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　　Have you ever had to decide whether to go shopping or stay home and watch TV on a weekend? Now you __1__ do both at the same time. Home shopping television networks（网络）have become a __2__ for many people to shop without __3__ having to leave their homes.

　　Some shoppers are __4__ of department stores and supermarkets __5__ the crowds, waiting in long lines, and sometimes having slight __6__ of finding anything they want to buy. They'd rather sit quietly at home in front of the TV set and __7__ a friendly announcer describe a product __8__ a model shows it. And they can __9__ around the clock, buying something __10__ by making a phone call.

　　Department stores and even mailorder companies are __11__ to join in the success of home shopping. Large department stores are busy __12__ their own TV channels（频道）to encourage TV shopping in the future. __13__ can ask questions about products and place __14__, all through their TV sets.

　　Will shopping by television __15__ take the place of shopping in stores? Some industry managers think so. __16__ many people find shopping at a __17__ store a great enjoyment. And for many shoppers, it is still important to __18__ or try on dresses they want to buy. That's __19__ specialists say that in the future, home shopping will __20__ together with store shopping but will never entirely replace（取代）it.

　　China's Liu Xiang became the first Asian in history to win the men's 110m hurdles at the Olympic Games in Athens on August 27. He __1__ history for China, and for Asia too! The 21-year-old claimed the gold medal of men's 110m hurdles before a __2__ of 70 000 at the Olympic Stadium in the 28th Olympic Games in Athens. He clocked a stunning 12.91 seconds __3__ the world record set by __4__ Collin Jackson in 1993. He also broke the Olympic record of 12.95 seconds set by Allen Johnson of the United States in the Atlanta Olympic Games in __5__.

　　Chinese fans in big cities like Beijing and Shanghai __6__ into hysteria（歇斯底里）and many cried out when the national television station CCTV broadcast the event __7__, __8__ brave Liu Xiang __9__ to the line in arms and legs far ahead of his rivals. __10__, China has won over 100 gold medals from the summer Olympic Games __11__ 1984 but their male athletes __12__ only one medal from Olympics' most popular sports. That was high jumper Zhu Jianhua's bronze in the 1984 Los Angeles Games. No __13__ these men are wild with joy __14__ Liu's win!

　　“I never expected that I could run __15_ 13 seconds, and I never expected that I could break the Olympic record.” said Liu in __16__. “I am very, very __17__.” “It is an amazing __18__ being the Olympic champion.I want to thank my coach and my friends for all their help. I think today the Chinese people __19__ the world __20__ can run as fast as anybody else.”

　　When I was about twelve, I suddenly developed a great passion（爱好）for writing poetry. I __(1)___ all my other hobbies, such as __(2)___ stamps, and spent all my __(3)___ time reading poetry and writing it. This habit of __(4)___ poetry on every possible occasion soon got me into trouble at school. If a lesson did not __(5)___ me, I would take out my __(6)___ and start writing poems in class. Of course I did this very __(7)___, but it was not long before I got __(8)___. One day while I was __(9)___ writing a poem during a geography lesson, I looked up to find the teacher __(10)___ me, looking very angry because I was not __(11)___ attention. He tore the poem up, with a __(12)___ not to waste time in his lesson. All the same I was convinced（深信）that I had written a good poem, so that evening I wrote it out again from __(13)___. Not long after, I read about a poetry __(14)___ and I decided to send in my __(15)___. Weeks later, long after I had given up hope, I got a letter telling me I had won first __(16)___. Everyone at school was very impressed except the __(17)___ teacher, who __(18)___ me more carefully than ever. He was quite __(19)___ that I was not going to write poetry in his __(20)___.

　　While I studied at school, I felt a great difficulty in learning my Latin translations. I was always very __(1)___ in using a dictionary, and __(2)___ it most difficult, while to other boys it seemed no __(3)___.

　　I formed an alliance（盟友）with a boy in the Sixth Grade. He was very clever and __(4)___ read Latin as easily as English. My friend for his part was almost as __(5)___ troubled by the English essays he had to write for the headmaster as I was __(6)___ these Latin words. We agreed together that he could __(7)___ me my Latin translations and that I should do his essays. The arrangement __(8)___ wonderfully. The headmaster seemed quite __(9)___ with my work, and I had more time to myself in the morning. On the other hand, once a week __(10)___ I had to compose the essays of my friend. For several months no difficulty __(11)___, but once we were nearly caught out.

　　One afternoon, the headmaster __(12)___ my friend to discuss one essay with him in a lively spirit.“I was interested in this __(13)___ you make here. I think you might have gone further. Tell me __(14)___ you had in your mind.”The headmaster continued in this __(15)___ for some time to the fear of my friend. However the headmaster, not wishing to __(16)___ an occasion of praise into __(17)___ of fault-finding, finally __(18)___ him go. He came back to me like a man who had had a very narrow __(19)___ and I made up my mind to make every effort to study my __(20)___.

　　The survey about childhood in the Third World shows that the struggle for survival is long and hard. But in the rich world, children can __(1)__ from a different kind of poverty of the spirit. __(2)__, one Western country alone now sees 14 000 attempted suicides（自杀）every year by children under 15, and one child __(3)__ five needs psychiatric（心理）advice.

　　There are many good things about __(4)__ in the Third World. Take the close and constant relation between children and their parents, relatives and neighbours for example. In the West, the very nature of work puts distance between __(5)__ and children. But in most Third World villages mother and father do not go miles away each day to work in offices. __(6)__, the child sees mother and father, relations and neighbours working __(7)__ and often shares in that work.

　　A child __(8)__ in this way learns his or her role through joining in the community's __(9)__: helping to dig or build, look after animals or babies--rather than __(10)__ playing with water and sand in kindergarten, keeping pets __(11)__ playing with dolls.

　　These children may grow up with a less oppressive sense of space and time than the __(12)__ children. Their sense of days and time has a lot to do with the change of seasons and positions of the sun or the moon in the sky. Children in the rich world, __(13)__, are provided with a watch as one of the __(14)__ signs of growing up, so that they can __(15)__ along with their parents about being late for school times, meal times, bed times, the times of TV shows...

　　Third World children do not usually __(16)__ to stay indoors, still less in high-rise apartments（公寓）. Instead of dangerous road,“keep off the grass”signs and“don't speak to strangers”, there is often a sense of __(17)__ to study and play. Parents can see their children outside rather than observe them __(18)__ from ten floors up.

　　__(19)__, twelve million children under five still die every year through hunger and disease. But childhood in the Third World is not all __(20)__.

　　My neighbor's children love playing hide-and-seek as all children do, but no one imagined that a __(1)___ they played last week would be reported in the local newspaper.

　　One afternoon, they were __(2)___ in the vacant lot by the corner. Young Paul, who is only five years old, found the perfect place to __(3)___. His sister, Natalie, had __(4)___ her eyes and was counting to ten when Paul __(5)___ the mail box at the corner and saw that the metal door was standing __(6)___. The __(7)___ had just taken out several bags of mail and had carried __(8)___ to his truck which was standing a few feet away. Paul climbed __(9)___ the mail box and pulled the door closed so hard that it __(10)___. Soon realizing what he had done, he became __(11)___ and started crying. At that time, Natalie was looking for him __(12)___ but could not find him. It was __(13)___ that she happened to stand at the __(14)___ for a minute and heard her brother's cries. She __(15)___ ran to tell the mailman who hurried back from his __(16)___ to unlock the metal door. Paul was now __(17)___, but be had such a bad fright that he could not stop crying. The mailman, __(18)___, soon found a way of making him __(19)___ again. He told him that the __(20)___ time he wanted to hide in a mail box, he should remember to put a stamp on himself!

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　　Each of us fails from time to time. If we are wise, we accept these failures as a __(1)__ part of the learning process. But all too often as parents and teachers we disallow this __(2)__ right to our children.

　　When I see a child __(3)__ to this kind of pressure, I think of Donnie.

　　Donnie was my youngest third grader. His __(4)__ of failure kept him from classroom games that other children enjoyed. He __(5)__ answered questions--he might be wrong. I tried my best to build his __(6)__ But nothing changed until midterm, when Mary Anne, a student teacher, was assigned（安排）to our classroom.　　She was young and pretty, and she loved children. My pupils, Donnie included, __(7)__ her.

　　One morning, we were working math problems at the chalkboard. Donnie had __(8)__ the problems with painstaking neatness. Pleased with his progress, I __(9)__ the children with Mary Anne and went for art materials. When I returned, Donnie was in __(10)__. He'd missed the third, problem.

　　My student teacher looked at me in despair. Suddenly her face __(11)__. From the desk we shared, she got a container filled with pencils.

　　“Look, Donnie.”she said, kneeling beside him and gently __(12)__ the tear stained face from his arms.“I've got something to __(13)__ you.”she removed the pencils, one at a time, and placed them on his desk.

　　“See these __(14)__, Donnie,”she continued.“They belong to Mrs. Lindstrom and me. See how the erasers are __(15)__? That's because we make mistakes too. But we erase the mistakes and try again. That's what you __(16)__ learn to do, too.”

　　She kissed him and stood up.“Here,”she said.“I'll leave one of these pencils on __(17)__ desk so you'll remember that everybody makes mistakes, __(18)__ teachers.”Donnie looked up with love in his eyes and a smile.

　　The pencil became Donnie's __(19)__ possession. That, together with Mary Anne's frequent encouragement, gradually __(20)__ him that it's all right to make mistakes--as long as you erase them and try again.

　　Like most English children, I learned foreign languages at __(1)___. When I made my first visit __(2)___ the United States, I was __(3)___ I could have a nice easy holiday without any __(4)___ problem. But how __(5)___ I was!

　　At the American airport, I was looking for a public telephone to __(6)___ my friend Danny I had __(7)___. A worker asked if he could __(8)___ me.“Yes,”I said,“I want to give my friend a ring.”“Well, that's nice. Are you getting married?”he asked.“No,”I answered.“I just want to tell her __(9)___ the phone I'have arrived.”“Oh,”he said“There is a __(10)___ downstairs on the first floor.”“But we're on the first floor now,”I said.“Well, I don't know what you are __(11)___ about. Maybe you aren't feeling too well after your __(12)___,”he said.“You just go and wash up, and you will feel a lot better.”And he went __(13)___, __(14)___ me wondering where on earth I was: at home we wash up after a __(15)___ to get the cups and plates clean. How can I wash up at an airport?

　　At last we did __(16)___. She __(17)___ the misunderstanding（误会）: Americans say“to give someone a __(18)___,”but we English say“to give someone a ring.”When we say“to wash your hands”, they say“to wash __(19)___”. And Englishmen start numbering from the ground floor, so the __(20)___ floor is the second for Americans.

　　I work as a volunteer（志愿者）for an organization that helps the poor in Haiti. Recently I took my son Barrett there for a week, hoping to __(1)__ him.

　　Before setting out, I told Barrett this trip would be tiring and __(2)__. For the first two days, he said almost nothing. I worried the trip was too __(3)__ for a 17-year-old. Then, on day three, as we were __(4)__ over high rocky mountains, he turned to me and grinned（咧嘴笑）,“Pretty hard.”

　　After that there was no turning back. A five-year-old girl, wearing a dress several sizes __(5)__ large and broken shoes, followed Barrett around, mesmerized（着迷）. He couldn't stop __(6)__. Later he said __(7)__,“I wish I could speak French.” was __(8)__ --this from a boy who hated and __(9)__ French classes throughout school.

　　Usually silent, he __(10)__ Gaby, our host, and kept asking questions about the country and its people. He blossomed（活泼起来）.

　　__(11)__, the moment that really took __(12)__ breath away occurred in a village deep in the mountains. I was __(13)__ a woman villager for an article. 135 centimeters tall, she was small in figure but strong in __(14)__ Through determination, she had learned to read and write, and __(15)__ to become part of the leadership of the __(16)__.

　　Learning her story, Barrett was as __(17)__ as I by this tiny woman's achievements. His eyes were wet and there was a __(18)__ of love and respect on his face. He had finally understood the importance of my work.

　　When leaving for home, Barrett even offered to stay __(19)__ as a volunteer. My insides suddenly felt struck. This __(20)__ achieved all I'd expected. Soon he will celebrate his 18th birthday. He'll be a man.

　　It was a winter afternoon. Some friends and I were eating at a restaurant and talking. We talked and talked and soon __(1)___ became the topic. Suddenly I hit upon __(2)___“Wouldn't it be fun to go swimming? Others go __(3)___ in winter, but why couldn't we? __(4)___, we could be healthier if we did.”I told them about this, and they all said it was a good idea __(5)___. Early the next morning, we four were standing at the bus-stop, with bags in our hands, __(6)___ for a bus to take us to the __(7)___. The sky was clear; the sun was shining. __(8)___ it was very cold all the same. __(9)___ our heavy overcoats were not enough to keep us warm. We all felt we should go __(10)___ but no one wanted to speak out.

　　We soon reached the sands. There was __(11)___ there, but we were not discouraged. Instead we were __(12)___ that we were the only ones that dared to challenge（挑战）the weather. __(13)___ we changed our clothes quickly.

　　But things were not going to __(14)___. The freezing sea wind was blowing. We felt very cold and trembled all over. At __(15)___ we made up our minds to __(16)___ into the water. We put our feet in first __(17)___ to make them back very quickly. The water was unbelievably cold. Then I suggested we all jump in __(18)___. We all went back ten steps. I gave the __(19)___, and we all rushed forward and jumped in. I shall never forget the moment I was in the water. I was up __(20)___ and rushed again to the shore. So it was with my friends. We put on our clothes as quickly as possible.