—I think you must stop working       you might turn into a machine.

—Yes. They are so similar that it's almost      to tell one from the other.

—I'm not sure. They look much the same in shape and size as           of roses.

—The first prize in the English speaking competition helps increase her      .

—    big news! So it's important for students to learn them well.

—Oh, it      be him. He went to Shanghai on business just an hour ago.

—Me too. His novel Red Sorghum Clan           a turning point in his writing career.

—A few more minutes, please. I haven't finished tidying up my room yet.

—Oh, dear, it      for nearly twenty minutes. Come on!

—Yes. When the 5G age      , the Internet speed will be 100 times as high as 4G.

—Walk along this road to the end and the library is just across the road.

—    . There are so many attractions—shopping centres, many restaurants, famous universities and so on.

    British people are famous for apologizing (道歉) in almost every situation. 1we are apologizing for asking a question, for our bad weather or we sneeze before others (打喷嚏), we are probably the number-one nation for apologies. We pride ourselves on our polite 2 in public. As a result, we use the word "sorry" quite a lot—even when we don't really 3 it! Usually, if you want to ask someone for the time, you would start by saying "Sorry to bother you. Do you know the time?" If you're five minutes late for an appointment (约会), you would generally4 the person by saying "Sorry, I'm late! We use the word "sorry" in so many different situations that the meaning of the word has slightly 5 over time. The two main dictionary definitions (定义) of "sorry" are: feeling sad for someone else because of their problems or feeling regret because you've done something wrong. Usually, when you want to ask a stranger a question, you 6 with "Sorry to disturb you." In this situation, we aren't saying sorry because we feel sad for that person or because we feel regret. So what does "sorry" really mean? Well, in the British 7, saying "sorry" is a way to be polite, especially to people who you don't know very well. It's also a very8 way to get what you want. 9, an actor asked different people on a rainy day if he could use their mobile phones. When he asked one group of strangers without apologizing first, he was only 9 per cent successful in borrowing their phones. 10, when he apologized to another group about the bad weather before asking if he could use their mobile phones, he was 47 per cent successful. So maybe saying "sorry" is not just being polite, but it is also a good method to get what you want too!

    Thomas Edison's inventions have shaped the world. Read about a few of them in the timeline.

    Tracy Lester is with us in the studio. Welcome Tracy! We are all interested to know about your life as a child actor. You're only fourteen years old—yet you are already famous.

    Tracy: Yes. I'm really lucky to have a chance to do so many things that other young people haven't yet. Interviewer: So Tracy, the first question is—how old were you when you made your first movie, peanuts? Tracy: Well, I was only four—so I didn't have a big part—and that movie wasn't really successful.

    Interviewer: So what was your first successful movie then? Tracy: Chocolate Aliens. Did you see it? Interviewer: Yes. My favourite scene was when you cleaned out the fridge for your mum, and you found interesting chocolates in there.

    Tracy: Yeah—that was a cool scene, wasn't it? Interviewer: Have you appeared in any commercials (商业广告) yet, Tracy? Tracy: Yes, quite a few. The last one was for a chocolate company. I love chocolate, but they made me eat so much. I felt sick after that. I never want to eat chocolate again. Interviewer: What a pity! Now, tell me about your latest movie—you haven't finished it yet. But do you think you might win an award for this one? Tracy: Oh, I hope so. But if I don't win this time, maybe I will some day. I'll continue to work hard. Interviewer:  And one last question Tracy—I'd like to ask you if you enjoy being famous. Tracy: That's a difficult question to answer. I'd like to tell all my young fans that it isn't easy being famous. Mostly, I miss being a kid. So enjoy being a kid, and don't grow up too quickly. Interviewer: Thanks for coming, Tracy. You're a great kid. I wish you luck in the future.

    Some people think that the debate (辩论) about school uniforms is just about whether students look cool. In fact, this problem is connected with other topics, such as student performance (表现), money, and personal choice. The school uniform debate is very important to parents, teachers, and school officials—and to students, too! Many students argue (争论) that school uniforms would save their parents' money. According to Nahla, an eighth-grader, "Kids whose families don't have a lot of money wouldn't be teased for their unfashionable clothes. " Besides, some students think that uniforms would help them give much attention to learning. "I think it's a great idea.

    Wearing uniforms would teach students that schoolwork is more important than looking good," argues tenth-grader, Heba. Others believe that school uniforms would help students study better. In the words of a twelfth-grader named Aziza, "If all students have to wear the same uniform, they will try to impress others with their schoolwork and grades, not their clothes." Some students are against school uniforms. They argue that uniforms would cost their parents more money. "Uniforms are expensive and can only be worn at school. My parents would still have to buy me other clothes to wear on weekends and after school," explains ninth-grader, Sherine. According to a twelfth-grader named Susan, "School uniforms don't allow personal choice. " She feels that uniforms don't allow students to be creative or express their own decisions about what to wear. Finally, many students like eleventh grader Reema say that uniforms are uncomfortable. "Students like to wear comfortable clothes," she says.

    In a word, there are strong arguments on both sides of the school uniform debate. Whatever the result is, one thing is important: before making a decision about whether to require uniforms, school officials must consider the opinions of everyone—especially the students.

    The Internet influences the way we shop, how we communicate with each other, how we find answers to questions and much more. But for some time there have been concerns (担心) that the older people are being left behind because they are unable to use a computer.

    However, this is changing and several charities and community groups now help older people to get online. Paul Robinson runs such charity, Seniors Online. Paul worked for an IT company before deciding to leave his well-paid job and start the charity. As he explains, "I used to spend a few hours a week helping some older people use the Internet at the local library and I could see the difference it made to their lives. It can be quite lonely for the elderly when their children move away to find work and start a family of their own. Learning how to use email and receive photographs of their children and grandchildren was a wonderful experience for them. And when I saw what a big influence it had on their lives, I left my job and set up Seniors Online. We run training courses so that older people can enjoy the same chances as us." away to find work and start a family of their own. Learning how to use email and receive photographs of their children and grandchildren was a wonderful experience for them. And when I saw what a big influence it had on their lives, I left my job and set up Seniors Online. We run training courses so that older people can enjoy the same chances as us. "

    One of Paul's students is 89-year-old Betty, who had never used a computer in her life before she joined one of the classes. That was six months ago and Betty has now completed the course and received her "graduation" certificate (证书). "I joined a class so I could learn how to use email to keep in touch with members of my family," she says. "That's fantastic but the best thing of all is learning how to research my family history online. Using a computer is a bit scary (吓人的) to begin with because you think you'll do something terrible if you press the wrong key. But you soon learn that you can't really break anything—and the teachers are very patient. I think all people my age should do a course like this. "

—Exercise has become part of my (日常的) life.

—Yes. We have remained (密切地) in touch over the years.

—I know a shop with lots of (礼物) suitable for mum on Mother's Day.

—Eat less for supper and take a walk for an hour every day.

—Interest and hard work. Last but not (little), I'd like to thank my parents for their support.

—I'm trying to understand the (hide) meaning behind his words.

—Well, stamp (collect) has been a hobby of mine since I was a child.

    Music is heard in every corner of the world: in every community and in every culture. Why? Music is part of human nature and it is needed for many  in our lives. Music plays an important part in helping us , we hear it when we are shopping, in hotel, airports, and restaurants. There is music that you can dance to, sing to, or you may just listen to it for entertainment. In the movies, music is as important as the acting. Although most people don't  it, a good movie has music that helps create the mood for the story. However there are times when music does more harm than good, for example, when you listen to music that is too loud. You might think this is OK now, but that's  you're still young. Listening to loud music is not good for ears and it can even make you deaf. If music is necessary part of your world, keep the volume (音量) down.

    The Old Man and the Sea is a short novel written by the American author Ernest Hemingway in 1951 in Cuba. It tells the story of a fight between an aging fisherman and a giant marlin (枪鱼). The novel opens with the fisherman, Santiago, who has gone 84 days without catching a fish. He is so unlucky that his young apprentice (徒弟), Manolin, hasn't been allowed by his parents to sail with the old man. On the 85th day, Santiago sets out by himself, far onto the Gulf Stream. He sets his lines and by noon, a big marlin takes his bait (鱼饵). After three days' struggle with the fish, Santiago manages to tie the marlin to the side of his boat. While Santiago sails back to the shore, sharks are attracted to the blood left by the marlin in the water. Though Santiago makes a great effort, they have almost eaten up the marlin. Santiago knows that he is defeated (打败) and tells the sharks of how they have killed his dreams. Once home, he is so tired that he goes straight to bed and falls into a deep sleep. Manolin feels much worried. The next day he brings him newspapers and coffee. When the old man wakes, they promise to fish together once again. The old man doesn't feel well and also coughs up blood a few times towards the end of the story. Readers think that the story is about man's fight against the natural world. In the story, Santiago and the marlin show similar qualities of pride, honour, and bravery, and both have to obey the same natural law—they must kill or be killed.

    The novel has received so much praise and is considered to be one of Hemingway's most famous works. It was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1953 and the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1954.

    For a long time, people thought that the floor of the ocean was a very quiet place. Some thought that it was almost without any s at all. Scientists were surprised when they put a microphone (麦克风) under water and heard all kinds of noises. They heard grunts, growls, snarls and whistles. The b of the sea sounded like a zoo! The scientists were puzzled (迷惑的) when they found out these noises were c from fish. Some fish make noise by grinding their teeth. Others scrape their bones together. Still others make noise with the sac of air in their bodies. W fish make these sounds is somewhat a mystery (谜). Some scientists think that the fish use these noises to s to one another. Most people believe the sounds have no meaning. Scientists have found out that the dolphin k the meaning of some sounds. Tests show that it is one of the smartest a in the sea. People say that they have been able to teach the dolphin many human words. At Marineland of the Pacific, it is said that dolphins have even been taught to sing. They rise to the s of the water and sing for visitors. At least it sounds somewhat like singing!

    Who knows? We may be able to talk with the dolphin and learn many secrets of the sea sometime soon. Just think what the dolphin could tell us. We could learn the location of treasure ships u the sea. We could learn where to find great schools of fish. We might elearn the location of submarines (潜艇). It could be an exciting moment when we first begin to find out what those voices from the ocean floor are saying.

what you've learned about Chinese culture

how the teachers and students help you

what your homestay family do for you

注意：

1）对所有要点逐一陈述，适当发挥。

2）词数 80 左右，感谢信的开头和结尾已经给出，不计入总词数。

3）文中不得提及有关考生个人身份的任何信息，如校名、人名等。

Dear Sir/Madam,

    I would like to express my thanks to you. During my two-month stay in Nanjing, ……

    I feel really grateful for what you have done for us.