It was a summer afternoon and some boys were playing together in a park. They knew each other well, as they  {#blank#}1{#/blank#} (spend) the last three years of school together and tomorrow was the start of a new term, about  {#blank#}2{#/blank#} they were excited and nervous.

    The first day of school came, and all the boys from the park the day before were put in the same class  {#blank#}3{#/blank#} coincidence. They jumped for joy all morning long. After lunch, the teacher came into the classroom with a boy and it was evident {#blank#}4{#/blank#} they had never seen him before.

    All the children were quiet, {#blank#}5{#/blank#} (wait) for the teacher to speak. And she said: “Hello everyone, this is Mei Pei from China, our newest class member. Mei Pei knows some English so I hope you will treat him as if he {#blank#}6{#/blank#} (be) your brother.”

    Then one child said to Mei Pei: “How come you speak {#blank#}7{#/blank#} (different)?” Meipei answered: “In my country, we all talk this way. On {#blank#}8{#/blank#} other hand, we're just the same as you. I wish I {#blank#}9{#/blank#} (speak) English as well as you in three months.”

    The children in the class understood this, and that it also didn't matter what he looked like, or what colour his skin was, or that he didn't speak perfect English.

    So the new {#blank#}10{#/blank#} (add) to the class helped everyone learn how to respect new people. And the boys stayed in the same class for another two years, with Meipei as one of their best friends.

—Yes, he is a {#blank#}1{#/blank#} hero.

    Skin is not only large, but it is important. One of its jobs is to protect us, {#blank#}1{#/blank#} keeps bad things out. But sometimes it fails. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (extreme) small bugs, called mites, can get under our skin. And when they do, they cause itching and great discomfort. So, to get under someone's skin means to annoy them or to bug them. That's just one definition of the {#blank#}3{#/blank#} (express) "to get under someone's skin." It can also mean that someone is very {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (attract) to you. You can't stop thinking about them. You might even be obsessing （着迷）about them.

    There are many ways {#blank#}5{#/blank#} (describe) people using the word "skin." If someone is thick-skinned they are not easily hurt emotionally. You can criticize them or be unkind to them and it simply rolls off their back. Thin-skinned people, {#blank#}6{#/blank#}, are easily hurt by criticism, even if it is not too severe. You have to be careful about {#blank#}7{#/blank#} you say to thin-skinned people so as not to hurt their feelings.

    If someone is suddenly very {#blank#}8{#/blank#} (scare), you can say they nearly jumped out of their skin! For example, one day I saw my friend Sierra {#blank#}9{#/blank#} (wait) at a bus stop. She was wearing headphones and did not hear me come up behind her. So, when I {#blank#}10{#/blank#} (touch) her shoulder, she nearly jumped out of her skin!

   It was already late when we started for the next town, which, according to the map, was about fifteen miles away on the other side of the hill. There we felt sure that we  {#blank#}1{#/blank#}(find) a bed for the night. Soon darkness fell after we left the village,   {#blank#}2{#/blank#} unluckily we met no one when we drove fast along the narrow(狭窄的)road which  {#blank#}3{#/blank#}(lead)to the hill. As our car climbed {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (high), it became colder and the rain began to fall, making it difficult  {#blank#}5{#/blank#}(see)the road.

   After we had traveled for about twenty miles, there was still no sign(迹象)of the town which was  {#blank#}6{#/blank#}(poor)marked on the map. We were beginning to get anxious when the car suddenly stopped. A quick {#blank#}7{#/blank#}(examine) showed that we had used up(用完)the gas. Although we had little food left, we decided to spend the night in the car.  

   With our meals {#blank#}8{#/blank#}(finish), I tried to go to sleep at once, but John, {#blank#}9{#/blank#} was a poor sleeper, got out of the car after a few minutes and went  {#blank#}10{#/blank#} a walk up the hill. There, he found the lights of the town in a valley below.