Last Friday, my friend David called me and invited me and our friend Tom to a party in his university. Tom and I are in{#blank#}1{#/blank#} same class. We both wanted to go to the party, but there was a problem--we'd have a final exam on the {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (come) Monday.

    “Don't worry. We can come back on Sunday and won't miss the exam,” really{#blank#}3{#/blank#} (want) to go to the party, Tom said. So I decided to go{#blank#}4{#/blank#} him.

    The party was great and we{#blank#}5{#/blank#} (true) enjoyed ourselves there. However, we stayed up late on Saturday night and slept all day on Sunday and didn't make it back to our university until Monday morning. We missed the exam. Then we went to our professor's office and explained{#blank#}6{#/blank#} we missed the exam. We lied that there was a flat tire（车胎漏气）on our way back to the university. Our professor {#blank#}7{#/blank#} (agree) that we could take the exam the following day.

    When it was time to take the exam, Tom and I {#blank#}8{#/blank#} (take )to different rooms. After we opened the test paper, we saw only one question, “Which tire?”

    Neither Tom nor I answered the question. Instead we told our professor the truth. Luckily, he later gave{#blank#}9{#/blank#} (we) the real test paper. And both Tom and I made a{#blank#}10{#/blank#} (decide): never to lie again.

A Bite of China

    No trip would be complete without experiencing the local food culture. Actually, China has various kinds of delicious food,{#blank#}1{#/blank#} (include) a wide variety of local snacks (小吃).

    Without a doubt, for the majority of the foreigners I contacted, and myself included, Peking Duck, Dim Sum, Mongolian Hot Pot were the favorite Chinese {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (dish). China is a place{#blank#}3{#/blank#} the food is not only delicious, but the {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (cheap) I've ever found.

{#blank#}5{#/blank#}my last night in Beijing before returning to the States, I went to a Peking Duck restaurant that had been suggested for me to try. What a beautiful place! Splendid woodblock prints on the walls, fresh flowers in the vases on the table,{#blank#}6{#/blank#} (attract) silverware (镀银餐具) and beautiful chopsticks. I was handed {#blank#}7{#/blank#} menu and found most of the prices{#blank#}8{#/blank#}(be) especially low for the high quality of the food. The duck came in whole or half, along with all the little decorations that you know if you've ever eaten Peking duck—a little tortilla (玉米饼) to put the sliced duck and vegetables in chopped onion, sauce.

    Anyway, I ended up ordering a whole duck and thought I'd just take the rest back to my hotel{#blank#}9{#/blank#}(eat) later if I couldn't finish it. Unbelievably, in the end there was none of the whole duck{#blank#}10{#/blank#}(leave) on the plate. Umm, yummy!

    Sun Yat-sen,{#blank#}1{#/blank#} was the leader of the 1911 Revolution, first suggested the idea of a dam across the Yangtze River in 1919. Three quarters of China's energy {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (produce) by burning coal. In 1993, China used 1.2 billion tons of coal for heating and generating{#blank#}3{#/blank#}(electric).{#blank#}4{#/blank#} (fortunate), burning coal causes serious air pollution and increases global warming. The dam will generate electricity equal{#blank#}5{#/blank#} about 40 million tons of coal without causing so much air pollution.

    Over the last few years, learning Chinese{#blank#}1{#/blank#} (become) popular among people all over the world. Last month, I received an email from my cousin Jack,{#blank#}2{#/blank#}lived in Canada. He said he was enthusiastic about Chinese and asked me to find him some books {#blank#}3{#/blank#}(special) intended for Chinese beginners{#blank#}4{#/blank#} (feel) very happy, I couldn't wait to find him some books. So I went from one bookstore to another to find something{#blank#}5{#/blank#}(suit) for him. Finally I selected a set of Chinese textbooks among{#blank#}6{#/blank#} (variety) of similar ones. Then I went to a post office to have {#blank#}7{#/blank#}(they) delivered by air without delay. Several days {#blank#}8{#/blank#}(late), I received Jack's email, in which he said that he really appreciated the books I had sent{#blank#}9{#/blank#} him. I'm very glad that Jack is beginning to learn Chinese just like many other foreigners abroad, but I know it may be{#blank#}10{#/blank#} enjoyable challenge for him.

    This is a meaningful and impressive story. A man came to the USA. After settling down at {#blank#}1{#/blank#}island, he went into a cafeteria to get something {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (eat). He sat down at an empty table {#blank#}3{#/blank#} (silent) and waited for someone to take his order, {#blank#}4{#/blank#} nobody did. Finally, a woman with a plate full of food {#blank#}5{#/blank#} (sit) opposite him and informed him {#blank#}6{#/blank#} the cafeteria worked. “Start out at that end,” she said. “Just go along the line and pick out what you want. At the other end, they'll tell you how much you have to pay.”

    “I soon learned how everything worked in the USA,” the man told a {#blank#}7{#/blank#} (rely) friend. He said, “Life's a cafeteria here. You can get anything as long as you are {#blank#}8{#/blank#} (will) to pay the price.”

    You can even get success, but you'll never get it if you wait for someone to bring it to you. You have to get up and get it {#blank#}9{#/blank#} (you). You can't change the things that you can't avoid or prevent. The only thing you can do is control your attitude. Once you reach that point in life, {#blank#}10{#/blank#} (achieve) won't be too far away.