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 left the  2under the doormat(门垫),  3  I was likely 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 he helped himself to some cold chicken from the ice box. He said he was drinking a glass of orange juice and he hoped I would 8him. When I asked him if he had reached the house without difficulty, he answered, "I was not able to find the key,  9 luckily, 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.

    It's Sunday afternoon. It's my son's eighth birthday today. I go into a 1shop to buy a big birthday cake for him.

    There are lots of people in the shop. When I am 2 a cake, I find a little boy watching the cakes for a long time. He is 3old clothes. At last he chooses a cake. Then he gives money to the shopkeeper and says to her, “I want the 4 cake.”

    “Sorry, the cake is 20 yuan, but you only have 10 yuan,” says the shopkeeper.

    “I ...I have no more money,” says the little boy and he begins to cry.

    “Oh, my boy. Who would you like to 5 the birthday cake for?” I ask.

    “My mum, madam.”

    “6 doesn't she come and buy one?”

    “My father left us three years ago,” the boy says. “We don't have much7. My mother has to 8 from morning to night every day. She celebrates my birthday every year, but she 9 celebrates hers. It's her birthday tomorrow. I want to buy a small cake for her. But I don't have enough money...”

    “Oh, my boy! I'm your 10 friend,” I say. “I will buy her a nice birthday cake.” I give the money to the shopkeeper and leave the shop.

    There was a little boy. He got angry1. His father gave him some nails(钉子) and told him, “2 you get angry, put a nail into the wall.

    3the first day, the boy put 37nails into the wall. The next day, he put in4 nails. A few days later, he found it5 easier not to get angry. Before long, the boy was happy every day.

    Then, his father asked him to6 a nail each day when he wasn't angry. After some time, 7the nails were gone.

    Then the father took the boy to the wall and said,” Well done, son. But, look, the wall is8of holes(洞). When you say things angily, they leave a scar(疤痕) in people's9. No matter how many times you say sorry, the scars are10 there just as the holes in the wall. Please hold back your anger. Think before you say angry things to your friends.

    J.K Rowling is the writer of the Harry Potter series, the most popular books.

    J.K. Rowling was born in Bristol in 1965. She has one sister 1 is two years younger than her. Both girls loved listening to bedtime 2 . They loved stories about the magical (有魔力的) world. Rowling 3her first story, called rabbit at the age of six.

    4 she graduated from the university, Rowling worked in London. During that time, on a long train trip in the summer of 1990, the idea of a 5 who has magic but doesn't know it himself came to6 . In 1992, Rowling began to teach English. She lived with her daughter, Jessica, and7much time finishing the first Harry Potter book for young8. It came out in 1997. To her 9 , the book was very successful. The film came out in 2001. Now the Harry Potter series is 10with people of all ages.

    Why is the series so successful? Many other magic stories11place in faraway lands in the past or future times,12Harry lives in modern England. He 's also a very normal boy. When other 13 read the story about Harry, they can 14 being like him.

    J.K. Rowling is very happy with her success. She says she will go on 15 children's books.