I spent an hour writing out all the invitations to my daughter’s classmates. She told me who said they were coming. We spent so much time making gifts. “Tina would love the sunglasses, and Mike would love this pencil...” Jenny said. She helped me make cupcakes, 60 of them with different colors and tastes.

Everything was ready. At four, it started to rain. And it didn’t seem to stop soon. “Will they come at five?” Jenny asked me. She looked worried. I was not sure, either. We sat on the sofa and waited. At 4:50, Lisa, Jenny’s best friend arrived. We were happy and welcomed her. Until 5:20, seven of thirty classmates came.

I thought Jenny would be sad. “I’m happy today, Mom,” Jenny told me after the party was over. “It was rainy, but some of my classmates still came. I know who are my real friends.”

“Yes, it’s the most important thing,” I said.

It was Mary’s birthday. She received a letter from her uncle. “Dear Mary,” he wrote in the letter, “Happy birthday. I’m sending you some chickens as your birthday present. They will arrive tomorrow. I hope you will like them. Uncle Toby.”

Mary was very pleased. She liked eating eggs and chicken. “I can keep the chickens for their eggs or eat them,” she thought. When the chickens arrived the next day, they were in a box. Mary was very happy. She took the box off the truck and began to carry it into her garden, but the box of chickens was so heavy that she dropped it.

The box fell onto the ground and broke. The chickens all ran out. They ran here and there.

Mary spent hours in trying to find them. A few days later her uncle came. He asked, “Did the chickens arrive safely?” “Yes, but I dropped the box. It broke open and chickens ran everywhere. It took me the whole morning to look for them,” Mary said.

“Did you find them all?” asked her uncle. “I hope so,” Mary answered. “But I only caught eleven of them.” “That’s very interesting. I only sent you six,” her uncle said with a smile.

It was Christmas, and there was a big party in the house. Guests came and went, but the party went on. Then the bell rang. Several people shouted, “Come in!” A small man opened the front door and came in. (1) 没有一个人认识他。But the host(主人) went to meet him and took him to the bar for a drink. The man sat there happily for an hour and a half and drank. Then suddenly he stopped and looked at the host. “Do you know,” he said, “Nobody asked me to the party. I don’t know you. I don’t know your wife and I don’t know any of your guests. My wife and I wanted to go out in our car, but one of your guests’ cars was in front of our gate, (2)so I came here to find him and my wife is waiting in our car for me to come back.”

Time passes quickly. My thirteenth     66     is coming soon. I'm going to have a small party at home on Saturday afternoon. The day     67     yesterday，I invited some friends. Most of them can come，but three of them can't. Jenny is going to visit her aunt in the     68     .She will leave on Friday night and won't come back     69     Sunday afternoon. David has a soccer game next Monday，so he has to     70     for it. That is his favorite sport and he doesn't want to     71     the game. Judy might have to meet her two friends     72     Chengdu. She is going to take them to some     73     places.

Tonight I have to make a shopping list with my mother. Tomorrow we'll go     74     and buy the things we need. I'm looking forward to     75     my friends at the party. I'm sure we'll have a good time.

76. 假如你是珍妮，下面是海伦发给你的邀请函。请你根据以下要点提示给海伦发一封电子邮件回复该邀请函。

I’d like to invite you and your sister Mary to my birthday party this Sunday. It will start at 7 p. m. Will you be free? I would be very glad if you could come. Please let me know if you are coming by Friday.

Helen

Yours,

Jenny