When treating some friends to dinner, we Chinese often say, “The dishes are not good. Please forgive me.” In fact, it is a Chinese way of {#blank#}1{#/blank#} (be) modest. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} he really means is that all the dishes here are really wonderful! What he really hopes is compliment from the guests! But {#blank#}3{#/blank#} English would not understand it at all! Now that it is not very good, why should you present the dishes in front of us? The English would say to their guests “ Enjoy yourselves!” when eating and “hope you've enjoyed!” after eating.

    While {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (eat), we Chinese often say to the guests, “Eat slowly.” This would be very {#blank#}5{#/blank#} (puzzle) to the foreigners: Am I eating very violently? Am I eating too {#blank#}6{#/blank#} or too much?

    And now comes the end of the dinner when your guests {#blank#}7{#/blank#} (leave). The Chinese would say, “Walk slowly!” This is a very polite saying in Chinese, but will also be confusing to the foreigners: why can't I walk fast? Does it matter {#blank#}8{#/blank#} I walk slowly or not? Are you worrying that I may fall over? {#blank#}9{#/blank#} change your words {#blank#}10{#/blank#} a simple “Bye!” or “See you next time!”

    In China, the history of people planting and using bamboo can date back to as far as 7,000 years. As early as the Shang Dynasty, bamboo was being used in ancient people's daily lives. It was used for food, clothing, housing, transportation, {#blank#}1{#/blank#}(music) instruments and even weapons.

    The {#blank#}2{#/blank#}(apply) of bamboo in science and technology is thrilling. In 251 BC, Li Bing, in Sichuan, {#blank#}3{#/blank#}(lead) the local people in building the Dujiang Weirs(都江堰), the first irrigation network in the world, in which bamboo played {#blank#}4{#/blank#} important role. The world's oldest water pipe was also {#blank#}5{#/blank#}(make) of bamboo. During the Han Dynasty, the people in Sichuan {#blank#}6{#/blank#}(success) sank a 1600-metre-deep well with thick bamboo ropes. This technology did not spread to Europe {#blank#}7{#/blank#} the 19^th century, and it was by using the technology {#blank#}8{#/blank#} the Americans drilled the first oil well in Pennsylvania in 1859.

    In Chinese culture, bamboo is well-known as {#blank#}9{#/blank#} of the “four gentlemen” in plants. To many famous men, bamboo is a symbol of goodness and honesty. It is always closely related to people of positive spirits. Bamboo culture contributes to encouraging people to hold on when {#blank#}10{#/blank#}(face) tough situations.

    This is a meaningful and impressive story. A man came to the USA. After settling down at {#blank#}1{#/blank#}island, he went into a cafeteria to get something {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (eat). He sat down at an empty table {#blank#}3{#/blank#} (silent) and waited for someone to take his order, {#blank#}4{#/blank#} nobody did. Finally, a woman with a plate full of food {#blank#}5{#/blank#} (sit) opposite him and informed him {#blank#}6{#/blank#} the cafeteria worked. “Start out at that end,” she said. “Just go along the line and pick out what you want. At the other end, they'll tell you how much you have to pay.”

    “I soon learned how everything worked in the USA,” the man told a {#blank#}7{#/blank#} (rely) friend. He said, “Life's a cafeteria here. You can get anything as long as you are {#blank#}8{#/blank#} (will) to pay the price.”

    You can even get success, but you'll never get it if you wait for someone to bring it to you. You have to get up and get it {#blank#}9{#/blank#} (you). You can't change the things that you can't avoid or prevent. The only thing you can do is control your attitude. Once you reach that point in life, {#blank#}10{#/blank#} (achieve) won't be too far away.

    I was very happy when my friend Mary came to visit me from England. Her destination {#blank#}1{#/blank#}(be) Beijing and the architectural heritage of China. In {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (prepare) for her visit she had attended a series of seminars on the history of China. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} (check) into the Holiday Inn, Mary settled in and began her tour of the capital city. Day in and day out she walked around the city, rejoicing in its abundant {#blank#}4{#/blank#}(culture) sites and experiencing the kindness of its people. However, after seeing the Ming Tombs, she was eager {#blank#}5{#/blank#} (make) a trip to Xi'an to see the terracotta warriors, {#blank#}6{#/blank#} is known as the eighth wonder of the world.

    Originally this had been an optional trip on her schedule, but unfortunately it was later cancelled {#blank#}7{#/blank#} some reason. She felt it was out of the question for her to visit China without {#blank#}8{#/blank#} (go) to see the terracotta warriors, so I helped her arrange a tour to Xi'an. It was {#blank#}9{#/blank#}outstanding success and Mary returned to England with wonderful {#blank#}10{#/blank#} (memory) of her holiday in China.

    He's an old cobbler (修鞋匠) with a shop in a historic area in Paris. When I took him my shoes, he told me, "I haven't time. Take them to {#blank#}1{#/blank#} other fellow on the main street.

    Just looking at his bench {#blank#}2{#/blank#}(load) with tools and pieces of leather, I knew the craftsman (手艺人) was rather {#blank#}3{#/blank#}(skill). "No," I replied, "the other fellow can't do it well."

    "The fellow he mentioned" is one of those shopkeepers who fix shoes and make keys without knowing much about mending shoes or making keys. They work {#blank#}4{#/blank#}(careless), and when they have finished sewing back a sandal strap (鞋带), you might as well just throw away the pair. The reason {#blank#}5{#/blank#} I wanted to have my shoes repaired in the shop is that the man works very carefully.

    The man {#blank#}6{#/blank#}(have) me write my name on one shoe with a piece of chalk and said, "Come back tomorrow."

    I was about to leave {#blank#}7{#/blank#} he took a pair of soft leather {#blank#}8{#/blank#}(boot) off a shelf.

    "See what I can do?" he said with pride. "Only three {#blank#}9{#/blank#} us in Paris can do this kind of work."

    The cobbler was something out of an ancient legend, this old craftsman with his way of speaking familiarly, his very strange, dusty hat, his funny accent and, above all, his pride in his craft.

    In such a period it is a rare comfort to find a cobbler who gets his greatest {#blank#}10{#/blank#}(satisfy) from pride in a job well done.

Everywhere I look outside my home I see people busy on their high-tech devices, while driving, walking, shopping, even sitting in toilets. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}connected electronically, they are away from physical reality.

People {#blank#}2{#/blank#}(influence) to become technology addicted. One survey reported that "addicted" was the word most commonly used by people {#blank#}3{#/blank#}(describe) their relationship to iPad and similar devices. One study found that people had a harder time {#blank#}4{#/blank#}(resist) the temptation of social media than they did for sleep, cigarettes and alcohol.

The main goal of technology companies is to get people to spend more money and time on their products, not to actually improve our quality of life. They have successfully created a cultural disease. I see people {#blank#}5{#/blank#}(trap)in a pathological (病态的) relationship with time-consuming technology,{#blank#}6{#/blank#}they serve technology more than technology serves them. I call this technology servitude(奴役). I am referring to a loss of personal freedom and independence {#blank#}7{#/blank#} uncontrolled consumption of many kinds of devices that eat up time and money.

What is a healthy use of technology devices? That is the vital question. Who is really in charge of my life? That is what we need to ask {#blank#}8{#/blank#} if we are to have any chance of breaking up false beliefs about the use of technology. When we can live happily without using so much technology for a day or a week, then we can regain control and personal freedom, become the master of technology and discover what there is to enjoy in life free of technology. Mae West is famous for the wisdom that "too much of a good thing is wonderful." {#blank#}9{#/blank#} it's time to discover today's overused technology.

Richard Fernandez, an executive coach at Google acknowledged that "we can be swept away by our technologies," To break the grand digital connection, people must consider{#blank#}10{#/blank#} life long ago could be fantastic without today's overused technology.