Fishermen and {#blank#}1{#/blank#} (sail) sometimes claim to have seen monsters in the sea. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} people have often laughed at stories told by seamen, it is now {#blank#}3{#/blank#} (know) that many of these ‘monsters' which have at times been sighted are {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (simple) strange fish. Occasionally, {#blank#}5{#/blank#} (usual) creatures are washed to the shore, but they are rarely caught out at sea. Some time ago, however, a peculiar fish was caught near Madagascar. A small fishing boat {#blank#}6{#/blank#} (carry) miles out to sea by the powerful fish as it pulled on the line. {#blank#}7{#/blank#}  (realize) that this was no ordinary fish, the fisherman made every effort not to damage {#blank#}8{#/blank#} in any way. When it was eventually brought to shore, it was found to be over thirteen feet long. It had a head like a horse, big blue eyes, shinning silver skin and a bright red tail. The fish, which has since been sent to a museum {#blank#}9{#/blank#} it is being examined by a scientist, is called an oarfish. Such creatures have rarely been seen {#blank#}10{#/blank#} (live) by man as they live at a depth of six hundred feet.

    Two brothers, Herbert and James, lived together with a cat named Edgar.

    James {#blank#}1{#/blank#} (be) particularly devoted to the cat, and when he had to leave town for several days, he left Herbert careful {#blank#}2{#/blank#}(instruct) about the cat's care.{#blank#}3{#/blank#} the end of his first day away, James telephoned his brother ,“How is Edgar ?”He asked.

    “Edgar is {#blank#}4{#/blank#}(die),” Herbert answered. Then James said, “Herbert, you're insensitive(漠不关心的). You know{#blank#}5{#/blank#} close I was to Edgar. You should have broken the news to me {#blank#}6{#/blank#}(slow). When I asked about Edgar tonight, you should have said, 'Edgar's on the roof, but I have called the first department {#blank#}7{#/blank#} (get) him down.' And tomorrow when I called, you could have said the firemen were having trouble{#blank#}8{#/blank#} (take) the pet down, but you were hopeful they would succeed. Then when I called the third time, you could have told me that the firemen have done their{#blank#}9{#/blank#} (good), but unfortunately Edgar had fallen off the roof and was at the vet's(兽医站). Then when I called the last time, you could have said that {#blank#}10{#/blank#} everything possible had been done for Edgar, he had died. That's the way you should have told me about Edgar.”

    In 1608, Thomas Coryate, an Englishman, visited Italy. He liked the country and noted down every interesting thing {#blank#}1{#/blank#} he had found. But there was one thing he found {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (interesting) than the others. In his diary, Thomas wrote, “When the Italians eat meat, they use small forks instead of their hands. As they say, people don't always have clean hands”

    Before {#blank#}3{#/blank#} (leave) for England, Thomas bought a few forks. At home he gave a dinner party to show the {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (invent) to his friends. When the servants brought the steak, he took out a fork and began to eat {#blank#}5{#/blank#} people did in Italy.

    Everybody looked at him in surprise. When he told his friends what it was, they all wanted {#blank#}6{#/blank#} (take) a good look at the strange thing. They said that the Italians were very strange people, for the fork was not very convenient.

    Thomas tried to prove the opposite. He said it was not nice to eat meat {#blank#}7{#/blank#} one's fingers because they were not always clean. He wanted to show how easy {#blank#}8{#/blank#} was to use the fork. But the first piece of meat he took with the fork {#blank#}9{#/blank#} (fall) to the floor. His friends began to laugh and he had to take the fork away.

    Only fifty years later {#blank#}10{#/blank#} people in England begin to use forks.

    As an old saying goes, "Friends are like wine, the older, the better." Many people consider old friends to be more important than new ones. For example, if two pieces of advice {#blank#}1{#/blank#} (give) to solve a problem, one from a new friend and the other from {#blank#}2{#/blank#} old friend, people would prefer the {#blank#}3{#/blank#} one to the former one, even though the new friend's advice may be better.

    I, however, {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (agree) with the old saying, believing that new friends are not necessarily {#blank#}5{#/blank#} (bad) than old friends. It is not always right {#blank#}6{#/blank#} (determine) your friendship by the length(长度) of time.

    Once you call someone a friend, he must be a person who is {#blank#}7{#/blank#} (rely) and whose interests are in common with {#blank#}8{#/blank#} (you). It is mainly his character (性格) and interests {#blank#}9{#/blank#} make him your friend. It actually has little to do with time. People's appearance may change, but their character usually stays the same. Therefore, on this point, there is no {#blank#}10{#/blank#} (different) between old friends and new friends.

    Who are better at science in your class, girls or boys? These years, girls start to show more interest in the {#blank#}1{#/blank#} (subject) of science, technology, engineering and Maths (STEM), according to a recent study from the UK.

    In the study, every year over the last seven years, over 20,000 students {#blank#}2{#/blank#} were in their final year in high school were surveyed. As for university courses, {#blank#}3{#/blank#} number of girls considering choosing STEM subjects has a {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (big) increase than that of boys. Over one-fifth of the girls surveyed said they were considering jobs {#blank#}5{#/blank#} (relate) to STEM, such as engineers. And the interest in engineering and science has also risen.

    This is an important change for women in the UK. But at present, there are not nearly as many women {#blank#}6{#/blank#} men studying STEM subjects or working in the STEM fields. Only 13%～22% of people who graduate {#blank#}7{#/blank#} university with STEM degrees are women. And women are seen only one in eight STEM jobs.

    Are men really more suited to STEM work than women? Of course not. This is {#blank#}8{#/blank#} (part) because of the conventional idea, which means many people think so, even though it is not correct.

    "It is important that young women should {#blank#}9{#/blank#} (encourage) to get into these jobs. In fact, STEM subjects are fun and exciting. Studying science can do {#blank#}10{#/blank#} (we) good. It offers women chances of taking up fantastic careers and they will get higher pay in these areas," said Niki Yates, manager of GSK's business.