21． O. Henry, a famous American writer of short stories, was born in North Carolina in 1862. O. Henry was a pen name. His real name was William Sydney Porter. When he was a young boy, he did not go to school for long because of being born in a poor family, but he tried to teach himself everything he needed to know.
When he was about 20 years old, O. Henry went to Texas. There he tried different jobs. He first worked on a newspaper, and then had a job in a bank. But he got himself into some trouble. Some money went missing from the bank. O. Henry was believed to have stolen (偷) it, so he was sent to prison (监狱). During the three years in prison, he learned to write short stories. After he got out of prison, he went to New York and went on writing.
He wrote mostly about New York and the life of the poor there. People liked his stories, because almost all of them finished with a sudden change. This made the readers surprised.

23． Anne and Joseph are talking about an interesting question. Why do some people change their names? There can be many reasons. Hanna changed her name to Anne because she thought it would be easier for people t remember. On the other hand, Joseph is thinking about changing his name to an unusual name because he wants to be different.
People have a lot of reasons for changing their names. Film stars, singers, sportsmen and some other famous people often change their names because they want names that are not ordinary (普通的), or that have a special sound. They chose the "new name" for themselves instead of the name their parents gave them when they were born.
Some people have another reason for changing their names. They have moved to a new country and want to use a name that is usual there. For example, Li Kaiming changed his name to Ken Lee when he moved to the United States. He uses the name Ken at his job and at school. But with his family and Chinese friends, he uses Li Kaiming. For some people, using different names makes life easier in their new country.
　　In many countries, a woman changes her family name to her husband's after she gets married (结婚). But today, many women are keeping their own family name and not using their husband's. Sometimes, women use their own name in some situations (情况) and their husband's in other situations. And some use both their own name and their husband's.

24． Love is a two-way street
A father sat at his desk and looked at his bills when his young son rushed in and announced:"Dad, because today is your birthday and you're 40 years old, I'm going to give you 40 kisses, one for each year!"When the boy started making good on his word (履行诺言) , the father shouted:"Andrew, don't do it now. I'm too busy!"
The boy soon fell silent as tears fell from his big blue eyes. Feeling sorry, the father said:"You can finish later. The boy said nothing but quietly walked away. "That evening the father said:"Come and finish the kisses now, Andrew!"But the boy didn't.
Unfortunately, a few days later after the father's birthday, the boy had an accident and died. His sad father wrote:"If only (要是. . . 该多好) I could tell him how sorry I am for my thoughtless words, and how much my heart is hurting."
Love is a two--way street We must warmly accept any loving act, or others will take it as a"NO"and it can leave a scar (伤痕). If we don't receive love, our life will lose its true meaning. Nothing is more important than accepting love from those who are near and dear to us.

25． Mr. White (1)      (work) in an office. One day, while he (2)      (have) lunch, a friend visited him. They were very glad and talked a lot. Then they looked at the clock on the wall. It was time (3)      (go) to the office. He had to say goodbye to his friend and (4)      (leave). It (5)      (rain) heavily and the streets were wet. He drove too fast (6)      (see) the red light. He could not stop his car and hit a car in front of his. An old man got out and shouted angrily, "What are you doing? Do you want to hit me to death?" "I'm sorry, sir, " said Mr. White. "I didn't find the lights turning. " Then he (7)      (bring) out a bottle of wine and gave it to the old man. "It's very cold today sir, " said Mr. White. "Please drink a little, and then you'll be warmer. " The old man drank some wine and became happy. "I (8)      (feel) much better now. Why not (9)      (drink) some?" he asked. "I can't drink anything now, sir, "answered Mr. White. "I'm (10)      (wait) for the policeman to come. Only drunkards(酒鬼) cause accidents, you know. " What do you think of Mr. White? Is he responsible?

26． Everyone needs friends. We all like to (1) f             close to someone. It is nice to have a (2) f             to talk, laugh, and to do things with. Of course, sometimes we need to be alone. We don't always want people around. But we would feel (3) 1             if we never had a friend.
No two people are just the (4) s            . Friends sometimes don't get on well with each other. It doesn't mean that they no longer like each other.
Most of the time they will make up (重归于好) and (5) b             friends again. Sometimes friends move away. Then we feel very (6) s            . We miss them very much, but we can (7) c             them up and write to them. And we can make new friends. It is surprising to find (8) o             how much we like new people when we get to know them.
There is more good (9) n             for people who have friends. They live longer than people who don't. Why? It could be that they are happier. Being happy helps you stay well. Or it could be just knowing that someone cares. If someone (10) c             about you, you will take better care of yourself.

27． The students' life today can be very stressful(紧张的). They are under pressure (压力) every day. They need a break from it. Parents should ask children to do something else. But not let them relax in front of the TV. A hobby is the perfect answer.
　　There are many different kinds of hobbies. Chess is a good example. (3)It is very enjoyable game and it also helps children develop thinking skills Collecting something is also a good hobby for children. A child can collect almost anything: key rings, stamps, postcards, old coins, etc. Many of these collecting can be both interesting and fun. They teach children a lot and broaden (开阔) their knowledge. For example, gardening(园艺) is a useful hobby because it is a physical activity and it also teaches children about nature.
(4)A hobby can be a useful learning Children may become experts in something if they really love their hobbies. Children will also learn to become more organized and make places, for example in collecting something. Hobbies will also teach children a lot about responsibility(责任).

A. 根据短文内容简要回答问题.
(1)How many kinds of hobbies can you find in this passage?
                                                                          
(2)Why is gardening a useful hobby?
                                                                          
B. 将短文中画线的句子译成汉语.
(3)                                                                        
(4)                                                                        
C. 请给短文拟一个适当的英文标题.
(5)                                                                        

28．哈佛大学的一项研究表明, 爱做家务的孩子更容易体验到幸福感, 更有前途. 请你以"Help with Some Housework"为题写一篇80词左右的英语短文, 描述你平时所做的家务以及你对做家务的看法. 参考词汇:

注意:文中不得出现真实的校名和人名.
Help with Some Housework
It is reported that children who love doing chores have a better future and are easy to feel happy. As for me, I                                                                                 .