【正文】
n his second 23 a passenger stole his bag with all the fares (車費(fèi) ) collected. He even lost his job as a postman 24 he sent off all the letters when he should have taken them to people‘s houses. It seemed that there was 25 suitable work for him. So he 26 to join the army. Mrs Fant was so 27 about this that she told the 28 to all her neighbours. ―My John is going to be a soldier.‖ She said. ―He is going to be the best soldier there 29 was, I can tell you!‖ Then the great day came 30 he was to march past the palace in the parade (接受檢閱的 隊(duì)伍 ). The parade was full of sound and colour. But when John and his ___31___came in sight, some of the people watching 32 laughing at the one who couldn‘t keep pace (步 ) with the others as they marched along. But Ella Fant, who was filled with 33 , shouted at the top of her voice: ―Look at 34 ! They‘re all out of 35 except my John! Isn‘t he the best!‖ 16. A. depended on B. waited on C. trusted D. loved 17. A. hope B. eyes C. head D. wish 18. A. check B. read C. keep D. sign 19. A. lazy B. young C. weak D. quiet 20. A. one B. years C. weak D. jobs 21. A. make B. drop C. break D. clean 22. A. lowed B. met C. became D. found 23. A. day B. try C. route D. chance 24. A. as if B. so that C. because D. though 25. A. some B. such C. less D. no 26. A. began B. promised C. managed D. decided 27. A. excited B. worried C. disappointed D. surprised 28. A. event B. change C. news D. matter 29. A. yet B. ever C. never D. just 30. A. where B. since C. when D. till 31. A. neighbours B. army office C. mother D. fellow soldiers 32. A. couldn‘t help B. shouldn‘t begin C. stopped D. kept 33. A. sadness B. happiness C. surprise D. anger 34. A. them B. those C. that D. him 35. A. sight B. order C. mind D. step 。 A As the pace of life continues to increase, we are fast losing the art of relaxation. Once you are in the habit of rushing through life, being on the go from morning till night, it is hard to slow down. But relaxation is essential (必要的 )for a healthy mind and body. Stress is a natural part of everyday life and there is no way to avoid it. In fact, it is not the bad thing it is often supposed to be. A certain amount of stress is vital (有必要的 ) to provide motivation and give purpose to life. It is only when the stress gets out of control that it can lead to poor performance and ill health. The amount of stress a person can stand depends very much on the person himself