China covers large areas and has a great population. Different living habits have always been an interesting topic in the country. Recently, another difference between southern Chinese and northern Chinese became a hot one: the way people shop at markets.

    People from southern China say that they always buy what they need for just one or two meals. It is normal for them to buy half of a Chinese cabbage, two potatoes and 0.25 kilogram of beef at a time.

    However, one may be laughed at if he does this in the north. Instead, buying vegetables and meat enough for a week is usual. Also, you can buy a small amount (数量) of fruit, such as a single apple or pear, each time in the south. Shop owners even help you peel and cut them. But shop owners in the north hardly offer such service. And many fruits are sold in baskets and boxes.

    The difference could be due to the different weather.

    Food can be kept for a long time in the north, as it is usually cold and dry there. Many northern Chinese have the habit of storing food, especially for the long winter. But the hot and wet weather in the south makes southern Chinese buy just enough food for one meal or one day, or else the food may go bad.

My name is Helen. Anna is my s{#blank#}1{#/blank#}. Look! This is {#blank#}2{#/blank#}（we） room. It's very {#blank#}3{#/blank#}/'taɪdɪ/. You can see two {#blank#}4{#/blank#}（bed）in the room. The red bed is Anna's. The blue bed is {#blank#}5{#/blank#}（my）. U{#blank#}6{#/blank#}my bed, you can see a box. My old books {#blank#}7{#/blank#}in it. A desk is between（在……之间）the two beds. On {#blank#}8{#/blank#} desk you can see a telephone, a radio and two clocks. The radio is black. I found {#blank#}9{#/blank#}in the school library. Do you k{#blank#}10{#/blank#}whose（谁的）it is?

Sally: Hello, Amy! {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

Amy: Hi, Sally. I'm not feeling good.

Sally: Oh, no. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

Amy: My throat hurts and I have a cough for many days.

Sally: So bad. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

Amy: Yes, but I still feel bad.

Sally: I'm sorry to hear that. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

Amy: Yes, you're right. Maybe I should ask for a leave to rest for a few days.

Sally: You also need to drink more water and take the medicine on time.

Amy: Ok, I'll do that.

Sally: {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

Amy: Thanks, I will. See you!

Sally: See you.

One day, I happened to meet an Englishman in a store and soon we began to talk. As I was talking about how I was studying English, the foreigner seemed to be very surprised, gently shaking his head and saying, "You don't say! You don't say!"

I was puzzled（困惑的）, and I thought, "Perhaps this is not a right thing to talk about."So I said to him,"Well, shall we talk about the Great Wall? Have you ever been there?" "Certainly. When I'm back home, everyone will laugh at me if I leave here without seeing it. The Great Wall is wonderful!" he answered. "Yes, it is one of the wonders in the world. And people from all over the world have come to visit it," I added. As I was telling him more about it, he said again, "You don't say!" I couldn't help asking, "Why do you ask me not to talk about it?" "Well, I didn't ask you to do so,"he answered, greatly surprised. "Didn't you say ‘You don't say!'?" I asked again. Hearing this, the foreigner laughed loudly. He began to explain. " ‘You don't say!' means‘Really?'. Perhaps you know little about English idioms（习惯用语）."

Wow! How foolish I was! Since then I have been careful with English idioms. 

On Wednesday evening, we went to the {#blank#}1{#/blank#}(中心的，中央的)part of the town. It was the last day of the year and a large {#blank#}2{#/blank#}(人群)of people came. It was a {#blank#}3{#/blank#}(传统)that people {#blank#}4{#/blank#}(聚集) under the Town Hall clock to count down for the {#blank#}5{#/blank#}(即将到来的)new year. It would strike twelve in twenty minutes' time. People waited {#blank#}6{#/blank#}(耐心地). Fifteen minutes passed and then, at five to twelve, the clock stopped. The big minute hand did not move. Everyone paid a{#blank#}7{#/blank#}to it and we all waited and waited, but nothing happened. Suddenly someone in the {#blank#}8{#/blank#}(角落)shouted, "It's two minutes past twelve! The clock has stopped!" I looked at my watch. It was {#blank#}9{#/blank#}(正确的). The big clock refused to welcome the New Year. At that moment, everybody began to laugh and sing. They {#blank#}10{#/blank#}(表达)their best wishes to each other.