完形填空

　　My neighbor's eight-year-old daughter used to live in the countryside, her native place．Recently her parents 　　1　　 her to town to live with them．Wild and uneducated, she would use 　　2　　 words when she was angry．Sometimes she went so far as to 　　3　　 on the ground, to the 　　4　　 of all people around．Her parents tried to 　　5　　 her by beating and kicking．However, she became more 　　6　　．Finally they became thoroughly 　　7　　 with her．

　　One day their next-door 　　8　　, a retired teacher, gave the girl a snow-white dress, which was very 　　9　　．It immediately caught the girl's 　　10　　 and made them shine brightly．

　　The girl put on the dress and became quite a 　　11　　 person．She no longer acted rudely or hit others．She 　　12　　 seldom rolled on the floor．She knew running wild was not 　　13　　 for her in a beautiful dress．Since then, the girl had been 　　14　　, neat, and lovely．

　　The story set me 　　15　　 a lot．Perhaps everyone has a beautiful dress 　　16　　 somewhere in his or her heart．Only some people are not aware of it, 　　17　　 it or take no notice of it．　　18　　 is a powerful force or weapon－that's something 　　19　　 by many of us．It can arouse fine qualities that humans are 　　20　　 with but have so far hidden somewhere．It has a soul-shaking influence that is indeed unmatched．

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　　Visitors to the Big Apple(纽约)will soon be breathing in cleaner air after Mayor(市长)Bloomberg extended(延长)the city’s smoking ban(禁令)to some of New York’s most popular outdoor spaces．Car free areas of Times Square, parks, beaches and boardwalks will now all be ash free．Smokers will not be allowed to light up when hanging out along sidewalks across the five districts, in all parts of Central Park or along the famous Coney Island boardwalk．

　　“The science is clear：Long-time exposure to second-hand smoke－whether you’re indoors or out－hurts your health．Today, we’re doing something about it．” Mayor Bloomberg said in announcing the widespread ban．

　　Violators(违反者)of the new law could face a fine for as much as ＄250, but City officials say they expect New Yorkers and tourists to observe(遵守)the new law．

　　Parks and Recreation Commissioner Adrian Benepe said, “By introducing this law, we welcome the chance to improve the beauty and health of the city’s public outdoor spaces．Tens of millions of visitors－New Yorkers and tourists alike－enjoy our beaches and parks year round．We hope this new law makes it even safer and more pleasant for our children and adults to play sports and for visitors of all interests to enjoy healthier and cleaner parks and beaches．”

　　The ban also extends to 29,000 acres(英亩)of parkland in the city and 14 miles of public beaches．Smoking was already banned in some parks’ facilities including playgrounds, but not in most open recreational(娱乐的)areas．Several other cities across the U．S．have similar bans, including Los Angeles which saw its law change in 2007．

　　Councilwoman Gale Brewer who introduced the law said, “New York is the national leader in creating healthy cities, and encouraging a healthy lifestyle．”

阅读理解

　　You may or may not have heard that Denmark was voted the happiest place to live in the world．When people think of the happiest place, most think of Disneyland．But could Denmark truly be the happiest place to live? I would have to say, it does．Try to imagine what you would consider the happiest place for you to live．Most would say their ideal paradise has sunny weather, nice beaches and is tropical．However, Denmark is far from these．Denmark is a very cold country, where it rains a lot．So how can this cold place make you so happy?

　　I was born and raised in Denmark and lived there for 11 years．The Danes are such nice people(usually)and really enjoy life to the fullest．The country itself is beautiful with so many amazing historical buildings and beautiful farmlands everywhere．

　　The capital Copenhagen is a fun and exciting place to live．You'll never find a dull moment there．Now Denmark does, however, have very high taxes．They pay between 50 percent and 70 percent of their incomes, but in return they get free health care and free education．Because of the high taxes, people don't find jobs to be bad jobs．People really take pride in their jobs, whatever they may be．

　　Denmark truly is, in my opinion, the happiest place to live in the world．I've lived in several different countries and none of them is better than Denmark．Sure enough, you may enjoy warmer weather, but the atmosphere and scenery of Denmark can't be beaten．