Some time ago, an old businessman had a large store in Boston. He wanted a boy to work for him, and he put an advertisement in the newspaper. The next morning, many boys came to the old man's office, asking for the job.

 There was a post(柱子)by his desk, and there was a nail(钉子）in it. He took a walking stick and said, "Everyone has three chances. If anyone can hit the nail on the head with this stick more than once, I will give him the job."The boys thought it was easy. They all tried, but nobody could make it. So the old man said, "I'm sorry I can't take any of you."And they left.

  He kept the advertisement in the paper, and the next morning many more boys came, and among them he saw a thin boy who had been there the day before. The boy hit the nail successfully for three times. The old man felt surprised and asked how he did that. "Yes," said the boy, "I failed yesterday, but I thought that if I kept on trying a while, I could do it. So I went home and practiced hitting a nail with a stick till I could do it, and I got up very early this morning, and tried again."

 The old man said, "You are the boy for me." And he gave him the job. Whatever the boy had to do, he tried to do his best. It was not very long before he became the best clerk in the store.

Answer the questions according to the passage.

      What do you think is the most common illness? Do you get ill sometimes? We are lucky to live now because there are lots of medicines to make people better．

     The most common illness in the world is the cold．It often begins with a sore throat．Then you sneeze and your nose runs．You usually have a headache，too．Often you cough later．It's not a very bad illness but you can feel quite ill．   

     There isn't a cure(治愈)for a cold but you can take medicines to make you feel better．For instance aspirin(阿司匹林)can stop your headache．It is good to rest and to drink a lot of water，too．A doctor once said to me，“With the proper medicine a cold will last for seven，days．With no medicine it will go on for a whole week!”

     Where does our medicine come from? A long time ago people knew that some plants made them feel better．They ate the leaves，the roots，the I fruit or the seeds of those plants．For instance the juice of lemons makes a sore throat feel better．

     In modern times scientists have looked at these plants and found out which chemicals(化学物质)are in them．Many of our medicines today are made from those chemicals．   

     There are some illnesses which we can't cure yet．And nobody has found a cure for old age．But because of modern medicines most people now live longer than their grandparents．   

    Everyone has his own hobby. Reading books is a good hobby for us. Here are some reasons for reading：

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#}⒈Reading has a lot of benefits（好处）. It can open up our eyes because books are full of knowledge，and it can make us wiser and richer in life.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}⒉You can keep yourselves amused（被逗笑的）if' you like reading. This is especially useful when the weather is bad. It's a relaxing hobby，too. You can really become interested in it.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}⒊Reading also helps readers become good writers. They are usually good at spelling as well，and have more things to write. So reading is a wonderful hobby.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}⒋You can choose anywhere to read books. If you don't like carrying printed books，you can choose e books. Besides，reading is easy to stop and then start again.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}⒌Have you ever heard of a famous saying Reading makes a full man? It is from the famous writer Francis Bacon（培根）. To make you a full man，let's begin reading right now!

    Can you imagine astronauts' everyday life in space? {#blank#}1{#/blank#}They do the same things as us, but they do them differently.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Gravity(重力) holds the food down and keeps the water in the glass. But there is almost no gravity in space, so food can float(漂浮)away, and astronauts must eat and drink carefully.

    Sleeping is very different in space. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} They tie the bag to a wall so that they won't float away, and astronauts must eat and drink carefully.

    Exercise is very important in space. On earth, your legs carry your body, but in space, astronauts float. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} This is very bad for their legs, so they must exercise for thirty minutes every day.

    After a day's work, astronauts relax. They may listen to music, read, watch films, play games, or talk to their friends and families by radio.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. So they do not use their legs often.

B It's very expensive to take food into space.

C. Sometimes they just enjoy floating in the air.

D. They also need to eat, sleep, exercise and relax.

E. On earth, we put food on a plate and water in a glass.

F. Astronauts have already visited the Moon and lived on space stations.

G. Some astronauts like to float in the air, but most like to be in a sleeping bag.