Merchant Tovel loved attention. Knowing that people would listen if he had news to share, he went around his village making up stories about the local rabbi (犹太教神职人员).

“He mixes dairy and meat!” said Tovel.

The townspeople shook their heads, for they all knew that dairy and meat must not be mixed in the course of any meal.

“And he sneaks (偷拿) food on Yom Kippur,” added Tovel.

“Not Yom Kippur!” cried the townspeople.

For not only is Yom Kippur the most important fasting day of the year, but it is also the holiest Jewish holiday.

Later, alone in his home, the talebearer felt bad about what he had done. His stories about the rabbi had spread quickly. “I will go to the rabbi and beg him for forgiveness,” he decided. Then all would be well again.

The next morning, he went to the temple and knocked on the door. “Rabbi,” he called, “it is merchant Tovel, coming to see you about an important matter.”

“Come in, Tovel,” the rabbi said warmly, opening the door.

In a matter of moments, Tovel told the rabbi all the things he had said. Then he asked, “What can I do to make things right?”

The rabbi thought for a moment, then told him, “You must take a feather pillow (枕头), cut it open, and feed the feathers to the wind.”

Tovel thought that the rabbi’s suggestion was strange, but the task seemed simple enough. And if it would take away the guilt he felt, then why not do it? Tovel thanked the rabbi and quickly left the temple. At home, the talebearer grabbed a feather pillow, waited for the afternoon winds to pick up, then climbed to the top of a hill. There, he cut open the pillow and watched the feathers float far and wide across the land. Satisfied, Tovel returned to tell the rabbi of his deed. “Now go and gather those feathers,” the rabbi commanded.

“But they are everywhere!” Tovel cried. “How will I get them all?”

Feeling disappointed, Tovel returned to tell the rabbi about the feathers he couldn’t collect.

阅读下面材料，根据其内容和所给段落开头语续写两段，使之构成一篇完整的短文。

Donna is my sister, and I had always considered her beautiful. Our father called her his princess, and in high school, she was known as the school babe. Our parents were protective of us, particularly our father, who kept close watch over the friends she made.

One Saturday in April, a boy invited Donna to a park with four other friends. Unfortunately, on their way to the park, their car crashed into a guardrail and flipped over three times before it came to a stop on its roof. Donna was pulled from the car and rushed to the hospital without delay.

Donna was in the hospital for two weeks. Many of her friends went to see her, especially Claudia, who was there a lot. However, Mom and Dad never liked Claudia. I don’t really know why. They just didn’t like her being around.

Donna returned home with the entire top half of her head shaved. She had hundreds of stitches (缝线), some of which came across her forehead and between her left eye and eyebrow. Knowing Donna’s concern for her appearance, Mom found her a human hair wig (假发) that perfectly matched her hair.

Donna finally recovered and went back to school. But she never felt good in school. There was a very loud-mouthed, self-centered girl in Donna’s class who took great pleasure in teasing her. This girl, seated behind Donna, would pull slightly on Donna’s wig and mockingly said, “Hey, Wiggy, let’s see your scars (伤疤)”. Then she would laugh.

Donna endured this mistreatment in silence until the day she told Claudia. From then on, Claudia kept a close eye on my sister, preventing anyone from bothering her. There was something about Claudia that was frightening, even to the worst kids in school. Nobody messed with her. Unfortunately, though, Claudia wasn’t always around, and the teasing and name-calling continued.

One day, Claudia came to our home with a special surprise.

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Donna and Claudia wore their wigs for over a year.

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My Big Solo (独唱)

The day had finally arrived: the day of my big solo. Everyone was there; my mom and dad and my little brother. And it was a big event: the Spring Fling Choir Concert. The whole class was dressed up. My name was on the cover of the program in bright yellow characters. I couldn’t believe it when I saw my name. Not that it was my name, but that it wasn’t Renee’s. Renee and I had been classmates since kindergarten. She was always ahead of me. Dance class needs a big finish? Renee was picked. The school plays? Renee would have the leads while I was cast as her mother or sister or neighbor. I even played her dog once. The only time I ever came in ahead of Renee was at roll call (点名). Cindy comes before Renee. I count that as a victory!

The choir concert tryouts were stressful. We waited in the library as Ms. Jenkins called us individually into the choir room. By the time she called me, I was shaking. When I came back to the library, Renee smiled at me. Ms. Jenkins called her name and Renee calmly followed her. She was still calm and smiling when her tryout was over

When Ms. Jenkins announced who had made the special choral group (合唱队), I wasn’t surprised when Renee’s name was on her list and mine wasn’t. “So, what else is new?” I said under my breath Sudden clapping brought me out of my bad mood. Everyone was looking at me. I’ve missed something here, I thought. Ms. Jenkins smiled at me and said, “Cindy, you will have to start practicing with me.The solos take extra preparation.” Solo? I got the solo? I glanced over at Renee. She smiled broadly and gave me the thumbs-up sign. Oh, that’s another thing. She is always so nice

Now the day had come. We filed onto the stage and took our places. I was front and center. Ms. Jenkins raised her baton (指挥棒) and we began to sing. My parents were smiling at me, cameras flashing.

My big moment came.

The rest of the solo went well.