Once upon a time, there was a man from the State of Chu who loved his sword very much. One day, he was sitting in a boat preparing {#blank#}1{#/blank#}(cross) a river, when he accidentally {#blank#}2{#/blank#}(drop) his sword into the water. The people on board reminded him that he should go into the water to find his beloved sword back. The man felt {#blank#}3{#/blank#}(anxiety), too.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}, he turned a deaf ear to that. And instead, he {#blank#}5{#/blank#}(immediate) took out a knife and made a notch(刻痕) on the side of the boat {#blank#}6{#/blank#}his dear sword fell. The people wondered why he did so. He said proudly the notch could help get his sword back. Shortly after the {#blank#}7{#/blank#}(arrive) at the shore, he entered the water just beneath the notch he made. After rather a long time, he returned empty-handed. Without doubt, he was laughed at in public and his story became {#blank#}8{#/blank#}well-known joke in China.

    Today the idiom {#blank#}9{#/blank#}(relate) to the story is used to describe a person who stick {#blank#}10{#/blank#}strict rules without considering a changing environment.

    I wanted to do something special for my 15－year－old son, who has always been a perfect boy. He worked all summer to earn enough money to buy {#blank#}1{#/blank#} (he) a new racing －bicycle instead of asking for money from me. Then he spent hours and hours on it. I loved my son so much {#blank#}2{#/blank#} I bought him a pair of sunglasses and gloves. When my son rode the racing-bicycle with them, he looked very cool. He dreamed {#blank#}3{#/blank#} taking part in a race and winning. On November 10th, my birthday, when I went to the kitchen to start the milk and bread in the morning, I found {#blank#}4{#/blank#} beautiful guitar on the table, beside which was a card,{#blank#}5{#/blank#} (say), “Happy birthday to my wonderful mother.” I was surprised and then began to sob. I remembered once I {#blank#}6{#/blank#}(joke) to my family that I wanted to learn playing the guitar to make my life colorful. I had {#blank#}7{#/blank#} (forget) it, but my son remembered. He took it {#blank#}8{#/blank#} (serious), and bought me one as a birthday gift. When I wondered {#blank#}9{#/blank#}my son could buy this expensive gift, soon I realized that my son had sold his racing-bicycle{#blank#}10{#/blank#} (get) me the guitar.

    In recent years, learning Chinese{#blank#}1{#/blank#}(become) popular among people around the world. Last month, I received an email from my friend Jack in Canada. He said he was enthusiastic about China, and asked me to find him some books which {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (intend) for Chinese beginners, I was pleased to do such a favor. So I went from one bookstore to another,{#blank#}3{#/blank#} (hope) to find something suitable for him. Finally I selected a set of Chinese textbooks among a variety of similar ones.

    Elisabeth Kubler-Ross was born in Zurich, Switzerland in 1926. In spite of her father's objections, Elisabeth was determined at an early age {#blank#}1{#/blank#}(study) medicine and in 1957 received her medical degree from the University of Zurich. In 1958 she married Dr. Emanuel Ross, {#blank#}2{#/blank#}American, who also studied medicine at the university and they moved to the U.S. to fulfill their medical dreams {#blank#}3{#/blank#} (well).

    While working at Manhattan State Hospital, Dr. Kubler-Ross {#blank#}4{#/blank#}(horrify) by the routine neglect and poor treatment of mental patients. It was here that she began her lifelong approach to medical practice as she developed a program of individual care and attention for each patient. This approach resulted{#blank#}5{#/blank#}significant improvement in the mental health of 94% of her patients.

    In 1965, Dr. Kubler-Ross published her first book, On Death and Dying, a 1969 worldwide bestseller. {#blank#}6{#/blank#}(base) on her many patient interviews, she identified the five now {#blank#}7{#/blank#} (wide) accepted stages that patients go through as they approach death: denial, anger, bargaining,{#blank#}8{#/blank#}(depress) and acceptance.

    During her career, Dr. Kubler-Ross served in 16 different hospitals and universities,{#blank#}9{#/blank#}(write) more than 20 books, many of {#blank#}10{#/blank#}were translated into other languages, and received many honors. In 1999, she was listed among Time's 100 Most Important Thinkers of the Century.

    As an attractive city in the Netherlands, Amsterdam is one of the most bicycle-friendly{#blank#}1{#/blank#}(city)in the world, having over 800, 000 bikes in the capital. By comparison, the city has a population of only 750, 000, less than {#blank#}2{#/blank#}number of bikes. According to a survey{#blank#}3{#/blank#}(make)5 years ago, 490, 000 people used bicycles every day.

    Up to now, people in Amsterdam{#blank#}4{#/blank#}(enjoy)the convenience of cycling for decades. The city has special facilities for cyclists, {#blank#}5{#/blank#}can be used for free. Compared with other transportation in the city, bikes are{#blank#}6{#/blank#}(clean)and less expensive while also{#blank#}7{#/blank#}(offer)health benefits.

    {#blank#}8{#/blank#}reason for bicycle riding is that bicycle traffic is{#blank#}9{#/blank#}(relative)safe. Amsterdammers ride a wide variety{#blank#}10{#/blank#}bicycles. Many tourists also discover Amsterdam by bike, which is a typical Dutch way.