My senior year of high school was a very hectic one, to say the least. If I wasn't studying or worrying about my grades, I was working on after-class activities. It seemed as if my life had turned into one crazy cloud of confusion and I hoped to find some sort of direction.

    Finally, I got a part-time job at the local coffee shop. I had thought it would be easy and, for the most part, stress-free. I pictured myself pouring coffee and becoming close friends with my customers.

    What I hadn't expected were the people with so many orders. There were moments when I was very angry simply because I couldn't seem to please anyone. There was always too much sugar, too little ice, or not enough skim milk. However, I kept at it.

    One day, one of my customers came in, depressed. Before he left, I handed him a bag along with his iced coffee. He looked at me questioningly because he hadn't ordered anything but the coffee. He opened the bag and saw his favourite doughnut (甜甜圈) I had given him. He smiled and thanked me before heading out into the rain.

    The next evening, he came. Instead of ordering something, he handed me a single pink rose and a note.

    "Thanks for being so sweet and thoughtful yesterday. It is so nice to meet someone who's warm and unselfish. Please don't change your ways because I truly believe that you will do better. Have a great day!"

    As time went on, I did come across some customers really particular. But anytime I felt depressed, I thought of that man and his kindness. Then I would smile, hold my head up high, clear my throat and ask politely, "How can I help you?"

    An idea that started in Seattle's public library has spread throughout America and beyond. The idea is simple: help to build a sense of community in a city by getting everyone to read the same book at the same time.

    In addition to encouraging reading as a pursuit(爱好) to be enjoyed by all, the programme allows strangers to communicate by discussing the book on the bus, as well as promoting reading as an experience to be shared in families and schools. The idea came from Seattle librarian Nancy Pearl who launched (发起)the "If All of Seattle Read the Same Book" project in 1998. Her original programme used author visits, study guides and book discussion groups to bring people together with a book, but the idea has since expanded to many other American cities, and even to Hong Kong.

    In Chicago, the mayor appeared on television to announce the choice of To Kill a Mockingbird as the first book in the "One Book, One Chicago" programme. As a result, reading clubs and neighbourhood groups sprang up around the city. Across the US, stories emerged of parents and children reading to each other at night and strangers chatting away on the bus about plot and characters.

    The only problem arose in New York, where local readers could not decide on one book to represent the huge and diverse population. This may show that the idea works best in medium-sized cities or large towns, where a greater sense of unity(一致)can be achieved. Or it may show that New Yorkers rather missed the point, putting all their energy and passion into the choice of the book rather than discussion about a book itself.

    As Nancy points out, the level of success is not measured by how many people read a book, but by how many people are enriched by the process or have enjoyed speaking to someone with whom they would not otherwise have shared a word.

    Scientific experiments can sometimes go wrong and when they do, the results may range from the disastrous (灾难性的) to the troubling. One such experiment took place in South America about fifty years ago. Whether its final consequences will cause serious damage or nothing more than a small trouble still remains to be seen.

    The story began in 1956 when an American scientist working in Brazil decided to solve the problem of increasing the productivity of that country's bees. He imported a very active type of African bee from Tanzania and mated (交配) it with the more easy-going native variety to produce a new kind of bees. The new bees worked harder and produced twice as much honey. It seemed that Professor Kerr, which was the scientist's name, had a total success on his hands.

    Then things began to go wrong. For some reason as yet unseen, but perhaps as a result of something in their environment, the new bees began to develop extremely attacking personalities. They became bad-tempered and easy to be angry. They attacked the native bees and drove them from their living places.

    But worse was to follow. Having taken over the countryside, the new bees, with their dangerous stings (刺), began to attack their neighbours—cats, dogs, horses, chickens and finally man himself. A long period of terror began that has so far killed a great number of animals and about 150 human beings.

    This would have been bad enough if the bees had stayed in Brazil. But now they are on the move, heading northwards in countless millions towards Central and North America, and moving at the alarming speed of 200 miles a year. The countries that lie in their path are naturally worried because it looks as if nothing can be done to stop them.

Changing people's bad impressions on us

    Some of us have made bad first impressions in front of people we wanted to become good friends with. First impressions are important because they form the foundation on which all future thoughts about someone will be based.  However, there are measures you can take to change people's bad impressions of you.

    Apologize immediately. A sincere apology can go a long way because you will prove to everyone that you value their thoughts about you. Tell the people that you didn't intend to offend them and that you wish to correct the situation. Explain the reasons why you acted the way you did in your apology. Otherwise, it will make others feel uncomfortable that you keep bringing up the past.

    Use humour. When you are around the people you made a bad impression in front of, play a small joke on yourself. Once they know you are not afraid to laugh at yourself, it can break up some of the tension. Remember to only direct humour at yourself.

    Do not make assumptions. After you have made a bad impression, it can be easy to assume that everyone thinks the worst of you.  Instead of assuming what someone thinks about you, explain to him that you feel ashamed about how you acted and ask him how your behaviour affected him.

    In order to overcome a bad first impression, your words and actions in the time to come must be consistently good. With enough time and patience, gaining trust and changing wrong beliefs is possible.

A. That way you can avoid any more feelings of discomfort.

B. First impressions are usually long-lasting.

C. Be careful not to overdo it.

D. Be mindful of your surroundings and sensitive to what you say to others.

E. Pay attention to future behaviour.

F. However, things aren't always as bad as they seem.

G. So it's hard to erase a bad first impression from someone's mind.

    I recently heard a story about a famous research scientist who had made several very important medical breakthroughs.What set him so far apart from others?

    He1that, in his opinion, it all came from an 2from his mother that happened when he was about 2 years old.He had been trying to3a bottle of milk from the refrigerator when he lost his 4on the slippery bottle and it 5, making its contents pouring all over the kitchen floor.

    When his mother came into the kitchen, instead of 6at him, giving him a lecture, or punishing him, she said: "Robert, what a 7and wonderful mess you have made! I have 8 seen such a huge pool of milk.Well, the damage has already been done.Would you like to 9down and play in the milk for a few minutes 10we clean it up?"

    Indeed, he did.After a few minutes, his mother said: "You know, Robert,  11you make a mess like this, you have to clean it up at last and 12everything to its proper order.So, how would you like to do that? We could use a sponge （海绵）, a towel, or a mop.Which do you 13?" He chose the sponge and together they 14the milk.

    His mother then said: "You know, what happened just now is a 15experiment in how effectively to carry a big milk bottle with two 16 hands.Let's go out in the backyard and fill the bottle with water and see if you can17a way to carry it without dropping it." The little boy 18 that if he held the bottle at the top near the lip with both hands, he could carry it without dropping it.

    This scientist then 19that it was at that moment that he knew he didn't need to be afraid to make 20.

    Wouldn't it be great if all parents would respond the way Robert's mother responded to him?

    Newton made important contributions to every area of the scientific and mathematical concept to his generation. Born in  rural English village on Christmas Day, 1642, he was so small that no one thought he would survive. During his childhood he spent much of his time inventing and building toys, and did not do particularly  (good) at school. So his mother, who was  (will) to pay for his education, brought him home to look after the sheep. However, he was always so busy  (build) small devices that the sheep would often escape. Eventually his uncle persuaded his mother  (send) him to the University of Cambridge,  he became so absorbed in his studies that he often forgot to eat or sleep.

    When Cambridge was closed for two years due to the plague(鼠疫), Newton went home to work on his studies. He  (bury) himself in mathematics and began developing a mathematical theory that would later become calculus(微积分). It is a popular belief  on one occasion he was sitting under an apple tree  an apple fell on his head, which helped him to understand the laws of gravity. It is now thought that perhaps he invented this story in later field to explain how he drew his  (inspire) from everyday events. 

注意：1）词数80左右；

2）可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯、内容充实。

Dear Headmaster,

Yours sincerely,

Zhang Hua

    There was no question of what I wanted to be when I grew up—a radio announcer. The silky voices of the announcers served as a constant companion who brought life, music and hopes to a nine-year-old only child in the 1930s.

    My family settled in Wagga in 1938. Every Saturday at five o'clock the local radio station 2WG would air a children's programme. Kids were invited to perform their talents. I used these opportunities to polish my voice for the time when my dream might come true.

    Working in radio might involve typing. So, I went to the Wagga Commercial College to learn to type. In 1945, when I graduated, I wrote a letter to apply to the Wagga radio station for a job. Surprisingly, I received a telegram asking me to attend an interview. On the day of the interview, I waited in the reception area with mixed feelings of excitement and calm resolution to do my best. The kind-looking manager surprised me by saying, "I'm afraid we have no plans for young women announcers."

   "In any case, your preference is for classical music?" he asked. "We use all manners of music here."

    "Oh," I said in a confident voice. "I have catholic(广泛的) taste in music." He took me to meet the copy chief. "This is the man you will be working for," he smiled. I was to work six days a week from nine to five, plus Friday nights. The salary was pitiful with the long hours, but I was in!

    After a short while I settled into my responsibilities. On quiet Friday evenings, a helpful announcer offered to show me how to operate the controls at the announcer's desk. He taught me how to put the records on the turntable, bring in the relayed news, and all sorts of tricks I could ever never have mastered alone. This man became my mentor(导师). It certainly wasn't part of any formal training scheme but the experience was invaluable. Sadly, after about six months, it seemed that I would never get the chance to use these skills.

注意：

1）所续写短文的词数应为150左右；

2）至少使用5个短文中标有下划线的关键词语；

3）续写部分分为两段,每段的开头语已为你写好；

4）续写完成后,请用下划线标出你所使用的关键词语。

Paragraph 1:

    However, one Friday night the evening announcer suddenly collapsed with appendicitis(阑尾炎) and was rushed to hospital.

Paragraph 2:

    After that, things happened swiftly. Within a fortnight I had my own afternoon programme, Music of the Masters.