In our country we think being modest(谦虚的) is a virtue(美德) and being proud is a bad thing. One day, I heard an American boy say to a Chinese student, “You speak very good English.” But the girl answered, “No, no. My English is very poor.” The foreigner was quite 1 at the answer. Thinking he had not made himself understood or the girl had not heard him 2. He said, “Yes, indeed, you speak very well.” 3 the girl still kept saying, “No.” In the end the American boy could not understand and didn't know 4 to say.

    What's wrong with the girl's answer? She didn't 5 a compliment(恭维) in the same way as the American people do. She should answer “Thank you” instead of “No”. She 6 understood what the American boy had said, but she thought she should be modest. In the 7, people will feel 8 and confident when they are praised. So if someone says the 9 you have cooked are very delicious, you should say, “Thank you”.

    If you are modest and say, “No, I'm 10 I can't do it well”, while working in a western country, people may think that you really can not do it. If you often say, “No”, you'll certainly be looked down upon by 11. When asking 12 a job, if one says something like, “Yes, I can certainly do it” instead of “Let me have a try”, he or she will 13 get it. So in the west, you should be brave to show your self-confidence. In my opinion, being confident does not 14 being proud, so sometimes you should be confident 15 being modest.

    As my husband, Doug, stood on the busy New York city street trying to stop a taxi, I tried to protect my daughter from the cold December wind and rain. I put my head down to kiss her tiny face.

    Frustrated and 1, my husband gave up his attempt to flag down a taxi. I knew the feeling. Just after her first birthday, we 2that our daughter Katie had a rare brain illness. Since that moment, Doug and I felt like runners in a marathon race where the finish line kept disappearing. We knew Katie was running out of 3. It had taken months before we finally 4 a name for the illness, but only a few specialists in the world knew 5 to fix it. Now, as we finally found a brilliant doctor to save our girl, we were in a strange 6in the cold rain.

    Just at the moment, a middle-aged woman pulled over and said, "Pardon me? May I offer you a ride?"

    7 we could say anything, she continued, "It's really no trouble for8. Just get in."

    It was then that I noticed her thick Irish accent，which9 me up like hot soup. We 10 said, "Thanks! Roosevelt Hospital, please," as we got in her car for the ride.

    "Are you going 11 the baby?" she asked us.

    I nodded my head, holding back my tears.

    At the hospital, we 12 her a dozen times for the ride, as the woman hugged me. I noticed her face was wet with tears. She promised to pray for us before she left.

    After three more visits to New York and two more 13surgeries，Katie is cured. But the 14of the Irish Angel still rang as a constant reminder of a tiny ray of light that appeared in our15days. We would pray for her just as she did for us.

My name is Jim. I am a 13-year-old boy. I am a student in Class 9, Grade 7 from No.6 Middle School. I lost my schoolbag this morning. I think I lost it{#blank#}1{#/blank#}the bus. There are many important things in my bag, so I really {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (worry) about it.

Its {#blank#}3{#/blank#} (colour) are red and yellow. And it {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (look)a little old. There is a picture of a dog on the bag. In the bag, there is a pencil case, some books and an ID card {#blank#}5{#/blank#} my name on it. The pencil case is blue and there are two pencils and {#blank#}6{#/blank#} eraser in it.

I {#blank#}7{#/blank#} (can) do many things without my ID card. And I need the books for my study. I really want to find my bag and I hope the finder could return my bag very soon. If you find my schoolbag, please call {#blank#}8{#/blank#}. My telephone number is 867-5331. I {#blank#}9{#/blank#} (pay) you 5 dollars. Thank you for {#blank#}10{#/blank#} (help)me.

Animal superstars

Recently（最近）, some cute animals have got so many fans online. Why are they so popular（受欢迎）?

Panda Huahua

The full name of this three - year- old animal star is Cheng Hehua. She lives in Chengdu, Sichuan. and visitors may wait for up to three hours to just see her. Why do people like her? Because she is shorter than other pandas of her age. That makes her look fat and round. Some people even say she looks like a triangular（三角形的） rice ball when she sits. That's really fun!

Capybara

Capybaras are the biggest rodents（啮齿动物） on Earth. Nowadays, the name "capybara" has become a buzzword（热词） in China, and people like capybara toys. Why do people like capybaras? Because they are friendly. They can make friends with everyone - turtles（乌龟）, ducks or even monkeys. Sometimes, capybaras become "animal buses" while moving. They take small animals for a free ride.

Hi, my name is Eric. There are four things in my room.