My family objected violently when my brother and I said{#blank#}1{#/blank#}were going to spend the Christmas holidays abroad. But nothing could persuade us {#blank#}2{#/blank#}(stay). Two days{#blank#}3{#/blank#} Christmas, we went to a small town in Southern Germany. We spent {#blank#}4{#/blank#}whole of Christmas Eve sightseeing.

       There were so many activities in the town that they added to our{#blank#}5{#/blank#}(excite). The streets were crowded with people{#blank#}6{#/blank#}the shops were full of wonderful things. In the evening, we went to listen to Christmas songs sung by children around the{#blank#}7{#/blank#}(bright) decorated Christmas tree in the main street. We returned to our hotel late that night, greatly{#blank#}8{#/blank#}(look) forward to the next day when we planned to have a meal at the best restaurant in town.But in the morning the streets were empty. To make matters worse, all the shops including the restaurants {#blank#}9{#/blank#}(shut). At last we had to return to our hotel, feeling very miserable. Our Christmas“feast” was a bag of fruits, which my brother had happened to buy the daybefore. Our thoughts sadly turned to home {#blank#}10{#/blank#}, at that moment, the entire family must have been wishing us a “Merry Christmas.”

    Kids would love to have more money in their pockets. With the money that {#blank#}1{#/blank#}(make) by themselves they can buy the things they want. Actually, making money when you are a kid is much{#blank#}2{#/blank#}(easy) than you think. Here is a great method of making money for you, if you are a kid. It's dog walking.

    Don't try to do dog walking as a business if you are not{#blank#}3{#/blank#}(comfort) with dogs. However, if you love dogs, this can be a good {#blank#}4{#/blank#}(choose).

    Usually your customers are in the neighborhood. Ask dog owner {#blank#}5{#/blank#}(tell) you as much as possible{#blank#}6{#/blank#} their dogs and their habits. It's very important that you keep friendly with the dogs{#blank#}7{#/blank#}(bring) a treat to the dogs can help develop a friendship with them.

    You can charge 5 dollars {#blank#}8{#/blank#}a walk lasts 30 minutes. If a dog's owner wants you to walk{#blank#}9{#/blank#}(he) dog for an hour, you can charge 10 dollars or even 15 dollars.

    The only disadvantage of this method is that you have to deal with dog waste. Be sure to take{#blank#}10{#/blank#} bag and clean up after those dogs.

    Athens, the capital of Greece{#blank#}11{#/blank#}(know)as the birthplace of{#blank#}12{#/blank#}(west) civilization. Two thousand four hundred years ago, it was the world's most {#blank#}13{#/blank#}(power)city{#blank#}14{#/blank#} (build) such as the Parthenon on the Acropolis Hill were built during this period. Greece's best writers lived in ancient Athens. Their work has influenced other writers ever {#blank#}15{#/blank#}

    As is known to all, a positive parent-child relationship is {#blank#}1{#/blank#} (benefit) to the physical and mental{#blank#}2{#/blank#} (grow) of children, but keeping a healthy parent-child bond {#blank#}3{#/blank#} (need) the efforts of both parties.

    Parents should take the responsibility {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (improve) their relationship with the children. What matters is spending quality time with their children, {#blank#}5{#/blank#}tight their schedule is. For instance, they can eat {#blank#}6{#/blank#} (meal) together, go to sporting events together or watch their children's favorite

TV shows together, {#blank#}7{#/blank#} can contribute greatly to making their children feel safe and {#blank#}8{#/blank#}(love).

    Children, on the other hand, should let their parents know they appreciate what their parents {#blank#}9{#/blank#}(do) for them. If possible, they can give their parents a gift on a special day or help with housework {#blank#}10{#/blank#} a regular basis. The healthy parent-child relationship is without conflict. But as long as parents and children make joint effort, they can settle the conflict and enjoy their time together.

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.