In the 19th century, Charles Dickens, the English novelist, wrote excitedly of a carriage（马车）, pulled along by a team of horses, that could （1） more than twenty miles of road (2) sixty minutes. To us in the twenty-first century, in which man is able to move and communicate so rapidly, the (3) of the carriage seems nothing at all. Planes fly many hundreds of miles in an hour. And even without (4) , we can, by wireless or telephone, communicate within (5) with people on the other side of the (6) The benefits（益处）of these increased（增长的）speeds are countless （无数的）.

　　Businessmen’s travelling from Europe to America can (7) much time, for the journey that would once have takes weeks (8) now, by air, only twenty-four hours. Members of one family separated from each other by long (9) can have talks with each other by telephone as (10) as if they were sitting in the same room. Not all the effects（影响）of speed, (11) , are beneficial. People who are in the (12) of using a motor car (13) they want to move half a mile become lazy and (14) the power of enjoying an active (15) .Those who travel through a country at eighty miles an hour do not (16) much of the life to that country as they (17) .They become (18) anxious about moving quickly from one (19) to another that they are (20) able to relax and enjoy a happy journey.

　　“It’s your king.”he said to the old man.“I’m hungry now. (12) me something to eat quickly.”The farmer had nothing delicious except four eggs. The king ate up and felt (13) .

　　“How much must I pay you for that?”

　　“Eighteen dollars. Your Majesty.”

　　“How (14) they are!” said the king.“Are they rare here?”“No. Your Majesty. ”Answered the old man. “We have (15) a king in our country!”

　　It rained days. Mike couldn't go out and (1) with his friends. Mis parents went to work find had to (2) the boy at home. They bought some (3) for him. But he didn't like to read them. He stood by the (4) and looked outside.

　　The rain (5) this morning and Mike was happy. But it was wet outside. His pa rents didn't (6) him go out and play there. They (7) the boy to read a book. But when they left he began to play behind the house. (8) his parents came back for lunch. His mother found the boy was very dirty.

　　“Oh. dear!” called out the woman. “Look at your (9) ! How dirty they are! When did you see I was so dirty (10) you?”

　　“But I didn't see you when you were young.mum.”said the boy.

　　 1 of Tom's 2 is bigger than 3 . He can't 4 the right shoes 5 his feet. His friend Mike 6 him. “Why 7 go to the shoemaker （鞋匠）? A good 8 can 9 the right shoes.”So Torn 10 the shoemaker near Mike's home. Very 11 , the shoemaker 12 a pair of shoes. Tom 13 the shoes and 14 happy. He says to the shoemaker, “You aren't a good shoemaker! I want you to make one shoe 15 than the other, but you make one smaller than the other.”

完形填空

　　It is 1 for lunch. Mr. Brown and Mrs. Brown are already 2 at the table, but where is 3 , their only son? Mr. Brown decides (决定) to go and ask him to have lunch.

　　When he goes 4 Jack's bedroom, he finds Jack lying on the 5 and reading a book. He tells Jack to have lunch at once (立刻). So Jack does. He goes to his 6 . But Mr. Brown wants to know 7 Jack is so interested 8 the book. So he decides to have a look at it.

　　Mrs. Brown and Jack wait and wait until they become 9 . Then Mrs. Brown asks Jack to see what happens to his father. Jack goes into his 10 , again. Ha! Here is his father! He is lying on the floor and reading the book just as he does 11 he goes to lunch. Mr. Brown has forgotten all about lunch.

　　What a 12 book !

　　A famous philosopher（哲学家）once wrote, “Whoever wants to know the heart and mind of America had better learn baseball.” Many people believe that Abner Doubleday ___1___ baseball. They say that in 1839, in Cooperstown, NY, Doubleday organized（组织）the first game of baseball ever ___2___. Cooperstown is now the ___3___ of the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Others believe that baseball ___4___ from an English game called rounders. As early as the 1600s, people were playing rounders. People playing rounders first hit a ball with a bat and then ran ___5___ bases. It looked like baseball, ___6___ there were some differences. The main difference was the way ___7___fielders（外野手）got runners out. In rounders, the fielder threw the ball at the runner. If the ball ___8___ the runner while he was running around the bases, the ___9___ was out.

　　Gradually（逐渐地）, Americans changed rounders to make it baseball. The big ___10___ came when the fielder stopped ___11___ the ball at the runner. Instead, the fielder tagged（追上）the runner, just as fielders ___12___ today.

　　With the ___14___ of the modern equipment（设备）, baseball has become more and more ___15___.

　　Tony woke up in a ___3___ room. When the doctor told him that both his legs were broken, he knew his college basketball dreams were ___4___. Tony did what the doctors told him. ___5___ it didn't work when he left the hospital. Tony was sent to a rehab center（康复中心）.

　　A week after he arrived there, he met Sunny Chen. Sunny used to be a coach. His legs were hurt ___6___ in a skating accident. Though he couldn't move his legs, Sunny became a coach of a basketball ___7___ called the Suns. It was a on-wheelchair（轮椅）basketball team, because ___8___ on the team played from a wheelchair. Sunny invited Tony to ___9___ the game. Tony played badly, but for the ___10___ time since the accident, he stopped feeling sorry for himself.

　　Sunny ___15___ and said, “It's really quite easy. When you keep your face to the sun, the shadows fall behind.”

　　Jack was a rich young man. One day, he was 1 very happily down a street. Suddenly from his car came a terrible sound. He felt 2 , so he stopped his car and looked around. He saw a child standing nearby with a few small stones（石子）in his hand. He jumped 3 the car and found a dent（凹痕）in the door. He was so 4 that he caught the boy and shouted at him, “Who are you? 　　5 did you throw a stone at my new car?”

　　“Please, sir, please... I'm sorry! But I didn't know what else to do!” said the child. “I threw the stone 6 I wanted to get you to notice me. I need your 7 !”

　　Tears（眼泪）were running down the child's face. He said, “My brother 8 out of his wheelchair（轮椅）and was almost under it. He is hurt and too 9 for me. Could you give me 10 to get him back into his 11 ?”

　　After hearing this, Jack was moved（感动）and 12 to help him. He lifted the child's brother 13 back into his wheelchair. He looked over the boy carefully to make sure that he was OK. Then he watched the child 14 his brother towards their home. Suddenly the child 15 and bowed（鞠躬）to him. Jack looked at the dent in his car and smiled.