Taking a taxi in a certain Eastern European country can be a shocking experience. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} is said that some taxi drivers have metal wires stuck into the passenger seats. And {#blank#}2{#/blank#} a button is pushed, the seat will give you {#blank#}3{#/blank#} electric shock. These taxi drivers don't do this {#blank#}4{#/blank#} fun. They do it to tourists {#blank#}5{#/blank#} argue about the ridiculous(可笑的，荒谬的) fares they charge. Some drivers charge as much {#blank#}6{#/blank#} ten times the legal fare.

    They have a secret switch which makes the meters run faster. If the tourists refuse to pay, {#blank#}7{#/blank#} are really in for a shock.

    In one case, a German woman had no {#blank#}8{#/blank#} (choose) but to pay $120 for a $ 20 ride from the airport. She said that she was "really taken for a ride," but what could she do? Besides the electric shock, she {#blank#}9{#/blank#} (threaten) with physical violence. She has only one piece of advice for tourists, “Take the bus {#blank#}10{#/blank#} stay at home.”

    Sometimes your friends start to talk about a new video game or a new app they have downloaded. It sounds pretty cool, and your friends really seem to like it. You become so {#blank#}1{#/blank#}(interest) in it that you want to buy it too. Has this ever happened to you?

    In the US and in places around the world, there is a similar feeling of wanting the {#blank#}2{#/blank#}(new), greatest tech gadgets (小玩意). There is a big {#blank#}3{#/blank#}(attract) to getting the latest technology even though people may not need it. But why is this?

    As to(关于) these technologies, there's {#blank#}4{#/blank#} initial （最初的） excitement that {#blank#}5{#/blank#}(get) people's attention, according to Richard Larson, a director at MIT, US. If there's a big group of people {#blank#}6{#/blank#} want these things, you want to be a part of the excitement too.

    One of the major US {#blank#}7{#/blank#}(company) that really take advantage of this is Apple. It comes out with a new iPhone with very small changes every year. But people still flock (涌入) to the stores even if they have just bought the previous phone.

    However,{#blank#}8{#/blank#} （buy）these things may not always be the best choice. You could be buying things that you don't really need and {#blank#}9{#/blank#} (spend) too much money just for the right to show it off to your friends.

    Not only that, but our need to always be on your phones or playing video games takes {#blank#}10{#/blank#} a lot of time in our lives. So is this excitement over technology a good or a bad thing?

    I will never forget that at the age of nine I was asked to deliver a speech entitled A Challenge in My Life before the whole class!

    You can imagine how{#blank#}1{#/blank#}(terrible)shy I was the moment I thought of that—with so many eyes{#blank#}2{#/blank#}(fix) upon me. I have no choice but{#blank#}3{#/blank#}(prepare) for it, though. First, I was to draft the speech, which was just a piece of cake for me, a good writer. But the hardest part{#blank#}4{#/blank#}(lie)in my oral presentation from my memory, for to read from the paper was not allowed. The real moment began {#blank#}5{#/blank#} I stood on the platform with my legs trembling and my mind blank. But my {#blank#}6{#/blank#} (listen) were waiting patiently without any signs of rushing me. Gradually I found myself back. After {#blank#}7{#/blank#} seemed to be a hundred years, I found my audience applauding匢 made it! From then on, my fear of talking before {#blank#}8{#/blank#} big audience disappeared. Actually with my confidence building up, I now turn out to be a great speaker. Looking back, I know the greatest difficulty on our way {#blank#}9{#/blank#} success is our fear. Overcome it, {#blank#}10{#/blank#} you will be able to achieve your goals.

    Anne was a {#blank#}1{#/blank#} (lone) girl. But she had a friend {#blank#}2{#/blank#} whom she could tell everything. She lived in Amsterdam in the Netherlands {#blank#}3{#/blank#} World War II. Her family was Jewish {#blank#}4{#/blank#} they had to hide in order not{#blank#}5{#/blank#}(catch) by the German Nazis. Her whole family hid away for a long time {#blank#}6{#/blank#} they were discovered. She regarded her diary as her best friends. She often wrote down her deepest {#blank#}7{#/blank#}(feel) and thoughts in it . She then grew so crazy about everything to do {#blank#}8{#/blank#} nature. Once she saw a moon at night, which was the first time in a year and a half that she {#blank#}9{#/blank#}(see) that beautiful scene face to face. What {#blank#}10{#/blank#} poor and brave girl she was! In her mind she thought nature was one thing that really must be experienced.

    The world's longest cross-sea bridge — Hongkong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge(HZMB) opened on October 24, 2018. The Guardian described it as one of the seven {#blank#}1{#/blank#} (wonder) of the modern world. The HZMB, {#blank#}2{#/blank#} links Hongkong and Macao to the Chinese mainland city of Zhuhai, began in 2009 and cost about 120 billion yuan. It's designed {#blank#}3{#/blank#} (have) a service life of 120 years, 20 years longer than most bridges. And it's not only a bridge, but also part tunnel and part island.

    In one section, the bridge turns into a 6.7km undersea tunnel that {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (pass) through two man-made islands. The tunnel is {#blank#}5{#/blank#} world's longest undersea tunnel for road traffic, allowing large ships to continue passing through the sea area above the tunnel. The bridge's engineers had to take many environmental factors {#blank#}6{#/blank#} consideration in order to protect the surrounding environment while {#blank#}7{#/blank#} (build) the bridge. Chinese white dolphins, an {#blank#}8{#/blank#} (endanger) species living in this area, were a particular concern. The HZMB will make {#blank#}9{#/blank#} much more convenient to shorten the travel time from HongKong to Zhuhai from four hours to about 45 minutes.

    By drawing local cities and religions closer together, the bridge will aid the area's development {#blank#}10{#/blank#}(great). It is expected to drive the economic development of Hongkong, Macao and nine Guangdong cities.

    Discovering yourself plays {#blank#}1{#/blank#} important role in inspiring your confidence. By doing so, you could know {#blank#}2{#/blank#} you are weak in. And you may also realize you're quite a great person with great strengths. So when you're in a hard situation, you will believe in {#blank#}3{#/blank#} (you) and spend the most difficult time with confidence. Otherwise you may give up and then lose everything. Therefore, the ability {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (trust) yourself will decide your future a lot.