A few months after{#blank#}1{#/blank#}(return) to the U.S. from Germany, I{#blank#}2{#/blank#}(take) part in a college course in French. Since I had learned to speak German well in Germany, I thought it might be interesting{#blank#}3{#/blank#}(begin) studying another language.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}the first class, a teacher asked us to do a pronunciation exercise, in which he would say a word{#blank#}5{#/blank#}two in French, and each student would do{#blank#}6{#/blank#}(they) best to copy. When my turn came, he{#blank#}7{#/blank#}(keep) having me say{#blank#}8{#/blank#}(many) words, and I finally asked him why. “I find it great{#blank#}9{#/blank#} (funny),” he explained. “In 25 years of teaching at school, it's the first time I have heard{#blank#}10{#/blank#}American speak French with a German accent.”

    Chengdu, capital city of southwestern China's Sichuan Province{#blank#}1{#/blank#} (name) one of the top ancient capitals in China at a conference{#blank#}2{#/blank#} (hold) on Oct. 25^th, 2016. Along with Chengdu, nine other cities, including Beijing, Xi'an, Nanjing and Luoyang,{#blank#}3{#/blank#} (be) also on the list.

    As one of the cradles (摇篮) of Chinese civilization, Chengdu has a history of more than 4,500 years. It is one of the {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (old) cities in China, even in the world, having been the capital of five major states.{#blank#}5{#/blank#} addition, Chengdu has done a good job preserving{#blank#}6{#/blank#} (it) history. The location, name, and center of the city have never been changed, which reflects{#blank#}7{#/blank#}(clear) the city's vitality (活力) and cultural identity.

    “Chengdu has a unique spirit, related to inclusiveness and independence,” said the president of a(n){#blank#}8{#/blank#} (associate) of ancient Chinese capital studies. “Chengdu is{#blank#}9{#/blank#} open and influential city in Chinese history. So, there is no doubt {#blank#}10{#/blank#} it is an important and famous capital.”

    Mark was walking home from school one day {#blank#}1{#/blank#} he noticed that the boy ahead of him had tripped and {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (drop) all of the books he was carrying. Mark knelt down and helped the boy pick up the scattered {#blank#}3{#/blank#} (article). Since they were going the same way, he helped to carry part of the burden. As they walked, Mark discovered the boy's name was Bill, and {#blank#}4{#/blank#} he loved video games, baseball, history and so on. They arrived at Bill's home first and Mark {#blank#}5{#/blank#} (invite) in for a Coke and to watch some television. The afternoon passed {#blank#}6{#/blank#} (pleasant) with a few laughs and some {#blank#}7{#/blank#} (share) small talks, and then Mark went home. {#blank#}8{#/blank#} continued to see each other around school, had lunch together once or twice, and then both graduated from junior high school. They ended up {#blank#}9{#/blank#} the same high school {#blank#}10{#/blank#} they kept regular contacts over the years.

    The cheongsam is a female dress with distinctive Chinese features and enjoys growing {#blank#}1{#/blank#} (popular) in the international world of high fashion. The name "cheongsam" {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (mean) simply "long dress" entered the English vocabulary from the dialect of China's Guangdong Province. In other parts of the country including Beijing, however, it {#blank#}3{#/blank#} (know) as "qipao", which has a history behind it.

    After the early Manchu (满族的) rulers came to China, the Manchu women wore {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (normal) a one­piece dress which came to be called “qipao”. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} the 1911 Revolution ended the rule of the Qing Dynasty, the female dress survived the political change and, with later improvements, has become the traditional dress for Chinese women.

    The cheongsam, {#blank#}6{#/blank#} neck is high, collar closed, fits well the Chinese female figure, and its sleeves may be either short, medium or full {#blank#}7{#/blank#} (long), depending on seasons or tastes. In addition, it is not too complicated (复杂) {#blank#}8{#/blank#} (make). Nor {#blank#}9{#/blank#} it need too much material. Another beauty of the cheongsam is that it can be worn either {#blank#}10{#/blank#} casual or formal occasions. In either case, it creates an impression of simple and quiet charm, elegance (优雅) and neatness.

    Your teeth may be part of your smile, {#blank#}1{#/blank#} they have a more important job­they are the first step in the process of digestion. You have three {#blank#}2{#/blank#}(kind) of teeth. In the very front of your mouth are eight flat, thin teeth called incisors. They are used for cutting and biting food. Next to these are pointed teeth called canines, {#blank#}3{#/blank#} also help you tear food. The remaining teeth are molars. These teeth have flat tops for crushing and grinding the food.

    I'm not sure when I started to love qipaos. I just remember that when I saw Zhao Weiand other stars {#blank#}1{#/blank#}(wear) qipaos in the TV series Romance in the Rain, I {#blank#}2{#/blank#}(impress). Although Chinese women are fond of wearing qipaos for special events, for example, red ones for weddings, I wear them more {#blank#}3{#/blank#}(frequent), not only for parties but also sometimes even in the office.

    I've collected some qipaos, {#blank#}4{#/blank#}(buy) at a store in one of Beijing's historical neighborhoods. A Chinese friend of mine recently gave me one of her old qipaos, which almost reaches my ankles. The qipao fits well at the shoulders, {#blank#}5{#/blank#}it was simply too tight（紧的）at the waist.

    Many foreigners'{#blank#}6{#/blank#}(body) differ from those of the Chinese, which makes{#blank#}7{#/blank#} hard for some foreigners to take off qipaos. Because I am not too short, and pretty thin, I can often buy ready-made qipaos in China.

    In my native United States, non-Asians {#blank#}8{#/blank#}(be) sometimes blamed on social media for wearing qipaos because of {#blank#}9{#/blank#}(culture)differences, but in China, people have what I consider a more reasonable and open-minded approach: If foreigners wear qipaos, it is seen {#blank#}10{#/blank#} an attitude of appreciation for Chinese culture.