When Jonnie Peacock was five,he was like most small boys from his hometown of Cambridge — he loved to play sports. However, he nearly _________ when he became very ill with meningitis (脑膜炎). Jonnie’s parents took him to _________. The doctors saved his life, _________ they couldn’t save his right leg. He couldn’t run around with the other children anymore and he couldn’t play _________, his favorite sport.

But the doctors gave him a new, artificial   (人造的) _________. He could walk again, but he wanted to do more than that, so he _________ dancing and started doing other sports like _________. His doctors, his friends and his parents were all _________ that he could do so much. Only 18 months _________ he lost his leg, he could run, swim and play football again. Among those sports __________ in running then—most of other children can’t run faster than __________.

Later in 2010, Jonnie started to __________ a lot. He wanted to go to the London 2012 Paralympics, the Olympic Games for disabled athletes (残疾运动员). Some of the athletes in the Paralympics can’t walk, they can do __________ special that most people can’t.

Jonnie Peacock __________ first prize at the London 2012 Paralympic Games when he was only 19 years old. He ran the 100 meters in a time of 1090 __________!

My mother always told us there is no use crying over spilled milk. That means you should not get angry when something bad happens and cannot be changed. She also told us you have to break some eggs to make an omelet (煎蛋卷). This means you have to do what is necessary to move forward.

My mother believed you are what you eat. A good diet is important for good health. She would always give us healthy food. She liked serving us meat and potatoes for dinner. The meat and potatoes can also mean the most important part of something. It describes someone who likes simple things.

People always said my father was the salt of the earth, because he would never pour salt on a wound, or make someone feel worse about something that was already a bad experience. However, sometimes he told me a story that seemed bigger than life. So I had to take it with a grain (粒) of salt. That is, we could not believe everything he told us.

My manager at work does not always know what is going on in our office. Yet she is right about one thing: there is no such thing as a free lunch. Something may appear to be free, but there may be a hidden cost. When we fail to see problems at work, the manager tells us to wake up and smell the coffee. We need to pay more attention and fix the problem. I once made a big mistake at the office and felt silly. I had egg on my face.

Over the weekend, my friend invited me to watch a football game on television. But I do not like football. It is not my cup of tea.

I hope I have given you food for thought, that is, something to think about.

How do you celebrate your own birthday? What gift can you get from your parents? We all know eating long noodles is an important part in China. While what about other countries? In fact, different countries have different traditions on how to celebrate the birthday.

Mexico ① ________

In Mexico, parents often make a pinata for their children’s birthday. They put some candies, toys and other things in it and hang it from a tree. The birthday child is blindfolded(蒙住眼的) and tries to hit the pinata with a stick. He or she will beak it open.

Brazil   ②________

The birthday child gets a pull on the ear for each year he or she has lived. The birthday child also gives the first piece of cake to a very special person to him or her, usually Mom or Dad.

Canada ③________

In Canada, people often put butter on the birthday child’s nose.(A) It means the child is too slippery(滑的) for bad luck to catch him or her.

Holland ④________

Special year birthdays such as 5, 10,15,20,21 are called “crown” years. The birthday child gets a large present on a crown year birthday. The family sees this birthday as a time to get together and usually celebrates it with a big family meal. The family also puts flowers or balloons around the birthday child’s chair at the dining room table.