【推荐1】A recent survey in the United States showed that the average family spent more money on its pets than on its children. Although rather shocking, it should not __________ anyone who has seen the doggy parlors(客厅) where loved pets rest. Are Americans unique in treating their little friends in this way? No, the English, too, are __________ to their pets.

This can clearly be seen when we look at pet foods, which often contain more vitamins than human food or, at least, are __________ less nutritious. They certainly cost much. Last year the British public spent two hundred million pounds on pet food alone, __________ veterinary(兽医的) bills or animal furniture. It is difficult not to feel __________ with this when one considers what the same amount could do for victims of starvation and poverty, so it is __________ for me to get hot under the collar when I read an old man left all his money to his dog home.

There are a variety of reasons why I find the popularity of British pets __________. They cause physical problems. An example of this is New York where they have great difficulty getting rid of the mess that dogs leave on the streets. Many people find this funny, but in a number of large cities it is a major problem. Animals can cause disease, too. It is the threat of rabies --- a disease with no known cure --- that has made the English government impose strict __________ on animals coming into the United Kingdom. When the Spanish government recently __________ a number of homeless dogs as protection against the same threat, English tourist immediately wrote letters to the newspapers __________ about mass murder.

Another problem is the __________ of pet owners. Most little children want a dog or a cat, and they continually pester their mothers and fathers until they get one. It is only when the sweet little thing has been brought home that the parents realize how much time and money must be spent on "Rover" or "Bonzo". Then they just __________ it. This brings me to my last point. Pets, which run free, are often not __________ at all. English farmers lose hundreds of sheep a year, killed by someone's pet and you must have read of children being hurt by some pets of their own.

__________, I would only suggest that we have got our __________ wrong and that something should be done about it.

【推荐2】I saw my parents raise young animals when I was a child. I was _______ to try that, but it wasn’t until I was in my forties that I got the _______. One day, I was given twenty turkey _______ by a driver who had almost driven over them. I had to _______ fast, buying a container at short notice to keep them, and turning them twice a day, as a hen would. I _______ them regularly, to make them get used to that. After a week or so, I received _______ and the first tiny mouth broke through.

The first poult (小火鸡) reacted immediately to my voice as expected, raising his wet head to look at me. He became _______ to me quickly, pressing his face against mine and falling asleep. Over the next days, this process _______ many times. Though not all the poults _______, I had a new family of 16 turkeys. I built a pen, complete with upright branches to ________ them, where I spent much time myself. The poults would ________ “Mom” to be waiting when they came out of nests every morning and I had to be ________ before they slept. During daytime we would explore outside. They seemed to love everything they encountered, which ________ me gradually.

The turkeys grew fast. Our ________ began as they started inhabiting trees outside. Down though, I was glad that memories of ________ with turkeys and the lesson of enjoying every moment would stay with me all the time.

【推荐3】The sun was beginning to sink as I set off into the Harenna Forest. I was on my way to _________ a unique honey harvest. Here, in south-east Ethiopia, hand-carved beehives (蜂房) are placed in the _________. Reaching them to get the honey is difficult and often _________.

I followed beekeeper Ziyad over a wide stretch of grassland _________ entering a thick jungle. Ziyad began preparations. He gathered _________ of damp tree leaves, wrapped them with string, and _________ the bunch to create a torch (火把). Then, with one end of a rope tied to his waist and the other end around the trunk of a tree, Ziyad began _________. He stopped every few minutes to move the _________ higher up the tree trunk.

_________, Ziyad got close to the hive which was around 20 meters above the ground. Sitting on a branch, he __________ towards it and blew smoke from his torch into a tiny hole in the hive. Suddenly, Ziyad __________ a sharp cry. Within seconds, he’d __________ the trunk and was back on the ground.

It was too __________ to collect the honey. A cool summer had delayed __________. Baby bees were still in the honeycombs (蜂巢). The angry adult bees kept attacking as Ziyad escaped from the tree. He had to wait for the right __________ to go back up.

【推荐2】Mr. Harris used to work in Dover but then he changed his job, so he and his wife _______ to another town. They did not have many friends there, but they soon met a lot of interesting people, and after a few weeks they often went to dinner or to parties in other people’s houses.

Then Mrs. Harries said to her husband, “We _______ a lot of other people’s houses, and now we must invite them to our house, mustn’t we?”

“Yes, certainly,” answered her husband. “Then we can start to invite people to dinner, in small numbers next month.”

So Mrs. Harris said, “Yes, I will invite all our friends here to a big party on December 5.”

“How many will that be?” Mr. Harris asked, “Don’t invite too many.”

Mrs. Harris was beginning to write the _______ when her husband saw that she was writing, “Party: 6:30 _______ 8:30 p.m.”

“That isn’t very _______, is it?” he said. “You are telling them they must _______ at 8:30.” So Mrs. Harris _______ wrote, “Party: 6:30 p.m.”

A lot of guests came, and they all had a good time, so they did not go home at 8:30. In fact, they were still there _______ when the doorbell rang and a _______ arrived. He said, “You must stop making ________, because ________ has reported it.

Mr. Harris said he did not want to quarrel with the policeman, so everyone went home. They were ________ to have to go.

When Mr. and Mrs. Harris were ________ again, she said to him, “That was a ________, wasn’t it? Who reported about the noise?”

“________ did,” Mr. Harris answered in a tired voice.

【推荐1】A little boy told his mother that there was a teacher­parent meeting in his school. To the little boy’s _______, she said she would go. This would be the first time that his classmates and teacher met his mother and he felt _______ of her appearance. Although she was a beautiful woman, there was a severe scar (伤疤) that _______ nearly the entire right side of her face. The boy never wanted to _______ why or how she got the scar.

At the meeting, the people were _______ by the kindness and natural beauty of his mother in spite of the scar, but the little boy was still embarrassed (尴尬的) and _______ himself from everyone. He, however, _______ a conversation between his mother and his teacher.

The teacher asked _______, “How did you get the scar on your face?”

The mother replied, “When my son was a baby, he was in a room that caught fire. Everyone was too afraid to go in because the fire was out of _______, so I went in. As I was running toward his bed, I saw a piece of wood coming down and I placed myself over him trying to protect him. I was knocked ________ but fortunately, a fireman came in and saved both of us.” She ________ the burned side of her face. “This scar will be ________， but until this day, I have never ________ what I did.”

At this point, the little boy came out running toward his mother with tears in his eyes. He held her in his arms and felt her great ________ of sacrifice (牺牲). He held her hand ________ for the rest of the day.

【推荐3】A man went to buy fruits and asked the shopkeeper about the ___________ of the fruits. The shopkeeper replied that banana was $2 and apple was $4 per kilo. At the same time, a woman came into the shop and ___________ the same question. Without a second ___________, the shopkeeper answered, “Banana is $1 and apple is $3 per kilo.” Hearing this, the man stared at shopkeeper with_________ . The shopkeeper noticed this immediately and signaled him to wait for a while. The woman took the fruits, paid for them and left ___________.

After the woman left with a smile, the shopkeeper looked toward the man and said,   “I didn’t mean to ___________ you.” He continued after a brief ___________,“The woman lives in my neighborhood. She is a poor mother of four. I have tried many times to help her but she is not_____________ to take any help from anyone in our ___________. Then I thought of this way to help her. Whenever she comes, I sell her fruits at the ____________ price. This way, she won’t feel that she is being helped and __________ on others. This is the only way I can extend my help. And whenever this lady comes, my sales ______________.”

After the man learned the story, tears ____________ in his eyes. He hugged the shopkeeper and bought fruits without complaining or ______________. More importantly, he left with a lesson learned that if you want to ______________, you will always find a way and your own bless will come along.