There are two mice. They are called Bill and Paul. They are good friends. One mouse lives in the country; the other mouse lives in the city. On a sunny day they meet in the street.

Paul: Hi, Bill! Have a look at my house in the country. I'm sure you can enjoy yourself.

Bill: I'd love to. But I hear that the food is not delicious, and your house is not good. Is it so?

Paul: No, that's not true. Go and see!

Then Bill goes to the countryside with Paul.

Bill: Why do you live in a hole in the field? You should come and live in the city. You would live in a nice house made of stone. You would have better food to eat. You must come and see me at my house in the city.

Paul: Thanks! Maybe you are right. I'll visit your house one day.

____days later Paul goes to Bill's house in the city. The house is big and beautiful. They are sitting in the sitting-room, having a big dinner comfortably. Suddenly, there a great noise.

Bill: Run! Run! The cat is coming!

Paul: Oh, no! It's terrible! Both the house and the food are nice, but I do not like living in the city. I enjoy living in my hole in the field, for it is nice to be poor but happy than to be rich but afraid.

    More than anything else in the world, Lion liked being King of the jungle.  He walked around, showing off his power and pride.

    Each day Lion took a long lazy sleep under the shade of his favorite tree.  He always dreamed of weaker animals bowing(鞠躬) before him.

    One day Mouse ran through the jungle and tripped over Lion's huge paws.  Lion woke up with a start. “How dare you wake me up!” he shouted angrily. Lion grabbed(抓住) Mouse with one paw. “On the second thought, I'm in the mood for the snack, and you'll make a delicious meal.” he said.

    Mouse cried out, “King Lion, please spare（饶恕） me! If you let me live, I'll always remember your kindness.  And, some day, I might be able to help you.”

    “How could such a powerless little mouse ever help me?” That thought made Lion laugh so much that he decided to let Mouse go.  A week later, Lion was walking through the jungle on the way to his favorite tree when he stepped onto a hunter's net.  The net scooped him up. No matter how he twisted (扭动) and turned, he couldn't escape.

    When Mouse heard Lion's frightened shouts, he raced to help. Mouse quickly chewed（咬）through the ropes to make a hole in the net.  Soon, Lion moved out and was free. Lion looked down at the little mouse. “Thank you for saving my life,” said Lion, smiling his widest smile.  “I was mistaken.  You are not a powerless little mouse. You are a great friend!”

    When Grandma welcomed us, she was dressed in bright colors and wore jewelry(珠宝)I never knew she had. She seemed to be in a good mood(心情), but because of her deafness, communication was still difficult.

    It had been half a year since my last visit. She must have thought that as an overseas student, I don't get to eat much good food anymore. So, with her wrinkled(皱纹)hand, she passed me some homemade pastries(糕点).

    Her hands tested the temperature of my cup again and again, and every time it showed a slight sign of cooling down, Grandma poured in more hot water. She also never allowed me to stop eating. As soon as I finished what was on my plate, she gave me something new to try. Finally, when my stomach couldn't take any more, she stopped and held my hands as she sat beside me.

    When it was time to leave, she walked downstairs to see us off. The sun shined on the white pearls(珍珠)round her neck. She was smiling, and her wrinkles sat happily on her soft skin. People usually compare wrinkles to a dry tree trunk(树干). But to me, my grandmother's wrinkles are among the loveliest things I've ever seen.

    There used to be a time when I disliked old age and stayed away from elderly people, but that was because of my ignorance(无知). And now I understand that there's beauty in everything. My grandma's wrinkles are just like a thousand stories being told all at once.

Learn to rise again

    It is not always easy to discover yourself.From a(/an)1age, I had a strong sense of who I wouldbecome—but an accident changed everything.

    To me, skating was more2thananything else in the world. Nothing else filled my heart with so much3.I spent 24 hours a week developing my skills. I had no social life or interestsother than4.But I was rewarded (回报) with first place medals in nearly every competition.

   5,during one competition, I fell and was badly injured. The doctor told me that Icouldn't skate any more. The pain in my back was6tobear (忍受) and even basic daily tasks became difficult.

    My passion (激情) had been7.I lost heart and had no idea what I would become. After eight months of suffering,something had to8. Instead of sitting around and wasting mydays, I began to work with local community service projects. By volunteering asa swimming teacher and summer reading assistant (助教) for kids, I gotan idea of whom I wanted to become. After a few months, I9anew interest. Little by little, I stepped out of the shadow and rebuilt my confidence.

    Sometimes, challenges in life will get in theway. We can choose to stay behind or try to get past these challenges.  My10was a challenge that failedto stop me from reaching success. Today, I'm a very confident and optimistic (乐观的) person.

Helen Keller was both blind and deaf. 1 she couldn't see or hear, she still became a skilled writer and speaker.

Keller was born on June 27, 1880, in Tuscumbia, Alabama. When she was 19 months old, she became very 2 and the illness made her unable to see or hear.

When Keller was 6, she got a teacher named Anne Sullivan. Sullivan used Keller's sense of 3 to teach her. She handed Keller a doll. Then she wrote the letters of the word "doll" on Keller's hand so that Keller can 4 the connection between the letters and the object she was holding. Then she learned that things had names.

With Sullivan's help, Helen made progress 5 . Soon she could 6 sentences by feeling raised words. A few years later she learned Braille (盲文), which helped her read more and learn more.

Even though learning to speak was a bigger challenge, Keller decided to face it bravely 7 giving up. Keller 8 to do it by touching the mouth and throat of a person who was speaking. In that way she could feel the way the mouth and throat moved and then she learned to speak.

Keller was a(n) 9 learner because she learned quite well and made great progress. She graduated from Radcliffe College in 1904. Then she wrote magazine articles and books and gave speeches about blindness. Her efforts have had a great 10 on the whole world and encouraged many disabled people to be independent.