Keeping a diary in English is one of the effective ways{#blank#}1{#/blank#} (improve) our English writing ability. Compared with other forms of writing, it is{#blank#}2{#/blank#} (short) and takes less time. It can help us to develop the habit of thinking in English. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} we keep practicing, gradually we'll learn how to express{#blank#}4{#/blank#} (us) our-selves in English. In keeping a diary in English, we certainly run up against many {#blank#}5{#/blank#} (difficult). In the first place, it often happens that we have trouble {#blank#}6{#/blank#} (find) proper words and phrases to give expressing to our mind. Secondly, there are many idiomatic ways of saying things in Chinese. And it is{#blank#}7{#/blank#} (extreme) hard for us to put them into English properly.

    As far as I {#blank#}8{#/blank#} (concern), my suggestion is that we should always have a notebook and a Chinese-English dictionary within easy reach. We can also turn to our English teacher {#blank#}9{#/blank#} help, if necessary. In short, I believe that it is of great use to keep a diary in English for {#blank#}10{#/blank#} development of our writing skills.

    When I first heard about the Belt and Road Initiative (“一带一路”倡议). I thought about something simple and straightforward — like a fragrant cup of tea.

    For centuries, tea has brought {#blank#}1{#/blank#}(culture), communities, and people closer together. In the past centuries, tea {#blank#}2{#/blank#}(connect) economies through trade and investment. The Belt and Road Initiative holds a similar promise, {#blank#}3{#/blank#}is about connecting cultures, communities, economies, and people. It is about awaking ancient trade routes and {#blank#}4{#/blank#}(build) new ones. It is also about adding new economic flavors by creating infrastructure (基础建设) projects based on 21st century expertise and standards. Delivering on this promise is not an easy task, {#blank#}5{#/blank#}doing so could bring great benefits.

    First, high-quality infrastructure could help stimulate potential global {#blank#}6{#/blank#} (grow), and raise the incomes of millions of people. As the Chinese proverb {#blank#}7{#/blank#} (go), “To become rich, one must first build roads.” A second benefit is greater inclusiveness. Think of {#blank#}8{#/blank#}(improve) roads in rural areas that can boost productivity and access to health services. By sharing the benefits of investment and knowledge more broadly, improvement will be {#blank#}9{#/blank#}(strong) and more inclusive. A third benefit is stronger economic cooperation. This would help boost global trade, investment, and financial cooperation, making {#blank#}10{#/blank#} easier to share the benefits of growth more widely. All this is good for consumers, good for productivity, and good for poverty reduction.

    English is a language {#blank#}1{#/blank#}(bring) to Britain in the 5th century by Anglo­Saxon settlers from various parts of Northwest Germany. It is convenient to divide English into three periods roughly─Old English, Middle English, and Modern English.

    The {#blank#}2{#/blank#}(early) form of English is called Old English or Anglo­Saxon. Old English developed from a set of North Sea Germanic dialects {#blank#}3{#/blank#}(origin) spoken along the coasts of Frisia, Lower Saxony, Jutland, and Southern Sweden by Germanic tribes known {#blank#}4{#/blank#} the Angles, Saxons, and Jutes. Later, Old English was strongly influenced by the North Germanic language Norse, spoken by the Vikings who settled mainly in the northwest. The most famous work from the Old English period is the epic poem Beowulf, written by {#blank#}5{#/blank#} unknown poet. Old English is very different from Modern English and difficult for the 21st­century English speakers to understand.

    For the 300 years following the Norman Conquest in 1066, the Norman kings and the nobility spoke only a {#blank#}6{#/blank#}(vary) of French called Anglo­Norman. English continued to be the language of the common people. The Norman influence {#blank#}7{#/blank#}(strong) the continual evolution of the language over the following centuries, resulting in {#blank#}8{#/blank#} is now referred to as Middle English. And one of the best­known works from the Middle English period is Geoffrey Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales.

    From the late 15th century, the language changed into Early Modern English, often dated from the Great Vowel Shift. English is continuously absorbing foreign words, especially Latin and Greek, causing English to have the largest vocabulary of any language in the world. By the late 18th century, the British Empire had sped the spread of English through its colonies and geopolitical dominance. Commerce, science and technology, diplomacy, art and formal education all contributed to English {#blank#}9{#/blank#} (become) the first truly global language. As there are many words from different languages, the risk of mispronunciation is high. In 1755, Samuel Johnson published his A Dictionary of the English Language, {#blank#}10{#/blank#} introduced a standard set of spelling conventions and usage norms.

    There are about 100 million middle-aged women dancing in parks and on squares in China, and Deborah Roundy, {#blank#}1{#/blank#} U.S retired school teacher, is one of them. Mrs. Roundy is the only foreigner on the Shanghai dance team at Tongji University, where she is {#blank#}2{#/blank#}(current) teaching English.

    Mrs. Roundy ran upon a dozen or so middle-aged women dancing {#blank#}3{#/blank#} the tunes of Chinese songs in 2012. At the time, she didn't feel used to the new environment and wanted to have some fun in her life. She {#blank#}4{#/blank#}(invite) to join the dancing team.

    At first, Mrs. Roundy communicated with her teammates by {#blank#}5{#/blank#}(exchange) notes to help translate for her. Now she uses a translation app on her iPad.

    {#blank#}6{#/blank#} the Chinese language is not the most difficult thing for her, mastering Chinese dance is. Mrs. Roundy used to do ballet. She said {#blank#}7{#/blank#}(dance) in the U.S. always dance facing the audience. But in China, they change directions all the time, and it was very {#blank#}8{#/blank#}(confuse) for her at first.

    They have developed good personal relations. Mrs. Roundy says they also go out to eat and on field trips together, which are {#blank#}9{#/blank#}(forget) experiences for her.

    Square dancing opens a window for her {#blank#}10{#/blank#}(understand) China, Mrs. Roundy said: Besides dancing, she and her husband have been active in community life, teaching English, and helping elderly neighbors.