{#blank#}1{#/blank#}(keep) a diary in English is one of the effective ways to improve our English writing abilities.

    Compared with other forms of writing, it is shorter and takes{#blank#}2{#/blank#}(little) time. It can help us to develop the habit of thinking in English. If we keep doing this，{#blank#}3{#/blank#} (gradual)we'll learn how to express ourselves in English. In keeping a diary in English，we will certainly meet many difficulties. First, it often happens that we have difficulty{#blank#}4{#/blank#}(find)proper words and phrases to give expression to our mind.{#blank#}5{#/blank#} (two), there are so many idioms(成语)in Chinese{#blank#}6{#/blank#}it is extremely hard for us to put them into English properly.

    In my opinion，my{#blank#}7{#/blank#}(suggest)is that we should always have a notebook and a Chinese-English  dictionary  within  easy reach. Whenever something{#blank#}8{#/blank#}(beat)us，we can first put it down in our notebook and then refer {#blank#}9{#/blank#} our dictionary. We can also turn to our English teacher for help，if necessary. In short，I believe that it is of great use to keep{#blank#}10{#/blank#}diary in English for the development of our writing skills.

    A taboo (禁忌) is a social action that is not allowed. Every culture in the world has{#blank#}1{#/blank#}(it) own taboos. The breaking of a taboo sometimes makes people feel{#blank#}2{#/blank#}(comfort). I learned this through my own experience.

    Last weekend, Wang Lin and I showed two{#blank#}3{#/blank#}(foreign) around our city. Mr. Singh was from India and Mr. White from the USA. When I{#blank#}4{#/blank#}(hold) out my left hand to shake hands with Mr. Singh, he seemed to be unhappy. Mr. White,{#blank#}5{#/blank#}, was quite casual. He said hello to me with a big smile and a wave of his hand.

    In the evening, we stopped at a restaurant for dinner. I noticed that Mr. Singh didn't touch the beef and Mr. White seemed not{#blank#}6{#/blank#}(like) chickens' claws. During the meal, Wang Lin said sorry to Mr. Singh and continued{#blank#}7{#/blank#}(explain) that we didn't know it was a taboo in India to shake one's left hand. Mr. Singh explained that{#blank#}8{#/blank#}oxen are sacred (神圣的) in India, people don't eat beef there. Mr. White joined in and said that{#blank#}9{#/blank#}was not usual in the USA for people to eat chickens' claws. He went on to say that {#blank#}10{#/blank#}(America) don't usually get into each other's personal space. Isn't it a good lesson that needs remembering?

    Yuan Longping is one of China's most famous scientists. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}(work) the land to do his research, he considers himself a farmer. Indeed, his sunburnt face and arms and his slim, strong body are just like those of millions of Chinese farmers, {#blank#}2{#/blank#} he has struggled for the past five decades. When he was young, he saw many people dying of {#blank#}3{#/blank#} (hungry), which was a {#blank#}4{#/blank#}(disturb) problem in many parts of the countryside. Then, he devoted all his time and energy {#blank#}5{#/blank#}searching for a way to increase rice harvests without expanding {#blank#}6{#/blank#} area of the fields. In 1973, he became the first agricultural pioneer in the world {#blank#}7{#/blank#} (grow) rice that has a high output. Now, he remains {#blank#}8{#/blank#}(circulate) his knowledge in many less developed countries to increase their rice harvests. He is quite {#blank#}9{#/blank#}(satisfy) with his life. However, he doesn't care about being famous. He feels it gives him less freedom to do his research. In his view, spending money on himself or {#blank#}10{#/blank#} (lead) a comfortable life means very little to him. He therefore gives much money to equip others for their research in agriculture.

    You may not know the name John Smith Pemberton, but you must know the name of his{#blank#}1{#/blank#}(invent):Coca-Cola.

    Pemberton was a US chemist. When he was wounded in the Civil War, lie used medicine to ease the pain and gradually got{#blank#}2{#/blank#} (addict) to it. To light the addiction, he created his own drink by{#blank#}3{#/blank#} (use) leaves of coca and nuts of kola. He named{#blank#}4{#/blank#}," Pemberton's French Wine Coca". In the same year, the local government passed a ban on alcohol. Pemberton had to change the recipe to remove the alcohol.

    In 1886, Pemberton invited Willis Venable to help him perfect his new recipe. They used carbonated water and finally invented a new drink. It had no alcohol{#blank#}5{#/blank#}could still ease pain and clear the mind. Pemberton decided to sell it{#blank#}6{#/blank#}a drink rather than a medicine. In 1887, Pemberton sold part of the stock of his company to As a Candler,{#blank#}7{#/blank#}later created the Coca-Cola Company.

    Nowadays. Coca-Cola has become one of the most popular{#blank#}8{#/blank#}(drink) in the world. The company only offers semi-finished products to partners and won't sell the{#blank#}9{#/blank#}(origin) ingredients (成分).Its secret recipe was kept in the Sun Trust Bank in Atlanta for 86 years until the end of 2011. Since then, it{#blank#}10{#/blank#}(keep) in the World of Coca-Cola center in Atlanta.

    Who are better at science in your class, girls or boys? These years, girls start to show more interest in the {#blank#}1{#/blank#} (subject) of science, technology, engineering and Maths (STEM), according to a recent study from the UK.

    In the study, every year over the last seven years, over 20,000 students {#blank#}2{#/blank#} were in their final year in high school were surveyed. As for university courses, {#blank#}3{#/blank#} number of girls considering choosing STEM subjects has a {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (big) increase than that of boys. Over one-fifth of the girls surveyed said they were considering jobs {#blank#}5{#/blank#} (relate) to STEM, such as engineers. And the interest in engineering and science has also risen.

    This is an important change for women in the UK. But at present, there are not nearly as many women {#blank#}6{#/blank#} men studying STEM subjects or working in the STEM fields. Only 13%～22% of people who graduate {#blank#}7{#/blank#} university with STEM degrees are women. And women are seen only one in eight STEM jobs.

    Are men really more suited to STEM work than women? Of course not. This is {#blank#}8{#/blank#} (part) because of the conventional idea, which means many people think so, even though it is not correct.

    "It is important that young women should {#blank#}9{#/blank#} (encourage) to get into these jobs. In fact, STEM subjects are fun and exciting. Studying science can do {#blank#}10{#/blank#} (we) good. It offers women chances of taking up fantastic careers and they will get higher pay in these areas," said Niki Yates, manager of GSK's business.