¡¡¡¡Children all over the world like to celebrate their birthdays£®American children are of no ¡¡¡¡1¡¡¡¡£®American children usually celebrate with a party£®They invite their friends to join the celebration£®The party may not be held on the exact date of their birthday ¡¡¡¡2¡¡¡¡ it comes a school day£®It may be held on the ¡¡¡¡3¡¡¡¡ weekend instead£®
¡¡¡¡Today two kinds of parties are the most popular£®One is held at home£®Parents make the house beautiful with balloons and colored paper£®They prepare a special birthday meal£®The children play games£®¡¡¡¡4¡¡¡¡ kind is held away from home£®Some are at a special restaurant£®The children eat pizza and ice cream£®The waiters, ¡¡¡¡5¡¡¡¡ serve the food, also sing and tell jokes to the children£®Other parties ¡¡¡¡6¡¡¡¡ be held at a park, or a movie theatre, or some other places£®
¡¡¡¡Every birthday party has a birthday cake with candles on ¡¡¡¡7¡¡¡¡£®There is one candle for each year of a birthday boy or girl¡¯s ¡¡¡¡8¡¡¡¡£®When the candles are lighted, everyone sings the special birthday song£ºHAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU£®
¡¡¡¡As Americans grow older, their birthday parties change£®In fact, many people stop ¡¡¡¡9¡¡¡¡ them£®They say they would like to forget ¡¡¡¡10¡¡¡¡ they are£®Yet they do like to remember the happy birthday parties of their childhood(¶ùͯʱ´ú)£®
I stood there listening to my father shout at top of his voice£®The look on his face said that one of us had done something ¡¡¡¡1¡¡¡¡£®
¡¡¡¡¡°Which one of you did this?¡±
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We all looked down at the ¡¡¡¡2¡¡¡¡£®There was child¡¯s handwriting in chalk there£®I was filled with a lot of ¡¡¡¡3¡¡¡¡£®I hoped no one could see it£®Would he guess it was me?I was so worried£®When he asked me, I lied,¡°Not me, Dad£®¡±
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The others denied(·ñÈÏ)it as well£®Of course, we all knew that one of us ¡¡¡¡4¡¡¡¡ have done it£®But as the youngest and smallest of the three, I just couldn¡¯t find the courage to tell the truth£®
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To ¡¡¡¡5¡¡¡¡ who had written on the step, Father gave us each a piece of paper and a pencil£®¡°I want each of you to ¡¡¡¡6¡¡¡¡ exactly what you see on the step£®¡±I tried my best to write the words ¡¡¡¡7¡¡¡¡£®I didn¡¯t want Dad to be able to tell it was me£®
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He ¡¡¡¡8¡¡¡¡ our pieces of paper and looked at them£®¡°¡¡¡¡9¡¡¡¡ none of you will admit(³ÐÈÏ)to have done it, then I will punish you all£®¡±I stood there and said nothing£®The last thing I wanted was for Dad to ¡¡¡¡10¡¡¡¡ me!
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¡°I did it£®¡±My sister stepped forward and said ¡¡¡¡11¡¡¡¡ had done something she hadn¡¯t£®She was grounded for a month£®
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We didn¡¯t talk about that day for man years£®Not until we were all older and I knew it was ¡¡¡¡12¡¡¡¡ to finally tell my dad it was really me£®I always felt sorry because of it£®That was the last time I let anyone take the blame for me£®
¡¡¡¡The Browns are ¡¡¡¡1¡¡¡¡ Smiths' neighbours(ÁÚ¾Ó)£®Mr Brown's name is John£®But when his neighbours talk about him, they ¡¡¡¡2¡¡¡¡ him¡°Mr Going-to-do¡±£®Do you know why?Mr Brown always says he is going to do something, but he ¡¡¡¡3¡¡¡¡ does it£®
¡¡¡¡Every Saturday Mr Brown ¡¡¡¡4¡¡¡¡ to the Smiths' back door and talks to Mr Smith£®He always says he ¡¡¡¡5¡¡ do something£®
¡¡¡¡¡°I'm going to clean my house today,¡±he says, ¡¡¡¡6¡¡¡¡¡°I'm going to wash my car tomorrow,¡±or¡°These trees in front of my house are ¡¡¡¡7¡¡¡¡ big£®I'm going to cut them down next week£®¡±
¡¡¡¡Mr Smith usually says,¡°¡¡¡¡8¡¡¡¡, John?¡±He knows his neighbour is not going to clean his house, or wash his car, or cut down any trees, then he says,¡°Well, excuse me, John£®I'm going to do some work in the house£®¡±Then he ¡¡¡¡9¡¡¡¡£®
¡¡¡¡Mr and Mrs Smith often say to their only child Dick,¡°Are you going to do something?Then do it£®Don't he ¡¡¡¡10¡¡¡¡¡°Mr Going-to-do'£®¡±