Yangshuo, China

                It was raining lightly when I{#blank#}1{#/blank#}(arrive) in Yangshuo just before dawn. But I didn't care. A few hours{#blank#}2{#/blank#}, I'd been at home in Hong Kong, with {#blank#}3{#/blank#} (it) choking smog. Here, the air was clean and fresh, even with the rain.

              I'd skipped nearby Guilin, a dream place for tourists seeking the limestone mountain tops and dark waters of the Li River{#blank#}4{#/blank#}are pictured by artists in so many Chinese{#blank#}5{#/blank#} (painting). Instead, I'd headed straight for Yangshuo. For those who fly to Guilin, it's only an hour away{#blank#}6{#/blank#}car and offers all the scenery of the better-known city.

             Yangshuo{#blank#}7{#/blank#} (be) really beautiful. A study of travelers {#blank#}8{#/blank#} (conduct) by the website TripAdvisor names Yangshuo as one of the top 10 destinations in the world. And the town is fast becoming a popular weekend destination for people in Asia. Abercrombie & Kent, a travel company in Hong Kong, says it{#blank#}9{#/blank#}  (regular) arranges quick getaways here for people {#blank#}10{#/blank#} (live) in Shanghai and Hong Kong.

    Long ago,there was a mother and a son living in a house.She worked hard every day,{#blank#}1{#/blank#}they were always poor.

    One day,her son stole his friend's bag.“Mom,what do you think of this bag?”His mother praised her son instead of scolding him.The next time,he stole{#blank#}2{#/blank#}overcoat.She praised him again.A few years{#blank#}3{#/blank#}(late),he grew up to be a young man.He stole jewelry and brought them to his mother.This time,she did not scold her son.Then,he started{#blank#}4{#/blank#} (steal) more expensive things.

    One day,the police caught him.Before he{#blank#}5{#/blank#}(put) in prison,he begged the police to meet his mother.They took him{#blank#}6{#/blank#}his mother.As soon as he saw his mother,he suddenly bit her ear.“Ouch!What is the matter with you?”She finally scolded him.Her son answered.“If you had given me a scolding like that when I stole the first bag,I could not {#blank#}7{#/blank#}a thief.”{#blank#}8{#/blank#} (look) at her son heading to prison,“If only I{#blank#}9{#/blank#}turn back time,I would scold him severely.”She said{#blank#}10{#/blank#}(regret).

    "If you're talking to me in a noisy restaurant and my nerve system is good at locking onto the sound of your voice, I {#blank#}1{#/blank#} understand what you say better."

    The research at Northwestern University shows that {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (play) a musical instrument is good for your brain. And the brain remembers how to "lock onto" the important sounds, {#blank#}3{#/blank#}, our ears may not work as well as we age, and that helps us to hear better.

    A scientist, living in France twenty years ago, {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (write) about what he called the "Mozart Effect". He said that {#blank#}5{#/blank#} could be helpful to the brain when listening to the classical music of Mozart. Some researchers said that Mozart's music would make you much {#blank#}6{#/blank#} (smart), or even have some health disorders {#blank#}7{#/blank#} (cure). Others said that there was nothing special about Mozart's music. Any kind of high energy music would work. So if the cost of a musical instrument or music lessons is too costly, can we get {#blank#}8{#/blank#} same brain experience just by listening?

    Usually people have teachers, or they can teach themselves music. {#blank#}9{#/blank#}, the point is that they're actively playing a musical instrument and engaging in making music instead {#blank#}10{#/blank#} listening to music passively.