One day, a young man was taking a walk with a professor(教授). As they went along, they saw a pair of old shoes lying on the road. They thought the owner of the shoes must be a poor man who worked on the farm nearby. The student said to the professor, "Let's take away his shoes, and hide (躲藏) ourselves behind those trees and wait to see what will happen when he cannot find them. That must be very interesting."

    "My young friend," answered the professor, "we should never make fun of others who are poor. But you can put a coin (硬币) into each shoe, and then we will hide ourselves and watch what change (变化) will happen to him."

    The student did so, and they went to hide themselves behind the trees.

    The poor man soon finished his work, and came back. When he was putting on his coat, he put his foot into one of his shoes. He felt something hard and found the coin. Surprise was seen on his face. He found the coin and looked at it again and again. He then looked around, but there was no person. He now put the money into his pocket (口袋). When he put on the other shoe, he was surprised again to find the other coin. He fell on his knees (膝盖), looked up to the sky and said aloud some thanksgiving words to the person who gave him the coins.

    The student stood there, and his eyes were full of tears (眼泪),"You have taught me a lesson that I will never forget. Now I understand:      ▲       ,"he said.

    Many Chinese students don't pay much attention to spoken English at school. They think it necessary to practice speaking English in class, but not out of class. Here is a story to show you how important it is to speak the English language freely in everyday life.

    A foreigner once got hungry and went into a restaurant in London. He sat down at a table. When the waiter came, the foreigner opened his mouth, put his fingers into it and took them out again in order to express that he wanted something to eat, for he could not speak English. The waiter soon brought a cup of tea. The man shook（摇动）his head. The waiter then took away the tea and brought a cup of coffee. The man again shook his head. He tried again and again, but he wasn't able to make the waiter understand him. Finally another man came in. He spoke English clearly and fluently. In a few minutes, there was a large plate of meat and vegetables on the table before him.

    So you can see a man will go hungry if he doesn't master（掌握）a foreign language.

    Working as a vet(兽医), I met a family who taught me an unforgettable lesson. They came to my clinic with their dying dog, Coco. I examined Coco and found he was old and had a serious illness. I told the family we couldn't do anything for Coco, and euthanasia(安乐死)would be best for the dog.

    On that day, their little boy Eric seemed so calm, petting the old dog for the last time, that I wondered if Eric understood what was going on.

The little boy seemed to accept Coco's death without any difficulty. We sat together for a while after Coco's death, explaining that animal lives are shorter than human lives.

    Eric, who had been listening quietly, piped up:\"I know why. \"

    He said, "People need a lifetime to learn how to live a good life-like loving everybody and being nice, right? The six-year-old boy continued, "Well, animals already know how to do that, so they don't have to stay as long."

    I'd never heard a more soft-hearted explanation as to why animal lives are so short. It has changed the way I live. I see every day as the day that my life could be easily taken away, so I try to live my life to the fullest.

    After a serious earthquake happened, a father left his wife safely at home and rushed to his son's school, only to find that the building where his son studied had collapsed and looked like a pancake (煎饼).

    He was shocked. He didn't know what he should do for a while, then he remembered the words he had said to his son, "No matter what, I'll always be there for you!" And tears began to fill his eyes. He started digging through the ruins (废墟).

    As he was digging, other helpless(无助的) parents and the firemen arrived and tried to pull him off the ruins, saying, "It's too late! They are all dead! There's nothing you can do!" To them he replied with one line, "Are you going to help me now?" And then he kept on digging.

    No one helped, however. He went on along because he needed to know for himself, "Is my boy alive or is he dead?" He dug for eight hours. 12 hours. 36 hours. Then, in the 39th hour, he pulled back a rock and heard his son's words. He shouted his son's name, "ARMAND!" He heard back, "Dad?! It's me, Dad! I told the other kids not to worry. I told them that if you were alive, you'd save me and when you saved me, they'd be saved. You promised, 'No matter what happens, I'll always be there for you! 'You did it, Dad! "

    "What's going on there?  How is it?" the father asked.

    "There are 14 of us left out of 33, Dad. We're frightened, hungry, thirsty and thankful you're here. When the building fell down, it made a triangle (三角形), and it saved us. "

    "Come out, Boy!"

    "No, Dad! Let the other kids out first, because I know you'll get me! No matter what happens, I know you'll always be there for me! "

Nowadays, it's very usual for people {#blank#}1{#/blank#}(order) takeout, but did people eat takeout in ancient times?

Maybe you don't think so. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} fact, there was take out in the Song Dynasty (960 – 1279).  According to history books,  Emperor Xiaozong (1127–1194) liked ordering takeout late at night. His servants{#blank#}3{#/blank#}(go) out to pick up the dishes and bring them back to the palace.

Common people also ordered takeout. The owners of restaurants got their waiters to go out into the streets and ask loudly which dishes could {#blank#}4{#/blank#}(send) that day. People could then place an order. Delivery(快递)  {#blank#}5{#/blank#}(work) would bring food to their homes later. In the famous Song Dynasty painting Along the River During the Qingming Festival(《清明上河图》).  {#blank#}6{#/blank#}takeout worker is doing delivery work.  We can easily see the man {#blank#}7{#/blank#}(walk) with food in his hand in a hurry.

People at that time even had boxes for takeout dishes. {#blank#}8{#/blank#} they weren't like normal boxes. They were long{#blank#}9{#/blank#}(wood) boxes with several layers(层).  People also used plates made of two layers of porcelain(瓷). Hot water could be put between the first layer and the{#blank#}10{#/blank#}(two). In this way, they could keep the dishes warm.