3. Fill in the blanks with the most suitable words (articles, prepositions, auxiliary verbs, etc).

1. The two gifts (after o. Henry)

Jim and Della were very poor. They lived 1____ New York in a small room 2____ the top floor 3____ a high building. Jim was twenty-two years 4____, Della was twenty-one.

Both husband 5____ wife worked very hard, but there never was any money in the house: for all they got went to pay 6____ food. And the rent was $ 8 7____ week.

And yet they owned two treasures of which they were very proud. These treasures were Jim’s gold watch which he had got 8____ his father, and Della’s beautiful golden hair.

It was 9____ eve of New Year’s Day. Della wanted to give Jim a present. She counted her money. One dollar and eighty-seven cents. That was all she had. Only $ 1.87 to buy a present for Jim. So she sat 10____ on the sofa and wept. Suddenly she got 11____ and went 12____ the looking-glass. Her eyes shone brilliantly. Quickly she undid her hair. It fell to its full length. It reached below her knees and covered her 13____ a cloak. And then she did it up again quickly and nervously. She put 14____ her old brown jacket and her old brown hat. Then she ran 15____ of the door and down the stairs to the street.

2. The two gifts (after o. Henry)

The next two hours were like a happy dream, Della was hurrying 1____ shop 2____ shop looking 3____ Jim’s present.

She found it 4____ last. It was a watch chain for which she paid $ 21. And then she hurried home with the chain and the remaining 87 cents.

Jim was not 5____ home. Della got 6____ her curling irons and lighted the gas and went to work; 7____ forty minutes her head was covered 8____ tiny curls. She looked 9____ a schoolboy. She said 10____ herself: “I hope Jim will not kill me. But what could I do? Oh, what could I do with a dollar and 87 cents?”

11____ 7 o’clock the coffee was ready. Della sat waiting 12____ Jim. She heard his steps on the stairs, and she turned white for just one moment. The door opened and Jim entered 13____ the room. He looked thin and very serious ... and suddenly Jim stopped. His eyes were fixed 14____ Della, and there was 15____ expression in them that she could not understand, and it terrified her.

3. How we kept mother’s day (after s. Leacock)

Of all the different ideas that have been started lately, I think that 1____ very best is the notion of celebrating once 2____ year “Mother’s Day”.

We decided to have a special celebration 3____ Mother’s Day. We thought it a fine idea. It made us realise 4____ much Mother had done 5____ us for years, and all the efforts and sacrifices that she had made for our sake.

So we decided 6____ we’d make it a great day, holiday for all the family, and do everything we could 7____ make Mother happy. Father decided to take a holiday 8____ his office, so as to help 9____ celebrating the day, and my sister Ann and I stayed home 10____ college classes, Mary and my brother Will stayed home from High School.

It was our plan to make it a day just 11____ X-mas or any big holiday, and so we decided to decorate the house 12____ flowers. We asked Mother to do it, because she 13____ does it.

The two girls thought it would be a nice thing to get new hats. Father had bought silk ties for himself and us boys. We were going to get Mother a new hat too, but it turned 14____ that she liked her old hat better 15____ a new one.