Sometime ago I discovered that one of my chairs had a broken leg. I didn't think there would be any difficulty in getting it repaired, as there are a lot of antique (古董) shops near my home. So I left home one morning carrying the chair with me. I went into the first shop expecting a friendly reception.  I was quite wrong. The man wouldn't even look at my chair.

    The second shop, though a little more polite, was just the same, and the third and the fourth. I realized that my approach must be wrong so I decided to try another way. I entered the fifth shop with a plan in my mind.  I placed the chair on the floor and said to the shopkeeper, "Would you like to buy a chair? Twenty pounds," I said. "OK. I'll give you twenty pounds for it,"he said. "It's got a slightly broken leg," I added. "Yes, I saw that.  It's nothing," the shopkeeper replied.

    Everything was going according to the plan and I was getting excited. "What will you do with it?" I asked. "Oh, it will be easy to sell after the repair is done.""I'll buy it," I said.  "What do you mean? You've just sold it to me," the man asked in surprise.  "Yes, I know. But I've changed my mind.  I am sorry. I'll give you twenty-seven pounds for it." "You must be crazy," he said. Then, suddenly the penny dropped. He shouted, "I know what you want. You want me to repair your chair." "You're right,"I said, "And what would you have said if I had walked in and asked you to repair my chair?" "I wouldn't have agreed to do it. We don't do repairs, not enough money in it and too much trouble.  But I'll repair this for you.  Five pounds will be the cost,"the man answered. He was a very nice man and was greatly amused by the whole thing.

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    The most popular food in America was invented because a cook got angry. George Crum was a cook at a restaurant in Saratoga Springs, New York. One day in 1853, a customer(顾客) who had ordered fried(油炸的) potatoes sent them back to the kitchen. He wanted the cook to slice(切) them thinner and fry them longer. George Crum had a bad temper(脾气), and he thought the potatoes were fine the way he made them. To teach the customer a lesson, he sliced potatoes very thin and fried them until they were crispy(脆的). But instead of being angry, the customer loved the new fried potatoes. He asked for more. Other people who tried them like them too, and customers kept asking for them. Far many years, people called them Saratoga chips after the town where they were first made.

    Even now, after more than 150 years, potato chips are very popular. At least one of every ten potatoes grown in the United States is made into potato chips. So if you like potato chips, be glad George Crum had a bad temper!

    It was Tom's birthday, and he was five years old. He got quite a lot of presents from his family. His grandpa gave him a beautiful big drum(鼓). Of all the presents, Tom liked his drum best. He made terrible noise with it, but his mother didn't mind. His father was working in the daytime and Tom was in bed when he got home in the evening. So he didn't hear the noise. But one of his neighbors didn't like the noise. So one morning she took a knife and went to Tom's house when he was hitting his drum. She said to him, “Hello, Tom, do you know there is something very nice inside your drum? Here is a knife. Open the drum and let's find it.”

    Many people like animals. Now a lot of people have animals as pets (宠物). Usually people like to have dogs, cats, fish and other animals. Many young people have animals because they think theseanimals are interesting. Some old people have pets because they don't live with their children.Mollylives in No.25 Garden Street. He is a doctor, but he helps dogs. People usually call him The Dog Doctor. When their dogs get sick (生病), they call him on the telephone. He goes to the people's houses and helps them. He gives the dogs the right medicine(药物). Wherever(无论) he goes, he isalways welcome.

    Tom is a good boy, but he cannot get up early. He often sleeps until nine or ten o'clock in the morning. His mother doesn't want him to be late for school. So she buys him an alarm clock. She says to him, "You must get up when you hear the clock ring" "Yes, Mum." Tom says. And from then on, Tom gets up when he hears the clock ring at six thirty every morning. One day his mother forgets to ring up the clock. And the next morning Tom doesn't get up at six thirty. It's time for breakfast. Mother goes to wake him up. Tom is in bed and his eyes are open. He says to his mother, "I wake up very early."

    "Then why don't you get up?" Mother asks.

"But," answers Tom, "You tell me that I must get up when I hear the clock ring. So I am now waiting for the clock ring."