Lesson 19 A very dear cat一条贵重的宝贝猫

Kidnappers are rarely interested in animals, but they recently took __________ (consider) interest in Mrs. Eleanor Ramsay's cat. Mrs. Eleanor Ramsay, a very wealthy old lady, has shared a flat _______ her cat, Rastus, for a great many years. Rastus leads _______ orderly life. He usually takes a short walk in the evenings and is always home by seven o'clock. One evening, however, he failed to arrive. Mrs. Ramsay got very worried. She looked everywhere for him but could not find him.

There days after Rastus' ______________(disappear), Mrs. Ramsay received an anonymous letter. The writer stated that Rastus was in safe hands and would be returned immediately if Mrs. Ramsay paid a ransom of $1,000. Mrs. Ramsay was instructed to place the money in a cardboard box and to leave it outside her door. At first she decided to go to the police, but________(fear) that she would never see Rastus again -- the letter had made that quite clear -- she changed her mind. She withdrew $1000 from her bank and followed the kidnapper's instructions. The next morning, the box had disappeared but Mrs. Ramsay was sure that the kidnapper would keep his word. Sure enough, Rastus arrived ___________( punctual)at seven o'clock that evening. He looked very well though he was rather thirsty, for he drank half a bottle of milk. The police were astounded when Mrs. Ramsay told them what she had done. She explained that Rastus was very dear to her. ___________(consider) the amount she paid, he was dear in more ways than one!

Lesson 20 Pioneer pilots 飞行员的先驱

In 1908 Lord Northcliffe offered a prize of $1,000 to the first man ________would fly across the English Channel. Over a year passed before the first attempt was made. _____ July 19th, 1909, in the early morning, Hubert Latham took off from the French coast in his plane the 'Antoinette IV.' He had travelled only seven miles across the Channel when his engine failed and he was forced to land on sea. The 'Antoinette' floated on the water until Latham was picked up by a ship. Two days later, Louis Bleriot arrived near Calais with a plane called 'No. XI'. Bleriot ______________ (make)planes since 1905 and this was his latest model. A week before, he had completed a successful overland flight during _________ he covered twenty-six miles. Latham, however, did not give up easily. He, too, arrived near Calais on the same day with a new 'Antoinette'. It looked as _______ there would be an exciting race across the Channel. Both planes