完型填空

A friend in need

　　Brownie and Spotty were neighbor dogs who met every day to play together．Like pairs of dogs you 　　1　　 find in any neighborhood, these two 　　2　　 each other and played together so often that they had worn a path through the grass of the field between their own houses．

　　One evening, Brownie's family 　　3　　 that Brownie hadn't returned home．They went looking for him with no 　　4　　 Brownie didn't appear the next day, and despite(尽管)their 　　5　　 to find him, by the next week he was still missing．Curiously, Spotty 　　6　　 at Brownie's house alone, barking．Busy with their own lives, Brownie's family just ignored the 　　7　　 little neighbor dog．Finally, one morning Spotty 　　8　　 to take “no” for an answer any longer．He followed Ted about, barking strongly, then running towards a nearby wood, as if to say," 　　9　　 me! It’s urgent!”

　　Then Ted followed the anxious Spotty．The little dog led the man to a 　　10　　 spot a half mile from the house．There Ted found his beloved Brownie 　　11　　 but one of his hind legs stuck in a steel leg-hold trap．Horrified, Ted now wished he'd taken Spotty's earlier requirement 　　12　　 Then Ted noticed something quite remarkable．Spotty had done more than simply 　　13　　 Brownie's owner to his trapped friend．In a circle around the 　　14　　 dog, Ted found some dog food, which was later 　　15　　 as the remains of every meal Spotty had been fed that 　　16　　! Spotty had been visiting Brownie 　　17　　 in a single-minded quest to keep his friend alive by offering his own comfort．Spotty had obviously 　　18　　 with Brownie to protect him from being hurt, snuggling(依偎)with him at night to keep him warm and touching him gently with its nose to keep his 　　19　　 up．Brownie's leg was treated by a veterinarian and he recovered．For many years afterward, the two 　　20　　 watched the faithful friends frolicking(嬉戏)and chasing each other down that well worn path between their houses．