One day a rich man took his sons on a trip to the countryside. He wanted to show them how the poor lived so that they could be thankful {#blank#}1{#/blank#} his wealth through hard work.

    They spent a couple of {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (day) on the farm of what would be considered a poor family.

    On their return, the father asked the elderly boy{#blank#}3{#/blank#} (explain) what he had learnt. To his surprise, the boy, who had kept {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (silence) and deep in thought on the journey home, {#blank#}5{#/blank#} (reply) in a way that shocked his father.

    “I want to become a farmer,{#blank#}6{#/blank#} the farmers can enjoy the beautiful night stars while we have only expensive lanterns.” Finally, he asked his father, "What makes us safer, large walls around our house or some friends {#blank#}7{#/blank#} will protect us?"

    After a while, the boy finished by saying, "Before the trip I thought we {#blank#}8{#/blank#} (be) rich but today I learnt who is {#blank#}9{#/blank#}(true) rich." With this, the boy got up and walked away,{#blank#}10{#/blank#} (leave) his father sitting on their comfortable sofa, totally speechless.

Pinky: Hello, Ann! This is Pinky. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} was your weekend?

Ann: Wonderful. We had a family dinner.

Pinky: Your whole family?

Ann: Yes, all of us. We went to our favorite restaurant, the Golden Crab.

Pinky: I {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (not know) that was your favorite. It's mine, too.

Ann: The food was good as usual, {#blank#}3{#/blank#}we started dinner late. My brother Paul's car broke {#blank#}4{#/blank#}. He and Jennifer got there after nine. We were all feeling very {#blank#}5{#/blank#} (hunger) by then.

Pinky: I thought his car was {#blank#}6{#/blank#}new one. What was the trouble?

Ann: I don't know. Paul says that new cars are not as good {#blank#}7{#/blank#} old ones. He says their steering wheels are not so good.

Pinky: By the {#blank#}8{#/blank#}, Ann. Can you do me the favor to lend me your computer? My computer doesn't work.

Ann: Sorry, Pinky, but I {#blank#}9{#/blank#} (lend) it to Nancy. Why don't you ask Emily? I'm sure she'll lend you {#blank#}10{#/blank#}.

    Dragon Head Raising Day,{#blank#}1{#/blank#} falls each year on the second day of the second lunar month, is one of the Chinese traditional festivals. As the proverb goes: “The dragon is awaked,{#blank#}2{#/blank#} (raise) his head”. On this day, dragons, a prominent totem (图腾) in Chinese culture raise {#blank#}3{#/blank#} (they) heads with the sound of thunder. Around this time, the earth {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (burst) with life. Grass and trees are beginning to shoot up. In ancient China, people {#blank#}5{#/blank#} (pray) the dragon god beside a river or a lake for the precious spring rains to breed their crops.

    {#blank#}6{#/blank#} (tradition), food eaten on this day was renamed after parts of the dragon. For instance, wontons were called “dragon's eyes.” The special {#blank#}7{#/blank#} (food) usually eaten on this day include dragon's scales, popcorn and pig's head.

    In Shanxi, people get their hair {#blank#}8{#/blank#} (cut) in a symbolic move to remove the old and embrace the new. In {#blank#}9{#/blank#} countryside in Hebei Province, people would fetch water from a well at dawn. It was believed {#blank#}10{#/blank#} on this day the well was full of dragon eggs which would bring the collector good harvest.

    In northeastern Liaoning Province, winter can be very cold. For months, almost nothing grows on these frozen areas, except for one {#blank#}1{#/blank#} (surprise) product—grapes, which make something special, ice wine. Ice wine {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (make) from frozen grapes. The freezing process gives the wine a sweet flavor. It's so much {#blank#}3{#/blank#} (strong). It tastes like a raisin (葡萄干).

    Here, conditions for making ice wine are so perfect {#blank#}4{#/blank#} a third of the world's ice wine is now produced here. Strict rules mean that the temperature must be at least -8℃ for hours. While they wait, the grapes could go bad. So, {#blank#}5{#/blank#} (prevent) this from happening, they need to be picked as soon as the conditions {#blank#}6{#/blank#} (be) right.

    In the early morning, the villagers are all {#blank#}7{#/blank#} (die) to help. The grapes planted here are called Vidal. As soon as the grapes are picked, they are transported to the wine company—the largest {#blank#}8{#/blank#} (produce) in China. Two years later, the wine is ready to be in the bottles, each of {#blank#}9{#/blank#} contains the juice of a 2.5 kilograms of grapes. These bottles will be{#blank#}10{#/blank#} the dinner table across China and even the world.