Tom is the son of a farm owner. One New Year's Day， when he was 15， his father 1 him to work on the farm for one year when he was free. Tom was 2 with his father's idea. "That isn't my job. I have 3 school work to do. "Hearing this， his father said， "I promise (许诺) to give you the best present if you 4 finish one year's work. "Tom thought for a while and 5.

       Starting one Saturday， the boy got up early and worked 6 until evening， just like any other farmer. Time passed quickly. Tom' s crops (庄稼) grew well. 7 the last day of the year， the father called his son to him. "I'm happy to see that you have worked very hard the whole year，" said the father.  " Now， tell me 8 you want "

    The boy smiled and showed his father a big piece of bread made from his wheat (小麦). "I've already got the 9 present. No pains， no gains. I think this is what you wanted 10 to know.” His father was quite pleased to hear that.

    Each of us makes mistakes from time to time. In fact, we can1 a lot from our mistakes.

    Donnie was a 2 student and never answered questions in class. He was afraid to make mistakes. He never finished his homework 3 he didn't want to make any mistakes. Nothing changed until Marry Anne, a teacher, came to our4 

    One morning, Marry Anne asked Donnie to 5 some questions. After a while Donnie was in tears because he made a mistake. Suddenly Marry Anne got a box full of erasers from the desk.

    "Look, Donnie," she said standing 6 him. "I've got something to show you." She took out the erasers, one at a time, and put them on the desk.

    "See these erasers, Donnie?" she continued (继续). "Do you know 7 the erasers become smaller and smaller? That's because we make mistakes. But we erase the mistakes and try again. That's what you must learn."

    "Here," she said, "I'll 8 one eraser on your desk, so you will remember that 9 may make mistakes."

    Donnie looked at Marry Anne and smiled.

    Donnie 10a lot from then on. He knew that everyone had the permission (许可) to make mistakes as long as you learned them and tried again.

    Playing a musical instrument is a great hobby. I started playing the piano when I was five years old and I still 1 it now: it is a perfect way to relax and can cheer me up when I'm feeling 2. When 1 lived at home with my parents, we had a brown piano in the 3 and I had piano lessons every week. However, when I went to university, I had to 4 my family and my piano behind.

    I enjoyed playing the piano so much that I 5 all the money I got for my birthday on a new electric piano. It was quite 6 to get it from the music shop: I had to ask a friend to help 7 get the piano into a taxi and then move it to the door. I was able to play 8 I wanted, using earphones so that I wouldn't disturb (打扰) my roommates. When I got tired of studying or writing an essay, I would take a 9  by playing something energetic. It really helped me feel relaxed and happy! 10 I was feeling a bit homesick (想家的) , playing music that I learned on my old piano made me feel 11.

    Now I am studying abroad and I don't have a 12 with me. When I'm listening to a tune that I can 13 , I feel nostalgic (怀旧的) about the piano keyboard. I wish that pianos were as portable (轻便的) as guitars 14 I really want to spend time on my hobby. Luckily, there are other activities that I 15 do to relax, like drawing or writing stories.

    I once knew an old man named John Smith. His bad1made him famous. John Smith was so forgetful that he sometimes 2what he was talking about in the middle of a sentence. His wife had to constantly (不断地)remind him about his meetings, his classes3his meals. Once he forgot he had eaten breakfast4, at home and at school.

    Since Smith was a professor at a well—known university, his forgetfulness was often an embarrassment (尴尬).It wasn't that he was not5, as some people say, just very, very absent-minded (走神的). One hot summer day, Professor Smith decided to take his6to a seaside town about a three-hour train ride away. To make the trip more7for his students, he kept the name of the town a secret. However, by the time they arrived at the station, Smith forgot the 8of the town he was planning to visit. Luckily, a friend of his happened to be in the 9. He offered to take care of the students while Smith hurried back home to find out where he was 10.