According to the world Happiness Report , people who live in Denmark（丹麦）are the happiest in the world . Why ? Because they know the secret to happiness－“hygge”. But what is “hygge” ?

The Danish （丹麦）word “hygge”（pronounced“hoo-ga”）is often translated in English as “coziness”. But coziness paints only part of the picture . It’s also about spending peaceful time in a quiet environment with no calendar . It’s about spending time alone or spending time with family.

Danish people are very good at “hygge” . For example , they create a “hygge” environment by burning candles in classrooms , kitchens , bedrooms , etc . According to some reports , Danish people burn more candles every year than people from any other European country .

However , “hygge” isn’t just about creating a nice and warm environment ; it is best enjoyed with family members and friends . With up to 17 hours of darkness every day in winter , Danish people spend more time indoors as a result , and they often get together for a meal or hot drinks , without the distraction （使人分心的事物）of technology or the stress of daily life .

Still can’t understand what “hygge” is ? If you’re reading this in a comfortable chair , with a few candles around you , that sense of coziness you’re feeling might just be “hygge”.

Abraham Lincoln was one of the greatest presidents in American history. When he was about to make a
26． for the presidential election (总统选举）in a hall, a man tried to make him
27． by saying that his father was a poor shoemaker. Everyone in the hall laughed out loudly.

“Thank you for
28． me of my father,” said Lincoln. “
29． he has been gone for a long time, for me, he was always an excellent shoemaker. I can
30． do better in politics (政治）than my father did in shoemaking.”

However, the man didn’t stop laughing at Lincoln. So Lincoln continued, “As far as I know, my father repaired shoes for your family. Now I can take over (接手) my
31． job. I may not be as good as my father, but I will do my best to make your shoes comfortable.” Then he turned to all the people in the hall and said, “If
32． here has problems with your shoes, please come to me and I will not
33．. And the last thing I want to say is that my father is the
34． shoemaker ever.”

This time, people in the hall admired Lincoln
35． his tolerance (宽容) and wisdom. He not only protected his father’s dignity (尊严), but won lots of supporters as well.

   Do you like drinking coffee? If you are polite when ordering in a cafe(咖啡馆）in America, you may get a reward (奖励).

36． The shop offers rewards to those who mind their manners. There is a sign outside the shop. It says different prices for a cup of coffee depending on how polite the customer is.

37． They include: “Small coffee” at 5 dollars, “Small coffee, please” at 3 dollars and “Hello, one small coffee, please” at 1.75 dollars.

38． A cafe called Petite Syrah in France also encourages customers to have good manners with different prices.
39．

The manager of Petite Syrah said of the reason, “
40．” And he added, “I know people may say that our service can be impolite, but it is also true that customers can be impolite when they are busy.”

The American cafe is copying the French cafe because it has been a success in changing customers’ behavior (行为). The manager of Petite Syrah says that he has seen a great difference in his customers’ behavior since the sign was put up.

One of the world’s most important and lovely animals is quickly disappearing. Can you guess which one it is? It
49． (have) the longest neck among all animals. Yes, it’s the giraffe.

In 1985, there were between 152,000 and 163,000 giraffes, and they
50． (live) in the plains (平原）and forests of Africa. “The number of giraffes
51． (fall) by as much as 40 percent since the 1980s,” says a new report on endangered wild animals and plants.

Why are there fewer and fewer giraffes? Because humans
52． (cut) down many trees to build more houses. And they are also killing the animals
53． (eat) their meat. A report from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (国际自然保护联盟) says, “Giraffes
54． (disappear) silently in the near future. And it is time that we do something for the giraffe before it is too late.” People think giraffes are everywhere. Kids’ books are full of giraffes, and there
55． (be) always giraffes in zoos. But giraffes are in great danger now. Humans should stop killing off certain endangered wild animals and try hard to help save them.

Once upon a time there lived a king called Minos. He ruled the island of Crete. And he also had a terrible monster（怪兽）called Minotaur. The Minotaur lived at the center of a very large maze（迷宫）. It had the body of a man but the head of a bull.

Minos was a cruel king. Whenever he was bored, he would attack（进攻）a nearby island called Athens. In order to get peace, King Aegeus of Athens made a deal with King Minos. If Minos didn’t attack Athens, he would send seven boys and seven girls to Crete every nine years to be eaten by the Minotaur.

It was time again to send the children to Crete. Theseus, the son of King Aegeus, could not stand this situation, and decided to go as the seventh boy and kill the Minotaur. He promised his father that if he was successful, he would use white sails（船帆）instead of the black ones to show he was alive.

When arriving in Crete, Theseus met King Minos’ daughter called Ariadne. She fell in love with him and wanted to help him. So when the children were sent to the Minotaur, Ariadne gave Theseus a ball of string（细绳）and a knife. Theseus left a line of string behind him when he entered the maze. After he killed the monster, he followed the string and got out of the maze. Ariadne was waiting outside. They quickly ran away together before Minos could catch them.

However, on the journey home, Theseus was full of joy that he forgot to change the color of the sail. As soon as King Aegeus saw the black sails, he was so upset and jumped into the sea. Since then, the sea has been called the Aegean Sea in memory of King Aegues.

My trip to ________