A poor farmer had a friend 1 was famous for the 2 apple he grew. One day, his friend gave the farmer a(n)3 and told him to 4 it home. The farmer was 5 with the gift, but when he got home he did not know 6 to plant it.

    He was 7 that if he planted the tree 8 the road, the fruit would be stolen. If he planted the tree in one of his field, his neighbors would come 9 and steal some of the apples. If he planted the tree near his house, his children would take the fruit.

    10 he planted the tree in his wood where no one could see it. The farmer was very 11 of what he did. However, as time went on, he found that the tree didn't 12 any fruit. He didn't know without 13and good soil, the tree soon 14 after he planted it.

    Later the friend asked the farmer why he had planted the tree in such a 15 place. "What's the difference?" the farmer said 16. "If I had planted the tree near the road,17 would have stolen the fruit. If I had planted the tree in one of my field, my neighbors would have come and stolen some of the apples. If I had planted it near my house, my own children would have taken the fruit."

    "Yes," said the friend, "but at least someone could have 18the fruit. Now you not only have robbed every one 19 the fruit, but also you have 20 a good apple tree!"

    Valerie was very worried about her dad. For some time now she had noticed he was 1 his hair. One day, she asked him, "Daddy, every day you have less hair. 2is that?" Her father smiled and said, "It's the hair thief. He visits my 3during the night when I'm asleep.

    One by one he pulls out my hair, and there's no way to 4him."

    This worried Valerie, but she was 5to help her dad. That night she stayed 6as long as she could. When she was 7her dad and mom had fallen asleep, she took a hammer and went to their bedroom slowly and 8. She didn't want the hair thief to 9her. When she arrived at her father's side, she carefully inspected her father's head in order to catch the hair thief as soon as he 10. Before long, she saw a shadow on her father's head and she 11it with the hammer.

    Her father12a loud cry and got out of bed at once. He turned the 13on, and trembling with 14, he saw Valerie waving her hammer in the air. "Daddy, I 15got him. But it looks like he 16!" said Valerie. Meanwhile, the mother 17. She burst into 18 when she knew what had happened.

    So Valerie's father had to explain that the hair thief didn't exist, and that losing hair is something that just happens naturally to most fathers. Valerie still 19about her daddy, but she no longer waited for the hair thief. 20 she bought her father a very nice sleeping hat.

My Perfect Imperfect Life

    A few years ago, I was standing at the barre (扶手杠) waiting for my adult ballet class when I heard a voice behind me. "So, do you have this perfect life?"

    My first reaction was to1who was being asked such an odd question. Then I remembered there were only two of us in the room. When I turned2, the other woman was looking straight at me.

    I had no idea how to answer it. Was she3? Who has a perfect life? Sure, occasionally I did find the perfect dress or the perfect pair of shoes,4never would I use that word to describe anything about me or my life. I felt a twinge of guilt for somehow giving her that5.

    She watched me. I finally6to whisper a quick "No".

    By then, the teacher had entered the room and turned on the music to start class. With a sigh of7, I moved my feet into the best position. But as soon as my knees bent for our first pose, I realized my8had been disturbed. This woman's words wouldn't9echoing in my thoughts.

    I wanted to know how she came up with her very mistaken10. If she knew anything about my life, she never would have had the11to ask me that question.

    I did my best to do our floor exercises in front of the mirror. For a few moments, I didn't see the usual12of my older self attempting to use a beautiful art form to 13my gracefulness. I only saw the little girl whose father died when she was two, the child who walked home from elementary school every day to an empty house, who learned to sew her own clothes to14money.

    Perfect. My life had been far from it.

    When those memories15, I was left with a vision of the woman I had become, the woman16by all those things I considered imperfect. I now saw the woman who had learned to be self-reliant, who17her family and her friends, who didn't take life for granted. Was that the "perfect" this woman had detected?

    I still don't know, but I no longer feel18or feel like I must keep track of all the difficult times to prove my life isn't19. If ever again asked whether my life is perfect, I would have a different20. Because now I see that, despite all its imperfection, it is.

    Two-year-old Samantha Savitz has a hearing problem. Living within a community where there are no other 1 people around, her neighbors found a way to make her feel 2 and included.

    Samantha lives in Islington Road in Newton, Massachusetts. She loves to talk to anyone who knows 3 language, but not everyone in the neighborhood knows how to communicate with her.

    "She's easy-going. She wants to talk with anybody." said her father, Raphael.

    "Her whole personality changes when people can 4 with her," said her mother, Glenda. It makes Samantha a little 5 when people can't interact with her.

    6, Samantha wanted to play with her neighbors badly. Whenever they see her on a walk or in her yard，the little girl tries to be 7. But they are frustrated because they don't know how to talk to her.

    "All of us would 8 to talk to her, but we don't know what to say." said one neighbor. "Basic conversation that one would have with a 9 ," said another.

    "Asking her about her day," said a third.

    "And make her feel that she is part of the neighborhood," said another neighbor.

    "Just be her friend," another neighbor added.

    It is clear that the neighbors all 10 to be there for Samantha as her friend. But they would need to 11 American Sign Language. It might be hard to believe for some—that a whole neighborhood would learn ASL just 12 a little 2-year-old girl — but this particular community did just that.

    On their own, Samantha's neighbors gathered and 13 an instructor. Now, they all participate in an American Sign Language class.

    The 14 says that this is a remarkable thing because some parents of deaf children don't even bother to learn sign language. "But here Samantha has a full 15 that are signing in my class and communicating with her, and it is a beautiful story," he said.

    Her parents have no words to express their 16 for what the community did for Samantha. Glenda finds the act "shocking and beautiful", 17 Raphael feels "so fortunate" that their daughter is receiving so much love.

    In fact, the couple is already seeing some 18 in their daughter. During ASL classes, the first thing that Samantha says to her neighbors is "friend". "We are sure that this energetic girl is 19 , now that she has friends around who 20 the same language as her. Thank this neighborhood in Islington Road for showing us the most important part of being a community." The instructor said.

A little boy selling magazines for school walked up to a house that people hardly visited.The house was very old and the owner hardly ever came out.When he did come out he would not say hello to neighbors or passers-by but simply just glare(瞪眼看)at them.

The boy knocked on the door and waited,sweating from fear of the old man.The boy's parents told him to stay away from the house.A lot of the other neighborhood children were told the same from their parents.

As he was ready to walk away,the door slowly opened."What do you want?" the old man said.The little boy was very afraid but he had a quota(份额) to meet for school with selling the magazines.

"Uh,sir,I uh am selling these magazines and uh I was wondering if you would like to buy one." The old man just stared at the boy.The boy could see inside the old man's house and saw that he had dog figurines(小狗雕像) on the wall."Do you collect dogs?" the little boy asked."Yes,I have many collections in my house.They are my family here.They are all I have." The boy then felt sorry for the man,as it seemed that he was a very lonely soul."Well,I do have a magazine here for collectors.It is perfect for you.I also have one about dogs since you like dogs so much." The old man was ready to close the door on the boy and said,"No,boy,I don't need any magazines of any kind,now goodbye."

The little boy was sad that he was not going to make his quota with the sale.He was also sad for the old man being so alone in the big house that he owned.The boy went home and then had an idea.He had a little dog figurine that he got some years ago from an aunt.The figurine did not mean nearly as much to him since he had a real live dog and a large family.

注意：1）续写词数应为150左右;

2）请按如下格式作答。

The boy headed back down to the old man's house with the figurine.

From that day on something changed inside the old man.

Whenever our teachers or parents asked about our hobbies at childhood, my friends and I would always express our love for reading. However, with the development of high technology, our lives are gradually 1 by electronic screens of all sizes. They attract our attention like magnets（磁铁）and gradually 2 us from the world of books.

There was a time when I felt like my life went downhill, and with increased 3 from school, physical tiredness and emotional burdens（负担）, I had to watch short 4 to distract（分散）myself from those troubles.

This situation changed when one day I 5 a book called The Grapes of Wrath by a US writer. When I opened the cover and started reading, I felt like being hit 6 on my head. The wonderful story and beautiful writing attracted me. Although the characters in the book face 7 survival challenges, they still try to live in hard times and struggle for their dreams. This 8 spirit deeply inspired me, allowing me to gradually 9 my confidence in the future.

Now I carry this book either at the dining table or during school breaks. As a student who has a（n）10 of making films, this book also gave me creative 11 . The historical scenes described in the book and the deep human nature 12 within opened a door to the hall of art for me, allowing me to understand that reading cannot only 13 the spirit, but also cause creativity.

Why should we choose to ignore（忽视）such 14 like this book? Finally, I would like to appeal to my peers to protect our eyes and minds, and make 15 choices between books and screens.