Ever since I was a child，my mouth has caused me trouble. I'm not a bad person；I have a 1 time learning when to stop saying bad things to others.

My mom has told me again and again，"Robert，your constant（不断的）bad words are hurting me. If you 2 to be this rude，you will get into big trouble."

 It's been a problem at school several times too when teachers have told me something I didn't want to hear. I used to feel it was my 3  to stand up for myself.

 One day in English class I was working on my homework when I heard a classmate  4 behind me. It was Nathaniel，who liked doing that as usual.

I said ever so 5 ， "Nathaniel，would you be quiet？"

Nathaniel kept saying something to himself. I quickly 6 ， "Nathaniel，shut up！"

 For the next five minutes，we threw hurtful words back and forth at each other.

"At least I don't have an ugly lazy eye like you!"I cried out.

 I knew this would make him  7  and it would hurt his feelings and shut him up.

What I said filled him with anger. He tried to 8 over my seat and catch me as he screamed，"That's it！That's it！"

9 at his reaction（反应），I sat back in my seat. I had never seen Nathaniel act like this before. Later on，we were taken to the teachers' office. There，Mr. Black，our English teacher，told us to 10 the matter. It wasn't until then that I finally found that 11 I hurt someone physically，the woulds finally heal（愈合）.But when I hurt someone with my 12 ， sometimes the pain never goes away.

 At the end of the discussion，I said  13 to Nathaniel.

 When I went back to my room，I spent some time praying（祈祷）.I began to 14 how often what I said hurt others. But I believe that as I keep asking God to help me，he'll tell me when to keep my 15 closed.

       Jimmy lives in London and he began to swim a few months ago. He 1 swimming, and he often goes to the swimming pool near his 2 with his mother and swims there for 3 or two.

       One day his mother said, “You 4 quite well now. And you want to see the sea, don't you? Your father and I are going to 5 you there on Sunday, and you are going to swim in the  6. It's not cold now, and it's much nicer than a swimming pool.”

      Jimmy's parents took him 7 the sea by their car on Sunday. They 8 at the side of a small harbor (港口）. Jimmy got out and   9 the sea for a long time, but he was not very 10. Then he asked his mother,“ Which is the shallow (浅的）end (部分）?”

阅读下面短文, 从短文后各题所给出的四个选项A、B、C、D中, 选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项, 并转涂至答题卡。

      Once when I was six years old I saw a picture in a book,  1True Stories from Nature, about the primeval forest. It was a picture of a boa constrictor（大蟒） in the act of   2  an animal. Here is a copy of the drawing.      In the book it said: “Boa constrictors swallow their prey （猎物）whole, without chewing it.    3   they are not able to move, and they sleep    4   the six months that they need for digestion.”

       After some work with a colored pencil I succeeded in making my first drawing. It looked like this:  

                                                       Drawing Number One.

I showed my picture to the grown-ups, and asked them  5   the drawing frightened them.   6they answered: “Frighten? Why should any one be   7    by a hat?”

       My drawing was not a picture of a hat. It was a picture of a boa constrictor digesting an elephant. But since the grown-ups were not able to understand it, I  8  another drawing: I drew the    9   of the boa constrictor, so that the grown-ups could see it  10  . They always need to have things explained.

       My Drawing Number Two looked like this:  

                                                                                         Drawing Number Two

       Whenever I met one of them who seemed to me at all clear-sighted, I tried the experiment of 11him my Drawing Number One, which I have always kept. I would try to12, so, if this was a person of true understanding. But, 13 it was, he, or she, would always say: “That is a hat.”That is why, at the age of six, I gave up what might have been a magnificent career as a painter. I had been disheartened by the failure of my Drawing Number One and my Drawing Number Two. Grown-ups never understand    14   by themselves, and it is15  for children to be always and forever explaining things to them.

    I was doing my homework one night when the lights suddenly went out. The flats in the opposite building were also in complete darkness.

    While my parents groped (摸索) their way to 1 candles, I found my way to the 2. It was black outside as it was a moonless night. I could see the headlights of cars and buses on the road were on. The traffic became 3 because the traffic lights were not working.

    After 4 the candles in our flat, my father took his torch(手电筒) and went out to check the lifts. I followed 5. All the lifts 6 working. And unluckily, some people were trapped(困在) in one of them. We called the fire station and a group of firemen 7 arrived to rescue these people. After helping the firemen, my father and I 8 our flat.

    We carefully locked the doors and windows and then went to bed. The next morning, 9 I woke up, I quickly tested the light. I was 10 to find it working. Like others, I think the blackout (停电) brings problems and difficulties to our lives. I really hope that it won't happen too often.

    People normally think of dogs as man's best friend, but to Brian Wilson, his two pet parrots are his best friends.

    It all began in 1995, when Brian was still a firefighter. A car accident caused serious damage to his brain. After several months of treatment, Brian's doctors said that he would never talk again and that he would have to spend the rest of his life in a nursing home.

    However, according to Brian, his two pet parrots didn't give up easily. They kept talking to him day and night, until one day, he said one word, then another, and all of a sudden was talking like a normal person again!

    Brian was so thankful that he decided to set up a home for birds which are not wanted by their owners. Now, his house is home to about 80 birds, including a great variety of birds like several macaws, cockatoos and African gray parrots. The birds fly around from room to room, some cackling (咯咯叫), others talking like humans. Though they all have big cages, Brian lets them fly freely inside the house.

    Over the years, Brian has developed a special relationship with birds. The birds that bite other humans, seem to like him and can get along with him well. He is now called a bird whisperer (鸟语者). Brian pays for most of the costs of looking after the birds with his own money, but has recently established a foundation (基金会) to accept donations. He and his birds also earn money by performing at birthday parties, weddings and other social events.

    For people who want to adopt (领养) Brian's birds, they have to volunteer at the foundation for three months before they can take the pet home.