Mr. and Mrs.Smith’s flat(公寓) was full of boxes,small and large,trunks and furniture.The t  76   of them were busy with pencils and paper checking their list of luggage(行李) when there was a ring at the door.Mrs Smith went to open it and saw a well-dressed middle-aged lady outside. The ladys said that she come to w    77    them to their new homes.

Mrs Smith i   78     her in.

“I hope youll e  79    us for all this mess(困境). ”said Mrs Smith, “we are trying”

“Oh thats quite all right.” said the lady, “Do you know in some p  80   of this town neighours are not at all friendly. There are some streets --where people don’t know their neighbours--not even their next-door o  81   . But in this building everybody is friends with everybody else. We are one big happy family. I’m sure you’ll very happy here.”

The lady was greatly s  82     when she visitd the flat the next time because she found a quite d  83    man and woman in it. Mr and Mrs Smith didn’t have the h  84   to tell her that they were not the new owners of the flat but the old owners !During these two years the lady never visited them or even n   85     them who were her next-door neighbours.

76. t          77. w          78. i          79. e          80. p          

81. o          82.s           83. d         84. h          85. n          

Have you ever had an embarrassing (尴尬的) experience? Last week we asked readers to tell us about embarrassing experiences. We received thousands of letters! Here is a selection.
Tony: My most embarrassing experience happened when I had just left university. I had just started teaching in a Liverpool secondary school. One morning my alarm clock didn’t ring. I woke up at half past eight and school began at nine. I quickly washed, dressed, jumped into my car and rushed to school. When I arrived, the students had already gone into class. I didn’t go to the office, but went straight into class. After two or three minutes the students began laughing, and I couldn’t understand why! Suddenly I looked down and understood. I had put on one black shoe and one brown shoe!
Henry: The most embarrassing experience I’ve ever had happened two years ago. After seeing a film, my wife and I had lunch in our favorite restaurant in town. Then we decided to take a walk along the street. The street was very busy and we started holding hands. Suddenly my wife saw a dress in a shop window and stopped. I started looking at some watches in the next window. After a minute or two I reached for my wife’s hand. There was a loud scream, and a woman slapped (拍击) my face. I hadn’t taken my wife’s hand！I'd taken the hand of a stranger!
【小题1】The students began laughing when they saw Tony _________.

Old George bought the black gloves for just $35 ten years ago. They were made of lamb skin, soft and warm and very strong. Until then, he had worn cheaper man-made material. Those gloves never lasted longer than three years. He first decided to buy the expensive gloves, because they would make him feel nice in front of others.

George never let a drop of water or rain touch his expensive gloves, so they looked new. Losing this favourite thing was almost like losing a child to him.

Bad luck! George lost his expensive gloves on New Year's Day.

…

Back home. George was at a loss. In deep winter, he could not do without a pair of gloves. If he bought cheap ones again, he would have to replace (更换) them very soon. If he bought a new leather pair, it would cost $50 now. He was upset that people no longer returned things they found on the road.

After the holiday, poor George decided to buy another leather pair. Before boarding the subway, he went into Value Mart again to see if his gloves had been returned to the Lost and Found Office (失物招领处).

"What colour are they?" the woman in the office asked again.

"Black," he gave the same answer. She looked into her drawer and drew out a pair of men's leather gloves. "Are they?"

"Yes! Those are mine!" George explained, with great joy in his eyes.

1.When did George buy the leather gloves?

A. On New Year's Day.             B. Before the holiday.

C. Ten years ago.                  D. In the winter.

2.Why did George decide to buy the expensive gloves?

A. Because they were black.          

B. Because they made him feel good before others.

C. Because they had a long history     

D. Because they were much cheaper.

3.The leather gloves looked new after years because _______.

A. George took very good care of them.  

B. they were soft and warm.

C. they were expensive.               

D. George washed them with water.

4.How did George feel when he got home on New Year's Day?

A. He was happy.     B. He felt nice     C. He was thankful    D. He felt upset

5.About old George, which of the following is true?

A. He was a very rich man

B. He never bought cheap gloves

C. He believed somebody would return the gloves to him

D. He hadn't ecpected to get his gloves back.

One day, I went to see my last patient(病人), an old woman. In the doorway, I saw she was struggling (挣扎) to put socks on her swollen (浮肿)feet in the bed. I stepped in, spoke quickly to the nurse, read her chart noting. I was almost in the clear that she was not in serious condition.
I asked, “Could I help put on your socks? How are you feeling? Your sugars and blood pressure were high but they’re better today. The nurse mentioned you’re anxious to see your son. He’s visiting you today. It’s nice to have a family visit. I think you really look forward to seeing him."
"Sit down, doctor. This is my story, not yours." She said with a serious voice.
I was surprised as I helped her with the socks. She told me that her only son lived around the corner from her, but she had not seen him in five years. She believed that was the main cause of her health problems. After hearing her story and putting on her socks, I asked if there was anything else I could do for her. She shook her head no and smiled. All she wanted me to do was to listen.
Each story is different. Some are detailed; others are simple. Some have a beginning, middle and end; others don’t have clear ends. Some are true; others not. Yet all those things do not really matter. What matters to the storyteller is that the story is heard — without interruption(打断) or judgment(评价).
It was that woman who taught me the importance of stopping, sitting down and truly listening. And, not long after, in an unexpected accident, I became a patient. 20 years later, I sit all the time — in a wheelchair.
For as long as I could, I continued to see patients from my chair. I believe in the power of listening.
【小题1】 How was the old woman?