A week in the sun relaxing in the beautiful March weather of Varadero, Cuba is a fantastic vacation for anyone. Luckily, my wife, two friends and I had the chance last year.

      To see Cuba, you have to talk to the Cubans. Our friends met us at the airport even at 1:00 a.m. which started our trip on a positive note. After a few days at the hotels, we got to know a local tour guide, Victor.

      The trip started off on a sunny morning. Our return trip would be along the coastline from Havana, but out trip to Havana would be through the countryside and the small towns. This trip was designed for us to visit the Cuban countryside.

      At first Victor brought us to Revolutionary Square, where Fidel Castro made his yearly speech praising the ideas of the revolution.

      Our second stop was the Bocoy Rum Factory. We walked through and learned how 5000 bottles of rum(朗姆酒) are produced every day. The smell of rum, and the huge barrels were interesting.

      The final stop was the market in Old Havana. Here my wife and I went away from our friends and we toured through this large shopping center. From store to store we saw so many items that all had a clear Cuban feel to them. We bought a picture and some special local things, and then we took off to meet up with Victor.

      As a tourist I was able to have a quick look at Cuban life with the help of Cubans. I felt lucky to have the chance. It was an interesting experience in my life.

    When my wife and I went to live in an Arab(阿拉伯) country, we didn't know much about our future. _______. Later, we realized that the advice given to us by our friends were right.

    ______ Here, the burning sun can cook an egg in a minute. The hot weather made us feel so tired that we were falling asleep at midday!

    _______ We worked from Saturdays to Wednesdays, including Sundays. It was also strange to see people praying (祈祷) in a certain direction. _________ They don't let people see their faces in public. They are not allowed to drive cars, either. All dresses worn by women have to cover the body completely. They believe that women can't be seen in public.

    At the weekend, we went camping in the desert. I will never forget watching the sun setting over the desert. We also enjoyed riding on the camels.

    Though their culture is very different from the American culture, ________.

    Do you go to school every day by bike or in your parents' car? The American English teacher Margaret tells her story about taking a school bus in America.

    When I'm a primary school student, I love taking the school bus. It is interesting to talk to my friends and play games on the bus. It is like children-only party every morning and afternoon. On the school bus there is only one adult（成年人）—the driver. Most of the time, we are well-behaved because we like the driver and don't want to make him unhappy. But one day, one of the boys makes a face at a policeman driving behind our bus. The policeman makes our bus driver stop. Then he scolds（训斥）the naughty boy loudly. We all behave well after that!

    It isn't comfortable for young people to wait for the school bus in winter（冬天） because it is very cold, especially when there are strong winds（风）. Some students in cities have bus shelters（遮挡）, but country children have to jump（跳）up and down to warm up. Hurry up, spring!

When I was looking for a Christmas present for my daughter in a toy store, a nicely dressed little girl, with some money in her little hand, was looking at some beautiful {#blank#}1{#/blank#}. When she saw a doll she liked, she would ask her father {#blank#}2{#/blank#} she had enough money. He usually said yes.

At the same time, a {#blank#}3{#/blank#}, with old and small clothes, was looking at some computer games. He, too, had money in his hand, but it looked no more than five dollars. Each time he picked up one of the computer games and looked at his father, the father shook his head.

The little girl had {#blank#}4{#/blank#} a very beautiful doll. However, she noticed the boy and his father. She saw the boy {#blank#}5{#/blank#} a computer game with disappointment(失望) and walk to another corner of the store.

I was not surprised when my 89-year-old father called me and said that he wanted to come to my farm. He always liked1and being busy.

He asked, “Peg, I hear you are going to pull sick cows out of the cowshed (牛棚) for2. Do you think I can help pull them out?” He asked me twice after my long silence. I just didn't want to3him, so I had to reply, “Dad, you can come over here and try it.”

We continued to do work on our cows. When there were three left, my father4. I helped him put on the protection suit. For an old man, it was a really5task, but he finally made it. I noticed Dad's tears sparkling in his eyes, which were the tears of6that he still managed to pull three cows out.

My workers were all moved and admired him very much. I also felt7that I had such a great father. During those years, my father worked as a pilot, a pilots' trainer, a husband and a father. He treated everything8. He set an example to me that I should create a better life with hard work,9and responsibility. Bearing this in mind, I went from an ordinary farm worker to an able farm10. I owed all this to my father.