Glasgow is situated in southwest Scotland along both banks of the River Clyde and has{#blank#}1{#/blank#}population of over 590,000 people. It is the largest city in Scotland,{#blank#}2{#/blank#} has successful business, finance, tourism, call centre, and an excellent harbour as well.

    Glasgow is an{#blank#}3{#/blank#}(attract) city in Europe. It has world-famous art{#blank#}4{#/blank#}(collect), the best shopping in the United Kingdom outside London, and the most{#blank#}5{#/blank#} (enjoy) nightlife in Scotland. A must-see is the works of Scotland's best-known architect Charles Rennie Mackintosh, the unique style of whom {#blank#}6{#/blank#}(decorate) attractions such as the Lighthouse, Glasgow School of Art and House for an Art Lover.

    Art and culture are so important in Glasgow life {#blank#}7{#/blank#}galleries and museums are great in number. There's a choice of over 20{#blank#}8{#/blank#}(include) the world's first Museum of Religion and the outstanding McLellan Galleries.{#blank#}9{#/blank#}their credit, the Scots value traditional art and culture in Glasgow and have them well {#blank#}10{#/blank#}(preserve) through long time.

    Gymnast Shawn Johnson is my favorite athlete. Back at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, I was very {#blank#}1{#/blank#} (excite) when she won the gold medal on the balance beam. Years later, Shawn wrote an autobiography, Winning Balance. I was only ten years old{#blank#}2{#/blank#}she wrote her book and I wanted to wait a few years to read {#blank#}3{#/blank#} since I had a feeling that I wouldn't understand the book then.{#blank#}4{#/blank#} (release) in June 2012, the book won much popularity among her fans.

    Shawn talks about her experiences as a gymnast and her post-Olympic life in her book. One of the things that she wants her readers{#blank#}5{#/blank#}(get) from reading the book is that “behind all the glory and glitz(浮华) I am able to have a normal life”. She hopes that her reader, especially {#blank#}6{#/blank#} (girl) in middle school and high school, will get really{#blank#}7{#/blank#}(encourage) by reading her book and believe that dreams will{#blank#}8{#/blank#}(actual) come true. I believe that gymnasts around the world {#blank#}9{#/blank#}(take) a lot from this book because in some situations they experience {#blank#}10{#/blank#} same things in gymnastics.

    Strange things appeared before the Tangshan earthquake happened. For three days the water in the village wells {#blank#}1{#/blank#}(rise) and fell. The well walls had deep cracks in them. A smelly gas came out of the cracks. Some animals including fish, {#blank#}2{#/blank#}(mouse) behaved strangely. Other strange things also happened in the city, {#blank#}3{#/blank#} people thought little of these events and they slept as usual.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (final) a terrible earthquake hit the city of Tangshan on July 28, 1976, in which more than 240,000 people died and many {#blank#}5{#/blank#}(injure). Many houses fell down and sand filled the wells instead of water. People were greatly shocked. All the electricity in the city was cut off and people began {#blank#}6{#/blank#} (wonder) how long the disaster would last. The whole city was completely destroyed and the world seemed to be {#blank#}7{#/blank#}an end. It was one of the most destructive earthquakes ever, {#blank#}8{#/blank#} shocked the whole nation.

    However, the people of Tangshan didn't lose hope because 150,000 soldiers were sent to help the rescue workers. The soldiers tried their best to dig out those {#blank#}9{#/blank#} were trapped. They also built shelters for the {#blank#}10{#/blank#} (survive). Fresh water was taken to the city by every means. Slowly, the city began to come back to life.

    Who built the first canal? Perhaps some people long ago, living in {#blank#}1{#/blank#} dry country, discovered that they could dig ditches (沟壑) {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (irrigate) their fields with the river water. And naturally in the days {#blank#}3{#/blank#} boats were the most important means of transport, canals were the easiest means of reaching a place. Furthermore, a ditch {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (join) two rivers proved efficient for boat travel.

    Today, most countries in the world have canals. Even in the 2lst century, goods can be moved more {#blank#}5{#/blank#} (convenient) by boat than by some other means of transport. Some canals, such as the Suez or the Panama, {#blank#}6{#/blank#} (save) ships weeks of time by making their voyage a thousand miles {#blank#}7{#/blank#} (short). Other canals permit boats to reach cities that {#blank#}8{#/blank#} (situate) inland. Still other canals drain lands where there is too much water. Help farmers irrigate fields without enough water, and provide water power for {#blank#}9{#/blank#} (factory) as well.

    Most of the canals have a long history. Canals existed in Egypt thousands of years ago. And the Grand Canal of China was begun about 2, 500 years ago and took centuries to finish. During the seventeenth century, France built many canals that are still {#blank#}10{#/blank#} use today.

The Creator of Middle Earth

    John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, better known as J. R. R. Tolkien, was born in 1892 in South Africa. His parents had moved there looking for {#blank#}1{#/blank#} better job for his father. Three years {#blank#}2{#/blank#}(late), his mother took him on a trip to England to visit family. While they were away, they received terrible news that his father had died.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}(grow) up without a father must have been difficult for Tolkien. Worse still, when he was only twelve years old, his mother also passed away. As a child, he had a great passion for language and in 1908, he went to Oxford University {#blank#}4{#/blank#}(study) languages and literature. In 1915, he joined the army and fought in the battle against the Germans. But soon, he became too ill to fight and returned {#blank#}5{#/blank#} England the following year. He didn't have a {#blank#}6{#/blank#}(satisfy) childhood himself, so around in 1933, he spent much time telling his children fantasy {#blank#}7{#/blank#}(story) of a hobbit (霍比特人) called Bilbo. He first put it in writing in 1936, {#blank#}8{#/blank#} turned out to be a surprising hit. The publisher asked him to write another. He did so and in 1948 published The Lord of the Rings, which {#blank#}9{#/blank#}(publish) in three volumes between 1954 and 1955.

    Tolkien, {#blank#}10{#/blank#}(age) eighty­one, died in 1973.

    Chinese President Xi Jinping has praised a group of middle school students for their efforts in satellite design. He said he was pleased with their curiosity and bravery in {#blank#}1{#/blank#} (science) exploration. The president also wished the teachers and students in Bayi School {#blank#}2{#/blank#} happy new year.

    Xi made the praise in a letter {#blank#}3{#/blank#} (write) to the students in Beijing's Bayi School on Saturday. A small satellite designed and developed by them {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (send) into space last Wednesday at Taiyuan Satellite Launch (发射) Center {#blank#}5{#/blank#} it was designed to operate in orbit (轨道) for 180 days.

    Three months ago, Xi returned to his high school, to visit a laboratory and talk to teachers and students {#blank#}6{#/blank#} were designing the small satellite. The president said he was {#blank#}7{#/blank#} (extreme) glad to know that the satellite designed by the students would be launched and called on them to become {#blank#}8{#/blank#} (build) of the country. Xi warmly encouraged the students {#blank#}9{#/blank#} (study) science and contribute to the development of China. He hoped that the students would keep hungry for knowledge and develop {#blank#}10{#/blank#} (they) national spirit.