It is a common thing to forget to return a book to the library after you've borrowed it. Maybe, you'll you'll realize it has been some{#blank#}1{#/blank#} (month) since you borrowed it and decide to return it.{#blank#}2{#/blank#} (similar), when Ron Webster borrowed a book from the library of the University Of Liverpool, he too forgot to return it. When he was 30, back in 1953, he was working {#blank#}3{#/blank#}a research assistant in the university. It was during this time {#blank#}4{#/blank#}he loaned a book titled “Structure and Function in Primitive Society.” Shortly after he borrowed this book, he {#blank#}5{#/blank#}(call) to London to continue his research. Just as you might have expected, Ron Webster completely forgot the whole thing.

    Ron had a {#blank#}6{#/blank#}(success) career and worked for Ford before retiring and leading a relaxed life. Recently when he took {#blank#}7{#/blank#}look at his collection of books, he discovered the old book. He contacted University officials to ask about the {#blank#}8{#/blank#}(possible) of returning the book.

    University Librarian was {#blank#}9{#/blank#}(amaze) to see Ron arrive at the University Of Liverpool,{#blank#}10{#/blank#} (try) to return a book that he borrowed 61 years ago.

    Just in case you were wondering, the total fine that Ron Webster had accumulated over the years amounted to ￡4,510.

    Few people would even think of beginning a new job at the age of 76, {#blank#}1{#/blank#} one of America's most famous artists just did that. Anna Mary Robertson, better {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (know) as “Grandma Moses”, turned to painting because she was too old to work on her farm.

    Grandma Moses was crazy about painting soon after she picked it up and worked hard at it. She painted {#blank#}3{#/blank#}(careful) and her works were nice. She first painted only to please {#blank#}4{#/blank#}(she) and then began to sell her works {#blank#}5{#/blank#} a little money. In 1993, a collector, Louis Caldor happened {#blank#}6{#/blank#} (see) several of Grandma Morse' works {#blank#}7{#/blank#}(hang) in a shop. He liked them, {#blank#}8{#/blank#} (buy) them at once, and set out to look for more. Caldor held a show to introduce the works of Grandma Moses to other artists. Grandma Moses, {#blank#}9{#/blank#} was world famous, {#blank#}10{#/blank#} (die) on December 13, 1961, at the age of 101.

    We think that life in Chinese high school is an adventure in which we have to survive mountains of homework and exams. Yet would it be {#blank#}1{#/blank#} (surprise) if I tell you that high school life in the US is almost as stressful and demanding as it is in China?

    In US high school, everything {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (record) and graded, including your grades on quizzes, tests and final examinations. Failing {#blank#}3{#/blank#} (turn) in your homework on time will directly affect your grade for a certain course. Perhaps contrary to {#blank#}4{#/blank#} we used to think of the US high school students, they pay great attention to their academic performance to try to get into distinguished university.{#blank#}5{#/blank#} they'll be disappointed after graduation from high school.

    Like university students, US high school students have the {#blank#}6{#/blank#} (free) to choose the courses that most interest {#blank#}7{#/blank#} (they). Even a 9th-grader can sit {#blank#}8{#/blank#} the same classroom as 12th-graders. But this also means he or she has to work very hard, because the teacher will not treat him or her {#blank#}9{#/blank#} (difference) just because he or she is a few years {#blank#}10{#/blank#} (young).

    On May 9, James Givens was sitting in the car when he{#blank#}1{#/blank#}(hear) what sounded like a knock. He turned around only{#blank#}2{#/blank#}(find) a goose pecking (啄) at the car door. This was highly unusual given that the birds normally preferred to observe humans from a{#blank#}3{#/blank#}(distant).

But on this day, the goose appeared to be determined to get his attention and didn't stop pecking{#blank#}4{#/blank#}Givens opened the car door and stepped out .Though the bird then began to walk away,{#blank#}5{#/blank#}kept turning around to make sure he was following. When they finally stopped, Givens realized{#blank#}6{#/blank#}the mother goose did so— she needed help to free her baby goose that had got{#blank#}7{#/blank#}(trap) in some balloon string.

    Worried that the mother goose would attack him if he got close{#blank#}8{#/blank#}the baby, Givens called the local SPCA chapter. Unfortunately, they were{#blank#}9{#/blank#}(able) to help right away. Concerned that the baby goose would not survive the delay, Givens decided to take on the task himself.

    The mother goose watched{#blank#}10{#/blank#}(patient) as Givens saved the little bird. As soon as the little goose was free, it ran to its mom. Givens said this was the most unforgettable incident in his life!

    English is a language {#blank#}1{#/blank#}(bring) to Britain in the 5th century by Anglo­Saxon settlers from various parts of Northwest Germany. It is convenient to divide English into three periods roughly─Old English, Middle English, and Modern English.

    The {#blank#}2{#/blank#}(early) form of English is called Old English or Anglo­Saxon. Old English developed from a set of North Sea Germanic dialects {#blank#}3{#/blank#}(origin) spoken along the coasts of Frisia, Lower Saxony, Jutland, and Southern Sweden by Germanic tribes known {#blank#}4{#/blank#} the Angles, Saxons, and Jutes. Later, Old English was strongly influenced by the North Germanic language Norse, spoken by the Vikings who settled mainly in the northwest. The most famous work from the Old English period is the epic poem Beowulf, written by {#blank#}5{#/blank#} unknown poet. Old English is very different from Modern English and difficult for the 21st­century English speakers to understand.

    For the 300 years following the Norman Conquest in 1066, the Norman kings and the nobility spoke only a {#blank#}6{#/blank#}(vary) of French called Anglo­Norman. English continued to be the language of the common people. The Norman influence {#blank#}7{#/blank#}(strong) the continual evolution of the language over the following centuries, resulting in {#blank#}8{#/blank#} is now referred to as Middle English. And one of the best­known works from the Middle English period is Geoffrey Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales.

    From the late 15th century, the language changed into Early Modern English, often dated from the Great Vowel Shift. English is continuously absorbing foreign words, especially Latin and Greek, causing English to have the largest vocabulary of any language in the world. By the late 18th century, the British Empire had sped the spread of English through its colonies and geopolitical dominance. Commerce, science and technology, diplomacy, art and formal education all contributed to English {#blank#}9{#/blank#} (become) the first truly global language. As there are many words from different languages, the risk of mispronunciation is high. In 1755, Samuel Johnson published his A Dictionary of the English Language, {#blank#}10{#/blank#} introduced a standard set of spelling conventions and usage norms.