This Christmas, maybe different from previous years, a strong desire drives me to make my own Christmas gifts. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} (honest) speaking, I've promised myself this more than once. As {#blank#}2{#/blank#} crafter (工匠), I've frequently thought I am {#blank#}3{#/blank#} (suppose) to turn it into action. However, this year I really plan to stick {#blank#}4{#/blank#} it. It's partly because I am short {#blank#}5{#/blank#} money. More importantly, recently I {#blank#}6{#/blank#} (return) from an inspiring trip around Britain, collecting some information about crafting for BBC's Newsnight.

    I was really struck by people's increasing {#blank#}7{#/blank#} (enthusiastic) for making things. When I asked some people {#blank#}8{#/blank#} they could sew(缝纫), only a few raised their hands. {#blank#}9{#/blank#} when I asked who wanted to learn, nearly everyone responded positively, {#blank#}10{#/blank#} (hope) to learn something practical.

    After four years of living here, I have a better {#blank#}1{#/blank#}(understand) of northern China's food.  

    Northern China's hearty food is {#blank#}2{#/blank#}(general) more acceptable to Westerners. They can enjoy Beijing roast duck, beef and dairy from Inner Mongolia, and Korean dishes in the northeast. Northern China experiences cold and dry winters, and hot summers, {#blank#}3{#/blank#}(make) calories and salt replacement more important. As a result, northern dishes have strong flavors, compared with the south {#blank#}4{#/blank#} dishes are lighter in flavor.  

    Wheat is the main crop of northern China, and you will find a variety of wheat-flour {#blank#}5{#/blank#}(product). Rice is also eaten in the north, but it is certainly secondary to wheat. Dumplings are very popular in the north, {#blank#}6{#/blank#}(serve) with vinegar for dipping.  

    Northerners tend to eat more meat and dairy for the purpose {#blank#}7{#/blank#} fighting against the cold weather. Most meat dishes {#blank#}8{#/blank#}(base) on mutton, pork, beef,  chicken,  and fish.  

    {#blank#}9{#/blank#} are less fresh vegetables available because of the cold weather. Fruit is traditionally limited to a few hard seasonal varieties like apples, so it doesn't feature much in the cuisine, although the northwest is famous for {#blank#}10{#/blank#}(it) dried fruit and wine.  

    For many young people, {#blank#}1{#/blank#} (go) to university is one of the most important {#blank#}2{#/blank#}(stage) of their lives. It is the time when young people will move out of {#blank#}3{#/blank#} (they) home to live with other people, often strangers. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}(especial) in the US, people often travel very far from home to study. It is a time to be {#blank#}5{#/blank#} (dependence).

    At university, you {#blank#}6{#/blank#} (teach) by lectures and professors who are leading figures in their study. The opportunity to learn from and to discuss with them is {#blank#}7{#/blank#} drives some people to apply to university. Students are required to choose a major that they wish to study. Apart {#blank#}8{#/blank#} the academic benefit, life at university can also allow students {#blank#}9{#/blank#} (develop) their interests in many fields.

    Therefore, university is a place {#blank#}10{#/blank#} you attain knowledge, to develop your values and accept those who may be different.

    In my opinion, we should try our best {#blank#}1{#/blank#}(realize) our goals even though {#blank#}2{#/blank#}is little hope. The efforts seem to be the lights in the darkness, leading the way to hope and success. I used to be {#blank#}3{#/blank#}shy girl in my primary school. I was weak in English at that time, especially for {#blank#}4{#/blank#}(speak) English. So I was afraid to answer the teacher's questions during English classes. After I entered my dream middle school. Something {#blank#}5{#/blank#}(change). I started to read many {#blank#}6{#/blank#}(interest) English stories and my English teacher was patient to help me a lot. I studied hard in class and practiced by watching English films and listening to English songs in my free time. Little {#blank#}7{#/blank#}little, I found {#blank#}8{#/blank#} more and more interesting to learn English. I could even talk with my classmates {#blank#}9{#/blank#}(fluent) in English and I was not shy any more. At last, I got high grades in English and I had {#blank#}10{#/blank#}(confident) to do it better in the future.

This is where my kids grew up

    For years now, I've been wanting to sell our home, the place where my husband and I raised our kids. But to me, this house is more than just a building. In the front room, there's a wall that has hundreds of pencil lines. Every growth stage {#blank#}1{#/blank#}(mark) in pencils, with each child's name and the date.

    Of all the objects and all the memories, it's this one thing in a home that's {#blank#}2{#/blank#}(hard) to leave behind. Our kids grow in so many ways, but the wall is physical evidence of their progress. Friends I know have visited their previous home only {#blank#}3{#/blank#}(discover) their wall of heights has been freshly painted over. Over the years, I've talked about how much I would hate leaving that wall behind when I moved, {#blank#}4{#/blank#} the last marks were made 10 years ago when my kids stopped growing. So one day, while I was at work, my children decided to do {#blank#}5{#/blank#} about it.

    They hired Jacquie Manning, a professional photographer {#blank#}6{#/blank#} work is about capturing the beautiful things in life. She came to our house while I was at work, and over several hours, {#blank#}7{#/blank#}(take) photos of the hundreds of drawings and lines, little grey fingerprints, and old marks. Somehow, she managed to photograph {#blank#}8{#/blank#} we had experienced in all those years. Afterwards, she put all the photos together into one image, {#blank#}9{#/blank#}(transform) them into a beautiful history of my family.

    Three weeks later, my children's wonderful gift made its way to me —{#blank#}10{#/blank#} life-size photo of the pencil lines and fingerprints that represents entire lifetimes of love and growth.