11．　　Fishing is my favourite sport. I often fish for hours without catching anything. But this does not(1)      me. Some fishermen are unlucky, (2)      catching fish, they catch old shoes and rubbish. I am even less lucky. I never catch anything﹣not even old shoes. After having spent whole mornings on the river, I always go home with an(a) (3)       bag. 'You must give up fishing!' my friends say. 'It's a waste of (4)      . ' But they don't realize one important thing. I'm not really interested in(5)      , I am only interested in sitting in a boat and doing nothing at all.

12．　　I sat down to read under an old tree in the park. I felt my life was(1)      , for my whole world was dark. A young boy ran up to me, out of(2)      . He stood right before me with his head down and said(3)       , "Look, what I've found!" In his hand was a flower, and what a poor sight!The flower was dry and(4)      . I gave him a small smile and then turned my eyes away so that he could take his dry flower and go off to play.
　　 (5)      , he sat next to my side and placed the flower to his(6)       and said in surprise, "It smells sweet and it's beautiful, too. That's(7)       I picked it. Here, it's for you. " The flower before me was dead. But I knew I must(8)       it, or he might never leave. So I accepted the flower, and replied", This is just what I(9)      . "Just then, for the first time I noticed that the boy could not(10)      , because he was blind.
　　Tears came down my face as I(11)       him for picking the best one. "You're welcome, " he smiled and then ran off to(12)      . I sat there and wondered how he was able to learn about my pain. Through the eyes of a blind child, (13)       I could see the problem was not with the world;the problem was me. And for all those years I myself had been(14)      . I decided to see the beauty in life, and(15)       every second of my life. And then I held that dry flower up to my nose and breathed in the smell of a beautiful rose.

14．　　There was once a man who loved to eat delicious food. However, he didn't like to pay for it. He often tried to get others to pay for him.
　　He decided to visit some friends and relatives. One day, he went to a friend's house. They talked about their childhood, college life and other things. Around noon, the man asked his friend to join him for lunch at a restaurant. His friend knew that he might have to pay for the meal, but went anyway.
　　They went to an expensive restaurant. The man ordered many dishes and they enjoyed their meal. When both of them were done, his friend said that he would go to the bathroom. At this time, a waiter came over, gave the man the bill, and left.
　　The man did not want to pay, of course. He just sat and waited for his friend to come back. Fifteen minutes passed, yet there was no sign of his friend! The waiter came once again and asked about the bill.
　　Now, there was no escape for the man. He paid the expensive bill. After he got home, he called his friend and complain about paying it. His friend laughed and said, "Come on, friend. What's the difference between you and mine? Whether you pay or I pay, it's all the same. " It was then that the man realized he had been tricked at his own game.

15．　　Teachers' Day is the perfect chance for students around the world to thank their teachers. The festival falls on different days in different countries.
　　In China, Teachers' Day is on Sept 10. But in the US, teachers have a whole week to celebrate. Teacher Appreciation Week is in the first full week of May every year. Kids used to bring apples for their teachers because apples are healthy. Now, they bring gifts with pictures of apples, such as cups, picture frames and teddy bears. Some students also make DIY gifts for their teachers. During the week, school clubs often offer teachers free breakfast or a cup of coffee.
　　South Korea's Teachers' Day is on May 15. Many students offer flowers to their teachers. Cards are also a traditional gift. Thousands of students prepare personalized cards and give them to their favorite teachers.
　　Although different countries have different Teachers' Days, there's one day for the whole world to honor teachers. On Oct 5 of every year, over 100 countries, such as Canada and the Philippines, express their thanks by celebrating World Teachers' Day. UNESCO started the day in 1994. It wants to remind people of the importance of the teacher.

16．　　We use elevators (电梯) all the time, but did you know that long ago people were afraid of using elevators?
　　People had been using ropes to move things for thousands of years before the invention of the modern elevator. The ancient Romans moved heavy things attached (系) to ropes pulled by people or animals. Then in 1743, the French king had a "flying chair". His men lifted the king up to the second floor by using ropes. Although elevators had been improving over time, people were afraid to use them. People liked the idea of an elevator, but they believed it might suddenly fall.
　　In 1853, Elisha Otis invented the modern elevator. He made safety brakes (刹车) to stop the elevator from falling. Otis had been thinking about people fear of elevators. He decided to do an elevator act at a show in 1854. Otis stood on his elevator and cut the rope that was holding it. The elevator fell, but the safety brakes suddenly stopped it. Otis amazed the people!Three years later, customers at a department store in New York could travel to the fifth floor by using an Otis elevator.
　　The next step was to improve the elevator ride. People had been feeling anxious about using elevators because they were small and noisy. In the 1920s, elevators started playing relaxing music to cover up other sounds. Then there was a great idea to put mirrors in elevators. The mirrors made the elevator seem bigger and quicker. People could check their hair instead of fearing the elevator!
　　These days, elevators aren't scary. You can find Otis elevators in most cities around the world. Remember to enjoy your ride in the elevator!

17．　　Confidence(自信)is very important. It can help you develop a healthy attitude(态度). Studies show that people who are more confident are much happier. They may have more chances to become successful. (1)
      Here are some suggestions.
　　Speak louder. When you are not confident, it's hard to do what you want to do well. You speak in a voice so low that other people can hardly hear you. (2)      Your voice can help you become more confident.
　　Play sports. Physical exercise makes you tired, but completely relaxed. A strong body helps you be full of confidence.
　　Encourage yourself. Write down a list of things you did during the day to see how many things you did well. Did you finish your homework? Did you tell a joke that made everybody laugh?(3)      
　　Pick up a hobby. If you like singing, sing as much as you can. (4)       And it will make you happy and confident.

18．
　　My husband and I bought a house when we were in our(1)      . One of the(2)      we bought it was that it was so attractive(有吸引的). It had big Japanese red pine(松树), which looked beautiful in our front yard. For 20 years, it was beauty to all who passed by. Raccoons(浣熊)climbed its trunk(树)and squirrels (松鼠) played in its ranches (枝条). It shaded (遮荫) the bright sun over my small garden of roses and bushes that I'd planted for bees.
　　Early last year, a heavy snowfall(3)      our city. While we were(4)       a quiet Saturday morning, the house shook and we heard a loud noise. The tree had fallen, taking out most of the bushes in our yard.
　　So we called workers, who cut off(5)       trunk and branches and took the wood away. After a week, the yard was still(6)      mess, with wood shavings (木屑) and holes everywhere.
　　In March, I bought a few new bush and rose seedlings to replace (代替) those that I thought hadn't lived. (7)      in May, plenty of new flowers were growing in the yard! As the sun shone down, the flowers were able to grow and attract bees. My old bushes grew back and were(8)       than ever before! Our yard turned into a beautiful garden. And this summer, one year later, all of the plants are three times bigger than they were(9)      .
　　Life might be hard for you at the moment, but you never know what the future(10)      . It might just be much brighter.

19．　　Victor had two sons. One was seven, and the other was five. One morning Victor took his two boys and his pet dog to the town in his car to buy some food. He left his two boys and the dog in his car when he was in the food shop. A few minutes later, he was told that his car was driven off.
　　Then the worried father called the police at once and they began to discuss the best way to save the boys. While the adults were worried about the boys in the car, the dog was so mad at the stranger. It sat at the front seat and began barking at him. If that wasn't enough, the two boys began to shout at the car thief (贼), "Stop, stop! It's not your car!" And they said angrily that it wasn't right for him to take their father's money when the thief wanted to steal the wallet in the car.
　　The two boys and the dog made the thief so crazy that he asked them for their address. Then he stopped the car in front of their house, covered his face with his shirt and ran away. When Victor and the police were discussing how to save the boys, his wife called to tell him that the car, the boys and the dog were all home.

20．在英语课上, 同学们就自己喜欢的旅游方式展开了讨论. 请你根据下表内容, 用英语写一篇短文, 汇报讨论结果, 并谈谈自己的想法.

注意:1. 文章必须包括表中全部内容, 可适当增加细节.
2. 开头已给出, 不计入总词数.
3. 词数:80左右.
参考词汇: travel with a group 团队旅游; travel alone 个人旅游; arrange 安排
　　Recently, we have discussed the ways to go traveling. Here is the result. Some students choose to travel with a group. .