One day in Africa, a mouse was hurrying home. He was going so {#blank#}1{#/blank#} that he ran right into a sleeping lion. The lion woke up and {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (catch) the mouse. "If you let me go, I'll do something for you in return(回报)," the mouse cried. "How could a small animal like you help {#blank#}3{#/blank#} a big and strong animal as me?" But the lion still let him go. "Thank you! I won't forget you," said the mouse.

    A few days later, some people were looking for wild animals. They {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (hang) a big net from three trees and tied a piece of meat to it.

    One evening, the lion made no kill and decided to return home. Just then, he smelled something delicious. When the lion found the {#blank#}5{#/blank#} , he pulled it down and the net fell down over him. The lion tried to get away but it was no use. After a while, he stopped trying. Before long, the lion {#blank#}6{#/blank#} (hear) a voice. It was from the mouse he had set free a few days ago. "I've come to help you," said the mouse. "How can you help me? I'm caught in the net and {#blank#}7{#/blank#} can help me now," the lion said sadly. But the mouse got to work, biting the net with his sharp {#blank#}8{#/blank#}(tooth). At last, he made a {#blank#}9{#/blank#} in the net big enough for the lion to escape.

    So the little mouse did what he had {#blank#}10{#/blank#} (promise) to do--help the lion. One of the nature's strongest animals had been saved by one of the smallest and weakest.

    Long ago, there was a queen who lived in a palace. She felt bored and said to her advisor (顾问)"All the things around me are too boring. I need a different kind of {#blank#}1{#/blank#} (beautiful). Let everyone know that I {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (hold) a competition for the most beautiful thing in the world. And the prize will be this crown (王冠).

    Several days {#blank#}3{#/blank#} (late), lots of people came to the competition and showed

their things. The queen was not satisfied (满意)with what she saw. The advisor suggested, "What you {#blank#}4{#/blank#}(look) for cannot be brought for you. You must look for it by {#blank#}5{#/blank#}(you). What about a journey?"

    The queen was{#blank#}6{#/blank#} (interesting) in the idea, so she started immediately. As she was on top of the hill near her palace, she looked down and {#blank#}7{#/blank#} (sudden) something cried in her heart. "Why have I never found my palace so beautiful?"

    The queen spent one year {#blank#}8{#/blank#} (travel). She saw beauty on the farm, in the

forest and even in the stars twinkling (闪烁)at night on her journey. But what was the most beautiful thing? She thought it over. All of sudden, she understood beauty was everywhere. She {#blank#}9{#/blank#} (learn) to enjoy the world. She left the pieces of her crown at different places that she had seen. As time went by, the queen's crown got smaller and smaller until nothing {#blank#}10{#/blank#} (leave).

    She found the most beautiful thing at last. It was the world!