The most valuable gift I have ever received was a photo album from my best friend Kevin.

      Kevin and I were classmates for all six years of primary school. We both had the same interests, so we always had a lot of things to talk about. It is wonderful to have such a good friend.

      However, last summer, Kevin had to move to another city because of his father's job. Then he gave me a photo album. “It has photos of the memorable events we have experienced together. I've also written some notes under each photo,” he said. I was deeply moved.

      I put the album beside my bed. I always look at it when I think of Kevin.

“USA? Britain? Which country is better to study in?” We often hear such discussion. As China opens its door, studying abroad has become a dream for many Chinese students. They want to learn about the world. It's true that studying abroad can help students develop themselves. Language skills will improve and it may be easier to find a job.
But there are problems that should be considered. Language is the first. Students must spend a lot of time learning another language and getting used to a different culture.
Students must also learn to live without parents' care and deal with all kinds of things they haven't had to do before, like looking after themselves. There are reports about Chinese students abroad sinking in an ocean of difficulties and giving up easily. When they have to take care of themselves, it is hard for the students to study well.
Finally, studying abroad brings a heavy burden (负担) to the family. For most Chinese parents, the cost of studying abroad is very high. But is it worth it?
We know that there are many famous people who succeed in great things through their hard work in China. Liu Xiang is a good example. Once an American teacher invited him there but he refused. He kept training hard with his Chinese teacher. He surprised the world when he won a gold medal at Athens Olympics. So when you wonder which country is better to study in, consider whether studying abroad is the right choice.

    A young man went to visit a wise man who lived deep in the mountain. He wanted to ask for wisdom of life.

    "Excuse me! {#blank#}1{#/blank#}Is it the day we were born or the day we die? Is it the day we fall in love or the day we are successful?" the young man asked.

    "None. The most important day in our lives is today." the wise man replied calmly.

    "Why?" the young man was very surprised. "{#blank#}2{#/blank#}"

    "No. Nothing has happened today."

    "So is it because of my visit?"

    "Even if nobody visited me today, today is still very important, because today is the only wealth we have. No matter how important yesterday is, it has gone by; {#blank#}3{#/blank#}No matter how ordinary and boring today is, it is in our hands."

The young man still wanted to ask something, but the wise man stopped him and said, "When we are talking about the importance of today, we have wasted a lot of it. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    Having understood this, the young man nodded and then went down the mountain.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}Therefore, what we should do now is to forget yesterday and tomorrow and catch hold of today!

    People burn coal, gas and oil to get energy But there are problems with these fuels (燃料). (A)________, these fuels cause pollution. Pollution makes the air and water unsafe for humans. Secondly, these fuels will not last forever. One day, we will run out of these fuels.

    Scientists are looking for new kinds of energy. One is heat from the Earth. We know that (B)地球中央非常热. We cannot reach the center of the Earth, but in some places the heat from the Earth's center comes to the surface of the Earth. Perhaps you know about some of these places One place is volcanoes (火山). It is very dangerous to go near an active volcano, (C) _______ we cannot use the energy from this.

    Another kind of heat from the Earth is hot springs (温泉). In these places, hot water comes to the surface of the Earth. If this water is near a town, the hot water can be sent in pipes (管道) directly to people's houses to heat them .In Iceland, this is a common way to heat houses.

    (D)In Australia, scientists are looking for ways to make energy using hot rocks under the surface of the Earth. They want to pump (抽水)water onto the hot rocks .When the water hits the rocks, it makes stream(蒸汽). The steam is piped to power stations where (E) it is used to make electricity. The electricity can then be sent all over the country.

    I finished my cooking course(课程) at the age of 21. I thought I was going to become a world-famous cook. I hoped people would travel from all over the world just to get a taste of my food. But three months later, I knew I was wrong. Since(既然) nobody was travelling to taste my food, I decided I should travel to taste theirs.

    During my travel, I visited many different countries, such as Japan and France, where different kinds of food opened my eyes. I liked the travelling in Italy and China most.

    When in Italy, I learned how to make pizza and salads. We had long lazy lunches in the sun and evening meals where the conversations went on long into the night.

    In China, I loved the hot Sichuan food and enjoyed the delicious Beijing snacks. I also found the joy of making dumplings with good friends.

    My year of travel came to an end too quickly, but I had decided what I should do for the rest(剩余的) of my life. I want to bring the wonderful food of the world into my kitchen in New York.