A: Mary, tomorrow is your Mum's 50th birthday, do you know?

B: Of course I do. Do you have any idea about how {#blank#}1{#/blank#} (celebrate) it, Dad?

A: Of course, first of all, a birthday present. What about {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (buy) her a beautiful skirt?

B: That's a good idea. It'll make her look {#blank#}3{#/blank#}（young）. and a big birthday cake, too, with fifties {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (candle).

A: That's right. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}we have a special dinner?

B: How about a Chinese dinner?

A: Fine, where will we have it?

B: Dad, we can have it at home . I {#blank#}6{#/blank#} (learn) to cook a few Chinese dishes from a Chinese friend, {#blank#}7{#/blank#} I am sure Mum would like {#blank#}8{#/blank#}.

A: All right. Will you do {#blank#}9{#/blank#}shopping too?

B: {#blank#}10{#/blank#} don't we go together, Dad?

A: OK.

    It seems that Chinese people have always loved to discuss {#blank#}1{#/blank#} differences between northerners and southerners. Now, another difference has drawn wide attention: the way northerners and southerners shop for food at markets.

    People from southern China normally buy {#blank#}2{#/blank#}they need for just one or two meals at a time. It's normal for them to buy just half a Chinese cabbage, two {#blank#}3{#/blank#}（potato）and 25 grams of beef at a time, {#blank#}4{#/blank#}， a person may be laughed at if they do this in the north. Instead, buying enough vegetables and meat for a week {#blank#}5{#/blank#}（be）normal.

    The difference could be because {#blank#}6{#/blank#}the different climates. Food can {#blank#}7{#/blank#}（keep）for a long time in the north, as it's {#blank#}8{#/blank#}（usual）cold and dry there. Many northerners have the habit of {#blank#}9{#/blank#}（store）food for a long time. But due to the hot and wet weather in the south, southern Chinese people prefer {#blank#}10{#/blank#}（buy）just enough food for one meal or one day. Otherwise, the food may go bad.

    Maybe these debates about different customs help us to understand each other better.

    If you make a career choice while you are still in high school, you will save time and money in the long run. Students who do not plan ahead may delay starting college or take extra courses {#blank#}1{#/blank#}(give) themselves time to make up their{#blank#}2{#/blank#}(mind). U.S. News and World Reports {#blank#}3{#/blank#}(say) that the average annual tuition at a four-year college is $ 35,000. If you spend {#blank#}4{#/blank#}extra year in school, you may have to take out additional loans or pay extra money to cover the cost.

    Choosing a career while you are in high school also gives you time to explore your {#blank#}5{#/blank#}(choose) industry. If you find a career {#blank#}6{#/blank#} sounds interesting, you can follow someone in the field and see what it is{#blank#}7{#/blank#}(real) like to have that job. You can also apply {#blank#}8{#/blank#} a chance to get an informal position related to your desired industry. This will help you build a professional network even before you graduate from high school. Professional contacts are very {#blank#}9{#/blank#}(value), especially when you are looking for a job in your field. If you do as much as you can to build a network{#blank#}10{#/blank#} you are ready for a job, you will be more likely to succeed.

    Curiosity is part of human nature. Children are famous for wanting answers {#blank#}1{#/blank#} tons of questions. People keep reading or watching {#blank#}2{#/blank#} they want to find out what happens. But curiosity also provides many practical benefits.

Learning is easiest if you have a genuine desire for knowledge. Curiosity can create that desire when you have a question.

    Many of history greatest discoveries {#blank#}3{#/blank#}(make)by curious people. People wondered {#blank#}4{#/blank#} processes worked or how certain tasks could be done more effectively. Thanks to their curiosity, people now know far more about the world and have useful technology {#blank#}5{#/blank#}(help)them.

    Even if you don't plan to be an inventor of researcher, curiosity can still help you in the classroom. If you develop the joy of learning, classes will become more fun. And you'll excel because you will be fully engaged in the process of learning. Even if you're no longer a student, curiosity will make you better {#blank#}6{#/blank#}(inform)and thus a more capable worker.

    What do you do if you're not already curious? Fortunately, curiosity is a skill that can be improved. If you act like you're curious, you'll quickly start to actually feel curious. Often, the more you learn about a topic the {#blank#}7{#/blank#}(interesting)it becomes.

    As you learn about a topic, gather information from as many sources as possible. Read a variety of books, watch or listen to lectures and ask questions. Don't always get your information from the same source. Instead, learn to appreciate facts that different people know and the different opinions {#blank#}8{#/blank#} they express.

    Ask a lot of questions, Remember, everyone knows {#blank#}9{#/blank#} that you don't. Find out what that is, and ask about it. This lets you learn something and makes the other person happy by letting them show off their knowledge.

In the classroom or out of it, {#blank#}10{#/blank#}(develop)curiosity is sure to be worthwhile.

    On arriving in the United States, I felt everything was different. There were many new things I had to adapt to. One thing that really {#blank#}1{#/blank#}(take) me a long time to adapt to was speaking the language.

    I remember {#blank#}2{#/blank#}(clear) that I had to struggle to learn English because I couldn't even write a short paragraph to introduce myself at the first day of my English class. The teacher asked me {#blank#}3{#/blank#}it was difficult for me. If it was, I could change to level one!

    However, I was stubborn and swore that I was going to succeed. I started to spend many {#blank#}4{#/blank#}(hour)per day, even though it was stressful, because I wanted to take advantage {#blank#}5{#/blank#}this special chance to study English in the USA.

    I felt depressed because I couldn't understand {#blank#}6{#/blank#}people were saying even though I made great efforts. However, I still kept {#blank#}7{#/blank#}(try) and never gave up.

Now, I can tell you that I have improved a lot, but sometimes it is still easy for me to get{#blank#}8{#/blank#}(confuse) if I don't know what topic people {#blank#}9{#/blank#}(talk) about. To adapt to this new language, I had to tell {#blank#}10{#/blank#}(I) that I could do it. I really believe I can!