When treating some friends to dinner, we Chinese often say, “The dishes are not good. Please forgive me.” In fact, it is a Chinese way of {#blank#}1{#/blank#} (be) modest. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} he really means is that all the dishes here are really wonderful! What he really hopes is compliment from the guests! But {#blank#}3{#/blank#} English would not understand it at all! Now that it is not very good, why should you present the dishes in front of us? The English would say to their guests “ Enjoy yourselves!” when eating and “hope you've enjoyed!” after eating.

    While {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (eat), we Chinese often say to the guests, “Eat slowly.” This would be very {#blank#}5{#/blank#} (puzzle) to the foreigners: Am I eating very violently? Am I eating too {#blank#}6{#/blank#} or too much?

    And now comes the end of the dinner when your guests {#blank#}7{#/blank#} (leave). The Chinese would say, “Walk slowly!” This is a very polite saying in Chinese, but will also be confusing to the foreigners: why can't I walk fast? Does it matter {#blank#}8{#/blank#} I walk slowly or not? Are you worrying that I may fall over? {#blank#}9{#/blank#} change your words {#blank#}10{#/blank#} a simple “Bye!” or “See you next time!”

    The young artist and potter Allan had a wife and two fine sons. One night, his older son developed a severe stomachache. Neither Allan nor his wife took the condition very {#blank#}1{#/blank#} (serious), but the boy died suddenly that night.

    Knowing the death could {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (avoid) if he had only realized the seriousness of the situation, he always felt he was guilty. Worse still, his wife left him a short time later,{#blank#}3{#/blank#} (leave) him alone with his 6-year-old younger son. Unable to stand the hurt and pain, he turned to alcohol and became{#blank#}4{#/blank#} alcoholic.

    As the alcoholism {#blank#}5{#/blank#} (progress), Allan began to lose everything he possessed and finally died alone in a small bar. Hearing of his death, I thought, “{#blank#}6{#/blank#} a complete failure!”

    As time went by, I began to revalue my {#blank#}7{#/blank#} (early) rough judgment. I knew Allan's now adult son, Ernie, one of the kindest and most caring men I've ever known. I hadn't heard him talk much about his father. One day, I worked up my courage to ask him what {#blank#}8{#/blank#} earth his father had done so that he became such a special person. Ernie said quietly, “As a child until I left home at 18, Allan came into my room every night, gave me a kiss and said, ‘love you, son'.”

    Tears came to my eyes as I realized what I had been a fool to judge Allan {#blank#}9{#/blank#} a failure. He had not left any material{#blank#}10{#/blank#} (possess) behind. But he had been a kind loving father, and left behind his best love.

    It was my first day in Hangzhou, the Chinese city famous for its {#blank#}1{#/blank#} (nature) beauty and history and I didn't have much time to spare. I wanted to see {#blank#}2{#/blank#} much of the city as possible in the two days before I was to return to Guangzhou.

    My first task was to decide where to go and how to get there. I took out my guide book {#blank#}3{#/blank#} there was a lot of information about the city's well-known tourist {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (attraction) and started to read. At that moment, an attractive young lady who noticed my book came up {#blank#}5{#/blank#} me and introduced herself. She said her name was Bai Li and {#blank#}6{#/blank#} (kind) offered to show me around the city. I was delighted and was about to accept her suggestion when she {#blank#}7{#/blank#} (suggest) we first go to the West Lake and walk along the Broken Bridge.

    I liked the idea of visiting the West Lake, but wasn't so sure about crossing the Broken Bridge. If it was broken, did she expect me {#blank#}8{#/blank#}(jump) across? And I couldn't swim, so if I fell in then I {#blank#}9{#/blank#} (die). That was definitely not an attractive idea, so I politely declined her {#blank#}10{#/blank#} (invite), closed my book and walked away.

    Happiness can be described {#blank#}1{#/blank#} a positive mood and a pleasant state of mind. There are many factors {#blank#}2{#/blank#}(contribute) to happiness.

    A person in an apparently ideal situation is not {#blank#}3{#/blank#}(necessary) happy. The ideal situation may have little to do with his actual feelings.

    A good education and income are usually considered necessary for happiness. Though both may contribute, {#blank#}4{#/blank#} are only chief factors if the person is seriously undereducated or actually suffering from lack of physical needs.

    The rich {#blank#}5{#/blank#}(be) not likely to be happier than the middle-income group or even those with very low incomes. People with college educations are somewhat happier than those who did not graduate from high school, and it {#blank#}6{#/blank#}(believe) that this is mainly.{#blank#}7{#/blank#} they have more opportunity to control their {#blank#}8{#/blank#}(life). Yet people with a high income and a college education may be less happy than those with the same income and no college education.

    Poor health does not rule out happiness except for the severely {#blank#}9{#/blank#}(disable) or those in pain. Learning {#blank#}10{#/blank#}(cope)with a health problem can contribute to happiness.

    Stan Lee, who dreamed up Spider-Man, Iron Man, the Hulk and other Marvel Comics (漫威漫画) superheroes that became highly successful at the movie box office, died at the age of 95, his daughter said on Monday.

    "{#blank#}1{#/blank#} (know) as a writer and editor, he felt a duty to his fans to keep creating," his daughter J. C. Lee said in a {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (state). "He loved his life and he loved {#blank#}3{#/blank#} he did for a living. His family and his fans loved him. He was irreplaceable." Lee was {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (wide) credited with adding a new layer of humanity to superheroes. His characters were not made of stone. They had love and money worries and suffered terrible shortcomings or feelings of insecurity.

    "I felt {#blank#}5{#/blank#} would be fun to show that they are human as well as super," Lee said in 2010. Many of Marvel Comics movies Lee created were produced in the first decades of the 21^st century, {#blank#}6{#/blank#} (add) up to over $20 billion at theaters worldwide, according to box office analysts.

    In 2008, Lee {#blank#}7{#/blank#} (award) the National Medal of Arts, {#blank#}8{#/blank#} highest government award for creative {#blank#}9{#/blank#} (artist). His greatest contribution will be not only the co-creation of his characters but the way he helped to build the culture that comics have become, {#blank#}10{#/blank#} is a pretty significant one," said Robert Thompson, a pop culture expen at Syracuse University.

    Your teeth may be part of your smile, {#blank#}1{#/blank#} they have a more important job­they are the first step in the process of digestion. You have three {#blank#}2{#/blank#}(kind) of teeth. In the very front of your mouth are eight flat, thin teeth called incisors. They are used for cutting and biting food. Next to these are pointed teeth called canines, {#blank#}3{#/blank#} also help you tear food. The remaining teeth are molars. These teeth have flat tops for crushing and grinding the food.