Do you like trying different things? Are you afraid {#blank#}1{#/blank#} things that you think you're bad at?

    Last year I started to learn t' at chi in order to improve my health and reduce my stress. It was something new for me, and I found it to be quite difficult, very {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (difference) form anything I'd ever learned before. Small {#blank#}3{#/blank#}（move） are important in t' ai chi. I was used to being fast and active ,{#blank#}4{#/blank#}to learn t' ai chi I had to learn patience. Now I've found that I'm a much more patient person than before, and t' ai chi isn't nearly as difficult as it {#blank#}5{#/blank#}(be ) before.

    We tend {#blank#}6{#/blank#}(like) things we are good at — that's normal. For example, I'm naturally very good at badminton and tennis, but I'm very had at anything {#blank#}7{#/blank#}involves keeping balance, such as skating, skiing and gymnastics. T' ai chi has {#blank#}8{#/blank#} (great) improved my balance which has been a very good thing for me.

    My point is that you can keep {#blank#}9{#/blank#}(do) the things you know you're good at and live in your comfort zone, or you can try something new. If you don't try new things, you'll never know what it would be like to try something new. Challenge {#blank#}10{#/blank#} (you). It will definitely pay off in the end.

    Home of the copper drum

    Hechi's copper drum culture goes back as far as the Han Dynasty (206 BC—AD 220){#blank#}1{#/blank#} the people living in the area considered copper drums sacred and Hechi is still one of China's {#blank#}2{#/blank#}(large) copper drum sites. A 2003 survey by cultural heritage departments{#blank#}3{#/blank#} (find) more than 1, 400 copper drums in the area, with at least 1,300 copper drums {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (be) used by local folk artists. In this way, ethnic groups in Hechi have produced a{#blank#}5{#/blank#} (unique) rich and diverse cultural form and customs for festivals, weddings, celebrations, funerals, and religious {#blank#}6{#/blank#} (activity) of local people, with ballads and for rice-planting and frogs. That same year, a copper drum conservation project along the Hongshui River basin joined the Culture Ministry's Top 10 conservation project list for ethnic and folk cultures.

    In 2006, the Zhuang People's Copper Drum Practices{#blank#}7{#/blank#}(add) to the national cultural heritage list by the State Council. In 2008, the Culture Ministry declared Donglan county and{#blank#}8{#/blank#}city of Hechi the “Home of Chinese Copper Drum Art”{#blank#}9{#/blank#} in 2009, its “Copper Drum Practice” became a candidate for the Human Cultural Heritage. There are now more than 2,400 copper drums in the world, at least 1,400 of {#blank#}10{#/blank#} (they) in Hechi, making it a Copper Drum Cultural and Ecological Reserve with recognition across Guangxi.

    The cheongsam is a female dress with distinctive Chinese features and enjoys growing {#blank#}1{#/blank#} (popular) in the international world of high fashion. The name "cheongsam" {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (mean) simply "long dress" entered the English vocabulary from the dialect of China's Guangdong Province. In other parts of the country including Beijing, however, it {#blank#}3{#/blank#} (know) as "qipao", which has a history behind it.

    After the early Manchu (满族的) rulers came to China, the Manchu women wore {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (normal) a one­piece dress which came to be called “qipao”. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} the 1911 Revolution ended the rule of the Qing Dynasty, the female dress survived the political change and, with later improvements, has become the traditional dress for Chinese women.

    The cheongsam, {#blank#}6{#/blank#} neck is high, collar closed, fits well the Chinese female figure, and its sleeves may be either short, medium or full {#blank#}7{#/blank#} (long), depending on seasons or tastes. In addition, it is not too complicated (复杂) {#blank#}8{#/blank#} (make). Nor {#blank#}9{#/blank#} it need too much material. Another beauty of the cheongsam is that it can be worn either {#blank#}10{#/blank#} casual or formal occasions. In either case, it creates an impression of simple and quiet charm, elegance (优雅) and neatness.

    As I write this, I'm sitting on a bus back to Santiago in Chile where I am working {#blank#}1{#/blank#} a writer. I've just spent the weekend in a city called La Serena north of Santiago. I was lucky enough to see the flowering desert, a natural scene that {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (occur) around every five years here in the Atacama Desert.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} (follow) a particularly large amount of rainfall earlier, a(n) {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (vary) of flowers come into blossom. Bright purple flowers create {#blank#}5{#/blank#} unbelievably beautiful scene at the base of the surrounding mountains.

    {#blank#}6{#/blank#} (have) a look at this wonderful treasure of nature, we took a bus from La Serena to a nearby town and then rented a car to go to the desert. {#blank#}7{#/blank#} we saw did not disappoint us, and as expected it was even more fascinating than the pictures we had seen online. The bloom was particularly {#blank#}8{#/blank#} (impress) this year due to the strong presence of El Niño (a band of warm water in the Pacific Ocean that changes the temperatures and increases the rainfall in certain areas). The vast carpet of color {#blank#}9{#/blank#} spread into the distance towards the green hills was {#blank#}10{#/blank#} (simple) breathtaking and deserved a large amount of photos! A real reminder of the beauty our planet can provide.