Once a rich woman invited Martin Brown, a famous singer to sing for her friends. But she 1 him to have dinner with them. She told him to eat 2 the servants(仆人).

After the meal Martin stood up and said to the servants, "Now, my good friends, I 3 for you." He sang several songs and the servants 4 quite pleased.

Then the rich woman asked 5 to come to the sitting-room. "We are waiting for your songs. 6 you ready?" the woman asked.

"I am 7," Martin said. "I have sung already(已经). I usually sing 8 in one evening, and I can't sing 9."

And with a polite(礼貌) "10", he left the rich woman's house.

    One night, a young woman was driving along a country road. It was dark and rainy. Suddenly she saw an old woman by the side of the road, holding up her hand as if she wanted a lift(搭车).

   "I can't leave her out in such bad weather," the young woman said to herself. She stopped her car and opened the door.

   "Do you want a lift?" she asked. The old woman nodded and climbed into the car. After a while, she talked with the old woman. But the old woman didn't say anything. The old woman only nodded or shook（摇）head. She tried again." Bad weather for the time of the year" she said.  The old woman nodded.

    Then the young woman noticed that the old woman's hands, which were large and hairy (多毛的). Suddenly she realized(意识到)that" she" was a man! She stopped the car." I can't see out of the rear screen(后视镜)," she said. "Would you please help me clean it?

   "The old woman" nodded and opened the door. As soon as "she" was out of the door, the young woman drove off as fast as she could.

When she got to the next village, she stopped. She noticed "the old woman left "her" handbag behind. She picked it up and opened it. Inside was a gun(枪).

    One morning, I was driving my father-in-law to the airport when a plane flew silently over the road like a big bird, about to touch down at the airport.

    "It's magic," my father-in-law said. I looked at him, without knowing what was happening.

    He was a doctor who gave speeches at colleges and had visited more than 100 countries. He understood better than I why a plane can fly in the sky. It, really, wasn't magic. But now, I realize he was at least right in some way.

    Though flying might not be magic, it's certainly magical. What it brings to our real lives is something found in our dreams.

    But too often, we, especially I forget. I read a sentence a few months ago. It said, "You know you're growing-up when you no longer want a window seat."

    Too often in recent years, I've asked for a seat near the exit row, forgetting the wonders of traveling fast. But sometimes, when the Wi-Fi's not working or my computer has no power, I remember to look.

    I think of one time when I was leaving on a family vacation. Moments after take-off, I started working. But a passenger behind me wouldn't stop talking. "The clouds!" he kept saying, "Look at the clouds!"

I turned around, and saw two men, one who appeared to be in his seventies and the other much younger. The chat continued for 20 minutes until, not patiently, I raised my eyes from my computer screen and looked out of the window.

    The clouds!

    He was right. We were floating through big soft balls of cotton, each in different shapes. They seemed easy enough to touch. The afternoon sun provided all kinds of colors, all against a blue sky. I put away my computer and appreciated(欣赏)them for the rest of the flight.

    I don't remember the work I felt like I had to complete that afternoon. I've never forgotten those clouds.

    Mike is a factory worker. He is often very tired after a day's work. His wife(妻子), Jenny, has no job, so she stays at home to cook the meals. Every day he can have his dinner when he gets home from his factory.

    One day, Mike came home very late because he was very busy in the factory. He was very hungry when he got home.

    He was not happy when he found his dinner was not ready. He was very angry with his wife. He shouted out, "I'm going out to eat in a restaurant." "Wait for five minutes," said his wife. "Why? Do you think that dinner will be ready in five minutes?" asked Mike.

     "Of course not," she answered. "But I can be ready to go with you in five minutes."