Mary is from the USA. She has two brothers. Now her family are in China. Her father, Mr. Peterson teaches English in Xihu Middle School. And her mother works in the same school. She teaches English, too. Mary goes to school in her father's car with her mother every day.

    Mary is a nice girl student. She can speak a little Chinese. She is very lovely, so she has many Chinese friends. She teaches them English, and they teach her Chinese. Her two brothers are twins. One is Bob, the other is Bill. They look the same. They are only five. So their grandparents look after （照顾） them at home. Mrs. Peterson has many toys for the twin brothers. Bob likes to play with toy cars, but Bill likes to play with teddy bears. They are happy every day.

    Two men are walking in the park. One is Jack, a worker. The other is Henry. Jack is going to a chair. It is next to the street. Henry is after him. Jack finds Henry walking after him. He walks faster(更快), because he wants to get to the chair before Henry. Now, Henry begins to walk faster because he also wants to get to the chair first. Then he gets to the chair first and sits down on it. When Jack gets to the chair, he sees Henry sitting on it. He is sorry to show a notice(告示) with the words "Wet Paint"(油漆未干) to Henry. Now Henry knows why Jack is going to the chair.

    One Friday morning, Chen Hua gets up late. When he gets to the door of the classroom, Mr. Gao, his math{#blank#}1{#/blank#}（teach）says, "You are late again. Now how{#blank#}2{#/blank#}（much）times are you late this week?"

    "Three times," says Chen Hua.

    "Why are you late{#blank#}3{#/blank#}class?"

    "Because I get up late."

    "Why don't you go to bed{#blank#}4{#/blank#}/'ɜ(r)li/?" asks the teacher.

    "It isn't{#blank#}5{#/blank#}（I）fault（过错）, Mr. Gao. The TV show is over{#blank#}6{#/blank#}about eleven," answers Chen Hua.

    "Now, please give me your{#blank#}7{#/blank#}/'həʊmwɜ:（r）k/." says the teacher.

    "I'm sorry I don't do it," says Chen Hua.

    "Why don't you do it?" asks the teacher.

    "Because the first part of the homework{#blank#}8{#/blank#}（be）too easy. I don't think I need to do it. The second part is too{#blank#}9{#/blank#}/'dɪfɪkəlt/ for me. I can't work it out. {#blank#}10{#/blank#}I don't do it," answers Chen Hua again.

Mother Tongue (语言)

    My name is Jiniku but everyone calls me Joey, including my parents. My father is American but my mother is not. My mother grew up in a country whose name I cannot pronounce correctly. She was educated in French and Latin, Spanish and German.

    My mother wrote all day, but never showed anyone what she wrote. She had notebooks she would write in, and a typewriter to straighten out (整理) the final copy.

    When she had typed (打字) pages, she put them in a box. This box was deep under the bed that she and my father shared.

    There were only two words that she ever said in the real voice, with her real accent (口音), real tongue. I heard her say them only three times in her life. She taught them to me one night as I lay on her legs, sweating (出汗) with fever.

    "Jiniku," she said in a low voice. "Jiniku." I focused (集 中) on her voice through my fever, realizing that something had changed. She was speaking from a part of her that she had not opened for a long time. She took my hand, and placed my palm (掌心) over her heart. "Juriszu." She stared out the window. There was a long silence. I could feel her heartbeat, which was calmer and slower than my own. "My name," she said at last, speaking once more in English, "means „dark ocean (海洋).‟ And you, Jiniku, my baby, yours means „life.‟" She looked out the window again. "„Ji‟ is the word for a happy birth. One where everyone lives and there is little pain. „Ni‟ is a tree that had its roots (根) spread far and whose branches (树枝) shelter (庇护) all. „Ku‟ is spirit. You have this all-encompassing (包罗万象的) life." She placed her hand on my heart. "The first and last letters of our names are the same," she said. "Don‟t forget that, Jiniku."

The train started moving. It was packed with people of all ages. Most of them were working men and women and young college boys and girls. Near the window sat an old man with his son, who looked about thirty years old. 

As the train moved, the son was filled with joy because he was very excited at the scenery(景色) outside. He said in a high voice, " See Dad, the green trees and the scenery are very beautiful!" It made the other people feel very strange. Everyone started talking in a low voice about the old man's son. Suddenly, it started raining. Raindrops fell on the travelers through the opened window. 

Seeing the rain, the old man's son said happily, " See Dad, how beautiful the rain is!" Hearing these words, a young lady became angry with the man, as the raindrops were dropping on her new clothes. She couldn't help shouting at the noisy son and his father. 

" Can't you see it is raining? You ! Old man! If your son is not feeling well, get him to a mental hospital (精神病院) quickly and please don't disturb(干扰) us any more!" The old man's face turned slightly red and then in a low voice, he replied, " We are on the way back from hospital. He was blind at birth. Only last week he can see again. The rain and the nature are new to him. Please forgive him. " All the other people became quiet. 

Pan Yuzhen, 77, comes from Taijiang County, Guizhou Province. She is an inheritor(继承人) of Miao embroidery(刺绣).

" The girls in my hometown can embroider at an early age. When I was five years old, I learned embroidery from my mother and sister. Miao embroidery skills are not easy to learn, but I have learned all embroidery methods," Pan said. At first, Pan embroidered for her own use, but as she grew older and married, her skills were put to use for her family, creating beautiful embroidered clothes.

Pan's daughter Zhang Yammei, who was born in 1977, suffered from an illness at the age of three. To treat her daughter and feed the family, Pan embarked on (开始) a journey, travelling to different cities to sell her Miao embroidery products.

In 1999, Zhang went to Beijing to join her mother. At that time, Pan had a store in a market. Here, she met a lot of foreign friends who were attracted by her embroidery skills and encouraged her to expand her business abroad." They advised me to go to foreign countries and sell cultural and creative products. Then I went to the US to do business connected with Miao embroidery," Pan said.

In 2016, Pan's career took a huge leap forward as she worked with a famous clothing brand in China . With the help of the brand, Pan went to the UK to take part in different fashion shows. Now Pan is well- known. Pan hopes more young people can inherit Miao embroidery skills.