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.

    It may be difficult to start high school. Thinking about making new friends might make you feel nervous.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}You are going to school with a group of students of your age. Here are several suggestions for you to follow.

    Forget your fear and just talk to someone. It's easier said than done. But try to take a deep breath and find your voice. Don't be afraid to approach (接近) people.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}Sit in the middle of the classroom with as many new friends around you as possible.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}Take part in after-class activities that interest you. Try to make friends in the clubs. If you don't join anything, you will be just going to class and then going home. Being in a club makes you more social.

    Stay clean. No one likes a bad smell that could knock someone over. Shower every day, brush your teeth and wash your hair.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    Be respectful (尊重的) of people's differences.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}And everyone believes in different things. It is a good thing to have different friends with different opinions because you can each share your own.

    Americans think much about time. From childhood they learn to {#blank#}1{#/blank#} time. They are taught to be on time to go to school, to work and to do everything. When they are having a good time, they time goes easily. When a person is dying, they say he is living on borrowed time.

    Time is money. Time is knowledge. Time is {#blank#}2{#/blank#}in America. A working American has to work hard for eight hours a day or forty hours a week. This is the working time. In his free time, he also works hard for more money. Even on Saturday and Sunday he also works hard as {#blank#}3{#/blank#}. In the street you can hardly see a man walking{#blank#}4{#/blank#}. They walk very fast. In fact, they are running.

    They love time because time can bring them money and lots of things.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}sometimes they also hate time, because they feel they have become servants of the clock.

A famous designer（设计师）and a university student produce a new cup called Vessyl. They have spent several years1it. The smart cup can not only tell Coca Cola from Pepsi Cola,2also tell people whether they should drink water or not.

When people3liquid（液体）into this smart cup, a few seconds（秒）later, it can check this kind of liquid and tell them what it is. Then it gives4information about the drink, such as sugar, fat and calories. When people put the cup in their5, it can also show them condition of their bodies. If they are6, Vessyl will tell them to drink water.

"My partner and I want people to7healthy. In modern society, people are usually8busy to do exercise, or even drink enough water every day. They have much9. We produce this smart cup so that people can make a choice10," the designer said.

Every year，Time magazine puts out its list of the year's best inventions.Some of them help us solve problems，while others make life easier or more fun.Here are three of the inventions on this year's list.Which one do you think is the best？

Life﹣like animals

At the Hologram Zoo（全息动物园） in Australia，you don't just see a giraffe.You see a group of giraffes running towards you and then over you."We show people things they have never seen before，"says the zoo's CEO.Visitors to the zoo can see life-like wonders.Thanks to hologram technology，the public can see wildlife while no animals have to be kept in cages.

Stopping fires

Alert California is a safety program in California.It uses AI to predict wildfires.The AI detector（探测器） uses more than a thousand cameras in forests across the state.It can spot smoke and other early signs of fire.In two months，the program correctly predicted 77 fires before any 911 calls came in.

Air on Mars

If astronauts land on Mars in the future，they'll need air to breathe and a way to get home.NASA's Moxie can help solve both problems.This small equipment can separate oxygen（氧气） from the atmosphere（大气） on Mars and help astronauts breathe.In addition，the oxygen can be used to provide energy for spaceships.This is important for sending astronauts home from Mars.