—I guess so. It's not difficult after all.

 so that they could not find us.

— ___________! That's good news.

    The other day, my friend Jane was invited to a 40th birthday party. The time printed on the invitation was 7:30 p. m. Jane went off with her husband David, expecting a merry evening of wine, food, and songs.

    By 9:45, everybody was having great fun, but no food had appeared. Jane and David were restless. Other guests began whispering that they, too, were hungry. But no one wanted to leave, just in case some food was about to appear. By 11:00, there was still no food, and everyone was completely off their heads. Jane and David left, hungry and angry.  

    Their experience suggests that the words on the printed invitations need to be made clearer. Everyone reads and understands the invitations differently. Most of us would agree that 6:30-8:30 p. m. means drinks only, that after 8:00 p. m. or 8:30 p. m. means possible dinner, and that 9:30 p. m. and any time thereafter means no food — eat beforehand and roll up late.

    But this is not always the case. If asked to a students' party at 6:30 p. m., it is normal for guests not to appear before midnight, if at all, and no one cares. Being the first to arrive — looking eager — is social death. When my mother is asked to a party at 6:30, she likes to be there, if not on time, then no later than seven. My age group (late thirties) falls somewhere between the two, but because we still think we're young, we're probably closer to student-time than grown-up time.

    The accepted custom at present is confusing, sometimes annoying, and it often means you may go home hungry, but it does lend every party that precious element(要素) of surprise.

阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容(1个单词)或括号内单词的正确形式。

    I enjoy (climb) mountains whenever I can find the time to do so．Tom and Mike are my best friends，both of also like sports．Two years ago，the three of us (go) up to Mt．Lushan. Instead of taking a bus，which is (comfortable)，we preferred to climb．We started from the foot of the mountain early in the morning， (chat) all the way．After about one and a half (hour) climbing，we saw two mountain paths before us．We could not decide to choose．In the end，we took the right path，thinking that might be a short cut．But we were wrong．We could not find our way out， (lose) in the mountain．We had to use our hands and feet to make a way．We began to cry for help nobody answered．It was not until darkness (fall) that we found a right path leading up to a paved road．