Many, many years ago most people did not have beautiful books. Some families did not have books at all. The people 1 did have books had only a few.
Instead of 2 books, people told stories. They would remember things 3 happened to them and would retell these tales to friends.
Some stories you read in books today 4 to children many years ago by their fathers and mothers. 5 those girls and boys grew up, they, in turn, told their children the same tales.
Sometimes the stories changed as one man told 6. That is why today there are different beginnings and different endings to the same folk tales. You 7 different names for all kinds of characters in the different versions(版本) of the tales. In this way the stories almost seem 8 different ones and not your favorite tales at all.
Some people 9 stories. They would suppose 10 things which had happened could not really have happened. Such people became 11 as storytellers.
In many of the tales, animals did the talking. In others, good men came to help bad men.
Strange, exciting things 12. The different ideas made interesting stories.
Some of the early tales, 13 them Mother Goose verses were told in rhyme. The poems were learned by boys and girls at home and at school.
What Mother Goose rhymes do you know and remember? Do you think there was 14 a Mother Goose? Mother Goose stories and rhymes are 15 good ones that we read and enjoy them today, years after they were first told.
Some British and American people like to invite friends for a meal at home. You should not be upset 1 your English friends don't invite you home. 2 doesn't mean they don't like you. Dinner parties usually start 3 7 and 8 p.m. and end at about 11 p.m.
Ask your hosts what time you should arrive. It's polite to bring flowers, chocolates or a bottle of wine 4 a gift.
Usually the evening starts with drinks and snacks. If you want to be extra polite, say how much you like the room, or the 5 on the wall. But remember－it's not polite to ask how much things 6.
In many families, the husband sits at one of the table and the wife sits at the other end. They eat with their guests.
You'll probably start the meal with soup or something small, then you'll 7 meat or fish with vegetables, and then dessert, followed by 8. It's polite to finish 9 on your plate and to take more if you want it.
Did you enjoy the evening? Call your hosts the next day, 10 write them a short "thank you" letter. British and American people like to say "thank you" all the time!
Most young boys don't like growing flowers and watering them. But for 16-year-old Angus, working in the garden isn't just a hobby — it has changed his life.
Angus has a special illness and his IQ is lower than a normal boy. Six months ago, he started learning how to grow flowers. Now, he spends hours in the garden growing flowers, watering and looking after them. “Before working in the garden, it was difficult for Angus to concentrate in class and sometimes he didn't want to go to school,” said his mother Kim. “Now he can't wait to go to school and he is happy every day. We can see Angus is able to work in a garden center in the future,”
Research shows that working in the garden improves mental and physics health. In the past, soldiers in Egypt treated their mental problems after war by working in the garden. Even now, some doctors advise people to work in the garden to treat their mental health problems. And doctors also advise young people like Angus to work in the garden.
The lives of hundreds of children in Britain with special needs, like Angus, have been changed by this special kind of education. When working in the garden, children have a chance to learn a lot of important skills, such as how to work with other people and how to take care of plants. Besides, the children become more confident after working in the garden.
Warwick New York Hotel
This hotel offers you stylish(时尚的) rooms in a quiet neighborhood, just a short walk from some of New York's business streets. It's small. Family-owned hotel with 16 rooms. They provide not only comfortable rooms but also warm smiles and friendly greetings.
The Westpark Inn
The Westpark has 90 rooms and is close to Manhattan tourist centers. The hotel's rooms have been recently painted. On the Internet many travelers say it is below the usual standard(标准的) and should be avoided. If you want to save money, you may have a try.
The Affinia Hotel
The Affinia is a good choice for experienced business travelers, families and international visitors. The 80 guest rooms are stylish and modern with good furniture. Guests who need more space might like the hotel's rooms. All the rooms have a kitchen.
The 60 Thompson
The 60 Thompson, with 100 beautiful guest rooms, is a stylish hotel in the heart of SoHo. Good use of dark wood and full-wall leather（皮革）headboards give the hotel warmth. Guests can enjoy fine food in the hotel's Kittichhai restaurant and cocktails at Thom's Bar.
Twenty years ago, I drove a taxi for a living. One night I went to pick up a passenger at 2:30 a.m. When I arrived to collect, I saw a small woman in her eighties standing before me. I took the suitcase to the car, and then returned to help the woman. She took my arm and we walked slowly toward the car.
She kept thanking me for my kindness. "It's nothing," I told her. "I just try to treat my passengers the way I would want my mother treated."
"Oh, you're such a good man." She said. When we got into the taxi, she gave me an address, and then asked, "Could you drive through downtown?"
"It's not the shortest way," I answered quickly.
"Oh, I'm in no hurry," she said. "I'm on my way to a hospice (临终医院). I don't have any family left. The doctor says I don't have very long time." I quietly shut off the meter (计价器). For the next two hours, we drove through the city. She showed me the building where she had once worked, the neighborhood where she had lived. Sometimes she asked me to slow down in front of a special building and would sit staring into the darkness, saying nothing.
At dawn, she suddenly said, "I'm tired. Let's go now."
We drove in silence to the address she had given me.
"How much shall I give you?" she asked.
"Nothing," I said.
"You have to make a living," she answered. "Oh, there are other passengers," I answered.
Almost without thinking, I bent and gave her a hug. She held onto me tightly and said, "You gave an old woman a little moment of happiness."
People use their mouths for many things. They eat, talk, shout and sing. They smile and they kiss. In the English language, there are many expressions using the word “mouth.”
For example, if you say bad things about a person, the person might protest and say “Do not bad mouth me.” Sometimes, people say something to a friend or family member that they later regret because it hurts that person's feelings. Or they tell the person something they were not supposed to tell. The speaker might say: “I really put my foot in my mouth this time.” If this should happen, the speaker might fee l down in the mouth. In other words, he might feel sad for saying the wrong thing.
Another situation is when someone falsely claims another person said something. The other person might protest: “I did not say that. Do not put words in my mouth.”
Some people have lots of money because they were born into a very rich family. There is an expression for this, too. You might say such a person, “was born with a silver spoon in his mouth.”
This rich person is the opposite of a person who lives from hand to mouth. This person is very poor and only has enough money for the most important things in life, like food.
Parents might sometimes withhold sweet food from a child as a form of punishment for saying bad things. For example, if a child says things she should not say to her parents, she might be described as a mouthy child. The parents might even tell the child to stop mouthing off.
But enough of all this talk. I have been running my mouth long enough.
It is fun being a vet. , every day is different! It all depends on what is wrong with the animals that come in.
At my clinic, I work long days on Mondays, Wednesday and Fridays, and short days on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturdays. Sunday is my day off so I can spend some time with my family.
My clerk opens the door, turns on some music, and makes everyone a cup of tea or coffee. My assistant cleans and feeds the animals. The phones start to ring, and people make appointments. This is a very busy time of day!
At 9 am, pet owners start to arrive with their sick pets. Appointments take up the whole morning.
I don't examine any new sick animals. I use these two hours to have lunch and do all my paperwork.
At 2 pm, I start to see sick animals again. At 5 pm, three students from a local school who love animals arrive to help out. I am always happy to see their smiling faces!
From 5 pm to 7 pm, I continue to see sick animals. Then, at 7 pm we close our doors and the clean-up begins! We tidy the clinic and feed and clean the animals Of course, we also stroke (轻抚) them and give them hugs !Then, we turn off the lights and go home.
I'm very happy being a vet, though unexpected things sometimes happen!
A. I like it because although it is hard work
B. At midday, I stop for two hours.
C. My day at my clinic begins at 7 am.
D. This is the type of the day I want to have.
E. They are very kind and warm-hearted.
He was thinking something bad so the police would to prison.
White elephants work there.
he runs! No one can with him.
A man asked a question Hans had no idea he was talking about.
