My hobby is playing chess — one of the greatest games in the world. My mum taught me how to play when I was seven years old. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} But then, on my eighth birthday, I won for the first time. I nearly always beat her now.

    To learn the rules doesn't take long. One day is enough. But if you want to be good, you have to practice for years. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} — just a chess set and someone to play with. Chess sets can be very cheap, or quite expensive. Some people collect chess sets as a hobby, but I enjoy playing.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} We meet on Wednesday every week to practice. I am the best player in the club, and the captain（队长）of the school chess team. This year we won the All England Schools Championship (冠军赛).

    I'm saving up my money to buy a chess computer. They are very expensive, but also very good for practice. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} I'm sure I will be a world chess champion some day.

A: Do you know what shopping online is?

B: Yes. I buy a lot of things on the Internet.

A: Really? Could you tell me some advantages of it?

B: Of course. First, it is very convenient. You can buy anything you want, and they will send it to your home.

A: Wow, that is great.

B: Yes. What's more, it is much cheaper than the products in a big supermarket.

A: Ah, that is quite a smart way of shopping. What is its disadvantages do you think?

B: Well, the biggest one is that you cannot see the true products. You can only look at the pictures and some introductions(介绍). You cannot try them on if you buy some clothes or shoes. Sometimes you may get the one not fit(适合)you on the Internet.

A: I agree with you. How to deal with(处理)this?

B: You can return(返回)the products if you are not satisfied now. I think shopping online is more and more popular. It will be more and more important in our life.

A: Thanks a lot for your introduction. It helps a lot!

B: You are welcome.

    Harbin Opera House (哈尔滨大剧院) lies on Harbin Cultural Island, near the Songhua River. It took people about six years to complete the whole project and it opened in 2015. Its building style belongs to a future time. With the size of 7,900m², it is considered as the performing arts centre in Harbin, Heilongjiang Province. Its special surface allows more light to enter. Its two theaters, the large theatre and the small one, can hold about 2,000 people. The project is a complete success. Harbin Opera House has enjoyed many prizes and great fame from home and abroad since people began to plan it. People say it's one of the most beautiful buildings in China and it is the world's best concert halls. There is no doubt that it has become the new symbol of Harbin.

    As we all know, the "rice bowl" culture of China has influenced some Asian countries such as Japan, Korea and Vietnam since we started to use chopsticks while eating food.

    Chopsticks are usually two long thin pieces of wood or bamboo. They can also be made of plastic, animal bone or metal. ⑴The most important thing is that chopsticks are a great invention in China.

    Five thousand years ago people usually cooked their food in large pots, using twigs (小树枝) to remove it.   ⑵    the population grew, people began cutting food into small pieces. ⑷Food in small pieces could be eaten easily with twigs by people. And twigs were gradually changed into chopsticks.

    Some people think that the famous scholar Confucius living from about 551 BC to 479 BC pushed the development of chopsticks. Confucius believed that using chopsticks instead of knives would remind people to stay away from killing and violence at table.

    We enjoy our delicious food with our family members or friends while feeling the peaceful and people-loving world by using chopsticks at table anytime.

    Once upon a time, there was a king. He only had one leg and one eye, but he was very smart and kind. Everyone lived a happy and healthy life because of the king. One day, the king was walking through the palace hallway and saw the paintings of his ancestors(祖先).He thought that one day his children would also walk in the same hallway and remember all the ancestors through these paintings. He wanted his children to remember him, too. So he invited many famous artists to his palace.

    All of the artists began to think about the king's physical disabilities(生理缺陷). How could his painting be made very beautiful? It was not possible. They weren't sure what his painting would be like. So one by one, they all started to politely refuse to make a painting of the king.

    But suddenly one artist raised his hand and said he would make a very nice painting of the king. The king became happy hearing that. Then the artist started painting. After a long time, the painting was ready.

    When the artist showed the painting, everyone was shocked. In the painting, the king was sitting on a horse, on the one—leg side, holding his bow (弓箭) and aiming (瞄准) something with his one eye closed. The king was very happy and gave him lots of money.

    As we all know, no one is perfect. So we should try to focus on (关注) others' advantages instead of their disadvantages. Just take an optimistic view (乐观的观点) of the event. Everyone can do a good job.