My mom is very important to me. She was 40 years old {#blank#}1{#/blank#} I was born. She takes good care of me.

    She did so many things for me {#blank#}2{#/blank#} my elementary school years. When I was a child, she liked to prepare the {#blank#}3{#/blank#} (delicious) food for each dinner everyday.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}, my mom was the one who often beat me. I always cried {#blank#}5{#/blank#} (loud) to let the neighbours think she {#blank#}6{#/blank#} (kill) me. For example, if she acted as though she was about to raise her hand to me, I would often open my {#blank#}7{#/blank#} and let the world know about it. {#blank#}8{#/blank#} anybody was passing by out on the road, she would either change her mind {#blank#}9{#/blank#} just give me a few light touches. So early in life, I had learned that if you want something, you {#blank#}10{#/blank#} make some noises.

    This summer I travelled from noisy Beijing to Wuzhen, a beautiful village in Zhejiang Province. Unfolded before me was{#blank#}1{#/blank#}unique image of this water country—the stone bridge and the water flowing, all like fairy tales to me.

    However{#blank#}2{#/blank#} impressed me most was not the natural scenery but the scene of a grandma bathing a little baby in a wooden basin with the door open. My friends couldn't help{#blank#}3{#/blank#}(take) pictures of them. To my surprise, the grandma smiled and waved at us. All of a sudden, my heart was filled with {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (warm).

    I shared the photo and my{#blank#}5{#/blank#} (forget) experience with my friends. They were {#blank#}6{#/blank#}(simple) moved as I was, but at the same time they reminded me of the unpleasant experiences in big cities. We feel embarrassed to see people quarreling in public because they{#blank#}7{#/blank#} (step) on accidentally by strangers.

    According to a recent survey{#blank#}8{#/blank#} (make) in November 2016: 45 percent of the residents don't know the names of their neighbors; 63 percent have never devoted{#blank#}9{#/blank#} (they) to talking to their neighbors; 67 percent think that the relationship between them and their neighbors is just so-so, or even bad.

    Wouldn't it be beautiful to say hello to our neighbors who just came back {#blank#}10{#/blank#}work give them a smile?

    Today, our class went to “The Fishery”, {#blank#}1{#/blank#} is a local fish store, because we are learning about fish: where they live and how they are different from people. Inside the store it was very dark, except for the bright lights on top of each tank. The girl {#blank#}2{#/blank#}(work) in the store told me that the lights are neon, and they are used to show off the bright colours of each fish. Under the lights, the fish were blue, purple, yellow, and green. They {#blank#}3{#/blank#}(look) so beautiful that I wanted to take all of them home.

    My classmates and I had a really unforgettable experience，which made us very happy. We paid a visit {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Lucy's house yesterday. We didn't have difficulty finding her house because she {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (give) us clear directions. When we arrived at her house, her mother was preparing food for us. Then we began to help with the cooking. About an hour later, the food was ready, and we sat at the table enjoying the delicious food including fish and {#blank#}3{#/blank#} (vegetable). Finally we went to Ann's room where we watched our favourite TV programme together. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (decorate) with flowers and balloons, the room was warm and comfortable.

Ask Helpful Hannah

Dear Helpful Hannah,

    I've got a problem with my husband, Sam. He bought a smartphone a couple of months ago and he took it on our recent ski vacation to Colorado. It was a great trip except for one problem. He has a constant desire {#blank#}1{#/blank#} (check) for text messages; he checks his phone every five minutes! He's so addicted to it that he just can't stand the idea {#blank#}2{#/blank#} there may be an important text. He can't help {#blank#}3{#/blank#} (check) even at inappropriate times like when we are eating in a restaurant and I am talking to him! He behaves {#blank#}4{#/blank#} any small amount of boredom can make him feel the need to check his phone even when he knows he shouldn't. The temptation to see {#blank#}5{#/blank#} is contacting him is just too great. When I ask him to please put down the phone and stop {#blank#}6{#/blank#} (ignore) me, he says, "In a minute," but still checks to see if {#blank#}7{#/blank#} has posted something new on the Internet. Our life {#blank#}8{#/blank#} (interrupt). If we go somewhere and I ask him to leave the phone at home, he suffers from withdrawal symptoms. Maybe this dependency on his smartphone has become more than an everyday problem.

    I recently read an article about "nomophobia," {#blank#}9{#/blank#} is a real illness people can suffer from: the fear of being without your phone! I am worried that Sam may be suffering from this illness {#blank#}10{#/blank#} he feels anxious if he doesn't have his phone with him, even for a short time.

    Who would have thought that little devices like these could have brought so much trouble!

Sick and Tired Sadie