Robert, a great golf player, once won a tournament. After {#blank#}1{#/blank#}(receive) the check, he walked a lot to his car in the parking lot and {#blank#}2{#/blank#}(approach) by a young woman.

    She congratulated him{#blank#}3{#/blank#}his victory and then told him that her child was{#blank#}4{#/blank#}(serious) ill and near death. She did not know how she could pay the doctor's bills. Touched by {#blank#}5{#/blank#}(she) story, Robert gave the check to the woman.

    The next week he {#blank#}6{#/blank#}have) lunch in a restaurant when a Professional Golf Association official came to his table. “The guard in the parking lot told me you met a young woman there after you won that tournament.” Robert nodded. “Well,” said the official, “I have{#blank#}7{#/blank#} piece of bad news for you. She's a {#blank#}8{#/blank#}(lie). She has no sick baby and she's not even{#blank#}9{#/blank#}marry). She cheated you, my friend.”

    “You mean there is no baby{#blank#}10{#/blank#}is dying?” said Robert.

    “That's right,” said the official.

    “That's the best news I've heard all this week.” Robert said.

Our country {#blank#}1{#/blank#} natural resources.

    An official of the ancient State of Chu awarded a pot of wine to his men. One man said, "We have only one pot of wine. It's not enough for all of us. Let's determine who'll have the wine by drawing a snake{#blank#}1{#/blank#} the ground. Who finishes first will have {#blank#}2{#/blank#}" The others agreed. Very soon, one man finished his snake. He was about {#blank#}3{#/blank#} (drink) the wine when he saw the others were still busy{#blank#}4{#/blank#} (draw). He said proudly, "How{#blank#}5{#/blank#} (slow) you are drawing! I still have enough time to add feet to my snake." But before he finished, another man finished his snake and took hold of the pot from him, saying, "Whoever{#blank#}6{#/blank#} (see) a snake with feet before? Yours is not a snake, {#blank#}7{#/blank#}the wine should be mine!" He drank the wine. The man adding feet to the snake had to give in and could only regret his{#blank#}8{#/blank#}(fool) behavior.

    From that story comes the idiom Draw a snake and add feet to it'. Now people use this idiom to illustrate (阐释) the truth {#blank#}9{#/blank#} we are all familiar with: Going too far {#blank#}10{#/blank#} (be) as bad as not going far enough.

    Benjamin West, the father of American painting, showed his talent for art when he was only six years of age. But he did not know about brushes before {#blank#}1{#/blank#} visitor told him he needed one. In those days, a brush was made from camel's hair. There were no camels nearby. Benjamin decided that cat hair would work instead. He cut some fur from the family cat {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (make) a brush.

    The brush did not last long. Soon Benjamin needed more fur. Before long, the cat began to look ragged(蓬乱). His father said that the cat {#blank#}3{#/blank#} be sick. Benjamin {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (force) to admit what he had been doing.

    The cat's lot was about to improve. That year, one of Benjamin's cousins, Mr. Pennington, came to visit. He was impressed with Benjamin's drawings. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} he went home, he sent Benjamin a box for paint and some brushes. He also sent six engravings(版画)by an artist. {#blank#}6{#/blank#} were the first pictures and first real paint and brushes Benjamin had even seen. In 1747, when Benjamin was nine years old, Mr. Pennington returned for another visit. He was amazed at {#blank#}7{#/blank#} Benjamin had done with his gift. He asked Benjamin's parents {#blank#}8{#/blank#} he might take the boy to Philadelphia for a visit.

    In the city, Mr. Pennington gave Benjamin materials for creating oil paintings. The boy began a landscape painting. William Williams, a well-known painter, came to see him work. Williams was impressed with Benjamin and gave him two classic books on painting to take home. The books were long and dull. Benjamin could read only a little, {#blank#}9{#/blank#} (be) a poor student. But he later said, “Those two books were my companions by day, and {#blank#}10{#/blank#} my pillow at night." While it is likely that he understood very little of the books, they were his introduction to classical paintings. The nine-year-old boy decided then that he would be an artist.