完形填空

　　School was over and I was mentally and physically tired．I sat at the very front of the bus because of my 　　1　　 to get home．Sitting at the front makes you 　　2　　 out like a shiny coin in a pile of dull pennies．

　　Janie, the driver, tried to break the 　　3　　 atmosphere by striking the match of 　　4　　．I tried to mind my manners and 　　5　　 listen, but usually I was too busy thinking about my day．On this day, 　　6　　, her conversation was worth listening to．

　　“My father's sick”, she said to no one in 　　7　　．I could see the anxiety and fear in her eyes．With a sudden change of attitude and interest, I asked,“What's wrong with him?”

　　With her eyes wet and her voice tight from 　　8　　 the tears, she responded,“Heart trouble…”Her eyes lowered as she 　　9　　．“I've already lost my mum, so I don't think I can stand losing him．”

　　I couldn't respond．I was 　　10　　．My heart ached for her．I sat on the old, smelly seat thinking of the great 　　11　　 my own mother was thrown into when my father died．I saw how hard it was, 　　12　　 still is, for her, I wouldn't like anyone to go 　　13　　 that．

　　Suddenly I realized Janie wasn't only a bus driver．That was 　　14　　 her job．She had a whole world of family and concerns too．I had never thought of her as 　　15　　 but a driver．

　　I suddenly felt very 　　16　　．I realized I had only thought of people as 　　17　　 as what their purposes were in my life．I paid no attention to Janie because she was a bus driver．I had judged her by her job and brushed her off as 　　18　　．

　　For all I know, I'm just another person in 　　19　　 else's world, and may not even be important．I 　　20　　 not have been so selfish and self-centered．Everyone has places to go, people to see and appointments to keep．Understanding people is an art．

阅读理解

　　THE names of William Shakespeare, Charles Dickens, and Jane Austen are probably not new to you．They are stars of the literary landscape and their works add to the charm of their British homeland．This week, we take you to the places where these literary masters grew up, lived or got their inspiration from．

　　Stratford-upon-Avon

　　Located on the banks of the river Avon in the north of England, Stratford-upon-Avon provides a beautiful glimpse into Britain’s rural life．Every year, thousands of tourists flock to the town to see the land that produced Britain’s greatest playwright．They visit the house where Shakespeare lived and go to the Royal Shakespeare Theatre to enjoy his plays．

　　William Shakespeare(1564-1616)

　　Stratford-upon-Avon would be on an ordinary small city in Britain if it was not the birthplace of William Shakespeare．Shakespeare left the town when he was 18, but even at the height of his career in London, Shakespeare returned here regularly to visit his family．Shakespeare thought of it as his real home, even though London brought him fame．

　　Bath

　　UNESCO World Heritage city．Bath has the country’s only natural hot springs．The city is named after its most popular sight：the Roman Baths, which were built by the Romans in the first century as a public bath house．For centuries, people went there to bathe in the natural mineral water．

　　Jane Austen(1775-1817)

　　Bath was one of Austen’s favorite places．It appears in her novels ?Persuasion and Northanger Abbey． In the latter she wrote：“I do like it very much．If I could have papa and mamma, and the rest of them here, I suppose I should be too happy!”

　　London

　　LONDON is the cultural centre of Britain．Its historical attractions draw numerous visitors．Treasures such as Westminster Abbey, Big Ben and Buckingham Palace are among the world’s top tourist attractions．Museums like the British Museum and the National Gallery, all free, make London a favorite for art lovers．

　　Charles Dickens(1812-1870)?

　　Dickens spent most of his life in London and wrote extensively about this city．Born in Hampshire, south of London, Dickens moved to London when he was two years old．He depicted London as foggy, dirty, with villains everywhere, as shown in his works Oliver Twist, Great Expectations, Bleak House and A Tale of Two Cities．