I'd like to talk about the school system in Australia today. The school system in Australia does depend on {#blank#}1{#/blank#} you go to a private school or a public school. In the state I'm from, there are a lot of private schools, and generally they are single-sex high schools. The public high schools are generally {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (mix). All of the private high schools insist that you should wear their school uniforms, {#blank#}3{#/blank#} that might mean{#blank#}4{#/blank#} (wear) a school tie and a school jacket. However, the public high schools often give you a {#blank#}5{#/blank#} (choose) of whether you want to wear a uniform or not. The school classes generally start anywhere{#blank#}6{#/blank#} 8:30 and 9 o'clock in the morning and run {#blank#}7{#/blank#} 3:30 in the afternoon, and they're followed by after-school {#blank#}8{#/blank#} (active) like sports and music theater. The school year generally starts in the{#blank#}9{#/blank#} (begin) on February, after our summer vacation, which lasts about six weeks around the Christmas period.

    The only thing I don't like about our school system is the idea of the difference in quality of education between the private and the public schools. It remains{#blank#}10{#/blank#} (see) whether you can get a better education, even if you are in a private high school. Most of our public high schools are quite good.

—Yes, there's a high {#blank#}1{#/blank#} that it will, especially in this season.

    I seldom thought I had a passion. I would sit before the TV all day, thinking{#blank#}1{#/blank#} nothing but the next shadow. It was not long ago that I first learned how important having a passion is to life.

    One day I went with Mum to drop my sister off at the gym. Then,{#blank#}2{#/blank#} Mum stopped at a red light, someone on the roadside caught my eyes. It was a man{#blank#}3{#/blank#}(dress) in rags, homeless. That didn't interest me, for I{#blank#}4{#/blank#}(see) many like him before.

    But he man wasn't sitting down with a sad{#blank#}5{#/blank#}(express). He had a radio in his hand and was dancing{#blank#}6{#/blank#}(merry) to the music. The radio seemed to be the most precious thing{#blank#}7{#/blank#} he had.

    “Mum, why does that man have a radio even though he's homeless?” I asked.

    “He bought{#blank#}8{#/blank#},” she replied.

    “But if he's homeless, why doesn't he use the money to buy food or clothes? He wasted it on something he doesn't need.”

    “Well, Sarah, sometimes food and clothes aren't{#blank#}9{#/blank#} only important things. We need happiness, too.”

    “I see.” The man must care too much about music, so he bought a radio instead of food and clothes. I realized that happiness is the key to life.{#blank#}10{#/blank#} it, there's nothing to look forward to. A passion gives a person the happiness they need to keep going!

    The word Nushu literally means “women's writing” in Chinese: As the name suggests, Nushu is created and specially used by women.

    Often {#blank#}1{#/blank#}（call） “the world's only surviving characters for women”, these slim words were developed from standard written Chinese. In the old days, Nushu {#blank#}2{#/blank#}（teach）by elderly women to girls at home because female children weren't allowed {#blank#}3{#/blank#}（attend）formal school. During gatherings in villages, women used the characters to .write poems or song lyrics to express their emotions {#blank#}4{#/blank#} were hidden from men. The words were full {#blank#}5{#/blank#} encouragement and positive energy, and showed an uncommon open-mindedness among women at that time.

    Ji Xianlin once said that Nushu is a feminist（女权主义者）symbol. “It's {#blank#}6{#/blank#} unique writing system created by {#blank#}7{#/blank#}（talent）women who were deprived（剥夺）of the right to education,” he wrote in an article. “It has significance in various {#blank#}8{#/blank#}（field）and represents Chinese people's strong spirit.”

    Nushu was made as a national cultural heritage in 2006. However, it is not {#blank#}9{#/blank#}（wide）used in daily life today. In fact, it is a dying language. Now linguists are taking action to prevent this incredible cultural heritage from{#blank#}10{#/blank#}（disappear）.

    A young man, while traveling through a desert, came across a spring of clear water. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}water was sweet. He filled his leather container so that he could bring some back to an elder {#blank#}2{#/blank#}had been his teacher. After a four-day journey, the young man{#blank#}3{#/blank#} (present) the water to the old man. His teacher took a deep drink, smiled{#blank#}4{#/blank#} (warm), and thanked his student very much for the sweet water. The young man went home {#blank#}5{#/blank#}a happy heart.

    After the student left, the teacher let {#blank#}6{#/blank#}student taste the water. He spat it out, {#blank#}7{#/blank#}(say) it was awful. Apparently, it was no longer fresh because of the old leather container. He asked his teacher, "Sir, the water was awful. Why did you pretend to like{#blank#}8{#/blank#}?"

The teacher replied, “You tasted the water. I tasted the gift. The water was simply the container for an act of kindness and love. Nothing could be{#blank#}9{#/blank#} (sweet).”

    We understand this lesson best {#blank#}10{#/blank#}we receive gifts of love from children. Whether it is a cheap pipe or a diamond necklace, the proper response is appreciation. We love the idea within the gift rather than the thing.