When an ice cream sundae(圣代冰淇淋) cost much less, a boy entered a coffee shop and sat at a table. A waitress put a glass of water in front of him.

    "How much is an ice cream sundae?"

    "Fifty cents," said the waitress.

    The little boy pulled his hand out of his pocket and studied a number of coins in it. "How much is a dish of plain ice cream?" he asked.

    Some people were waiting for a table, and the waitress was not patient. "Thirty-five cents," she said angrily.

    The little boy again counted the coins. "I will have the plain ice cream," he said. The waitress brought the ice cream and walked away. The boy finished, paid the money, and left.

    When the waitress came back, she was surprised at what she saw. There were fifteen cents placed beside the empty dish. That was her tip.

    Last weekend I went camping with my dad and my brother, Jim. We took a tent, sleeping bags, flashlights, water and food. We reached the campsite (营地）on Saturday afternoon. There was enough room to build a campfire. Jim and I collected some dry leaves, small sticks and Dad started a campfire. Then we cooked potatoes and cabbages for our supper and had some apple cakes. Everything tasted delicious.

    Soon it was time to put up the tent. We helped Dad pull the tent out of the bag, but unluckily, we found no poles (杆子）to hold it up. “Oh,” cried Jim, “I left them at home.” What could we do? Dad looked up the starry (星光璀璨的）sky. The night was clear and the air was warm. “It's OK, we don't need a tent.” Then he put the sleeping bags on the ground.

    We slept well that night. The sun was shining on us when we woke up the next morning. I think it was my best camping trip.

C

    ①He was 11 years old and went fishing every chance he got at his family's small house on an island in the middle of a New Hampshire lake.

    ②On the day before the bass(鲈鱼)season opened, he and his father were fishing early in the evening, catching sunfish and the bass with worms. Before long, when his fishing pole doubled over, he knew something huge was on the other end. His father watched him with admiration as the boy skillfully worked the fish alongside the bank and he very successfully lifted the exhausted fish from the water. It was the largest one he had ever seen, but it was a bass.

    ③The boy and his father looked at the handsome fish, the fish jumped up and down in the moonlight. The father looked at his watch. It was 10 P. M.-two hours before the season opened. He looked at the fish, then at the boy. "You will have to put it back, my son.” he said.“ I have never seen such a big fish before.” cried the boy“ There will be other fish." said his father. The boy looked around the lake. No other fishermen or boats were anywhere around in the moonlight. He looked again at his father. Even though no one had seen them, nor could anyone ever know what time he caught the fish, the boy could tell by his father's voice that the decision couldn't be changed. He slowly worked the hook out of the lip of the huge bass and lowered it into the water.

    ④That was 34 years ago. And he has never again caught such a beautiful fish as the one he landed that night long ago. But he does see the fish again and again-every time he comes up against a question of ethics(伦理). For, as his father taught him, ethics are simple matters of right and wrong. It is only the practice of ethics that is difficult.

    ⑤We would if we were taught to put the fish back when we were young. For we would have learned the truth. The decision to do right lives fresh in our memory. It is a story we will proudly tell our friends and grandchildren.

    There was once a spider that lived in a cornfield. She liked this home and planned to stay there for the rest of her life.

    One day, the spider caught a little bug (小昆虫) in her web. Just as the spider wanted to eat him, the bug said: "If you let me go, I will tell you something important that can save your life."

    The spider thought for a little while and listened. "You'd better get out of this cornfield," the little bug said. "The harvest (收获季节) is coming!"

    "I think you are just telling me a story," the spider said with a smile.

    "Oh no, it is true," the little bug said." All the stalks (秆) will be knocked down, and the corn will be. You will be killed by the large machines if you stay here."

    "I don't believe you," the spider said as she ate the little bug for lunch.

    A few days later, the spider was laughing about the story the little bug had told her. She thought to herself: "A harvest! What a silly idea. I have lived here all of my life, and nothing has ever troubled me."

    The next day was a beautiful sunny day. The sky above was clear, and there was no wind at all. That afternoon, when the spider about to have a rest, she noticed something like clouds moving toward her. She could hear the noise of a great engine, and she said to herself: "I wonder what that could be?"