The Water City of Venice

    In 1980s, I went to Italy for business. One day, I sat with my friend in a well-known coffee shop in a neighboring town of Venice(威尼斯), Italy, the city of lights and 1.

    As we enjoyed our coffee, a young man2 glasses entered and sat at an empty table beside us. He called the waiter and placed his order saying, “Two cups of coffee, one of them there 3 the wall.”

    We heard this order with interest and found that he 4 with one cup of coffee but he paid for two.

    When he left, the waiter 5 a piece of paper on the wall saying “A Cup of Coffee”.

    While we were still there, 6 middle-aged men entered and ordered three cups of coffee, two on the table and one on the wall. They had two cups of coffee but 7 three and left. This time also, the waiter did the same. He put a piece of paper on the wall saying, “A Cup of Coffee”.

    It was 8 and perplexing(困惑)for us. We finished our coffee, paid the bill and left.

    After a few days, we had a chance  9 this coffee shop again. While we were enjoying our coffee, a man 10 dressed entered. As he seated himself, he 11 the wall and said, “One cup of coffee from the wall.”

    The waiter served coffee to this man with the customary(惯常的)respect. The man had his coffee and left  12 paying.

    We were amazed to watch all this, as the waiter 13 a piece of paper from the wall and threw it into the rubbish bin.

    Now it was no 14 for us-the matter was very clear. The great respect for the needy shown by the inhabitants(居民)of this town 15 our eyes well up in tears.

    Many years later, when I went to Venice for business again, I did the same thing as my appreciation to this beautiful world.

    Sophie was a ten-year-old girl. She loved 1. She drew before breakfast. She drew after breakfast. Sometimes she even drew on her way to 2.

    One day Sophie arrived 3 at school. "Why are you late, Sophie?" asked her teacher. "I'm sorry, Miss. I was drawing a big house on the way to school. I forgot about the class.

    "Oh, Sophie," said her teacher. "You must think 4 about your drawing and more about school. Can you give me your 5 now please?"

    "I'm sorry, Miss, I don't have it finished."

    "6 , Sophie?"

    "Yesterday I was in town. I saw a 7 running down the road. He had a handsome face so I drew him." The teacher gave Sophie a strange look. "But Sophie, there was a 8 robbery (抢劫案) in town yesterday..."

    "Maybe that was the man I 9," said Sophie. "Maybe I have drawn a picture of the robber!"

    After school, Sophie went to the police station. She 10 her picture to a policeman. "Where did you 11 this picture?" asked the policeman.

    "I drew it," said Sophie. "I drew it yesterday in 12."

    "This is a picture of Ronnie, the Robber," said the policeman. "So Ronnie robbed the bank! Thank you, Sophie. Now we can 13 him."

    A week later, the policeman 14 a letter to Sophie's school. "Sophie's drawing helped us catch Ronnie the Robber," he said. "She is a very clever girl."

    Now her teachers were very 15 of Sophie, the girl who loves to draw

    The Monkey King is the main character from the famous 1story Journey to the West. He is wonderful because he helps 2people.

    The Monkey King has a magic stick. He 3 it to fight bad people. He can 4the stick big or small. He sometimes does not even look like a monkey. He can turn himself 5different animals and objects. But unless he can hide his 6, he can't make himself a human. 7he sees bad people, he thinks of ways to fight them. Children all over the world become 8 in reading this story.

    As soon as he finished his homework, Eric jumped onto his 1 to go to the beach. He rode to watch the whales(鲸). After he got to the 2, Eric put his bicycle behind a bush so that 3 could see it from the road.

    It was only four in the afternoon, but the sky was already dark. It 4 to rain. If it rained, he couldn't 5 the whales because they would stay in deeper water. He 6 to go to the rock. It was the best 7 to see the whales from,

    Before Eric 8 the rock, it started to rain." Oh no!" he thought. "Now the whales must 9 in the deep water!"

    But just then he saw 10 large on the beach. It was a young whale! The whale got stuck (搁浅) on the beach! At first Eric 11 if it was dead. Then he saw its tail move 12 .The young whale was not dead, 13 the rain, most people went back. So there were 14 people on the beach. Eric ran as fast as he could back to 15bicycle. He had to go back to get help for the whale!

    Want to be an astronaut? Then "study hard, stay healthy and have perseverance (毅力)."

    This is what Chinese1 Fei Junlong and Nie Haisheng said in Hong Kong SAR last week. Fei, Nie and leading engineers of Shenzhou Ⅵ visited Hong Kong SAR from November 27to 30, 2010.

    They talked2 primary, secondary and college students. Kids were interested in the astronauts' space lives. They asked questions like "Did you see3 from space?" Fei and Nie said they didn't see the Great Wall. 4 they felt excited when they passed over China.

    Young people wanted to know how the astronauts developed5 careers (职业). "How did you decide to be astronauts6 China's space industry (工业) is still at the beginning?"7 a young woman. The astronauts said it was because of their love of flight and the need of the8.

    They said their love of flight could be seen from their children's names. Nie's daughter9Nie Tianxiang, which means "flying up high". Fei's son is called "Fei Di", which sounds like "Feidie", meaning10.

    It was l sunny Sunday afternoon. John's parents were not in. John decided to go to the Happy Theater to watch a talent show, so he 1. Only Barky, John's pet 2stayed at home. Just after John left, a bad person 3 the window, and then he came into the house 4it. He began looking for expensive things in the rooms. He found some 5in a box. He took out the money, but as he was leaving, he 6 a dog's barking (叫声). He looked around and found Barky looking at him angrily. He was very scared.

    Barky was about to bite (咬) him when John came home. John let Barky sit down and told the bad person, "Come with me to the 7, or Barky will bite out!" So the bad person had to 8 John to the police station with Barky close behind. A 9put handcuffs on (给...戴上手铐) the bad person after John told him the thing.

    Barky had a(n) 10 for watching the house. But the bad person didn't know.