Nowadays, lots of foreigners are learning Chinese. Like many of them, I 1 knew two words of Chinese ("Ni Hao" and "Xie Xie") when I first came to Beijing, China in 2009. As you can guess, my life was 2 for a while after I arrived. Simple tasks like ordering food or taking a taxi were quite stressful.

    I knew I had to learn more Chinese, so I 3 a Chinese class. My teacher was 4, although I didn't learn enough to have a real conversation. Later I studied on my own as well, but my progress was still slow. And I decided to 5.

    Around this time, I started playing in a band with a Chinese man who became one of my best friends in Beijing. He taught me a lot of 6 about music, such as "melody". He learned a lot of English from me in return, so it was a good way to 7 language and culture.

    I have learned enough Chinese to 8 many problems like booking train tickets. These days, there are more foreigners who are studying Chinese. I can 9 why it's an amazing language. Finally, I found that the best way to learn a 10 is to make friends with native speakers and spend time with them.

    This is Mrs. White. Now she is teaching math. She works in a middle school. She lives in London, Mrs. White and Mr. White have three children. They all love animals and they have a big dog and a cute cat.

    Mrs. White is Sophie's aunt, Sophie lives and studies in Liverpool, but now she is in London. She is on her holiday here. She wants to do some shopping with her aunt.

    Mrs. White's son Arnold doesn't like shopping, but he loves going out with friends. They usually go to a park to play soccer or basketball in the afternoon. Today, Arnold isn't playing soccer or basketball. He is swimming.

    Mr. White works for a company (公司). He isn't working today, because he isn't feeling well. He is in a hospital now.

    "Who needs a {#blank#}1{#/blank#}(超市) if you have Taobao?" says Li Min, a writer in Shanghai.

    Taobao, China's largest {#blank#}2{#/blank#}(在线的) shopping site, has become an important part of Li Min's life. She buys everything on Taobao.

    A growing number of Chinese Internet users like Li have found the joy of online shopping. More women shop online than men. Clothing and household products are the most {#blank#}3{#/blank#}(流行的) goods online. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}(购物) online has lots of {#blank#}5{#/blank#}(优势). You can buy {#blank#}6{#/blank#}(任何东西) at home, and you can also {#blank#}7{#/blank#} (比较) the prices of the same {#blank#}8{#/blank#}(产品).

    You may question the security (安全) of online shopping. Don't worry. Unless you {#blank#}9{#/blank#}(收到) the products from the sellers and are satisfied with them, the shop owners will not get the money. You can also get your money back if you want to {#blank#}10{#/blank#}(返回) the products.

A Family Photo