Mr. and Mrs. Green were very worried about their son, Leo. He seemed to be dumb (哑的),   (1)    he was normal in every other way. Mr. and Mrs. Green tried everything to get him to   (2)   , but they failed.

    When Leo was four years old, the best   (3)    in the town examined him carefully. However, he could not find   (4)    wrong. And he seemed to be smart. It was just that he   (5)   spoke.

  “There might be something wrong with his   (6)  , and he doesn’t know he’s able to speak,” one doctor said.

  “But   (7)    can read and write,” said Mr. Green. “We write him notes,   (8)   him that he can speak.”

  “It’s certainly very strange,”   (9)    doctor said. “Perhaps he’ll be able to speak some day.”

   Years passed. Leo went to school. But he did not speak a word.

   Then one day, Leo was having a   (10)    with his parents. When he looked up from his meal and said, “Pass me the   (11)   , please.”

   Mr. and Mrs. Green were   (12)   . “You spoke! You spoke!” they cried. “Why have you   (13)     so long to speak?”

  “I didn’t have anything to say,” he said. “   (14)   now everything was perfect. But you   (15)    to put salt in these potatoes.” After hearing this, his parents were very angry but they didn’t say anything. They looked each other and smiled.