21．
Don't Make Me Wait
　　How long are you willing to wait for a web﹣page to open? Half a minute? A few seconds?
　　Internet engineers have (1)      that even 400 milliseconds are too long for most Internet users.
　　A millisecond is one thousandth of a second. People (2)      notice such a small time difference, but it does cause them to stop searching, reported The New York Times. Millions of smart-phones and computers are collecting and sending out information. With so many people downloading maps, sports videos, and news, you can get "(3)      jam online". Meanwhile, users are expecting faster and faster service. If one website is 250 milliseconds (4)       than another website, then people will visit it less often. That is why technology companies are now competing to be the fastest.

22．
　　In the 1990s, when the World Wide Web first started, people called it the "World Wide Wait". It was very (1)      and slow, but engineers managed to fight the problem with new inventions. They improved software so it would work more (2)      . And they placed computer servers all the world to be nearer to users.
　　Nowadays we can enjoy much faster Internet. Major search websites usually find search results in less than a second. But these companies notice that people (3)      different things from different websites because they realize not all loading times are the same. Some people will be more (4)      to wait for a movie to load than for a game. Even so, four out of five online users will go away if a video takes too long to load. That's why they will need to keep fighting to keep up with the developing needs of Internet users.

38．How to Have a Successful Teenage Life
　　Everyone wants to succeed in their lives, don't they?Even as a teenager, you can achieve success in your life. It really isn't that hard. Just follow the steps below.
　　Do well at school
　　No matter how boring it is now, education will help you find your place in society. Try the best you can such as listening to your teachers carefully, doing your homework seriously, and facing difficulties bravely. They will help you enter a better university and enable you to get a great job in the future. School sets you up on the right track!
　　Find your goals and work towards them
　　Start thinking about jobs you would like to take in the future. You can work towards non﹣job﹣related goals first, such as getting good grades at school, joining a team sport, and taking up a hobby, etc. It will help you know yourself better. Discover and try new things, and you might be surprised at what you can do!
　　Have a good friends
　　Friends are there to support you lift your spirits. Be with people who can share your happiness and sadness, and oppositely ditch the ones who can't. Create a group of supportive, loving friends that can help you succeed in life and live your dreams. Find a few really good friends that will stick with you once you leave your school.
　　Help out in your community
　　Volunteering can not only improve yourself, but also make you happier. Studies show that people who volunteer are less likely to develop depression, anger and other bad feelings than people who don't. ___________. For example, if you love animals, volunteer at an animal shelter. If you love helping the environment, plant trees. Having lots of volunteer hours will make you taste different parts of life. More importantly, when you help others, you' re making a big difference in the world.

39．　　Rap and Hip-hop may seem like very modern types of music. But in West Africa, storytellers used spoken words and music to tell stories, usually over the beat of drums. Hip﹣hop started in New York City in the 1970s but has become(1)      all over the world recently. Artists from different backgrounds rap about everything from cars and designer clothes to social issues. Here are two(2)      
　　The Czech Republic
　　Europe is home to 10 — 12 million Roma — a group of people often called "gypsies". Many Roma are poor. In some places, they are also treated less (3)      than others. In the Czech Republic, Roma teens meet for a hip-hop class called "Rap for Peace Hip-Hop. "Their instructor is Shameema Williams who is a member of the all-female rap group Godessa, from South Africa. In the lesson, the teens learn to write rap music and use it to teach others about Roma culture. Williams believes that these teens can use music to change their lives and other people's(4)       towards them.
　　Dakar, Senegal
　　Assane N'Diaye loves hip﹣hop music. He grew up in a poor fishing village in Senegal. For a time, he was famous as a DJ in clubs in Dakar, the capital city off Senegal. Today, N'Diaye lives in his village again. He has formed a rap group with other family members. They rap about their lives as village fishermen and about (5)      long, hard days and earning almost no money. Many people in their audience can understand these things.
　　"Rap, "N' Diaye says, "is not few for us. It doesn't belong to American culture. It has always existed here, because of our pain and our hard lives…"N'Diaye(6)      having a better life. He wants to make a CD and help his family. The music give N'Diaye hope.

40．　　Once upon a time, there lived a man and a woman who already had seven sons. They wanted a d(1)      , and soon they had one. One day, the father needed water for the baby girl, so he sent the seven brothers to a well with a water jug. Once there, though, the boys began to fight and the jug fell into the well.
　　The boys were too a(2)      to go home. They looked into the well sadly and thought of their father. "Where are those naughty boys? Hours have passed. They must have forgotten about the water. I wish they were all turned into birds!" shouted the father a(3)      . And when he looked up he saw seven birds flying away. The father was shocked, but it was too late. He could not take back his words.
　　In time, the girl grew up and discovered she had brothers. She made up her mind to find them.
　　For years, she searched and did not stop. Finally, she found their home. To e(4)      , she needed a special key made from a wolf-bone, which she didn't have. With a hunter's help, she finally killed one and got the key. She opened the front door and went inside. On a table, there were seven plates and seven cups. She was not that hungry so she ate and drank a(5)      from each of them.
　　In the last cup, she accidentally dropped a ring that her parents had given her.
　　Eventually, the birds returned for their meal. The girl h(6)      behind the door and watched. When the seventh bird drank from his cup, something hit his mouth. The bird recognized it immediately. It was his parents' ring. "I hope our young sister could be here, "he said, "and then we could be free. " At that moment, their sister ran to them, and in a sudden the birds were h(7)      again. The brothers kissed their sister, and all eight of them went home together.

41．　　If you ask your restaurant waiter to skip the plastic straw (吸管) at dinner, you keep one item out of the rubbish. But if a restaurant can stop handing out plastic straws to every diner, it is a much bigger different!Here's how to ask your favorite restaurant to reduce single — use plastic.
　　Write A Letter Introduction Tell the business owner how much you enjoy going there. Do you have a favorite dish or dessert they serve?Let them know!Then mention the plastic item you have seen on a recent visit, such as a straw or a bag.
　　Explain the problem with plastic
　　You could ask a restaurant to hand out plastic straws only if a customer wants them, or ask an ice﹣cream shop to change plastic spoon to a recyclable one. End your letter by thanking the business owner for reading.
　　Mail your letter or drop it off in person next time you visit.
　　Speak Up Speak face-to-face with a manager about plastic, whether you are dropping off your letter or just visiting the restaurant. Remember, you need to pay attention to your manners while talking.
　　Politely ask your waiter if you can speak to the restaurant manager.
　　Shake the manager's hand and look him in the eye when you talk to him. Tell him why you enjoy coming to the restaurant.
　　Give one fact about the plastic pollution problem and then provide your suggestion.
　　If you bring your letter, hand it over to the manager.
　　Thank them for their time.

42．Write at least 60 words on the topic "A letter to My Hero(es)"
我们的心中都住着英雄, 他(们)也许是救死扶伤的医生, 是勇夺金牌的冠军, 是飞身火海的消防员, 是见义勇为的路人, 还也许是默默付出的亲人、伙伴……请写一封信给你心中的英雄, 表达你的敬意, 聊聊他(们)的事(举动)对你的影响.
__________________________________________.