Driving a car at high speed along a highway seems to be fun. You need only to follow the bright traffic signs beside the highways and it will take you to where you wish.

    But to a London taxi driver, driving is not an easy job. A taxi driver has to have not only good driving skills but also a good knowledge of the city of a London, from the smallest lane(小巷) to the most popular bar around. He has to be at the service of all kinds of passengers at all times.

    A certain London taxi driver told of his job as follows.

During the night it is quite usual for him to stop two or three times for some refreshments (点心). He said. "I never drink when I'm working —- I would lose my licence"

    He normally goes home between 2 and 3 O'clock in the night. There are times he has to stay longer and try to make more runs. He said, "That's the worst thing about working for yourself. If you don't make the money, no one is going to give it to you."

London taxi drivers not only 'take' but also 'give'. Every summer hundreds of children from London will go for a day at the sea— by taxi! Their rides are paid by the taxi drivers, and these fares(车费) all go to the 'London Taxi Fund for Underprivileged Children. At the sea, they are met by the mayor, and a lunch party is also held in honour of the taxi drivers and the children. After a happy day running around the sea beaches and visiting the market, the children go home again-- by taxi, and free of charge, of course!

    How would you use a radio or a telephone ifyou had no electricity or batteries? These1bothered (使烦恼) British inventor Trevor Baylis. So in 1996 he2awind-up (装有发条的) radio. It doesn't need electricity orbatteries. You wind it up3hand. It plays for about an hour. Then,you wind it up4.

    Baylis also invented a mobile phone that ispowered by5. The shoes contain (含有) a small battery that is powered when you6.This battery is connected to a mobile phone. These two simple inventions canbring modern7to all parts of the world.

    Baylis didn't have a university degree inengineering. In8, he left high school before graduating(毕业). He just loved9thingsto help people. He never knew10ideas would come to him.The idea for the phone came to him in a dream.

Today I turned eight. Today whatever I say goes. 

My grandma is cooler than most grandmas and laughs a lot,1 is the exact opposite. He's that old and serious. "Kids are impolite these days, and have no 2 ." he always says. "All they do is playing video games all the time." But I 3 play video games on weekends!

Anyway, the minute we park on the driveway, I get out and run straight to Grandma 4 Dad, who's still on the phone dealing with his business in the car as usual. "Happy birthday, honey!" Grandma holds me into her arms and says 5 that she's made my favorite chocolate cake.

And then I 6 Grandpa, who is asleep in a rocking chair, snoring （打鼾） like thunder. Can you believe it? On his only grandson's birthday! 

"7 , sleepyhead!" I call out. But more snores followed. An angry storm is coming up inside me.

"Oh, it's Parker's 8 !" Grandma calls out to Grandpa. He coughs. It seems to be ages for him to get to his feet and say, "boy, come here." But I don't 9 . 

"You and I," says Grandpa，rising slowly, "are going on a walk." 

"All right." I know what he's about to say: respect the elders, blah blah blah. But to my 10 , he says in a soft voice, "your parents are always very 11 , aren't they?"

"Hold my arms and help me into that chair. "For a second, I stood still. 12 when I see his legs shaking as he bends his knees, I rush over to hold his arms, I set him down nice and slow. "13 ," he says. He's breathing hard, like he's just climbed a mountain.

I sit down next to him. He covers my hand with his warm one. "Tell 14 all about the video game you like," he says. "Then I'll tell you some stories of my own. And we'll both listen to each other and ask good questions. Deal?"

I 15 in disbelief. And for some strange reason, it feels more like my birthday than ever.

In the eighth grade, I had a good friend, Peter. He was an excellent sports star.1 , I never seemed to be any good at sports. But when Peter joined a team, I did, too. Or . at least I 2 .

Peter was in the JV field hockey team. He was talented, so he learned the basic skills 3 . I, on the other hand, couldn't seem to hold the stick comfortably. Then Peter spent more and more4 with the other boys like him andI was beginning to feel lonely.

Deciding to  5 our friendship; I asked my mom to buy me my own hockey stick so I could practise at home. Peter looked at my 6 , and I could tell that he was thinking it was a waste of money.

I was7 by his reaction(反应`, and felt sad. I thought I simply had to be good at this sport8 I was going to keep Peter as a friend. So I practised and practised. I often felt like there was no     9 , but I kept at it. Just during that dark time, Steve became my new partner.

Then, one day,10 happened. That day, when Steve sent me his first throw, l caught 11 . Then I caugnt his next throw, and the next. The stick was actually feeling12 in my hands.

I still don't know what exactly happened that day, but I will always be13 for it. At the end of the season, I was chosen to14 for the JV team. I scored 12 goals that year. My success on the field gave me the confidence and the true 15 that I really needed. And Steve turned out to be a great friend.