偏偏宠爱:小学英语阅读100篇【41-50篇】

【#小学英语# 导语】海阔凭你跃，天高任你飞。愿你信心满满，尽展聪明才智;妙笔生花，谱下锦绣第几篇。学习的敌人是自己的知足，要使自己学一点东西，必需从不自满开始。以下是©文档大全网为大家整理的《小学英语阅读100篇【41-50篇】》 供您查阅。

【第一篇：The Snow Queen】

A long， long time ago， devils lived together in the same place. One day， the devils made a magic mirror. It changed beautiful faces to ugly faces and smiling faces to crying faces. “How will God look in this mirror？”

　　Evil went up to the clouds right away， but God was already aware of the devil‘s wicked plan. “Such monstrous creatures！ How dare you try to put me to the test！” When God beat dazzling and bright light down on the mirror and devils， the mirror broke into pieces， and the devils became blind and fell down to hell.

　　The broken pieces of the mirror fell down to the world of mortals. One of the pieces got into a boy’s eyes. His name was Kai， and he was living in a small town. “Ouch， it hurts！” Kai was close to a girl named Gelda， but he began to behave very odd as if he never knew her before.

　　Even when autumn passed into winter， Kai went through the whole season as a bad boy. One day， a white-horse carriage appeared in front of Kai. “Little boy with a cold heart， why don‘t we go to an Ice Castle where it is colder than your heart？” A beautiful woman inside the carriage asked the boy.

　　“A cold Ice Castle？ That will be great.” When Kai boarded the carriage， the woman kissed him on his cheek. At that moment， Kai forgot everything. The woman was the Queen of Snow. The carriage soared into the north sky.

　　Because Kai did not come back， Gelda searched everywhere in town， but she could not find him. Time went by， and when winter passed into spring， Gelda started on a journey to search for Kai. A small boat arrived at a big flower garden next to a riverside. “Oh， what a beautiful garden.”

　　There was a small hut in the middle of the garden， and there lived an old lady who could use magic. “Old lady， Have you seen Kai？” “Yes， I have. I will tell you where he is， so let’s go inside my house.”

　　The old lady gave her delicious food and asked Gelda to live with her. Gelda was enchanted by her magic and lived with the old lady. Time went by， and winter came back again. Gelda suddenly was reminded of Kai when she was exposed to the cold wind. “I have to search for Kai， why am I here？” Gelda escaped while the old magician lady went out. Gelda met a crow， while walking north. The Crow said something to Gelda after it listened to her. “Maybe you are searching for a boy who is now the Prince of a Castle in a forest.” Gelda could walk into the castle with the help of the crow.

　　Gelda shouted when she stepped in to the Prince‘s room. “Kai， wake up！ I came here to find you.” “Who is so loud at midnight？” The prince woke up， but he was not Kai. “I am sorry， Prince. I thought you were my friend， Kai.”

　　The Prince listened to what Gelda said， and let her sleep in a comfortable bed. The next day， he gave a great carriage to Gelda and said， “With this carriage， you will find the boy named Kai easily.” Gelda thanked him for his kindness and left for the north again.

　　While traveling north， her carriage was taken away by bandits， but she saved her life with the help of the daughter of a bandit. And she heard from a pigeon that Kai had flown to Lapland in a carriage of the Queen of snow. She took a reindeer from the daughter of a bandit， and arrived at Lapland.

　　There was a house in the middle of a field. Gelda warmed herself up in an old lady’s house. The old lady knew about Kai. “Kai is living in the Castle of Snow， but you cannot step in the castle because there is a frightening ice monster in front of the gate.” “Old lady， I have to save Kai.” The old lady gave a yellow golden cross to Gelda and said， “When you are in danger， pray to God sincerely. Then he will save you.” Gelda rode the reindeer and went to the Castle of Snow.

　　The ice monster tried to attack Gelda， but she prayed to God holding her cross in her hand. Then， angels appeared， and made the monster motionless. Gelda found Kai playing with a cold piece of ice.

　　“Kai， it‘s me， Gelda. I came here to search for you.” But Kai just fingered the ice piece with an unemotional face. When Gelda hugged him and cried， her tears ran down to Kai’s face. Then， the color in his face started to come back.

　　“Gelda， why are we in such a place like this？” Kai looked around there. “Now you are yourself， but you cannot escape from here.” The Queen of Snow said. “Let me go home.” At that moment Kai shed tears， and the broken piece of the magic mirror came out of his eyes.

　　“Ah， I cannot win the warm heart and tears of humans. Okay. Now you can go back home and live a happy life.” As the Queen of Snow flourished her ice stick， the castle disappeared.

　　Gelda told Kai all the stories about what had happened to her. Kai was grateful to Gelda. They got back home safely with the reindeer and lived happily ever after.

【第二篇：The Flint】

A soldier was walking down a country road. He was coming back from a battle. He was wearing a knapsack on his back and a big sword on his waist. When he was walking down the road so tired， he found a witch. The witch was sitting right next to a big tree. The witch started to talk as soon as she saw the soldier. “Hey， soldier！ Can you do me a favor？ If you can， I will make you have a lot of money.” “Are you serious？”

　　“Look at this tree. The inside of this tree is empty.” The witch pointed at a thick and old tree. “Get into that hole. I will tie your waist up with a rope. There are three rooms if you go down， and each room has a dog. The dogs will be quiet as soon as they see this apron. A box in the first room is full of bronze coins. In the second room， a box is full of silver coins， and a box in the third room is full of gold coins. Take as much as you want”.

　　“Then， what do you want me to do？” The soldier doubted her and asked. “Bring me a flint in a small box.” “Why do you need such a small and unimportant flint？” “It is the flint from my grandmother， so I want to get it.”

　　The soldier tied a rope to his waist and put the apron on his knapsack. Then， he entered the tree hole and went down. Soon， he found a wide place with lights everywhere. The soldier came into the first room carefully. A black dog was sitting on a big box. It was rolling its eyes as big as oranges. “Good dog， sit on this apron.” The soldier held the dog and put it on the apron. The black dog became very nice as the witch said. He put the coins in the box into his knapsack.

　　The soldier went to the next room carefully. There was a white dog that was bigger than the black one， and it was sitting down on a big box. It was rolling its eyes that were bigger than apples. The soldier made the white dog sit on the apron and opened up the box. Lots of glittering silver coins were in the box. He took out the bronze coins from his knapsack and filled it with silver coins.

　　In the third room， a big yellow dog was sitting on a box. It was rolling its eyes which were as big as watermelons. The soldier held the dog and put it on the apron. The box was full of dazzlingly shining gold coins and gold nuggets. The soldier took the silver coins out from his knapsack and filled his knapsack， hat and all his pockets with the gold coins and nuggets.

　　The soldier put the tinder-box in his knapsack， came out of the room and pulled on the rope which was on his waist. The witch pulled the rope. The soldier stood by the witch under the tree. “Now， give me the flint.” The witch asked the soldier， but he pretended as if he did not have her tinder-box. “I searched everywhere， but your grandmother‘s tinder box was not there.” “What？ You are a liar！ There must be a box inside of this tree.” The witch was very angry and furious.

　　“Then， go and get the flint box by yourself.” The soldier answered with a frightening voice. The witch ran away， because she was so scared by his sword on his waist.

　　The soldier went to a big town and lived proudly like a rich man. He became poor again because he spent all his money on an expensive house， great clothes， delicious food， and for making friends and enjoying his new life. Because he had no money， he was driven out from the nice house and moved to an attic under the roof of a house. He couldn’t even afford to buy a match at night. Suddenly， the flint came up in his mind. He tried to make sparks with the flint.

　　“How can I help you， sir？” In this instance， the black dog came up. “Oh， yes. I need some money.” The black dog disappeared and showed up again in a short time. The black dog held and carried a bag full of money. The soldier realized that if he hit the flint once， the black dog show up. Twice for the white dog， three times for the yellow dog. And they did whatever he wanted and asked for.

　　The soldier became rich again， and his friends soon came and visited him . One day his friends talked about a princess. “I heard that they want to move the princess to a tall tower.” “What for？” “A fairy told them that she would be in love with a poor soldier. That would never happen.” “No one can see the princess except the king， the queen and the princess‘ maid.” The soldier listened to the story with deep interest. He wanted to meet the beautiful princess desperately even if it was just once.

　　After his friends all went back， he hit the flint twice. Then， the white dog showed up. “White dog， let me see the princess.” Right after he said that the white dog brought the beautiful sleeping princess. He fell in love with her at first sight. He couldn’t stand the days he did not meet her. He ordered the black， white and yellow dogs to bring the princess to him every night by turns.

　　The king and the queen became aware of this fact that the princess disappeared every night. “What a shame！ The princess is bewitched by something and goes out the castle every night.” The queen said to the king with an anxious look. “Catch the man who bewitches the princess every night right away.” The king gave the order with angry voice.

　　That night， the queen tied a small cloth pouch filled with wheat grains secretly on the princess‘ ankle. There was a small hole in the pouch so that the little grains came out as the princess moved. At last， the soldier was caught and taken to the palace of the king and the queen by the King’s army.

　　The soldier begged them for forgiveness and said， “I want to marry the princess.” “What？ How dare you say that you want to marry our daughter？ Put him in jail quickly！” The soldier took the flint out of his pocket and hit it once， twice and three times. The black， white and yellow dogs showed up and drove the army away from the soldier. All of them were so scared and were busy running away .

　　“Wow， I have never seen those dogs before. Look at those eyes. They are like flames.” “They must be God‘s messengers！” After seeing the soldier， everyone said， “A new king came here！”

　　The princess approached the soldier instantly. The dogs with big eyes were guarding the couple. “A new king is here！ A new king came here！” People were happy looking at the soldier and the princess. In the end， the soldier became a king， and the princess became a queen.

【第三篇：A Silver Shilling‘s Journey】

“Wow， how exciting！ I am coming out into the broad world！” A Silver Shilling that was just made a moment ago shouted for joy tinkling and jingling herself. Passing through children’s warm and moist hands， stingy men‘s cold and sticky hands， and poor husbands’ and wives‘ hands far and wide， the Silver Shilling’s journey went on.

　　One day， the Silver Shilling happened to enter into one wallet， but the owner didn‘t even know the Silver Shilling was in his wallet. The owner travels around the world very often. Incidentally， he found the Silver Shilling， and said， “What， it is a shilling from my country. You came this far with me， so let’s travel together.”

　　So now， the Silver Shilling came to be with many foreign coins. Other coins were coming in and out of the wallet， but the Silver Shilling stayed. The Silver Shilling started to feel very important.

　　The Silver Shilling stayed in the wallet for a long time， and she became curious about the outside world. She was looking out of the wallet while the wallet was opened， but then she fell down to the ground. She was no longer able to continue her journey with the owner.

　　In the end， the Silver Shilling came to a new wallet with unfamiliar coins in an unfamiliar country. What she heard as soon as she came out of the new wallet with the other coins was shocking. “This is an imitation. It is forged.” When she heard this， her body trembled.

　　‘I was made of pure silver in the Mint Bureau. I am a silver shilling that can tinkle and jingle！ Isn’t the seal on my body real？‘ However， the Silver Shilling was abused as an imitation from that moment on. She was used only in the dark night because the Silver Shilling was a valueless imitation in that country when she would be discovered in the day.

　　“Even if I am made of silver， and engraved with the King’s portrait， it‘s no use. Oh， what bad luck！” Whenever she came out of wallets， the Silver Shilling started to be afraid of people’s eyes. Then one day， a poor woman laborer got paid with the Silver Shilling.

　　As she found out that no one accepted the Silver Shilling， she made a hole in the coin， tied a string to it and gave it to a child of her neighbor as a gift. The child smiled and kissed the Silver Shilling but peace did not last very long.

　　The mother of the child wanted to test how lucky the Silver Shilling was， to see if the Silver Shilling was the true ‘lucky amulet’. The mother put the Silver Shilling into vinegar， which turned it green， closed up the hole of the Silver Shilling， and rubbed it carelessly to make it look as if there was no hole， she waited until it got dark， and than she bought a lottery ticket in exchange for the Silver Shilling.

　　There were so many people buying lottery tickets at the ticket box that no one recognized the hole in the Silver Shilling. The next morning， the Silver Shilling was proved as an imitation， and again， the Silver Shilling had to continue her journey deceiving other people. For one year and one day， the Silver Shilling wandered from one hand to another， and one wallet to another.

　　For that time， the Silver Shilling lost her faith that she was a real coin. One day， she was in one traveler‘s hand and heard that she was an imitation again. The traveler fingered the Silver Shilling and muttered to himself， “I got this coin as change.”

　　The traveler looked at the Silver Shilling carefully and said with a big bright smile. “What， this is a silver shilling from my country. Someone made a hole on this precious and real silver coin and tried to make it look like an imitation. That’s interesting. I will keep this carefully and bring it home.”

　　This traveler was the owner who let the Silver Shilling travel around the world with other foreign coins before. When the Silver Shilling heard that she was a precious and real silver coin， she was very happy. The traveler wrapped the Silver Shilling up with soft and white paper and kept it carefully separate from other foreign coins.

　　The Silver Shilling came back to her hometown where everybody knows that she was made of pure silver and that the engraving on her body was the portrait of the King. Even though there was a hole in her body， it was not important for the real Silver Shilling. The Silver Shilling‘s journey of pain and ordeal ended there teaching her ’the triumph of justice‘.

【第四篇：The Needle】

Long ago， there was a needle. She thought she was so delicate that she was appropriate only for embroidery. “Hold me tight. I am so tiny that you can‘t find me if I fall on the floor.” The needle shouted at the fingers.

　　“What an arrogant needle！” The thumb talked to the needle bluntly. “You know you can’t embroider without me， so be careful！” The needle was still arrogant.

　　The fingers brought the needle to the cook‘s shoes. His shoes were worn-out， and they needed to be sewed. “Yeck！ Oh no！ I don’t want to sew this dirty pair of slippers. I will break because I am so delicate and sensitive.” The needle broke in pieces. Once the needle broke， it was not useful any more. The fingers threw the needle into a dishpan. The needle cried out when she was swept away along with the dirty water. “I am too weak to live in this harsh and tough world.”

　　She arrived at a pile of garbage after floating around. Then， she found something sparkling among the garbage. “What is this？ Are you a diamond？” But it was a piece of broken glass bottle.

　　The piece of glass bottle and the needle thought they were very important. “I used to embroider， but the five finger brothers broke me into pieces like this.” “I was very rich. I could have anything that I wanted like Juice， apple jam and even chocolate. Anything！ But the evil five finger brothers broke me into pieces like this.” They treated each other with respect as if they were real brothers.

　　One day， the finger brothers showed up in the sewer. The kids were searching for a coin and were swinging their hands in the water. “Ouch！” One boy cried out in pain. He got his hand pricked by the needle. “What is this？ A needle！”

　　He pulled out the needle from his finger. He was very angry at the needle and threw her into the fireplace. “Ouch. This is too hot！” Her body slowly began to melt away.

　　“Why do they keep torturing a weak and small needle like me？” The needle cried sadly. Then the fireplace heard the needle‘s crying and said，

　　“Don’t be sad， little needle. You have done your job very well. Anyone， who has completed his duty， is supposed to turn back into soil. You worked so hard your own body broke into pieces. That‘s good enough. Now， take a deep and peaceful rest.” After she heard what the fireplace said， the needle closed her eyes quietly.

【第五篇：The Snowman That Hope to Walk】

There was a snowman standing in the front yard of a big house. “It‘s too bright！” Snowman muttered to himself. “Be patient. The sun is going down.” An old dog said sticking his head out of his house.

　　Soon， night fell. Snowman asked， “What’s that up in the sky？” “It‘s the Moon. Well， you don’t know about the Moon because you were just born today.” The Moon was beautifully radiant in the dark. The branches of trees with snow crystal flowers were swaying in the wind.

　　“Oh， it‘s cold. Maybe it will get warm after the sun comes up.” The old dog grumbled. “Do you like being warm？” The Snowman asked. “Yes. Look at that room in the bottom of the house. It’s the master‘s room where I used to stay. There was a time I was loved by the master when I was a little puppy. Children patted on my head and gave me delicious food， but I grew up too quickly.”

　　“I can see a light. That light makes my heart beat.” “It’s a fireplace. If you sit right next to the fireplace， you will feel warm and comfortable.” “Why did you leave the house？” “I was kicked out because I bit the heel of a child.” “Why？” “He took my food away and annoyed me.”

　　It was mild the next day. “I wish I could walk like you and go next to the fireplace.” “No way. If you go close to the fireplace， you will melt away.” “Melt away？” “Yes， you‘ll melt away soon， and then， you will evaporate and disappear. “ The next day was also mild. Some snow melted away and vanished because of the sunlight. The snowman was getting smaller and smaller， too. Snowman did not say anything.

　　Four days passed. The snow melted， so one of Snowman’s eyes fell down to the ground. Snowman barely opened his mouth. “I wish I could walk far away.” “Don‘t worry. The sun will help you.” The old dog said. “How” “He will help you to become water and to flow far away along the stream I have seen several times that many of your brothers flowed away like that.”

　　It was noon. The Snowman crumbled down on the ground. The broomstick that used to be the Snowman’s backbone， is now visible. Its other eye which was made by cloth， fell down to the ground too. “Snowman must have missed something warm and comfortable.” The old dog muttered to himself sadly.

【第六篇：The Wise Old Lady】

A long time ago， there was a young man who wanted to be a writer. He wanted to get married and to live writing compositions， but he couldn‘t discover what he had to write. He couldn’t come up with any good stories， and it seemed that everything was already written.

　　“The men who were born one thousand years ago are very lucky. Even the men who were born one hundred years ago are much luckier than me. Up to then， there were still good subject matters to write about. It is natural that there are no more good subject matters.” The young man said complaining.

　　He became ill because he studied so hard and thought a lot about being a writer. None of the great doctors could cure him， but there was one person who might be able to cure him - a wise old lady.

　　The Wise Old Lady worked as a gatekeeper unbolting the gate for carriages and horses of a ranch. She also had comprehensive knowledge of many subjects. The young man decided to go and visit her.

　　Even though there were no trees or flowers around the wise old lady‘s house， there was a beehive right next to the doors， a small garden where potatoes were growing， and the fence was surrounded by hawthorn. ’How dreary this is！‘ He thought to himself. But here were the treasures he was searching for.

　　“Write what you think. Even if they are crumbs of bread， they are still bread. I know why you came here. You want to be a writer， but you can not come up with a great story， can you？” “Yes， everything was already written as stories. Nowadays is different from the old days.” The young man answered.

　　“You’re right. A long time ago， people burned wise women like me at the stake， and poets were poor. But nowadays is better than any time. You just can‘t see those things， because you have such narrow insight. I even doubt whether you can hear. If you have the ability to write， there are endless good subject matters. First， stop thinking about yourself， and try to understand a ray of sunlight.”

　　The young man put on the wise old lady’s glasses and hearing aid， and he received and held one of the potatoes that the wise old lady gave to him from the potato patch. After a while， the potato started to talk about itself. After he heard the potato talking， the wise old lady let the young man look at the hawthorn.

　　The hawthorn also told him a romantic story. The young man was impressed. But the wise old lady seemed to know already， and she took him to a place where there was a beehive. When the young man looked into the hive， it was full of vigor， the bees were all busy.

　　To freshen the air of their own big factory， bees were flying in a row in every passageway， fanning their wings， working bees were carrying a lot of pollen from outside， and some were maiking honey and beeswax.

　　“Now let‘s go to a road and see some travelers.” The wise old lady said to the young man tapping his shoulder. “There are too many people here. It is very hard to write the stories of all of them. We’d better go back.” He said to her.

　　“No， go straight into the middle of the crowd， look at them and try to understand what they say with your whole heart and soul. Then， you‘ll find tremendous things to write about. Oh， and give me back my glasses and hearing aid.” The wise old lady told the young man.

　　“Now， I can’t see or hear anything！” The young man took off the glasses and hearing aid and said. “Then， you can never be a writer.” The wise old lady shook her head. “Can‘t I ever be a writer？” “Imagination is not something you can learn and acquire. You should live in another way instead.”

　　The young man was sad about the fact that he could never be a writer， so the wise old lady gave him some advice. “Buy a mask and frown in front of poets. Even if you are impressed by the poem， try to frown. Then， you can make money.” He became the one who severely criticizes poets following the wise old lady’s advice. Even though he could not be a writer， he could live being involved in the literary world.

【第七篇：The Red Shoes】

There once lived in a town a cute and pretty little girl whose name was ‘Karen’. She had to wear a torn dress， even walked around with bare feet in summer， and wore heavy and crude wooden shoes in winter because she was so poor. Her feet were always full of scars and wounds. The Red Shoes

　　“Karen， why do your feet hurt you so much？ I will make shoes for you.” An old lady who ran a shoe store made red shoes for Karen. Those shoes were made of old pieces of cloth， and she sewed them by hand. “Thank you， aunt.”

　　Karen was so happy for her new shoes which suited her， that she jumped up and down. But， Karen‘s mother passed away on that day. A noblewoman saw Karen following after her mother’s funeral service. The lady got down from her carriage and talked to the minister. “I want to take her with me and look after her.”

　　“She is alone. If you take care of her， that will be a great blessing for the girl.” Karen thought， ‘These shoes brought me this luck.’ However， the noblewoman burned her dirty red shoes， put fresh new clothes on her， let her read books and taught her how to do needlework.

　　She now became a polite girl. But one day， the Queen and the Princess were passing through the town. Everyone in the town swarmed around the carriage. “How beautiful they are！” “It seems as if fairies came down from the sky.” All the people praised the Queen and the Princess.

　　But Karen could not take her eyes off of the from Princess‘ red， glittering and beautiful shoes. ’Is there anything more beautiful than the Princess‘ red shoes in this world？’ She even pricked herself with the needle while she was thinking about the red shoes. Soon， she grew old enough to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation. The noblewoman brought Karen to a shoe store to buy her new dresses and shoes for the ceremony. Seeing the shoes in a showcase， she almost shouted. “How come these shoes are in your showcase？” < The Sacrament of Confirmation： The first Christian ceremony when a child becomes an adult. >

　　There laid the same red shoes as the Princess in the showcase. “These shoes were made specifically for a daughter of a count， but they did not fit on her feet. That‘s why they are in there.” The noblewoman had bad sight now， so she did not know that they were red. The red shoes fit Karen’s feet very well.

　　Karen liked her new red shoes very much. When Karen appeared at the ceremony with her red shoes， the minister advised her to wear black shoes instead of the red shoes. On the next Sunday， there was the Communion Service， but Karen wore the red shoes and went to church again.

　　As soon as Karen and the noblewoman got down from their carriage， an old soldier bowed politely and said， “Madam， I will clean the dust on your shoes.” “Oh， thank you.” As Karen showed her red shoes to the soldier， he said， “Such a beautiful pair of shoes. It will look great if you dance with these shoes.”

　　Then， he muttered to himself chanting a spell and touching Karen‘s shoes with his finger. “Red shoes！ Never ever come off from this young lady’s feet when she dances.” The noblewoman threw some coins at him and entered the church with Karen. When the Communion Service was over and they went out of the church， the old soldier shouted， “The young lady‘s red shoes are still beautiful！” Then， Karen started to dance even though she did not want to dance. She could do nothing to stop herself from dancing. “Miss Karen， Please stop dancing and step into the carriage.”

　　Even though he lifted her up and sat her on the carriage， she did not stop dancing. When the angry noblewoman took off Karen’s shoes， she stopped dancing. As soon as they got home the lady threw the red shoes into a closet. Afterward， the noblewoman caught a bad disease. Karen cared for her earnestly.

　　One day， an invitation came for a big ball of the town. ‘If I put on those red shoes， I will dance very well. Yes， If I wear them once and put them in the closet， madam will never know.’ Karen hesitated looking at the noblewoman in the bed and then the red shoes.

　　In the end， she submitted to her desire and put the red shoes on. Then， her feet moved by themselves and started to run to the dance hall. “Oh， how do I stop？” Her feet moved on their way， and they passed by a square and came into a forest.

　　When Karen passed by a church， an angel appeared and said， “Karen， you will dance with your favorite red shoes forever.” “Angel， my feet hurt painfully. Please stop them from dancing.” “Karen， you will find the houses of greedy and selfish children while you are dancing.”

　　“They will feel regret when they see you， you who began to dance because of greed.” “Please forgive me. I was wrong.” The angel disappeared， and Karen passed by the house she used to live in. The noblewoman had died， and her casket was coming out from her house. ‘She was so good and kind to me.’

　　Then there was the house of an executioner as Karen went through the town. “Mr. Executioner， I can not take off my shoes from my feet. Please cut them off.” When he heard the story of Karen， he cut her feet off and made her a pair of crutches.

　　Karen finally stopped dancing， and served for other people while she was staying in the church. One day， she prayed to God while she was reading the Bible， “God！ I am a selfish sinner. Please save me.” An angel came out in front of Karen and showed her how many people were praying for her.

　　“You finally regret what you have done.” Someone whispered through Karen‘s ears. “This is the grace of God.” When Karen answered with modesty， her soul rose up to Heaven. Karen lived happily forever in Heaven.

【第八篇：The Beetle Who Went on His Travels】

Once upon a time， a King had a horse with golden horseshoes. That horse had slender legs， bright eyes and a mane covering above its neck like a veil. It was very beautiful.

　　The horse rode through the gunpowder smoke and a rain of bullets carrying the King on its back in the battles. He beat off enemies by kicking his legs， and saved the King‘s life by crossing the dead bodies of his enemies. It was more valuable than anything else. That’s why the horse got the golden horseshoes.

　　A Beetle who listened to the news came out of his barn and went to the horseshoer. “I want to have golden horseshoes like the horse has. Why can‘t I be as good as the horse？ People always bring it food and drinks and comb its hair. I am living in the King’s barn， too.”

　　“But do you know how the horse got the golden horseshoes？” The horseshoer shouted at the Beetle. “ I know I deserve better than I am treated now. I will go to the outside world and will have great success.” The horseshoer yelled at the Beetle wanting him to go away.

　　It was not clear how far the Beetle had flown， but the Beetle arrived in a beautiful garden full of roses and lavender fragrance. The Ladybugs of the garden said， “This is such a wonderful place. Isn‘t it beautiful？” “I used to live in a much better place than this. I don’t understand what you said.” Beetle said arrogantly.

　　As the Beetle flew farther， a cabbage worm was crawling under the hay， and said， “What a beautiful world this is. There is the Sun with warm light. Someday， I will be born again with the beautiful wings of a butterfly.”

　　“You will you fly like a butterfly？ I am on the way from the King‘s barn. Even the horse that used to put on my old and worn shoes does not dream such an empty hope. That horse is now wearing golden horseshoes. Will you fly with wings？ I can fly right now！” Beetle stretched his wings and flew away boastfully.

　　After a short time， Beetle faced a sudden shower while he was sleeping in a wide lawn. Beetle swam to avoid the rain， but it sometimes fell down and turned him over because the Beetle was soaked in rain.

　　After a long time， the rain abated a little. The Beetle took shelter on wet a linen wrinkled from the heavy rain. A day passed， and the sky was bright and clear. Two frogs were talking to each other delightfully on the linen.

　　“What fantastic weather it is. Because this linen is wet from the rain， my hind legs are wet， and I feel like I am swimming.” “You are right. The air is so fresh because of the good humidity.” Then， the Beetle interrupted their conversation and said，“Have you ever been to the King’s barn？ That place is wet and warm. Its climate is perfect for me. Is there a manure pile where I can take a rest？”

　　Because the frogs did not want to answer the Beetle‘s question， the Beetle moved to another place， and he met a couple of happy earwigs on a broken piece of flowerpot. “My son is in love. How pure he is.” “My son just came out from his egg， but he can already can walk around.”

　　The Beetle received an invitation from the earwigs， and he visited their house. But when the young earwigs tried to pull his mustache， he left the place searching for a manure pile. After a while， he met many beetles in a stream. “Maybe you come from a manure pile.” The oldest beetle asked him.

　　“I am from the King’s barn， a much more majestic place than a manure pile. I lived with golden horseshoes. But don‘t ask me any more. I am carrying out my secret duties.” The Beetle got married to a pretty beetle， but he got tired and bored soon. He said that he would look for food， and then escaped.

　　While he continued on his journey， he flew into a greenhouse and fell asleep with a happy dream. Suddenly， the children of a gardener came into the greenhouse， caught the Beetle， tied him up to a wooden shoe boat with a wool string and floated the boat on a lake， so the beetle could not fly away.

　　At that moment， a fly came over and said， “I have to take a rest to get some sunlight here. You seem to enjoy yourself very much.” “Don’t you see that I am tied up with string over here？” “Oh， but I am not the one who tied you up.” The fly said this and flew away.

　　“Now I know what the world is like. I hate it so much. I am the only one who‘s truly right. But everything is over.” When the Beetle was muttering to himself sadly， a boat came carrying girls. “A little bug is tied up to a wooden shoe. How sad！”

　　The Beetle saved his life with the help of the girls， And he flew into a huge building through an open window. The place the Beetle landed was on the mane of the horse that the King loved. The Beetle seized the mane until he concentrated about himself.

　　“I am sitting on the horse that the King likes the most. I am like the King！ Did the horseshoer ask me how come this horse won the golden horseshoes once？ Now I know. This horse won the golden horseshoes to take me on his back.” The Beetle became happy as he thought this way.

　　As sunlight spread across the King’s barn， everything became bright and lively. “Travels always give you a broader point of view. Well， if you look around this world carefully， you will find out this place is not quite so bad.” The Beetle muttered to himself happily bathing in the sun.

【第九篇：An Old Church Bell】

There once was a small town in Germany where acacia flowers were in full bloom， and apple and pear trees bore fruit in autumn. This town was beautiful but poor.

　　On one day of late autumn， when the grape vine leaves were dried with a red color， it rained heavily， and there was a cold strong wind. It was not good news for the poor people in this town. As it got dark outside， the small old houses got darker.

　　There was one small and shabby house with a very small window. The people in that house were very poor， but they were good and honest. When a solemn church bell tolled piously and peacefully， a boy came into the world.

　　His mother was very happy， because the church bell seemed to deliver her happy news to the whole town.

　　The boy grew up well， and his family moved to another town. On the day that the boy turned six， he visited his hometown with his mother. The town was still poor though.

　　There were new graves in the churchyard， and the old bell was laying on a lawn next some walls. That was the bell from the church bell tower. A new bell was hanging in the tower.

　　The mother told her son that the old bell tolled for people of the town when they had baptism ceremonies， weddings and funerals， and it was always on people‘s minds whenever they were sad or happy.

　　As she told him how the old bell had given her comfort when she was in pain giving birth to him， and how it had tolled happily to the town， he gazed at the bell with a warm heart.

　　The old bell took a place in a part of the boy’s memory. Soon， he grew up as a red-haired， freckled and tall young man. His eyes were as clear as a lake， and luckily， he could go to a military academy， where most of the students were aristocrats， without paying any tuition.

　　The young man‘s name was Marebaha， that is， John Christoph Friedrich von Schiller. He became a political exile， and one of the greatest and immortal poets of Germany who wrote poems about the legendary warrior of Switzerland， ’Wilhelm Tell‘ and ’Die Jungfrau von Orleans‘.

　　What happened to the old church bell？ The old bell was sold as a lump of metal and sent to Bayern in Germany. It was used as material to make a statue of a great heros who gave glory to the German people.

　　The old church bell melted and flowed into the frame of the statue of Johann Christoph and became a part of its head and chest. This statue has generally been known to the public now， after one hundred years from the day Marbaha was born. The statue is still standing on Stuttgart Square.

【第十篇：The Bottle Neck】

Once， there was a poor family. They were so poor that they had to live in an attic. They had an old birds cage， and it had a jar at the bottom. The jar didn‘t have a body but it had a mouth. It was standing upside down and was used as a water bucket for the bird. “Peep peep”

　　The bird in the cage sang a song. Her voice was so pretty. “Bird， I wish I could sing like you.” The jar envied the bird’s voice. “A long time ago， I used to sing as you do.”

　　In the past， before she was broken， the nickname of the jar was ‘skylark’. When people opened the mouth of the jar， they heard the ‘pop’ sound as a song. “But look， it was not just a song.”

　　The jar told her the story about how she came to the poor attic. She remembered when she went on a picnic with the old furrier family. It was the day of the ceremony when one pretty daughter of the furrier got engaged. “I still remember the day as vividly as yesterday.”

　　She told her about when she was put in the middle of flames. And she talked about when she fell on the ground and when she was trapped in the mud. The jar kept talking， but the bird kept singing. “Peep peep” “Don‘t you think my story is interesting？” The bird didn’t answer and kept singing. The jar started to talk again. She talked about the story when she traveled around the world. She told how she came to the furrier‘s hands and also a love story of a couple. “I never stopped my journey.”

　　It was true that the jar never stopped its journey. She went to France and America. At last， the jar happened to come back to the house of the furrier’s daughter.

　　The jar wanted to be a really important water bucket for the poor furrier‘s daughter. But the jar couldn’t recognize that the old lady was the furrier‘s pretty daughter. As times went by， she grew old. Maybe the jar could remember only the first time when she met the daughter.

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