Paul Lucas can often be seen walking around the city of San Francisco. Sometimes people are {#blank#}1{#/blank#} (surprise) to see him walking without any shoes or socks,{#blank#}2{#/blank#} Lucas doesn't mind at all. He likes to walk barefoot, and {#blank#}3{#/blank#} do 640 other members of Dirty Sole Society, the club that Lucas {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (start) years ago. Lucas' idea for this is to encourage others to live {#blank#}5{#/blank#} (free)－free of shoes.

    According to Lucas, the barefoot life has many {#blank#}6{#/blank#} (advantage). The most important is simply that it feels good. He also says that walking barefoot allows you to experience the world directly by {#blank#}7{#/blank#} (touch) it with your feet. In addition, the feet do not smell so much {#blank#}8{#/blank#} they stay dry,{#blank#}9{#/blank#} (make) it hard for bacteria(细菌)  to grow. And, of course, walking barefoot keeps your feet in good shape, so it's actually {#blank#}10{#/blank#} (healthy) than wearing shoes.

    When I was a little girl, every time my dad was repairing something, he {#blank#}1{#/blank#}ask me to hold the hammer, and meanwhile, have a conversation with me. I never saw my dad drinking or taking a night out. All he did after work was taking care of his family.

    I grew up and left home for college and since then, my dad had been calling me every Sunday morning, no matter what. Several years later I bought a house, {#blank#}2{#/blank#} my dad painted by himself for three days in the 80-degree summer heat. All he asked was for me to talk to him. But I was always busy, {#blank#}3{#/blank#}(able) to find any time for conversation with him.

    One Sunday morning we had a telephone talk as usual. I noticed that my dad had {#blank#}4{#/blank#}(forget) some things we discussed {#blank#}5{#/blank#}(late). I was in a hurry, so our conversation was short. Later that day came a call {#blank#}6{#/blank#} (say) my father was in hospital. Immediately I bought a ticket for a flight and on my way I was thinking about all the {#blank#}7{#/blank#} (miss) occasions to have{#blank#}8{#/blank#}talk with my dad.

    {#blank#}9{#/blank#}the time I got to hospital, my father had passed away. Now it was {#blank#}10{#/blank#}who did not have time for a conversation with me. I realized how little I know about my dad, his deepest thoughts and dreams. After his death I learned more about him, and even more about myself.

    Last weekend our school held a sports meeting. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} (realize) it was our last high school sports meeting, we decided to make {#blank#}2{#/blank#} an unforgettable experience for all of us.

    We first attended the opening parade, for {#blank#}3{#/blank#} our class had made a lot of {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (prepare). To our excitement, our parade performance was a great success. After the parade, the games started. My classmates attended {#blank#}5{#/blank#} (vary) events such as running, high jump and long jump. Due to the hard training they {#blank#}6{#/blank#} (do) before, their performances were very {#blank#}7{#/blank#} (impress). On the stand, my classmates applauded and cheered for the athletes, some raising their cameras to capture the exciting moments. Finally, the result{#blank#}8{#/blank#} (announce). It was{#blank#}9{#/blank#} (amaze) that our class won the second place. Our efforts paid off! Cup in hand, we took a picture together.

    I believe this sports meeting will remain a precious memory for all of us {#blank#}10{#/blank#} time goes by.

Going out to Sun Peaks for Fun

    We went looking for some family ski fun, not too far from greater Vancouver, and we found it and more at Sun Peaks Resort, {#blank#}1{#/blank#} (locate) just 20 minutes outside of Kamloops. Pulling into the village, you feel like you've come along a mountainside wonderland {#blank#}2{#/blank#} two hills. Right away you feel at peace in the mountains.

    Sun Peaks has two mountains for skiing and boarding, with lots of lift and capacity {#blank#}3{#/blank#} (get) you around. Most accommodations throughout the village are ski-in/ski-out, so you can park your car once and walk or ski{#blank#}4{#/blank#} you need to go. Morrisey is on one side, and Todd Mountain on the other, connected by trails and a covered bridge, with skiable ground second in Canada only to Whistler. There is {#blank#}5{#/blank#} for everyone, from snow flying saucer and snowmobile, to mini golf and jungle live CS. During the two days of skiing on the holiday, we never met more than five minutes of lineup, and many times we {#blank#}6{#/blank#} (run) ourselves with fresh powder.

    Tubing is right there at the bottom of the main ski hill, perfect for parents who want to have some drinks at Bottoms Bar & Grill {#blank#}7{#/blank#} the kids keep the fun going into the evening. The village is small and quiet, so the kids {#blank#}8{#/blank#} have a lot of freedom to run around and play.

    Bring your skates! There is an NHL-sized outdoor rink (溜冰场), just a 10 minute walk from the main village. Skate rentals are available, and you can join a game of drop-in hockey, or enjoy a family skate during one of the open ice times {#blank#}9{#/blank#} go well into the evening, under the stars. Check with guest services to see if the rink is open, since it is weather dependent.

    In the summertime at Sun Peaks, the chairlifts switch up to accommodate mountain bikes and hikers. Downhill biking trails create adventure for those {#blank#}10{#/blank#} (look) for excitement, and the golf course at Sun Peaks provides hours of great scenic links.

    The Chinese language is one of the{#blank#}1{#/blank#}（old）written languages in the world. It {#blank#}2{#/blank#}（speak）by the Han majority and many other ethnic groups in China. Nearly 1.3 billion people speak some form of Chinese as their first language.

    The{#blank#}3{#/blank#}（vary）of Chinese are usually described by native speakers as dialects of a single Chinese language，but linguists（语言学家）note that they are as diverse as a language family. There are between 7 and 13 main regional groups of Chinese, of{#blank#}4{#/blank#}the most spoken by far is Mandarin（普通话），{#blank#}5{#/blank#}（follow）by Wu, Min, Yue, etc. Standard Chinese is a standardized form of spoken Chinese based on the Beijing dialect of Mandarin. It is{#blank#}6{#/blank#}official language of China, and also one of the six official languages of the United Nations.

    {#blank#}7{#/blank#}many Chinese dialects exist，the written language is still a very common form of communication. If we go to{#blank#}8{#/blank#}（differ）provinces, we may not be able {#blank#}9{#/blank#}（communicate）with the local people orally. However, we can understand each other in writing. The written language can be further divided{#blank#}10{#/blank#}different forms, like simplified Chinese and traditional Chinese. There is also a form called "pinyin", which is the Chinese language with a Roman spelling.