Today is Tom’s birthday. He is seventy years old. But there is nobody being _________ him. He feels very disappointed. He can’t find his happiness anywhere. His sons who are busy working don’t care for him on his special day. _________ the cake is very delicious, he doesn’t want to touch it. He just _________ his children to come and stay with him.

Nowadays, many people are so busy that they _________ visit their parents. However, blood is _________ thicker than water. Our dear parents make every effort to bring us up, so we are supposed to treat them well when they become old.

All the time, little Dick was happy. He used to go about singing and dancing the whole day long. Nothing could make him sad.

One day, Dick wanted to travel in the _________. So he set out with excitement, singing till he made the forest full of songs.

He was about to drink near a river in the woods when he was _________. He found himself in the hands of a tall giant (庞然大物), a hundred times as _________ as himself! The giant looked at him and then put him into a large _________ and carried him off.

Poor Dick tried to get out of the bag, _________ the giant only laughed.

At last the giant came to his house-a dark place. When he got in, _________ shut the door, and took Dick out of the bag.

Dick now thought he would _________, for when he looked around he saw a large fire, and before it his two brothers were roasted (烤) for the giant’s dinner. However, the giant, did not kill Dick, but put him into a prison ( 监狱) which he had _________ for him.

The prison was dark, with bars (栏杆) all round it. The only food was bread and water. Dick beat his head _________ the bars. Dick was too __________ to think of eating or drinking.

The __________ Dick thought of his free life-warm home, close friends, the __________ , the trees and the flowers.

The giant came again, and wanted Dick to sing as he __________ do. “Sing, sing!” said he. But Dick was too sad to __________ . A prison is no place in which to sing. __________ the giant grew angry, and took Dick out to force him to sing. Dick cried, struggled, and then died in the giant’s hand!

This is a true story. Poor Dick was a little bird, and the giant was a cruel boy.

After opening a free online Harry Potter center in April, British writer J. K. Rowling brings even more good news.

In May, Rowling started writing a new story called The Ickabog, which was free to read online to help amuse people who stayed at home because of COVID-19.

The new story centers around a monster (怪物) known as the Ickabog, a fierce child-eating monster who lives in the northern tip of an imaginary land known as Cornucopia and has super powers.

Though the book is written for children, it is also fascinating to adults. It talks about many things, such as weak leadership, and suppression (镇压) of disagreement.

Rowling put the first two chapters online on May 26, with daily writing to follow until July 10.

She is also planning to publish (出版) the book in print later this year and then give away the money from its sales to projects and organizations helping the groups most influenced by COVID-19.

On May 22, 2021, the whole nation were saddened by the news that Dr. Yuan Longping passed away. That afternoon, it was     56     in Changsha, Hunan Province. As the hearse ( 灵车) went slowly through the streets, people said together “Grandpa Yuan, rest in peace” over and over again. Some ran along,     57     to see him off for a longer time. Tears ran down their faces with the rain.

Dr. Yuan Longping worked most of his life growing better rice. As a result of his research, the Chinese people are no longer     58     about getting hungry. For his contributions, Dr. Yuan is always called the “Father of Hybrid (杂交的) Rice” by the Chinese.

Born in 1930, Dr. Yuan graduated from college in 1953. Years later, he decided to do     59     on hybrid rice. From 1964 to 1969, he did more than 3,000 experiments, but all     60    . He never gave up. In 1974, he became the first agricultural (农业的) pioneer     61     grow rice that had a high output in the world.

Dr. Yuan Longping was good at English. Actually, he spoke English     62     he talked with foreign reporters. He liked swimming and playing the violin. He also wrote lyrics for a song to show his dream and     63     his love for his mother.

Like our neighbour and friend, Dr. Yuan Longping was a     64     and caring man. He encouraged the young people and loved children. Dr. Yuan Longping is a great     65     with a humble mind and a warm heart.

Dr. Yuan Longping will live in our hearts forever.

Aunt Jia had a snack stand (摊位) in our neighborhood. Her snacks never failed to satisfy my stomach. What’s more, she was always patient with her customers. Even COVID-19 didn’t influence her business.

One day, during the last Spring Festival, I saw a large family visiting her stand. It formed a heart-warming picture: Each family member was enjoying being together. As they were leaving, I noticed Aunt Jia felt a bit sad.

I was amazed. In my experience, she was always smiling. I went forward and ordered my favorite snack. When she was wrapping (打包), I couldn’t help saying, “Happy New Year, Aunt Jia! Why don’t you take a break?” Aunt Jia looked surprised, but she soon replied,“Happy New Year! I love working here in this city. It’s too cold and snowy in my hometown.” I became more curious (好奇的). “Where do you come from? Aren’t your family waiting for you to come home for the celebration?” Aunt Jia stopped for a few seconds. “They sure are”, she answered gently. “But I have to stay here. I’m from a mountain area, where it would not be easy to make money. I’d be comfortable if I were home now. But in order to live a better life, I must work hard.” I froze thinking about her words. Having noticed my shock, Aunt Jia smiled.

To get something better, sacrifice (牺牲) is a must. This is a rule that people from all walks of life must follow.

71. 假如你是李华，已升入高一级学校，现应邀回校向同学们介绍英语学习方法。请根据下列要点提示，以“To Be a Successful English Learner”为题，写一篇英语演讲稿。

To Be a Successful English Learner

I’m Li Hua. I’m honored to be invited here to share my ideas about how to learn English well. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Thanks for your listening.