When I was about 12 years old, I really wanted a new bike! I ______ my parents my birthday wish, but I knew there was little hope because my family could ______ have the money.

26. My cousin and I has very different living habits.

One morning, a little mouse went out to find something to eat. He was careless and met a fierce (凶猛的) lion. The lion caught the mouse. The lion wanted to eat him.

“Please let me go, Mr. Lion,” said the mouse. “One day, I will help you.”

The lion laughed, “How could a little mouse help a big lion?” “Well,” he said, “I will let you go. But you must walk more carefully.”

The mouse was very thankful. “Thank you, Mr. Lion. You are very kind. I will repay (报答) you one day.” the little mouse said.

The next week, the mouse was looking for something to eat again. He saw the lion under a tree. But the lion was tied tightly (紧系着) in a strong rope. He could not get out.

“I will help you.” said the mouse. His teeth were sharp. Then he bit one rope, and then another. Soon the lion was free. He was very happy. “Thank you, Mr. Mouse,” he said. Later, they became good friends.

I could still remember my     47     (one) day at school. I was only five y    48     old at that time. It     49     (is) a very big room. I sat at the desk near the window. But I couldn’t see     50     (something) because the windows were too h    51    . There was a big map of the world on the wall and     52     (a) old blackboard. There was a little boy next to me. He sat there and kept silent at first. Then he began to cry, b    53     he didn’t want to stay there.

More and more students came in, but the boy     54     (did) stop crying. “Mum, I want to go home.” He cried again. Later, the teacher came in. She went to the little b    55    , and said something to him. I couldn’t h    56     what she said. Soon the boy stopped crying and began to smile.

People think of ice-cream as an American food. Yet, ice-cream really came from Asia. In the late 1200s, Marco Polo, the great explorer(探险家),it is said to have seen rich Asians eating dishes of ice.

Before it was served, the ice had been flavored(调味) with fruits. Then, Marco Polo brought this new dish to Italy. In France, cooks changed the ice-recipe(烹饪法) and made ice-cream. At first, cooks tried to keep the recipe a secret. They wanted it to be a special dish for rich people. By the late 1700s, ice-cream was sold around Europe and America. Some great Americans loved ice-cream. George Washington was the first to buy a special machine for making it. When Thomas Jefferson returned from France, he brought an ice-cream recipe home with him. Dolly Madison, wife of President James Madison, also liked ice-cream, and she often served it at the White House.