Hans Christian Andersen, a great Danish (丹麦的) writer, is very famous for his fairy tales(童话). He wrote a lot of best-known stories such as The Emperor's New Clothes and The Ugly Duckling. His fairy tales have brought happiness to children across the world. The tales have versions (版本) of over a hundred languages.

    Andersen was born in Denmark in 1805. When he was still a young boy, he was already very clever and imaginative (富于想象力的). He created a small toy theatre and made clothes for his puppets (木偶). He also loved reading.

    In 1816, his father died and he learned to be a tailor (裁缝). Later he worked in a factory. At the age of fourteen, Andersen moved to the capital of Denmark to become an actor and gave performances (演出) in the Royal Danish Theatre. However, his voice changed when he grew older, so the job had to stop. Then he began to write poems and fairy tales.

    In the spring of 1872, Andersen fell out of bed and didn't get well again. He lived until 1875 and died peacefully at the home of his close friends.

B

    A young woman was walking through a supermarket to pick up a few things when she noticed an old man following her around．Thinking nothing of it，she ignored him and went on shopping．After she got what she wanted，she went to checkout line，but the old man got in front of her．

    "Pardon me!" he said，"I'm sorry if my staring（盯）at you has made you feel uncomfortable（不舒服的)，it's just because you look like my granddaughter，who just died recently．And I miss her very much．"

    "I'm very sorry，"said the young woman．"Is there anything I can do for you?"

    "Yes．" the old man said．"As I'm leaving，can you say 'Good-bye，grandpa' to me? It would make me feel so much better．"

    "Sure,"answered the young woman．

    As the old man was leaving，she called out．"Bye-bye，grandpa!"

    When she stepped(迈步) up to the checkout counter（收银台），she saw that her total was $178.50．

    "How can that be?" she asked．"I only bought a few things!"

    "Your grandpa said you would pay for him，" said the clerk.

    My best friend, Connie, is two years older than me. We spend a lot of time together.

    Connie has long dark brown hair and her eyes are big and round. People say she is 1 and looks like a doll. When we go out, people often 2 that I am older than her because she is shorter and slimmer (苗条的).

    Connie is positive（乐观的）even when things go 3 . Last week she got her examination 4 , which were not very good. I thought she was going to be 5 . Instead, she simply decided to do better the next time. Then, every day after class, 6 teachers are free in their offices, she will ask them for help.

    Connie gets on well with others. Everyone in my family 7 her, even my younger brother. When you hear her laugh, you will naturally（自然地）laugh 8 . When I feel unhappy, I will talk to Connie and she will make me feel 9.

    I think my 10 with Connie is very valuable, and I hope we will always be best friends.

    I used to think courtesy (礼貌) was a thing of the past. However, I changed my mind when I met a courteous man.

    Last Saturday, I went to a cafe with my daughters. It was crowded with the usual loud crowd and we had to climb up the stairs to find an empty table. After enjoying coffee and snacks, we were ready to come down the stairs, where the narrow space made climbing down only possible in a single line, with hardly any space for another person to either climb up or come down.

    Just as I was in the middle of my descent (下去), a man got to the main entrance (入口) of the cafe which was right in front of the staircase. I was sure I would be pushed by the man who would want to go up in a hurry. Anyway, I kept coming down as fast as I could. My daughters were already down, looking up at me worriedly, hoping I would get down before the stranger went up the stairs.

    Nearly getting down, I noticed the man still standing near the door. Later, I passed him at the entrance door which he kept holding open. I looked back thinking he was still at the door, deciding whether to go in or find another less crowded place. However, I saw him going up the stairs, two at a time.

    I told my daughters about it and all of us felt bad for we did not even thank the courteous gentleman.

    One dark night, two blind men were going home from work. "I need to buy some 1." said one of them suddenly.

    "OK!" replied the second man, "I think I'll buy two or three pairs for 2, too"

    In the shop, the salesgirl asked them. "What size do you wear, sir, and what color would you like?

    "Size eleven. Give me one pair of black socks and two pairs of white, please, answered one of them. "And you, sir?" the salesgirl asked 3 customer. "The same for me. I wear size eleven, too, And the same color the same 4, said the second blind man.

    A moment later they were back in the 5 streets. But just then, a boy riding a bicycle bumped into (撞上) them.

    The blind men dropped all the socks on the ground! All the six pairs- black and white all mixed up. The boy quickly said sorry and left. The two blind men 6 all the socks but couldn't tell which were black and which were white. 7 could they be sure that each of them got one pair of black socks and two pairs of white?

    They tried to ask for help. But 8 else was in the streets.

    One of them soon 9 the problem Can your guess how he made it? They separated each pair of socks and both took one sock 10 each pair. When they got home, each of them had two black socks and four white ones —just what they wanted. Weren't they smart?