once with all his family. The third fish refused to leave even then.

The fishermen arrived and caught all the fish left in the pond, including the third fish's luck.