Tom went to see his grandparent with his father. In the train Tom often put his head out of the window. His father said, "Tom, don't put your head out of the window." But Tom went on putting his head out of the window.

    His father took Tom's hat quietly and hid it behind his back and said to Tom, "You see your hat is gone." Tom was afraid. His father said, "Well, whistle(吹口哨) once. Maybe your hat will come back." Tom whistled. His lather put his hat on Tom's head quickly. "Oh! It's wonderful!" Tom laughed and said. He quickly took his father's hat and threw it out of the window. "Now it's your turn to whistle, Dad!" he said happily.

阅读理解

    Rose's husband, George, was in prison for two years for stealing. While he was in prison, Rose had a very difficult time. She had two children, but no job. Her husband did not make any money either. She only had a small amount money from the government.

    “I don't know how we will manage. Life is so difficult for us,” she wrote to her husband in prison. “I get only enough money to pay the rent (房租). There isn't enough money for food. I have to plant vegetables in the garden. They will grow quickly. We can live on vegetables.”

    The garden was quite large, and much of it was covered with grass.

    When George received his wife's letter, he wrote to her immediately.

    “Don't dig up the garden,” he wrote. “That's where the money I stole is hidden.”

    All letters written by the prisoners were read by one of the guards (守卫) before they were mailed.

    When the guard read George5 s letter, he took it to the head guard. When the head guard read it, he telephoned the police. He told them what George had written to his wife.

    The police went to George's house at once. They dug up the garden, looking for the money, but they did not find anything.

    When they had gone, Rose wrote to her husband. “The police came today,” she wrote. “They dug up the garden. What should I do?”

    Her husband wrote back immediately, “Plant the vegetables.”

    Mark Twain is someone Americans are taught to love. Older relatives, English teachers and the media always praise him. But when you actually take the time to read The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, you find that his work is more wonderful than you could ever imagine.

    The novel describes a young boy named Tom Sawyer growing up in a small town along the Mississippi River. He explores the countryside on a riverboat with his friends, falls in love with girls, starts secret clubs and searches for treasure. Twain's idea of childhood is magical – a time of imagination, wonder and, of course, adventure.

    More importantly, through the eyes of Tom Sawyer, Twain cleverly makes fun of US culture. For example, Tom hates going to church, and Twain uses scenes of Tom there to mock religion and its old traditions.

    Twain's writing is full of these kinds of critical (批判的) points about culture and politics. That's why he is so loved in the US – he wasn't afraid to state his opinions, and he did so clearly.

    He also believed strongly in women's right to vote in elections and gave a famous speech on the subject, called "Votes for Women", in 1901.

    "Tom was a great hero once more – the pet of the old, the envy of the young," Twain writes in Tom Sawyer. But he could just as well be describing himself.

The Sixth Time I Went to the Principal's Office

    When I was in the seventh grade, I had problems behaving. My heart was in the right place, but I couldn't always follow the rules. I played many tricks on my schoolmates. Once, I even pulled a girl's hair on the school bus to get her attention. As a result, I was repeatedly sent to the office of the principal（校长）.Although I hated going there, I did not hate the principal, Mr. Ratcliff.

    Mr. Ratcliff was a kind, elderly man. When he spanked（打屁股） me for putting some ants into a classmate's pencil box, it didn't hurt at all, but it did hurt my feelings. I thought so much of him and moments like that seemed to prove I was hopelessly bad.

    When I got called to Mr. Ratcliff's office for the sixth time, I had no idea what I had done. I felt disappointed as I walked down there. I went into his office, sat down, and looked at the floor. Then he said the last thing I expected to hear:" Kevin, I've heard you've been behaving really well lately. I want you to know how proud I am of you, and I just called you down to my office to give you a peppermint."

    "Really?" I was surprised.

    "Yes. Now you can take that peppermint and go back to class."

    I carried the peppermint with me as if it was a gold coin. When I got into my classroom, I bragged （吹嘘） to my classmates about my turnaround, excitedly. I wasn't so bad after all.

    Mr. Ratcliff was really kind. He made me realize that I was just a kid who had problems with behavior. He bought some peppermints and took the time to notice me when I got something-anything-right. Mr. Ratcliff gave me some hope by giving me some love. I will just remember him for the rest of my life.