It was a short flight from Shanghai to Xi' an. Xi' an is one of the four great ancient capitals of China{#blank#}1{#/blank#}over 3,100 years of history. Its ancient walls date from the Ming Dynasty and are the best {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (preserve) in the world. There are bicycles for people to hire. It is {#blank#}3{#/blank#}(amaze) to ride along the walls to survey this fascinating city.

    The Tang Dynasty Music and Dance show is not to be missed, but my favorite is an art gallery, {#blank#}4{#/blank#}we can enjoy some beautiful artwork and learn how to write Chinese characters.

    Most tourists make{#blank#}5{#/blank#}way to Xi' an to see the life-size terracotta warriors (兵马俑) and we were no  {#blank#}6{#/blank#}(difference). The collection, which shows the armies of the first Emperor of China, {#blank#}7{#/blank#}(remain) hidden until 1974 when they were discovered by a farmer sinking a well. Walking among the statues is forbidden unless you are a VIP — but there are plenty of souvenir{#blank#}8{#/blank#}(shop) in which tourists can buy the replicas(复制品)of them.

    All too soon it was time{#blank#}9{#/blank#}(leave). I really enjoyed my stay in Xi' an. It is indeed a place of interest worth{#blank#}10{#/blank#}second visit.

    When Jack was a small boy, he was once asked to give a speech about “A Big Challenge in My Life”．To talk before the whole class, he was {#blank#}1{#/blank#} (terrible) shy the moment he thought of so many eyes {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (stare) at him. He had no other{#blank#}3{#/blank#} (choose), though. First Jack was to draft the speech, which was just a piece of cake for him because he was a good writer. But the hard part {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (lie) in his oral presentation, for it was not allowed to read from the paper. He had to give the speech {#blank#}5{#/blank#} his memory and in front of such a big audience!

    A real trial began when Jack stood on the platform with his legs trembling and his mind blank. He didn't know how much time had passed by. His listeners were still waiting patiently and without any signs of laughing. Gradually he found himself back, {#blank#}6{#/blank#} (give) out his speech without much difficulty. After what seemed to be a hundred years, he found the audience applauding. He made {#blank#}7{#/blank#}！From then on, his fear of talking before the audience disappeared. Actually with his confidence {#blank#}8{#/blank#} (build) up, Jack now turns out to be a great speaker. As we know, the greater difficulty we meet on our way to {#blank#}9{#/blank#} (succeed), the {#blank#}10{#/blank#} likely we will achieve our goals.

    Go ahead and grab that cup of coffee, or two, or more. Doing so may improve your health and help you live longer, suggests a new research in a new observational study involving close to 20,000 individuals, people {#blank#}1{#/blank#} consumed at least four cups of coffee daily had a 64% lower risk of early death {#blank#}2{#/blank#}(compare) to those who never rarely consumed coffee.

    The reduction in risk was more significant once people reached {#blank#}3{#/blank#} age of 45, suggesting that it may be even{#blank#}4{#/blank#}(good) to consume coffee as we get older.

    These findings support the recent results of another large observational study, which found that coffee{#blank#}5{#/blank#}(drink) appear to live longer, regardless of whether they consume regular coffee.

    Coffee has also been shown to reduce the risk of many diseases, including type 2 diabetes(糖尿病), liver disease, Alzheimer's and skin cancer, too.

    "Coffee is loaded with antioxidants（抗氧化剂）," said Joe DeRupo, a spokesman for the National Coffee Association." Many are {#blank#}6{#/blank#}(natural) occurring antioxidants found in the coffee bean, while others {#blank#}7{#/blank#}(create) during the roasting process. These antioxidants are thought to be linked with positive effects in {#blank#}8{#/blank#} (reduce) the risk of several diseases.

    While coffee consumption may appear to be healthful for many, others should carry on {#blank#}9{#/blank#} caution. Pregnant women, for example, should cautiously limit{#blank#}10{#/blank#} (they)intake of coffee.

    Few people I know seem to have much desire or time{#blank#}1{#/blank#} (cook). Making Chinese dishes is seen as especially troublesome. Many westerners {#blank#}2{#/blank#} come to China cook much less than in their own countries once they realize how cheap {#blank#}3{#/blank#} can be to eat out. I still remember {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (visit) a friend who'd lived here for five years and I was shocked when I learnt she hadn't cooked once in all that time.

    While regularly eating out {#blank#}5{#/blank#} (become) common for many young people in recent years, it's not without a cost. The obvious one is money; eating out once or twice a week may be affordable but doing this most days adds up. There could be an even {#blank#}6{#/blank#} (high) cost on your health. Researchers have found that there is {#blank#}7{#/blank#} direct link between the increase in food eaten outside the home and the rise in {#blank#}8{#/blank#} (weigh) problems.

    If you are not going to suffer this problem, then I suggest that the next time you go to your mum's home {#blank#}9{#/blank#} dinner, get a few cooking tips from her. Cooking food can be fun. You might also begin to notice the {#blank#}10{#/blank#} (effect) not only on your health but in your pocket.

    My doorbell rings at 11 am. On the step, I find an elderly Chinese lady holding the hand of a little boy. In her other hand {#blank#}1{#/blank#} (be) a paper bag. She is the little boy's grandmother, and her daughter, Nicole, bought {#blank#}2{#/blank#} house next door last October. Nicole has {#blank#}3{#/blank#} (obvious) told her mother that I am having a heart operation shortly, and the result is that her mother has decided {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (supply) me with meals.

    I know what is inside the paper bag——a bottle of hot soup and a {#blank#}5{#/blank#} (contain) with a meal of rice, vegetables and meat. It's become a daily occurrence.

    Communication {#blank#}6{#/blank#} us is somewhat difficult because she doesn't speak English and all I can say in Chinese is hello. Once, she brought an Ipad as well as the food. She pointed to the screen, {#blank#}7{#/blank#} showed a message from her daughter telling me that her mother wanted to know {#blank#}8{#/blank#} the food was all right for me.

So here we are, two grandmothers, neither of {#blank#}9{#/blank#} (we) able to speak the other's language but communicating one way or another (with some help from technology). The doorbell keeps {#blank#}10{#/blank#} (ring) and there is the familiar brown paper bag, handed smilingly to me.