It was my first day of high school, and I was late. My next class, German, scared me. I just could not speak that  21  . As the bell rang, I ran to the classroom.

At the door, a hand reached out and   22  mine firmly. I looked up. A man with large glasses smiled. He  23  himself as Tony, which means teacher in German.  24 , his warm smile and   25  words eased my fears. That year, I   26  his classes a great deal because I learned   27  just German.

I admit I only speak a little German.   28  I try to live out the life lessons I learned from Tony.

Every day Tony stood   29  his classroom before and after class to give his “hand hug”. After school his room was always filled with students and he would  30  to and chat with them—_31   those not in his class. He taught me that every person is  32  your time.

One time, I was rejected by my friends. Tony told me, “Linda, life gives you  33. But learning its lessons will turn those ashes to jewels.” Therefore, I learned to look at my troubles   _34   and not to fear any difficulty.

In my senior year, I  35  president of one of the school’s clubs, so I was very  36 . Many times I didn’t even have time to buy lunch. He served me by giving me his food as well as advice. He   37   out what he taught us to do:   38  others.

The author William Arthur Ward  39 : “The mediocre(平庸的) teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher  40 .” Thank you Tony, for inspiring me.

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　　There was a rich foreign merchant who had 4 wives. He loved the 4th wife the most and 1 her with best clothes and 2 her to delicious food.

　　He also loved the 3rd wife very much. He's very proud of her and always wanted to 3 her to his friends.

　　He, too, loved his 2nd wife. 4 the merchant faced some problems, he always turned to his 2nd wife and she 5 always help him out.

　　Now, the merchant's 1st wife had made great contributions to his business. However, the merchant did not love her and 6 she loved him deeply, he hardly took notice of her.

　　One day, the merchant fell ill. He knew that he was going to die 7 . He told himself,“Now I have 4 wives with me. 8 when I die, I'll be alone. How 9 I'll be!”

　　Thus, he asked the 4th wife,“I 10 you most. Now that I'm dying, will you 11 me and keep me company?” “No way!” replied the 4th wife and she walked away without another word.

　　The 12 merchant then asked the 3rd wife,“I have loved you so much for all my life. Will you follow me and keep me company?” “ 13 !”replied the 3rd wife.“Life is so good over here! I'm going to 14 when you die!”

　　He then asked the 2nd wife,“I 15 turned to you for help. Now I need you help again. Will you follow me and keep me company?” “I'm sorry, I can't 16 you out this time!”replied the 2nd wife.

　　Then a voice 17 out,“I'll leave with you. I'll follow you no matter 18 you go.”Brokenhearted, the merchant said,“I 19 have taken much better care of you while I could have !”

　　　　20 ,we all have 4 wives in our lives: our body, our possessions, our friends, and our soul. We should take good care of our soul all our life.

Today, roller skating is easy and fun．But a long time ago, it wasn’t easy at all. Before 1750, the idea of skating didn’t exist. That changed because of a man named Joseph Merlin. Merlin’s work was making musical instruments. In his spare time he liked to play the violin. Joseph Merlin was a man of ideas and dreams. People called him a dreamer.
One day Merlin received an invitation to attend a fancy dress ball（化装舞会）. He was very pleased and a little excited. As the day of the party came near, Merlin began to think how to make a grand entrance at the party. He had an idea. He thought he would get a lot of attention if he could skate into the room.
　　Merlin tried different ways to make himself roll. Finally, he decided to put two wheels under each shoe. These were the first roller skates. Merlin was very proud of his invention and dreamed of arriving at the party on wheels while playing the violin.
　　On the night of the party Merlin rolled into the room playing his violin. Everyone was astonished to see him. There was just one problem. Merlin had no way to stop his roller skates. He rolled on and on. Suddenly, he ran into a huge mirror that was hanging on the wall. Down fell the mirror, breaking to pieces. Nobody forgot Merlin’s grand entrance for a long time!
1．The text is mainly about ________.
A．a strange man              B．an unusual party
C．how roller skating began     D．how people enjoyed themselves in the 18th century
2．People thought Merlin was a dreamer because he _________.
　　A．often gave others surprises　　　　　 B．was a gifted musician
C．invented the roller skates　　　　　　D．was full of imagination
3．Merlin put wheels under his shoes in order to ________ .
A．impress the party guests　　　　　　B．arrive at the party sooner
C．test his invention　　　　　　　　　D．show his skill in walking on wheels
4．What is the main point the writer is trying to make in the last paragraph?
A．The roller skates needed further improvement. 
B．The party guests took Merlin for a fool.
C．Merlin succeeded beyond expectation.       
D．Merlin got himself into trouble.