Today, after finishing dinner in town, my husband and I were driving back home. As we pulled over, we saw a couple painting their furniture.

    I went inside our home, {#blank#}1{#/blank#} (change) and then went back out again to ask our neighbors if they needed any help. While leaving my home, I was plagued (困扰) by thoughts of {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (embarrass), denial, or being received. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}, I gathered the courage to go down and ask {#blank#}4{#/blank#} ,anyway!

    Initially, the woman denied. Then, the man said, “Sure”, and he handed me a spray paint bottle. We got into some good conversations {#blank#}5{#/blank#} painting with great effort.  When we finished, I briefly chatted with them before leaving.

    In the end, not only {#blank#}6{#/blank#} I enjoy helping them, but also learned about my neighbors. {#blank#}7{#/blank#} the way home, I must admit, I couldn't help but wonder {#blank#}8{#/blank#} they might be thinking about me.  {#blank#}9{#/blank#} is tough to do a good deed for others and not expect that they will be thinking good about you.

    Today's experience taught me some  {#blank#}10{#/blank#} (value) lessons in my life! Hopefully, these lessons will help me continue my acts of kindness in future.

    Every country shares things {#blank#}1{#/blank#} common: we value family and laughter, cherish food and health, and celebrate large {#blank#}2{#/blank#}(festival) and traditions. Yet within the similar things we share, there are unique parts of each country. One of characteristics that are famous of British people {#blank#}3{#/blank#}(be) their sense of humor, particularly self-mockery (自嘲). This is a type of humor that criticizes and undervalues oneself. For example, a fat person may joke: “I am on a new sea food diet. If I see food, I eat it.” This is {#blank#}4{#/blank#} well-known self-mockery joke. It's difficult why self-mockery {#blank#}5{#/blank#}(tie) to the British people. But every nation's sense of humor comes from its culture and history. It could come from another British characteristic, modesty, {#blank#}6{#/blank#}(mean) not talking openly about your skills. This seems to be something that is similar to people in China, {#blank#}7{#/blank#} modesty plays a big part in daily life. It also acts as a defense of our self-respect by playing down our skills, this can {#blank#}8{#/blank#}(less) the chance of people criticizing us. Another possible reason is {#blank#}9{#/blank#} the British people do not take themselves too {#blank#}10{#/blank#}(serious).

    English is now the first language of about 400 million people, the mother language of 12 countries and the official language of one-fifth of the land area of the world, {#blank#}1{#/blank#} means one {#blank#}2{#/blank#} every seven people in the world speaks English.

    More and more people have found it important {#blank#}3{#/blank#} (learn) English well in recent years. In Italy, for example, English is a must for many technical jobs. In China, English is the {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (important) foreign language that is learned at school.

    The English language has never stopped changing. It always borrows words and phrases from other cultures to enlarge  {#blank#}5{#/blank#} (it) vocabulary. {#blank#}6{#/blank#} (actual), modern English is quite different from what {#blank#}7{#/blank#} (use) hundreds of years ago.

    English is so widely used that it has become the standard language for {#blank#}8{#/blank#} (communicate) internationally. About 75% of the world's mail {#blank#}9{#/blank#} (be) in English. About 60% of the world's telephone calls are made in English and about 60% of the world's radio programs are broadcast in English. What's more, over half of the world's books and magazines are written in English. In {#blank#}10{#/blank#} word, English is now the world's first language.