Everyone has his own way of saying things and his own special expressions. Many everyday American expressions are based {#blank#}1{#/blank#} colors. Red is a hot color. Americans often use {#blank#}2{#/blank#}to express heat. They may say they are red hot about something unfair. When they are red hot they are very {#blank#}3{#/blank#}(anger) about something. The small hot tasting peppers found in many Mexican foods {#blank#}4{#/blank#}(call) red hots for their color and their spicy taste. Fast loud music is popular with many people. They may say the music is red hot,{#blank#}5{#/blank#} (especial) the kind called Dixieland jazz. Pink is a {#blank#}6{#/blank#}(light) kind of red. People sometimes say they are in the pink {#blank#}7{#/blank#}they are in good health. The expression was first used in America at the beginning of the {#blank#}8{#/blank#}(twenty) century. It probably comes from the fact that many babies are born with a nice pink color {#blank#}9{#/blank#}shows that they are in good health. Blue is a cool color. The traditional blues music in the United States is {#blank#}10{#/blank#}opposite of red hot music. Blues is slow, sad and soulful(深情的). Someone who is blue is very sad.

Just as I began a new job in New York, I had another important job: father. I was a businessman. At the office I had three new {#blank#}1{#/blank#}(project) and at home I had a young son who was growing fast and {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (need)me. I was puzzled and didn't know how to deal with the relationship{#blank#}3{#/blank#}job and family until one day, during my business trip in Chicago, I came across an old family friend Dan, {#blank#}4{#/blank#}was once a patient of my father. He told me something about my father. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} was my father that helped him go through the cancer. When Dan knew he got cancer, he was very upset and wanted{#blank#}6{#/blank#} (give) up, but my father, his doctor, encouraged him to go on{#blank#}7{#/blank#} (fight) against the cancer. My father said to him, "You have {#blank#}8{#/blank#} wonderful life and three fine children. Take some time with them. It is family that we live for—-not just ourselves. Think of that {#blank#}9{#/blank#} you will know life's worth the fight." His words touched me, and I {#blank#}10{#/blank#}(sudden) realized that family is the most important in the world. I should spend more time staying with them.

    When I was in high school our physics teacher gave us a challenge {#blank#}1{#/blank#} involved making a paper airplane of any shape. The only objective was to get it to fly as far as possible. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (stand) at the starting line, one of my classmates took a piece of flat paper, crumpled (把…捏成一团) it up, and {#blank#}3{#/blank#} (throw) it down the way. He beat the class with ease. Some of the students got mad and said that he cheated, but the physics teacher {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (clear) explained it could be any shape and that a paper ball was indeed a shape.

    The State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, is {#blank#}1{#/blank#} second-largest art museum in the world after the Louvre, France, both of which are visited by millions of people {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (annual). Hermitage holds not only artistic treasures but also a collection of living history {#blank#}3{#/blank#} well.

    The Hermitage was built as part of the royal Russian family's Winter Palace. Empress Elizabeth had cats brought in {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (rid) the several palace buildings of mice. The cats did their job well and {#blank#}5{#/blank#} (give) homes in the basements of the buildings and the title of Hermitage cats.

    The 74 Hermitage cats live at the museum {#blank#}6{#/blank#} they now lead an extremely {#blank#}7{#/blank#} (comfort) life. A press secretary is in charge of the cats, with three full-time caretakers {#blank#}8{#/blank#} (attend) to their every need. There are even kitchens for preparing meals for the cats because every cat has its own {#blank#}9{#/blank#} (prefer). This may all seem over the top, but Russian and foreign {#blank#}10{#/blank#} (visit) alike love seeing the Hermitage cats while admiring some of the world's greatest artistic treasures.