Some years ago,writing in my diary used to be{#blank#}1{#/blank#}usual activity. I would return from school and spend half an hour {#blank#}2{#/blank#}(record)the day's events, feelings, and {#blank#}3{#/blank#}(impress)in my little blue diary. I did not really need {#blank#}4{#/blank#}(express) my emotions by way of words, but I gained a certain satisfaction from {#blank#}5{#/blank#}(see) my experiences forever recorded on paper, After all, isn't accumulating(积累）memories a way of preserving the past?

    {#blank#}6{#/blank#} I was thirteen years old, I went on a long journey{#blank#}7{#/blank#} foot in a great valley{#blank#}8{#/blank#}(equip) with pens, a diary, and a camera. During the trip, I was busy recording every incident, name and place I came across. I felt {#blank#}9{#/blank#}(pride) to be spending my time productively, dutifully preserving for future generations a detailed description of my travels. On my last night there, I {#blank#}10{#/blank#}(walk)out of my tent, diary in hand.

    French artist Dufresne has turned to Chinese characters to explore art.

    His ongoing show at Yishu 8, a nonprofit and art space in Beijing, has installations (装置) on which some characters{#blank#}1{#/blank#} (paint) and visitors can play word games by moving them around to make new characters. Each Chinese character has different parts. Separating or {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (combine) these parts creates new things. For example ,the character of lin (forest), when put on the top of xi (dusk) becomes meng (dream).

    He {#blank#}3{#/blank#} ( produce) them by first asking Chinese people he met in the streets, at parks and tourist spots,{#blank#}4{#/blank#}(write) different characters with ink brushes on paper, and then painted them onto large wooden boards, trying to make the characters look {#blank#}5{#/blank#} close to their original handwritten forms as possible.

    “Each character{#blank#}6{#/blank#} (vivid) reminds me of the person who wrote it. To me, the writer and the character seem to share the same personality,” says Dufresne. He sees the characters as the human body in motion. An ancient character {#blank#}7{#/blank#} (photograph) by himself at a Chinese museum appears to him like “a person walking”.

    Christine Cayol,{#blank#}8{#/blank#} is the founder of Yishu 8, says the young artist has provided “poetic viewpoint” his work by trying to create a {#blank#}9{#/blank#} ( connect) between Chinese characters {#blank#}10{#/blank#} the human body.

    I won't call myself the most accomplished person when it comes to {#blank#}1{#/blank#} (hold) chopsticks. In fact, I'm pretty sure that my technique looks clumsy at times. I tend to hold {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (I) in the middle, more beginner than expert.

    Still, since I eat almost every meal with the eating utensil（器皿）of choice in China it's not uncommon for a new friend or acquaintance to come to a simple {#blank#}3{#/blank#} (conclude) after observing me that my Chinese husband, Jun, must {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (show) me how to use them.

    They are wrong. I've used chopsticks ever since I was a teenager, a time when my sister and mother were both fond of Chinese cuisine and introduced me {#blank#}5{#/blank#} many new dishes, along with the {#blank#}6{#/blank#} (prefer) utensils in China. We always kept bamboo chopsticks along with our {#blank#}7{#/blank#} (knife), forks and spoons, ready for whenever we happened to have Chinese food for dinner. It was my closest family {#blank#}8{#/blank#} observed my first mistakes I made in using chopsticks.

    Plus, I lived over two years in China before Jun and I started dating and I {#blank#}9{#/blank#} (expect) to use chopsticks in almost every restaurant, stand and bar. Trust me, when you're hungry you figure out pretty fast what it takes to down（咽下）{#blank#}10{#/blank#} meal with these utensils.

    If you feel stressed by responsibilities at work, you should take a step back and identify (识别)those of {#blank#}1{#/blank#}(great) and less importance. Then, handle the most important tasks first so you'll feel a real sense of {#blank#}2{#/blank#}(achieve). Leaving the less important things until tomorrow {#blank#}3{#/blank#}(be) often acceptable.

    Most of us are more focused {#blank#}4{#/blank#} our tasks in the morning than we are later in the day. So, get an early start and try to be as productive {#blank#}5{#/blank#} possible before lunch. This will give you the confidence you need to get you through the afternoon and go home feeling accomplished.

    Recent {#blank#}6{#/blank#}(study) show that we are far more productive at work if we take short breaks {#blank#}7{#/blank#}(regular). Give your body and brain a rest by stepping outside for {#blank#}8{#/blank#} while, exercising, or dong something you enjoy.

    If you find something you love doing outside of the office, you'll be less likely {#blank#}9{#/blank#}(bring) your work home. It could be anything-gardening, cooking, music, sports—but whatever it is, {#blank#}10{#/blank#}(make) sure it's a relief from daily stress rather than another thing to worry about.

My wife and I like watching plays, so we will go to the theater whenever we have time. But before we buy tickets, we would like to know if the play is good or bad. When a new play comes, we {#blank#}1{#/blank#}  (usual) read the newspaper to get information about it. Last week a new play was put on at the theater. The newspaper said it was very {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (interest) so we decided to go on Saturday night. My wife took a long time to make her {#blank#}3{#/blank#} (decide) about what to wear and we left our house a little late. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} the time we got to the theater, the first act had already {#blank#}5{#/blank#} (begin). After the play was over, we met some friends, {#blank#}6{#/blank#} lived next to us several years ago. Then we went dancing. By the time we got home, it was about two o'clock in the morning. I'm not used to {#blank#}7{#/blank#} (stay) out so late and I was {#blank#}8{#/blank#} (extreme) tired.

When I was younger, I did not have the money to go out for {#blank#}9{#/blank#} evening like this. Though I can afford it now, I don't have the energy{#blank#}10{#/blank#}(enjoy) it.