Keeping a diary in English is one of the effective ways to improve our English writing abilities.   

{#blank#}1{#/blank#} (compare) with other forms of writing, it is shorter and takes {#blank#}2{#/blank#} time. It can help us to develop the habit of thinking in English. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} we persist in this practice, gradually we'll learn how to express ourselves in English. In keeping a diary in English, we certainly run up against many difficulties. In the first place, it often happens {#blank#}4{#/blank#} we have trouble finding appropriate words and phrases to give expression to our mind. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} (second), there are many idiomatic ways of saying things in Chinese. {#blank#}6{#/blank#} it is extremely hard for us to put them into English properly.

    As far as I am concerned, my {#blank#}7{#/blank#} (suggest) is that we should always have a notebook and a Chinese-English dictionary within easy reach. Whenever something {#blank#}8{#/blank#} (beat) us, we can first put it down in our notebook and then consult our dictionary. We can also turn to our English teacher for help, if necessary. In short, I believe that it is {#blank#}9{#/blank#} great use to keep a diary in English for {#blank#}10{#/blank#} development of our writing skills.

The city of the future

What will the city of the future look like? No one knows for sure, and making predictions {#blank#}1{#/blank#}(be) a risky business. But one thing is certain —they are going to get bigger before they get smaller. We will use lots of {#blank#}2{#/blank#}(recycle) materials, such as plastic aluminums, steel , glass ,wood and paper, and we will waste fewer {#blank#}3{#/blank#}(nature) resources. We will also have to rely more {#blank#}4{#/blank#}alternative energy, such as solar and wind power.

    A teacher at {#blank#}5{#/blank#} university in the United States asked his students to think {#blank#}6{#/blank#} they would run a city of 50,000 people in the year 2025. Here are some of the ideas they had:

    Garbage ships  To get rid of garbage problems, the city will load huge spaceships with waste materials and send them towards the sun,{#blank#}7{#/blank#} (prevent) landrills and environmental problems .

    Cars  All cars will be powered by electricity, solar energy or wind , and{#blank#}8{#/blank#}will be possible to change the color of cars at the flick of a switch.

    Telesurgery  Distance surgery will become common as doctors carry out operations from thousands of miles away, with each city {#blank#}9{#/blank#}(have) its own telesurgery outpatient clinic.

    Holiday at home  Senior citizens and people with disabilities will be able to go anywhere in the world using high-tech cameras {#blank#}10{#/blank#}(attach) to their head.

    A young man and an old man were waiting for a bus. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} sat next to each other. “What's that in your bag?” asked the young man, pointing to a big bag beside the old man. “Gold. There was nothing but gold,” answered the old man. The young man could not believe his own ears and was {#blank#}2{#/blank#} great surprise. Then he began to think about {#blank#}3{#/blank#} to get the money. The old man was very tired and it seemed that he could hardly keep his eyes open. After a while the old man {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (lie) down on the chair and fell asleep.

    The young man took {#blank#}5{#/blank#} big bag gently and quietly. But when he was just about to run away, he found a corner of his fur coat was under the old man's body. Several times he tried to pull it out,{#blank#}6{#/blank#} in vain. At last he took off his coat,{#blank#}7{#/blank#} (think) that the gold in the bag must cost far more than his fur coat.

    Worried but {#blank#}8{#/blank#} (delight), the young man ran out of the station as quickly as his legs could carry him, until he reached a place {#blank#}9{#/blank#} he thought the old man couldn't find him. He stopped and quickly opened the bag but he just found a great many of small stones in it. Then he ran back to the station {#blank#}10{#/blank#} (hurry) only to find that the old man was gone.

    The Great Wall of China{#blank#}1{#/blank#}(list) in the World Cultural Heritage(世界文化遗产) by UNESCO in 1987. Just{#blank#}2{#/blank#} a huge dragon, it winds up and down across deserts grasslands and mountains, covering{#blank#}3{#/blank#} (approximate)6, 700 kilometers from the east to the west of China.

    In ancient China, many people built walls around their states to protect their land. It was Emperor Qing Shihuang who had the walls{#blank#}4{#/blank#}(join) up. The project cost much money and hundreds of thousands of people worked on{#blank#}5{#/blank#} wall. On top of it, it is wide enough for five horses or ten men{#blank#}6{#/blank#} (walk) side by side. Along the wall are watchtowers, {#blank#}7{#/blank#}soldiers used to keep watch. With a history of more than 2000 years, some of the sections of the Great Wall are now in ruins or even disappeared. However, it is still one of the most{#blank#}8{#/blank#} (attract) spots around the world because of its wonderful buildings and historical{#blank#}9{#/blank#}(important). Many of the tourists have come to know the famous Chinese saying— "He who does not reach the Great Wall {#blank#}10{#/blank#} (be) not a true man.”

Barbara Millicent Roberts, also called Barbie, {#blank#}1{#/blank#} (consider) the most successful toy doll in history. She first {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (appear) in the world of toys about 60 years ago, and has become very popular among little girls.

According to the Mattel Company, {#blank#}3{#/blank#} created Barbie, 90% of all American girls between 3 and 10 have at least one Barbie at home. However, today there are many dolls competing {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Barbie on the market. Bratz dolls, for example, look more like today's pop {#blank#}5{#/blank#} (star) with lots of makeup and miniskirts. Now Bratz is {#blank#}6{#/blank#} great challenge to Barbie, as the company offers various clothing, too.

It seems that Barbie is no longer {#blank#}7{#/blank#} (attract) to older girls. "For younger girls, playing with a Barbie is much fun, but when they get older, they want something more fashionable and modern," says a shop keeper of a toy store in New York. On the international scene, Barbie remains number one. Although Mattel has been selling fewer Barbies in the United States over the past years, sales in other countries have kept {#blank#}8{#/blank#} (rise). It is hard {#blank#}9{#/blank#} (say) how long Barbie will stay on as a celebrity in the world of toy dolls, but {#blank#}10{#/blank#} (undoubted) 60 is not the age to retire.