Bill and Simon were good friends. One summer they were on v{#blank#}1{#/blank#}. They wanted to sail around the Caribbean Sea in their boat {#blank#}2{#/blank#} two weeks.

    During their trip, they saw many whales(鲸). Bill and Simon were very e{#blank#}3{#/blank#} because they had wanted to see them very much. Unluckily, w{#blank#}4{#/blank#} they were watching them, the whales began to hit(撞) the side of the boat.

    Suddenly, w{#blank#}5{#/blank#} started to come in, and they realized(意识到) they were in trouble. They {#blank#}6{#/blank#} (quick) jumped into the lifeboat before the boat sank(沉没), and watched it {#blank#}7{#/blank#} (消失) under the sea.

    Luckily, they had enough food and water for about twenty d{#blank#}8{#/blank#}. They also had a fishing line and a machine which could change sea water into drinking water. These two things helped them to survive during their terrible experience.

    For the next fifty days they caught about ten fish a day and {#blank#}9{#/blank#} (eat) them. They saw about twenty ships, but although they waved and shouted when the ships were passing, nobody saw them. They were becoming {#blank#}10{#/blank#} (weak). Then, just as they were beginning to lose hope, a fishing boat saved them.

The Bird's Christmas Tree

    It's a sun shining winter afternoon. In a small yard in Luss, Scotland, Kate and Effie{#blank#}1{#/blank#} (tie) the baskets to the branches（树枝）of the Christmas tree and filling them with corns. The children {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (work) busily but happily for many hours, making the little baskets for the birds.

    Many birds come in. Some are eating, and others are dancing.

    Even the pretty blue jay(蓝松鸦) {#blank#}3{#/blank#}(forget) to be pretty. When he has eaten his fill, he is flying away, crying "Thanks, thanks!"

    What a happy life the tree brings to the birds and the children! But two weeks ago, the tree {#blank#}4{#/blank#}nearly {#blank#}5{#/blank#}(cut) into firewood.

    Two weeks ago， the Christmas tree was once in the living room. Kate and Effie, and Sue and Tom, had a happy Christmas Day, for the tree was hung with gifts for them all.

    One day, when the children{#blank#}6{#/blank#}(play) games around the tree, John came and told them that he was going to carry it into the woodshed.

    "What {#blank#}7{#/blank#}you {#blank#}8{#/blank#}(do) with it, John?" the children asked.

    "I want to cut it into firewood," answered John.

    "Oh, don't!" cried the children. "Our beautiful tree! Let us {#blank#}9{#/blank#}(have) it a little longer!"

    "What will you do with it?" asked John.

    "We {#blank#}10{#/blank#}(put) it in the yard and make a Christmas tree for the birds," replied the children.

    So John carried the fir tree into the yard. There it {#blank#}11{#/blank#}(stand) in the white snow, spreading out its beautiful green branches.

    "Now" cried Effie, "let us make some baskets {#blank#}12{#/blank#} (fill) corns. Then we will tie them to the tree for the birds. "

    What happened next? As you can see at the beginning of the story, the birds are living happily. With the birds and the tree, the children are also very happy. It is hard to tell which are happier, the birds or the children. I believe the tree is the happiest of all.

    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!

    The Mid-Autumn Festival has a history of 2,000 years. During these 2,000 years, lots of Mid-Autumn celebrations(庆祝活动)were {#blank#}1{#/blank#} by Chinese people. All the celebrations show the happiness and excitement of people. People watch the moon, {#blank#}2{#/blank#} mooncakes together and make lanterns(灯笼)．These three celebrations have been passed from generation(一代) {#blank#}3{#/blank#} generation. Chinese people may think the Mid-Autumn Festival is not coming {#blank#}4{#/blank#} they don't do these three things.

In some places in China, people celebrate the festival in different {#blank#}5{#/blank#}. In Chaozhou, Guangdong Province, people eat taro(芋头)to celebrate the festival, because the taro harvest comes at the {#blank#}6{#/blank#} time as the festival. They eat taro and hope the harvest is {#blank#}7{#/blank#} in the next year. In Nanjing, people cook duck {#blank#}8{#/blank#} sweet-scented osmanthus(桂花), because Nanjing people {#blank#}9{#/blank#} it is a symbol of peace. In some places people make fires inside towers to celebrate the festival, because they think the fire is a {#blank#}10{#/blank#} of good business.