Lesson 36 NCE Book 3

    We are {#blank#}1{#/blank#} than we used to be. In the nineteenth century, a novelist would bring his story to a conclusion by presenting his readers with {#blank#}2{#/blank#} —most of them wildly improbable. Readers happily {#blank#}3{#/blank#} that an obscure maidservant was really the hero's mother . A long-lost brother, who {#blank#}4{#/blank#} , was really alive all the time and wickedly plotting to bring about the hero's downfall. And so on. Modern readers would find {#blank#}5{#/blank#} totally unacceptable. …

    Since a university education in the United States {#blank#}1{#/blank#}(be)very expensive, most students work in addition to studying. Students {#blank#}2{#/blank#}(usual)work part-time, but some students take full-time jobs.

    A typical job for a students would be working {#blank#}3{#/blank#}a waiter or waitress. Other typical off-campus jobs would include being a clerk in a store or delivering pizza. Sometimes students also find jobs on campus such as cleaning, working in a cafeteria or library or answering {#blank#}4{#/blank#}(telephone). Most student jobs are entry-level and low paying, but have flexible schedule{#blank#}5{#/blank#}(allow) students to attend classes.

    Sometimes students also hold more responsible positions such as managers, or if they are lucky, positions in their area of study,{#blank#}6{#/blank#}they hope will help them find employment after they graduate.

    {#blank#}7{#/blank#}double responsibilities of working and studying result in a very busy,{#blank#}8{#/blank#} (stress)life for some students.{#blank#}9{#/blank#}, it is the only way for many people to finance their college educations. Some Americans believe that the work experience is good for the students {#blank#}10{#/blank#}(they)since it gives them a taste of “the real world” outside the school.

    Our experience at the Children's Medical Care Center was eye-opening. We saw a lot of children without hair due to their radioactive {#blank#}1{#/blank#}(treat). We played with them and taught them to draw pictures. The children, though {#blank#}2{#/blank#}(suffer) such great pains, were so friendly that it was much easier to interact with them than we {#blank#}3{#/blank#}(expect).

    One day, an incident deeply touched us. A girl suggested that she {#blank#}4{#/blank#}(teach) us how to fold paper. She taught us with great patience, {#blank#}5{#/blank#}(explain) each step clearly. Though we could easily do that, we still pretended to know nothing about it. We followed her, step by step, doing everything {#blank#}6{#/blank#}she told us. Finally, when we finished our work {#blank#}7{#/blank#}(succeed), she gave each of us a big hug. We could see the pride on her face. Her father was so thankful to us that he held our hands tightly, tears in his eyes. And it was not until then {#blank#}8{#/blank#} we knew the girl would receive an operation the next day.

    Many stories happened at the center. It was really a {#blank#}9{#/blank#}(value) experience to us all, enriching our life {#blank#}10{#/blank#}a positive way.

    A farmer once organized a competition between his dog and his rabbit. He dug a hole in one of his biggest fields, and hid a carrot and a bone in it. He wanted to see {#blank#}1{#/blank#} animal would find them first.

    The {#blank#}2{#/blank#}(cheer) and optimistic rabbit threw himself into looking for the carrot, {#blank#}3{#/blank#}(dig) here and there, totally convinced that he would find it. But the dog, after sniffing around for a bit, {#blank#}4{#/blank#}(lie) down and began to complain about how difficult it was to find one bone in such a big field.

    The rabbit dug {#blank#}5{#/blank#}hours, and with every new hole the dog complained even more about how difficult this was, even for the rabbit. {#blank#}6{#/blank#}the rabbit thought that each hole dug was one hole less that needed digging. When there was no place in the whole field {#blank#}7{#/blank#}(leave) to dig, the rabbit dug a tunnel right to {#blank#}8{#/blank#}the dog had been lying all the time. There he found the carrot and the bone.

    This is how the dog lost the game. He had come to {#blank#}9{#/blank#}right place at the very beginning but failed to find the bone {#blank#}10{#/blank#}he only complained and didn't try at all.

    The Forbidden City in Beijing, home to the Palace Museum, houses more than 1.8 million cultural relics and is one of the world's most visited tourist {#blank#}1{#/blank#} (attract).

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (mark) the 600th anniversary of the Forbidden City, the Palace Museum will hold a series of events throughout 2020. Over 20 exhibitions will be held, {#blank#}3{#/blank#} (cover) different areas such as history, art, festivals, and so on. For the special occasion, Along the Bian River during the Qingming Festival, one of China's most {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (wide) known masterpieces, will go {#blank#}5{#/blank#} display in September 2020. For {#blank#}6{#/blank#} (it) best preservation, this treasured artwork is seldom fully exhibited. The painting {#blank#}7{#/blank#} (display) for the first time back in 2005 to celebrate the museum's 80th anniversary. Such {#blank#}8{#/blank#} rare sight is expected to draw huge crowds.  In addition, the museum will also display exhibits from other {#blank#}9{#/blank#} (country).

    During the past few years, the Palace Museum has been working hard to get the public familiar with the history and culture of the Forbidden City. And it seems that these efforts have been paying off, with its popularity reaching a new height. Over 17 million people visited the museum in 2018, of {#blank#}10{#/blank#} 40 percent were under 30 years old.