Hi Jake,

    How's it going? Sorry I haven't been in touch for a while, but couldn't use my computer for a few days. You'll never guess what happened to me!

    A couple of weeks ago, I decided to take up yoga. Yoga is a combination of physical and breathing exercises. It's supposed to be good for relaxation and {#blank#}1{#/blank#}. I've been feeling a bit stressed about my school work recently and I thought yoga might help.

    My dad couldn't give me a lift to the first lesson, so I decided to {#blank#}2{#/blank#}. The lesson was great and I felt really relaxed afterwards. On the way home, though, it started raining and I got very wet! The next day, I woke up with a bad cold. I couldn't stop {#blank#}3{#/blank#}.

    I couldn't go to school {#blank#}4{#/blank#}I also had a high temperature. We were having a math test that day so it was great that I could stay at home. I didn't really {#blank#}5{#/blank#}, though. I felt awful and stayed in bed. Mum brought me cups of hot tea for my sore throat(and you know how much I hate tea! ). She {#blank#}6{#/blank#}went to the chemist's and got me some vitamin pills. I have to keep taking these for a while {#blank#}7{#/blank#}I can get stronger.

    That afternoon Robbie came to visit me. He said he'd got something to {#blank#}8{#/blank#}and pretended it was the math test that I'd missed "Mr Bank says you can do it at home instead,” he said, but I knew he was joking. I didn't think it was very {#blank#}9{#/blank#}, but he did!

    The next day, I was still a bit pale and didn't have much energy, but I was feeling better. The day after that, I was able to go back to school.

    Can you believe my luck? I went to the yoga class to feel {#blank#}10{#/blank#}and instead I caught a cold!

    Anyway, I hope you're OK. Write and let me know what you've been up to!

    Bye for now!

Kate

    More than 95% of the people in the world have phones today. They help us easily make contact(联系) with others. It means that we {#blank#}1{#/blank#} write letters now. But a TV show, Letters Alive, is bringing {#blank#}2{#/blank#} this old habit.

    The show is loved by people around China. It invites the famous actor or actress who walks up to a microphone(麦克风) and reads a {#blank#}3{#/blank#}. People wrote the letters from different times in history. We can experience the real lives and {#blank#}4{#/blank#}of the writers.

    Besides it, another TV show, Readers, is also {#blank#}5{#/blank#}. It invites different people to read aloud on the stage, and {#blank#}6{#/blank#} the touching stories behind them. They can read anything, like poems and books. Now the {#blank#}7{#/blank#} gives people a special place, a reading pavilion(朗读亭), to read all over China. Reading pavilions are now in some {#blank#}8{#/blank#} like Shanghai, Hangzhou and Xi'an. The pavilion is quite {#blank#}9{#/blank#}. Only one person can come into it each time. A microphone in it records people's voices. Some of the readers will be picked and invited to {#blank#}10{#/blank#} on TV.

    Cultural values and true feelings are the keys to win praise. Both shows are leading Chinese people to enjoy reading. In fact, this is also why our country is trying to do now.

    One Christmas, Celina received a special gift—a blue plastic piece. There is green, blue and faded mica(褪色的云母片)in it. It has the same {#blank#}1{#/blank#}as a hand mirror. It was similar to a kind of fish which looked {#blank#}2{#/blank#} useful nor beautiful. She thanked, and forgot it.

    One day. Celina {#blank#}3{#/blank#} the dining room. When she took down the box from the bookcase, the strange gift was found. This time she noticed a hook(钩)at one end, and there were several{#blank#}4{#/blank#} on the bottom of the box: Hang on a {#blank#}5{#/blank#}window.

    Then Celina went to the kitchen, hung this gift on a window with the sunshine pouring in all day. To {#blank#}6{#/blank#}surprise，amazing colorful light came into the kitchen. Through the little blue mica colors turned{#blank#}7{#/blank#}green to dark blue，and then to purple …just like the fantastic sea waves. She had {#blank#}8{#/blank#} thought such a small strange gift could lead to a beautiful sea world. On Christmas day Celina didn't find that kind of beauty. But at the moment she understood: a common thing will be so beautiful as long as you make use of it {#blank#}9{#/blank#}.

    The gift has been hung on the window. Every day it reminds her that she should {#blank#}10{#/blank#}some time finding the beauty hidden in people and gifts, it's an important lesson for her.

    "Oh, {#blank#}1{#/blank#}little tree!" a bird said, "You shouldn't have asked the man to cut down the tall trees. The tall trees protected you{#blank#}2{#/blank#}you didn't worry about heat, wind and rain. Time went by and you have{#blank#}3{#/blank#}. When you get tall and strong, you can have enough{#blank#}4{#/blank#}to fight against the Sun and the storms. So I don't think you should do that.

    After hearing the words of the bird, the little tree felt regretful.