In the days when an ice cream cost much less, Tom,   (1)   8-year-old boy, entered a hotel coffee shop   (2)   sat at a table. A waitress put a glass of water in front of him. "How much is an ice cream?" "Fifty-cents," replied the waitress. The little boy pulled   (3)   right hand out of the pocket and studied a number of coins in it.

"How much is a dish of plain ice cream?" he asked. Some people were now waiting for her service and the waitress grew a bit   (4)   (patience). "Thirty-five cents," she said   (5)   (rude). The little boy carefully counted the coins   (6)  . "I will have a plain ice cream," he said. The waitress walked   (7)  . The boy finished the ice cream, paid the cashier and left. It was not long   (8)   the waitress came back and then she began to wipe down the table and suddenly was surprised   (9)   what she saw. There, placed neatly beside the empty dish, were two nickels (五分镍币) and five   (10)   (penny) ….. her tip!

Ludwig van Beethoven was born in Germany. He showed70.            (music) talent 71 .          an early age. He learned how 72.       (play) the violin from his father, 73.           was a singer.  Mozart met Beethoven and 74.             (impress) by him.

Beethoven met Haydn in 1971.After they had known each other for many years,  Haydn encouraged 75.         (he) to  move to  Vienna.  Beethoven became very popular in the Austrian capital and stayed there for 76.          rest of his life. As he grew77.      (old)，he began to go deaf . He became 78.         (complete) deaf during the last years of his life，79.            he continued composing.

The Olympic Games

The Olympic Games rooted In ancient  (1)   ．People gave the Olympic Games to the God Zeus．The original games ____  (2)  _____ ( hold ) on the plain of Olympia in Peloponnesos．The Greeks held the first Olympics in the year 776BC and had only one event，a short run that was called the "stade"．A w____  (3)  ____made of olive branches was placed on the winner's heaD． Women were neither allowed to ______  (4)  _______the games nor to watch them，because the games were given to Zeus and therefore meant for men．Every four years ，for 1，170 years，the Greeks held the Olympics，_____  (5)  ___ continued to grow and change．Many other sports were added，such as other races，boxing，wrestling，discus throw and so on．

The modern Olympic Games took place in Athen in 1886．Nowadays，the Games are held in different countries in turn．The host country provides vast facilities，including a stadium，swimming pools and living accommodation，but _______  (6)  ______ ( compete ) countries pay their own _  (7)  _____ ( athlete) expenses．

Since 1984，when China took part in the Olympic Games again，Chinese players   (8)  ( win ) hundreds of ____  (9)  _____in different fields．  (10)   is known，the 29th Olympics were held in Beijing in 2008．It's a great honor and a challenge for the Chinese people．

“If you’re talking to me in a   (1)  (noise)restaurant and my nerve system is good at locking onto the sound of your voice, I can understand what you say better.”

The research at Northwestern University shows that   (2)  (play) a musical instrument is good for your brain. And the brain remembers how to “lock onto” the important sounds,   (3)  , our ears may not work as well as we age, and that helps us to hear better.

A scientist, living in France twenty years ago,   (4)  ．(write) about what he called the “Mozart Effect”. He said that   (5)   could be helpful to the brain when listening to the classical music of Mozart. Some researchers said that Mozart’s music would make you much   (6)  (smart), or even have some health disorders   (7)   (cure). Others said that there was nothing special about Mozart’s music. Any kind of high energy music would work. So if the cost of a musical instrument or music lessons is too costly, can we get   (8)  same brain experience just by listening?

Usually people have teachers, or they can teach themselves music.   (9)   , the point is that they’re actively playing a musical instrument and engaging in making music instead  (10)   listening to music passively.

In order to know a foreign language thoroughly, four things are necessary. Firstly, we must understand the language when we hear __  (1)  ____ spoken.. Secondly, we must be able to speak it correctly with confidence and without hesitation. ___  (2)  ___ ,we must be able to read the language , and fourthly, we must be able to write it. We must be able to make sentences that are grammatically correct.

There is no easy way to success _  (3)  ___ language learning. __  (4)  __ good memory is of great help, but it is not enough only _____  (5)  ___(memorize) rules from a grammar book. It is not much use learning by heart long list of words and ___  (6)  __meaning, studying the dictionary and so on. We must learn by using the language. __  (7)  ___we are satisfied with only a few rules we have memorized, we are not really learning the language. “Learn through use” is a good piece of __  (8)  ___(advise) for those ___  (9)  _are studying a new language. Practice is important. We must practise speaking and ____  (10)  ___(write) the language whenever we can.

James Long is holding a debate called “The economy or the environment — must we choose?” Lin Shuiqing,   (1)   environmentalist and Qian Liwei, an economist expressed their own opinions.

Mr. Lin holds the opinion   (2)   large areas of the world are damaged by industrial waste. In addition, many sea creatures are being destroyed ___  (3)  ____ fishing boats. Other types of waste flow into the river,  ___  (4)  _____(kill) river and sea life. The world’s population is approaching 6.5 billion. He advises people to cut back    (5)   production, reduce what we make and buy, expand our cycling industry, and meanwhile teach people about environmentally friendly ways of living.

While Mr. Qian thinks economic development is not definitely bad for the environment. Through working side by side with environmentalists, __  (6)  ____ thinks a healthy environment and a stable economy should be possible at the same time. But he does agree that recycling may be the key to __  (7)  _____ (help) both sides. People need more effective laws to preserve the environment   (8)   still allow the economy to grow. Those factories  __  (9)  ____ pollute the environment should have to pay higher taxes.

At last, James says they will open the    (10)   for further discussion.

People will do anything to see a free show, even   (1)   it is a bad one．When the news got round that a comedy show would   (2)  (give) at our local cinema by the P．and U．Bird Seed Company, we all rushed to see it．We had to queue for hours to get in and there must have been several hundred people present just before the show began．  (3)  lucky), the show was one of   (4)  boring) we have ever seen．Those who failed to get in need not have felt _  (5)  ​ (disappoint), as many of the artists who should  (6)  (appear) did not come．The only funny thing we heard that evening came from the advertiser at the beginning of the program．He was obviously very nervous and for some minutes stood awkwardly before the microphone．As soon   (7)   he opened his mouth, everyone burst out   (8)  (laugh)．We all know  (9)  the poor man should have said, but what he actually said was: ˈThis is the Poo and Ee Seed Bird Company．Good ladies, evening and  (10)  (gentleman)!"

Venice,  __  (1)  _____ small waterside city in northeast Italy, boils with happiness and excitement once every year. Between February 21th and March 4th, the carnival hits the streets. For most people the carnival means large  __  (2)  ___ (party) and feasts. But in Venice, it also means traditional masks and costumes.

These costumes were  ___  (3)  _____ (original) meant to hide personal identities. Then, different social classes could mix in a sea of happiness.

Today, people in Venice still dress up in the strangest ways  ___  (4)  ____ soldiers, butchers and fishermen, for example.

Bars and cafes are filled with party-goers ___  (5)  _____ come to show off their strange costumes. Their designs and creations  __  (6)  _____ (make) by special studios. Ready-made costumes are not acceptable.

“ In the month before the carnival we work overtime  __  (7)  ____(meet) the demand,” said a mask maker. “ Many kilometers of silk and lace are made into costumes. For shopkeepers, the carnival is the  __  (8)  ____ (good) time of the year.

The Venice carnival __  (9)  ____ (date) back to the Middle Ages. At that time, the city was _  (10)  _____ of the wealthiest in Europe. Now the Venice carnival attracts huge crowds from all over the world.

The city certainly benefits---a whole industry has been build up around the carnival’s masks and costumes.

“ The Venice Carnival is a magical time! It’s such a great experience.”