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.

    Each one of us shares this planet with about seven billion others. And we all need1. People and products need to move from city to city and country to country. However, we all know2most cars, motorcycles, boats and planes cause air pollution. They are also noisy. This is a serious problem in many cities.3inventors are coming up with creative ideas to try to reduce the air pollution and noise.

    In many cities around the world, motorcycles are very4. Now Vietnam has around 33 million motorcycles and China has almost 120 million, Motorcycles are a faster and cheaper way to get around a city than5. Yet air pollution is a growing problem. In large cities, people complain it is difficult to breathe. To solve these problems, a US company designed an environmentally friendly motorcycle. It uses electricity as fuel (燃料). As a result, there is6pollution. It's also quiet and fast. This makes it a good choice for getting around a city.

    The Italian city of Venice is a city with only a few roads. There are no cars in the city centre.7cars, water taxis and buses carry people along the city's canals. However, they cause pollution,8to the water. English engineers Dick and Jem designed a solar powered(太阳能的) water taxi. The water taxi can run for a day after being charged.

    Planes also cause air and noise pollution. Designing an environmentally-friendly airplane is a real9. Some airplane companies have10to solve the problems. Swiss engineers have gone one step further. They developed a solar airplane. This plane holds the world record for the longest solar powered flight—1, 541 kilometres from Arizona to Texas in America.

    More and more people like bicycling and it is no surprise. It is fun, healthy and good for the environment. Maybe that's why there are about 1.4 billion bicycles and only about 400 million cars on roads worldwide today. Bikes can take you almost anywhere, and there is no oil cost!

    Get on a bicycle and ride around your neighbourhood. You may discover something new all around you. Stopping and getting off a bike is easier than stopping and getting out of your car. You can bike to work and benefit (受益) from the enjoyable exercise without polluting the environment. You don't even have to ride all the way.

    Folding (可折叠的) bikes work well for people who ride the train. Just fold the bike and take it with you. You can do the same on an airplane. A folding bike can be packed in a suitcase. You can also take a common bike with you when you fly. But be sure to look for information by accessing on airline websites. Not all airlines are bicycle-friendly to travellers.

    Health Benefits of Bicycling:

    It helps to prevent heart diseases.

    Bicycling helps to control your weight.

    A 15-minute bike ride to and from work three times a week burns off five kilos of fat in a year. Bicycling can improve your mood (心情).

    Exercise like bicycling has been shown to make people feel better, more relaxed and self-confident. Bicycling is healthier than driving.

Dear Meimei,

I am happy to receive your last letter. You asked me what my favorite dream job is. To tell you the truth, I am going to be a {#blank#}1{#/blank#}because I like meeting interesting people. I will {#blank#}2{#/blank#}to Beijing. Beijing is a big and fantastic place. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}my free time, I will spend time with my best friends. Maybe I will keep a cat {#blank#}4{#/blank#}a pet.

How about your dream job? {#blank#}5{#/blank#}are you going to be and where are you going to work?

Write soon.

Few parents can hear the words "What can I do to help?" from their kids. Teenagers spend more time on video games, computers and mobile phones, so they help less with housework.

Students at a primary school in Fuzhou, East China's Fujian Province were required to clean the school toilets to help them develop good habits. But some parents are strongly against the idea. They can't see the advantages of students doing such chores. They think that the school should provide students with a proper education, not the chance to be school cleaners.

In fact, parents, schools and society play an equally (同等地) important role in developing the character of students. It is good for schools to give students such tasks, because few of the students will do them at home. Their parents want them to do homework only.

In recent years, some parents will make mountains out of molehills when students are asked to do some chores in schools. Some will complain the teachers if their kids get hurt in schools; some will even challenge the schools' teaching methods and management. As a result, many primary schools, especially those in big cities, do not let students join in outdoor activities during breaks, fearing that they might get hurt. This is bad for the development of students' best qualities.

What the primary school in Fuzhou doing is worth praising. Doing chores can put a sense of responsibility (责任感) into students' minds and teach them the spirit of rules as well as teamwork. Also, it can make students' in-school experiences more meaningful.