King Akbar was in the habit of putting riddles and puzzles to his people. He often asked 1 which were strange. His people had to use words in a 2 way to answer these questions.

    Once Akbar asked a very strange question. He looked at his people. As he looked, one by one the heads began to hang low in search of a(an) 3. It was at this moment that Bribal entered the palace. Birbal  4 the habit of the king. He understood the 5 at once and asked, “May I know the question so that I can 6 for an answer?”

    Akbar said, “How many crows(乌鸦)are there in the city?”

    Without even a moment's thought, Birbal 7, “There are fifty thousand five hundred and eighty nine crows, My Lord. "

    “How can you be so 8?” asked Akbar.

    Birbal said, “Make your men 9, My Lord. If you find more crows it means some have come to visit their relatives here. If you find 10 crows it means some have gone to visit their relatives somewhere else. "

    Akbar was pleased very much by Birbal's wise answer.

    When I was little, my mother began selling flowers in Camden Market. She couldn't1me at home on my own, 2I had to go to the market with her.

    3, I didn't have to do anything. I just sat there, and my mother told me jokes and stories so I didn't get 4.When I got older, I gave my mother a hand and I really enjoyed it.

    Then one year, my grandma gave me a book for Christmas. It was all about making candles and I loved it. I was 14, and I didn't have to go to the market5because my mother could leave me at home on my own. I6my free time making candles of all shapes and sizes. I made7them.

    One day, my mother was ill, so I had to go to the market on my own. I decided to8some candles with me and see9I could sell them. They10in 20 minutes! The next week, my mother gave me some money to buy some wax (蜡) to make more candles. They were sold out really quickly, too.

    Ten months later, we decided11flowers. My mother and I couldn't make enough candles during the week, so some of my friends started to help us. I paid them one pound12every candle, and we 13sell them for three or four times. It was fun and my friends worked with me in the market.

    At the age of 22, my uncle14me some money and I opened my first shop in Portobello Road. Since then, I've15looked back, even in difficulties. In the first store, we only sold candles, but now we sell everything from the designer, furniture to paintings. Oh, and candles, of course.

    A farmer had some little dogs to sell. As he was putting up an advertisement on the fence of his yard, a 1 happened to pass by.

    “I want to 2 one of your dogs, sir.”

    “Well, " said the farmer, "these dogs come from fine parents and cost a lot of 3.”

    The boy 4 his head for a moment. Then he reached deep into his 5 and pulled out（退） some change（零钱）. “I've got thirty-nine cents（美分）. Is that 6 to take a look?”

    “7," said the farmer. And with that he let out a whistle（口哨），“Here, Dolly!”

    Dolly ran out of the dog house 8 by four little dogs. The boy's eyes danced with joy.

    As the dogs made their way to the fence(栅栏）, the little boy noticed something else moving inside the 9. Slowly another little dog 10: this one much smaller. It was doing its best to 11.

    “I want that one, "the little boy said.

    The farmer said, "Boy, don't want that dog. He will 12 be able to run and play with you like the other dogs would.”

    The boy rolled up（卷起）one leg of his pants and showed a steel（钢）13. Looking back up at the farmer, he said, “You see, sir, I don't 14 too well myself, and he will need someone who 15.”

    Peter is thirteen years old. He is in Grade Two this year. He likes 1 football and watch football matches. And he often 2 newspapers. He wants to know where and when a football match will be.

    Now Peter is having lunch. He is 3 the radio (收音机), too. He is very happy 4 there will be a nice football match on TV at four 5 this afternoon. He would like to watch it. But he is going to have English and Chinese lessons. It's difficult for him to find a way. Finally, he has an 6.

    "Hello, Mrs. Black," Peter 7 to his teacher 8 the telephone. "Peter is ill in bed. He will ask for a day's leave (请假)."

    "Oh, I'm 9 to know that," says Mrs. Black. "But 10 is that?"

    "It's my father, Mrs. Black."

    An old friend from the US whom I was looking forward to staying with, telephoned from the airport to tell me that he had arrived. I was still at the 1 at that time, but I had got everything ready for his arrival. After letting him know where my house was, I told him that I had the 2 under the door-mat (门垫). 3 I was possible to be home rather late, I told him to go into the 4 and help himself to food and drink.

    Two hours later my friend 5 me from the house. At the moment, he said, he was listening to some of my records after having just had a truly wonderful 6. He had found a cooker and 7 two eggs and had helped himself to some cold chicken from the ice box. Now, he said, he was drinking a glass of orange juice and he hoped I would 8 him. When I asked him if he had reached the house without difficulty, he answered, "I was not able to find the key, but 9 the living room windows just by the apple tree were left open and you know what I could do."

    I listened to all this in 10. In front of my living room there was no apple tree at all.

    Dorothy lived in a small house in Kansas, with her uncle, aunt and a little black1called Toto. Sometimes there was a cyclone（飕风）in Kansas. It could, blow everything away. 2usually there were cellars（地窖）under all the houses. People went into their cellars when a cyclone came.

    One day, a cyclone was coming. So they3went into the cellar, but the dog Toto was so4that he ran under the bed. Dorothy had to pick5up. But6she got to the cellar door with Toto, the cyclone arrived and the house was moving！It went slowly up into the sky. Dorothy was afraid. “But we7do anything about it, ”she said to Toto, “So let's wait and see. "Soon, they went to sleep.

    When Dorothy8, the house was on the ground. She opened the door and found she was in a new place. Then, she saw three short men and a little old woman9a white dress. The woman walked up to Dorothy and said, "Thank you！You killed the Witch（巫婆）of the East, and you10us. "

    Dorothy was really surprised.