In 1990, when I {#blank#}1{#/blank#} (be) nine years old, I wanted very much to find {#blank#}2{#/blank#} pen friend. I found Ashley's address in a magazine, and decided{#blank#}3{#/blank#} (write) to her. I sent off my letter with a little hope. Very quickly, I received her letter. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} my surprise, Ashley was only one month {#blank#}5{#/blank#} (old) than me. I learned some new expressions from her. I {#blank#}6{#/blank#} (real) liked this new friend.

Letter after letter, year after year, Ashley and I continued to write to one another. A letter would be received and I'd write back right away. We would send each other birthday and festival {#blank#}7{#/blank#} (gift).

Eight years later, my parents decided it was time {#blank#}8{#/blank#} me to meet this friend. They drove me down to Mississippi for a few days. We {#blank#}9{#/blank#} (have)a fun time together. We did the things that teenage girls love to do.

Twenty—five years after the {#blank#}10{#/blank#} (one) letter, Ashley and I still have an amazing friendship. Although we don't write letters now, we communicate through mobile phones and the Internet.

    NO matter what happens,I'll always be there for you!

    In 1989, an8.2earthquake almost destroyed America, killing over 30,000 people in less thanfour minutes. In the midst of utter devastation and chaos, a father left hiswife safely at home and rushed to the school where his son was supposed to be,only to discover that the building was as flat as a pancake.

    After the unforgettablyscare, he remembered the promise he had made to his son: "No matter what,I'll always be there for you!" And tears began to fill his eyes. As helooked at the badly damaged building that once was the school, it lookedhopeless, but he kept remembering his promise to his son

    He began to direct hisattention to where he walked his son to class at school each morning.Remembering his son's classroom would be in the back right comer of thebuilding, he rushed there and started digging through the ruins, As he wasdigging, other helpless parents tried to pull him off what was left of theschool, saying," It's too late! They're all dead! You can't help! Co home!Come on! Face reality. Here's nothing you can do!

    To each parent hereplied with one line, "Are you going to help me now?" And then hecontinued to dig for his son, stone by stone. The firefighter leader showed upand tried to pull him off the school's ruins saying, "Fires are breakingout. Explosions are happening everywhere. You are in danger. We'll take care ofit. Go home." To which this loving, caring American father asked,"Are you going to help me now?" The police came and said, "You'reangry, worried and it's over. You're making others in danger. Go home. We'llhandle it!" To which he replied, "Are you going to help me now?"No one replied.

    He went on alone becausehe needed to know for himself "is my boy alive or is he dead?" He dugfor eight hours … 12 hours ... 24 hours … 36 hours … then, in the 38th hour, hepulled back a large stone and heard his son's voice. He screamed his son'sname, "Armand!" He heard back, "Dad? It's me, Dad! I told theother kids not to worry. I told them that if you were alive, you would save meand when you saved me, they'd be saved. You promised, no matter what happens,you'll always be there for me. You did it, Dad!" "What's going on inthere? How is it?" the father asked, "There are 14 of us left out of33, Dad. We're scared, hungry, thirsty and thankful you're here. When thebuilding fell down, it made a triangle, and it saved us."

    "Come out,boy!" "No, Dad! Let the other kids out first because I know you'llget me! No matter what happens, I know you'll always be there for me!"

My little sister is in Grade Seven this year. Her favorite subject is math and she is very good at it.

One day, a friend of my father's from America showed us some {#blank#}1{#/blank#} about America and invited us to his home. My sister wanted to go there very much, but my father said she must speak English very well. From then on, she {#blank#}2{#/blank#} to work hard. She kept reading English for about half an hour every morning. In class, she listened very {#blank#}3{#/blank#} and answered the teacher's questions as soon as possible. There was an American teacher in her school. After school, she talked to him in English as {#blank#}4{#/blank#} as he was free. Now she always says, "My dream is to be a diplomat (外交官)." I am sure her dream will come {#blank#}5{#/blank#} one day.

Marie was born on September 8th,1973 in London,England. She was the daughter of John,a rich and famous man. Though she was born famous,her parents wanted her to live a normal and independent life. She went to a state school and earned pocket money on her own. When she wanted pocket money,she had to clean dishes at a restaurant near her home.

Though Marie had the look to become a model,she was most interested in becoming a fashion designer. At the age of thirteen,she made her first jacket. 

Three years later,she started working on her first fashion design collection. When she attended college,some students called her "Daddy's Girl".But when her graduation fashion show came out,she made them surprised.

Later,she worked for some famous brands and achieved great success. In 2001,she started her own brand and began to have some famous customers. Now she is a world-famous fashion designer.