Fishing with Grandpa

    One day, my grandfather went fishing, and let me go with him. He handed the rod (钓竿) to me, held my 1 and taught me how to throw my line into the water. Our bobbers floated (浮标漂浮着) together as we sat there, hoping for a bite. The sun 2 us. We sat and talked, “I remember when I could sit here and watch the fish 3 in the water,” he said. “Sometimes, they'd jump out and 4beside me. I didn't need a rod and bait (饵) at that moment.” “We have to be 5,” he continued, “The fish may come or they may not. It doesn't matter. We're out in the 6. It's a beautiful day. We're lucky to have the warmth of the sun. If it had rained, we wouldn't be here. ” He sat against a tree. “Yes, it's a 7 day,” he said. I watched our dobbers. 8 fish pulled them under that day. It didn't matter. I was with Grandpa. I felt grown up. Just being with him was special. He was well loved by everyone and I wanted to 9 him when I grew up. He'd worked hard all his life for what little he had, but he could still find time to laugh. He was a relaxing man. In the short time we had together, he 10 me many things: how to hold a rod, the value of a good time, the value of a good friend, respect for my elders, and the importance of working hard and living harder. The list is long.

    When Jane was a little girl, she liked keeping pets. She had many books about animals and there were many pictures and stamps on the walls of her bedroom. She often said that she would work in a 1 when she grew up.

    Most of Jane's pets were quite small — parrots, cats, dogs and so on. But one day she met something quite 2 .

    That afternoon, Jane's mother was surprised to see a big animal with long hair in the kitchen. He 3  a T-shirt and was sitting on a chair, trying to put on a pair of glasses and making faces at her. In front of him, on the table, were a basket of fruits and a glass of water. “Jane, where are you?” the mother shouted. Then suddenly she remembered that a few days before a young gorilla (大猩猩) called Gor had run away from the zoo.

    “I found him in the city square,” Jane said. “He seemed so lonely. I talked to him. We became friends at once and he followed me 4 .”

    “Well, you know you 5  keep him,” her mother said. “You must send him back to the zoo. You'd better phone the police.”

    Soon a 6  came and also a truck from the zoo. 7  was angry with Jane when she told her story. The policeman knew Jane loved animals. And the zookeeper said, “Thank you for your kindness (好意). I can see Gor likes you, 8  we need him back.” Jane agreed. She hugged Gor and said that she would go and see him 9 .

    These days Jane has stopped collecting 10 , but you can still find her with her friend Gor at the zoo on Saturdays and Sundays!

    I will never forget an accident that happened in my own childhood. When I was a boy of twelve, something happened to me that made me never1any birds in a cage.

    We lived on the edge of a2in South Carolina, and every evening many mockingbirds would come and rest in the trees and sing. There isn't any sound that can be3 than the song of the mockingbird.

    I decided to catch a young bird and keep it in a cage, 4in that way, I could have my own musician. I finally caught one and put it in a cage. The bird was5and fluttered about the cage, but finally it became quiet in its new home. I felt pleased with6 and looked after my little musician carefully.

    On the second day, the bird's mother flew to the cage7food in her mouth. The baby bird ate up8she brought. I was pleased to see this. Certainly his mother knew better than I how to feed her baby.

    The following morning when I went to see9my little bird was, I found it on the floor of the cage, dead. I was very surprised! What had happened! I had taken great10of the little bird, or so I thought.

    Arthur Wayne, a famous scientist, happened to be in the forest where we lived at the time. Hearing me crying over the11of my bird, he told me what12. "A mother mockingbird, finding her young in a cage, will sometimes bring it poison(毒药) food. She thinks13better for her young to die than to live in a cage."14I have never caught any birds or put them in a cage. All the birds have the right to15in the sky .