About five hundred years ago, an earthquake (地震) happened in a small village. Luckily for them, nothing was destroyed (毁坏) and no one was hurt. But a huge stone fell from a nearby mountain and stopped in the middle of the road.

    When the earthquake stopped, many people came to the road and saw the stone. Some of the strongest men tried to lift the stone out of the road. But they couldn't move it. They tried to push it but failed. They tried to pull it with ropes but nothing worked.

    "Well," they said sadly, "there's nothing we can do about it. We'll have to change the way."

    At this time a boy about 12 years old said, "I think I can help you to move the stone away.

    "You?" they shouted. "What are you talking about?" The men all laughed at the boy.?

    The next morning, some people came into the road. One of them shouted, "The stone is gone." More people ran out to see what had happened. It was true. The stone wasn't on the road any longer. It wasn't even near the road.

    The boy walked over to where the stone had been and said, "I buried it."

    The people looked rather surprised. "You see," he said, "I dug a deep hole next to the stone and I dug a small incline (斜坡) up to the stone and the stone rolled (滚) down into the hole itself. Then I covered it with earth."

    The villagers shouted, "Clever boy! Clever boy!" And some of them said, "Why didn't we think out this good idea?"

    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 .

    Becky had never been to the theater to see a movie before. She tried to 1 what it would be like. Mum said it was a really big screen. Dad said there were lots of speakers all around. She 2 what else she would, see and hear there.

    It was a long ride to the theater. Once inside, they stopped at the snack bar for a big bag of popcorn they could 3 and a large soda with three straws (吸管) in it. Then they went up to an entrance. A man checked their 4. Becky could hardly breathe. She was so 5!

    They went down a hallway with lots of cool posters and big cardboard advertisements for the newest 6. They found their theater and entered the dark room, going down another short walkway until they saw all of the seats. It was so big inside! "There must be hundreds of chairs," she thought.

    People came in, sitting in rows, eating popcorn and talking 7 the movie started. The lights were turned off soon after, and the screen came on. Wow, Mum sure was-right. Then the movie 8. Dad was right, too! Becky could feel the seats vibrate (振动) with the loud sound. It was an amazing experience.

    Over an hour later with popcorn gone, soda 9, and the movie over, Becky and her parents left the dark room. It was so bright outside. "Well? Did you like it?" Her parents asked as they got back in the car. "That was interesting. Let's come here 10 sometime!" Becky said happily.

    I remember sitting in an airport one day, waiting for my flight. I was1because I had a first-class(头等的) ticket. And in first class, the seats are2, and the food is more delicious, Actually, I had the best seat on the whole plane! Seat 1A. Before boarding, I3a young lady who had a big suitcase(手提箱) and several carry-on bags holding a crying baby. 4, the handle(把手) of her suitcase broke and the suitcase fell to the floor. She tried 5the case and her bags landed on the floor, too.

    "Let me help." I said to her.

    I 6 her suitcase over my left shoulder, put her bags on my right and asked, "Where to?"

    "Gate 20," she said, and showed me her ticket. Seat 24B

    "Oh, we are on the same flight."

    Boarding started, and I7that she needed the first class ticket. "It looks like you could use the first-class ticket more than me. I know how   8it can be flying with a kid. Why don't we trade tickets?"

    "Are you sure?" she asked.

    "Yes, just take my ticket and give me yours. I really don't9. I'm just going to be working the whole time, anyway."

    "That's very kind of you." she said, and expressed her10as we traded our tickets.

    Then we boarded the plane. I was surprised at the good 11it give me while watching her sit down in seat 1A. In fact, seat 24 B or12I was sitting didn't seem that bad at all. At one point during the flight I wanted to see how she was doing. So I13, walked to the first-class section, and had a look. There she was with her baby,14asleep. Seeing they were sleeping in big and 15seat 1A. I felt like a million bucks. I've got to keep doing this kind of thing.