The school party was only two weeks away, and our children were all as ___1___as bees（蜜蜂）getting ready for it.

  That afternoon, as I __2___from my desk, Patty was standing there. She had waited to talk to me.

“Every year the other kids are always in a p-p-p-p-play or something, singing or t-t-t-t-taking, but I g-g-g-g-get to do some ___3___work for them. This year, I w-w-want to read a p-p-p-poem, myself! Please, Miss Teresa!”

    She was so ___4___that I couldn’t（拒绝）refuse her. I had to say, “Yes, you will. ”

    I tried to find some poems for her, but ___5___of my books was of good use. At last, I worked out a poem carefully myself. The poem wasn’t beautiful, but it would ___6___best for Patty.

    After a moment’s reading, Patty had remembered all the __7___and was prepared to do the poem. However, I had to stop her from doing too fast. Day after day, we worked together after school. She made wonderful progress.

  The night of the party saw children in __8_.

  The headmaster walked up to me with a piece of paper-the program list. “There is a _9___! Look, Patty here. But she can’t even say her own name well!” I had no __10___to explain（解释） because many of my students were going up there. So I said to him, “We know what we are doing. ”

    Patty’s turn ___11___. She walked up there, neither fast nor slowly. She stood there. She began.

  I could ___12___breathe. I felt time stopped.

  She said every word clearly. She did every line nicely.

  Applause! Applause everywhere!

1A. happy                     B. busy                      C. small                     D. lovely

2 A. looked after            B. looked at                C. looked for              D. looked up

3 A. difficult                  B. important                C. boring                   D. quiet

4 A. hopeful                  B. wonderful               C. thankful                 D. careful

5 A. one                        B. some                      C. none                     D. both

6 A. speak                     B. work                      C. write                     D. look

7 A. words                    B. lines                       C. paragraphs             D. poems

8 A. trouble                   B. surprise                  C. excitement             D. danger

9A. question                  B. mistake                  C. thing                     D. reason

10 A. interest                 B. way                       C. wish                     D. time

11 A. came                   B. went                      C. ran                        D. flew

12 A. easily                   B. possibly                  C. hardly                   D. happily