An old Japanese man kept a sparrow{#blank#}1{#/blank#}which he was very fond. One day it flew away. He went out,{#blank#}2{#/blank#} (look) all over the place for his sparrow. At last, he met his sparrow. “I missed you very much, sparrow.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}you follow me home ? "{#blank#}4{#/blank#}the sparrow was happy to see the old man, it shook{#blank#}5{#/blank#}(it) head. There were many other birds. They all looked healthy. "I am glad you have good companions, dear sparrow." said the old man. When it was time for the old man to leave, the sparrow gave him a basket as a present. "Well," said the old man's wife{#blank#}6{#/blank#}(anger) when he returned, "where have you been all day?" "I have been to the home of my lost sparrow”, replied he. When he opened the basket he was{#blank#}7{#/blank#}(amaze) to find it was full of gold. The old woman was very greedy. But she used to treat it very badly. She unashamedly asked for a present. “Alright”，replied the sparrow, “I offer you two{#blank#}8{#/blank#}(choose). One basket is light and the other is heavy{#blank#}9{#/blank#}(pick )one out，and you can take it home.” The greedy old woman cried out, "I'll take{#blank#}10{#/blank#}heavy one. " So the old woman carried the heavy basket breathlessly all the way. But when she arrived home and opened the basket, it was full of stones.

    An American skydiver has survived a 7, 600-meter jump from an airplane, although he did not use a parachute(降落伞). Luke Aikins dropped into a huge safety net on Saturday after falling for about two minutes over the desert in California. Aikins reached a speed of 193 kilometers per hour during the jump. He fell safe into a net. Cranes(起重机) {#blank#}1{#/blank#} (hold) the net about 65 meters over the desert floor. The 42-year-old husband and father has jumped out of planes thousands of times, but never once  {#blank#}2{#/blank#}he left a plane without a parachute. Aikins said he was nervous before this jump. “We're talking about jumping without a parachute,” he told reporters. "I take that very  {#blank#}3{#/blank#}(serious). It's not a joke.” Aikins prepared for two years  {#blank#}4{#/blank#}(make) the jump. Three skydivers with parachutes made the jump with him. They recorded the event with a video and carried the  {#blank#}5{#/blank#} (equip) that Aikins needed, like an oxygen mask. Aikins rolled in the air just moments before he hit the net so as to land on his back. The sky-diver did not move for several seconds as the net was lowered to the ground. Then, Aikins stood, waved his arms and hugged his wife.

    The morning had been a disaster. My tooth was aching, and I {#blank#}1{#/blank#}(be) in an argument with a friend. Her words still hurt：“The trouble with you is {#blank#}2{#/blank#} you won't put yourself in my place. Can't you see things from my point of view?” I shook my head{#blank#}3{#/blank#}(stubborn)—and felt the ache in my tooth. I'd thought I could hold out till my dentist came back from holiday, {#blank#}4{#/blank#}the pain was really unbearable(难以忍受的). I started calling the dentists in the phone book, but no one could see me immediately. Finally, at about lunchtime, I got lucky.

    “ {#blank#}5{#/blank#} you come by right now,” the receptionist said, “the dentist will fit you in .”

     I took my purse and keys and rushed to my car. But suddenly I began to doubt {#blank#}6{#/blank#}the dentist. What kind of dentist would be so eager to treat someone at such short notice? Why wasn't he as busy as the {#blank#}7{#/blank#}?

    In the dentist's office, I sat down and looked around. I saw nothing but the bare walls and I became even more {#blank#}8{#/blank#}(worry). The assistant noticed my nervousness and placed her warm hand over my ice-cold one.

    When I told her my fears, she laughed and said, “Don't worry. The dentist is very good.”

“How long do I have to wait for him?” I asked impatiently.

    “Come on, he is coming. Just lie down and relax. And enjoy the artwork,” the assistant said.

“The artwork?” I was puzzled.

    The chair went back, suddenly I smiled. There was a beautiful picture, right where I could enjoy {#blank#}9{#/blank#}：on the ceiling. How considerate the dentist was！At that moment, I began to understand what my friend meant by {#blank#}10{#/blank#}words.

    What a relief！

    Iceland is a land of volcanoes. Nowhere is {#blank#}1{#/blank#}（evident） than on the Westman Islands off the southern coast of Iceland. Here, {#blank#}2{#/blank#}（century） of volcanic eruptions formed many eye-catching sea cliffs （悬崖）, among {#blank#}3{#/blank#} one stands out: A part of the volcano-formed coast on Heimaey looks exactly like the head of a large elephant {#blank#}4{#/blank#}（stick）its trunk in the water.

    In fact, it looks so much like an elephant that many people think it must have been shaped by humans. That is not {#blank#}5{#/blank#} case, however. The elephant's realistic {#blank#}6{#/blank#}（appear）is, at least partially, due to the fact that the cliff {#blank#}7{#/blank#}（consist）of a special rock. The rock gives the figure "skin" that looks wrinkled and gray, just like that of a real elephant.

    The most common theory is that the rock formations came from the Eldfell Volcano, which {#blank#}8{#/blank#}（erupt）many times since the 1940s.

    In spite of the strong resemblance to an elephant, some people {#blank#}9{#/blank#}（actual）see something different when they look at the rock formation. They see the fictional character Cthulhu, a sea beast.

    Whether you see an elephant {#blank#}10{#/blank#} a fictional beast, as one of many attractions on Heimaey, the rock does draw curious sightseers.