Keeping a diary in English is one of the effective ways to improve our English writing ability.

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#}(compare) 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 persist in(坚持) this practice, gradually we'll learn how to express {#blank#}3{#/blank#}(we) in English. In keeping a diary in English, we certainly run up against many{#blank#}4{#/blank#}(difficult). In the first place, it often happens that we have trouble in {#blank#}5{#/blank#}(find) appropriate words and phrases to give expression to our mind. Secondly, there {#blank#}6{#/blank#}(be) many idiomatic ways of saying things in Chinese. And it is {#blank#}7{#/blank#}(extreme) hard for us to put them into English properly.

    As far as I am concerned, my suggestion is {#blank#}8{#/blank#} we should always have a notebook and a Chinese-English dictionary within easy reach. Whenever something beats us, we can first put it down in our notebook and then consult our dictionary. We can also ask our English teacher {#blank#}9{#/blank#} help, if necessary. In short, I believe that it is of great use to keep a diary in English for{#blank#}10{#/blank#} development of our writing skills.

    I felt {#blank#}1{#/blank#}(luck) to have won a place to go on a cultural tour to sites of lost civilizations. We visited Pompeii in Italy and Loulan in China. Pompei {#blank#}2{#/blank#}(found) in the 8^th century BC, then taken{#blank#}3{#/blank#}by the Romans in 89 BC. Later, Pompei was destroyed by a volcano. It erupted and covered Pompei with ash.{#blank#}4{#/blank#} (fortunate), many people were buried alive. The city was forgotten for many years until the 18^th century when a stone with writing on it was discovered by a farmer. People started to dig in the area {#blank#}5{#/blank#}treasure and caused much damage. Thus, in 1860, the area was governed by the government so {#blank#}6{#/blank#}could be preserved and studied.

    Differently, Loulan disappeared under the sand. There were just a few {#blank#}7{#/blank#}(ruin) left. There was {#blank#}8{#/blank#}ancient water system {#blank#}9{#/blank#} (run) through the middle of the city. The desert was once a green with huge trees, but they were cut down,{#blank#}10{#/blank#}resulted in the city being buried by sand.

    They were both important commercial cities about 2,000 years ago. It was a pity that they disappeared for ever.

    Rachel and her husband, Jason,{#blank#}1{#/blank#}were both experienced climbers, were on a climbing holiday in Switzerland. When they were 3，000 metres up in the mountains, there was{#blank#}2{#/blank#}storm.The wind was {#blank#}3{#/blank#} (extreme) strong and the snow was two metres deep.They couldn't move. Rachel had her mobile phone with her, so she sent a text message to five friends in the UK {#blank#}4{#/blank#}(get) their help.

    About four hours later, one of her friends, Martha, responded {#blank#}5{#/blank#}her with a text message.Martha said she had phoned the police in Switzerland and that they had got in touch with the mountain rescue team.

    But the weather was so bad{#blank#}6{#/blank#}the helicopter (直升飞机) couldn't get to the two climbers.The rescue team sent a message to Rachel, {#blank#}7{#/blank#}say：“So sorry Rachel. We tried. Wind is too strong. Have to wait till morning. Take care. Be strong.” Rachel  felt {#blank#}8{#/blank#}(hope) and thought they were going to die as it was freezing, －15 ℃. However, Jason encouraged her, telling her not to give up.

    Next morning the storm{#blank#}9{#/blank#}(pass) and the helicopter arrived to take them off the mountain. After the accident, they cared for each other with greater{#blank#}10{#/blank#}(devote)．

    The Palace Museum, {#blank#}1{#/blank#} (know)as the Forbidden City, welcomed {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (it)17 millionth visitor on December 13, becoming the museum with the most visitors in the world. The number of visitors has continued growing since it {#blank#}3{#/blank#} (reach)the milestone with 10 million in 2009. There is {#blank#}4{#/blank#} increase of 6.25％from last year in the number of visitors. Although the Palace Museum has limited daily visitors {#blank#}5{#/blank#} (protect)the ancient architecture, the number of off-season visitors has grown {#blank#}6{#/blank#} (steady)this year. Over the last decade, the museum has produced more than 10, 000 cultural items {#blank#}7{#/blank#} (range) from notebooks to lipsticks.

    The official Weibo account of the Palace Museum, with more than 6 million followers, {#blank#}8{#/blank#} keeps showing the palace's charm of four seasons by posting beautiful {#blank#}9{#/blank#} (photo) regularly, plays all important role in interacting with the young people and promoting the museum. The fundamental reason why the Palace Museum has become so popular among young people is that it strikes the right balance between preserving history {#blank#}10{#/blank#} providing many interesting interactive displays.