One evening I was resting in a cafe.I wore a pair of newly bought white leather shoes,  {#blank#}1{#/blank#}  were rather expensive.Then a boy came to me.

     He was in {#blank#}2{#/blank#} old and not fit shirt, looking pale and about eleven.No sooner had I begun to speak than he opened the box in his hand and took out the tools of shoe­polishing.He was busy doing his work{#blank#}3{#/blank#}  heavy rain began to pour down.People rushed to the cafe for {#blank#}4{#/blank#}  (protect) from the rain.More and more people crowded in and gradually separated the boy {#blank#}5{#/blank#}  me.

     Hours passed，and it turned dark.I had no shoes on my feet and wondered where the boy had been.I thought I would have to go home on my bare feet. When it was near midnight, the cafe was to be closed.I had to move to the door，just as I went to the gate，I {#blank#}6{#/blank#} (surprise) found that a boy of about eleven, {#blank#}7{#/blank#}  (look) very familiar，was sleeping at the door with his head leaning  {#blank#}8{#/blank#}  a box.I shook him slightly and woke him{#blank#}9{#/blank#}  .He opened the package hurriedly, gave me my leather shoes, and apologized to me shyly.I paid him and wrapped him with his {#blank#}10{#/blank#}  (fit) shirt.On my way home, the image of the boy stayed in my mind.

    Aesop (伊索) was a slave living around 550 BC. We call the stories he wrote fables, as every story has a moral. Almost all the fables he wrote are {#blank#}1{#/blank#} (humor) and entertaining, appealing to people {#blank#}2{#/blank#} all ages. Till now, Aesop's fables {#blank#}3{#/blank#} (translate) into many languages and are known all over the world. Not only {#blank#}4{#/blank#} the fables themselves lived for nearly 1500 years, but the {#blank#}5{#/blank#} (express) from them have entered various languages.

    One fable, for instance, is about a farmer who was driving his cart along a country road. The cart got {#blank#}6{#/blank#} (stick) in the mud, but the farmer made {#blank#}7{#/blank#} effort to get it out. Instead, he began to pray to the gods for help. The god Hercules finally appeared and told {#blank#}8{#/blank#} man to get busy and push {#blank#}9{#/blank#}. “Push your shoulder to the wheel.” Hercules advised.

    The moral of the story is clear. We mustn't rely on others for help. Another saying which has come from the fable is “God helps those {#blank#}10{#/blank#} help themselves.”

    The word Nushu literally means "women's writing" in Chinese: As the name suggests, Nushu is created and specially used by women.

    Often {#blank#}1{#/blank#}（call） "the world's only surviving characters for women", these slim words were developed from standard written Chinese. In the old days, Nushu {#blank#}2{#/blank#}（teach）by elderly women to girls at home because female children weren't allowed {#blank#}3{#/blank#}（attend）formal school. During gatherings in villages, women used the characters to write poems or song lyrics to express their emotions {#blank#}4{#/blank#} were hidden from men. The words were full {#blank#}5{#/blank#} encouragement and positive energy, and showed an uncommon open-mindedness among women at that time.

    Ji Xianlin once said that Nushu is a feminist（女权主义者）symbol. "It's {#blank#}6{#/blank#} unique writing system created by {#blank#}7{#/blank#}（talent）women who were deprived（剥夺）of the right to education," he wrote in an article. "It has significance in various {#blank#}8{#/blank#}（field）and represents Chinese people's strong spirit."

    Nushu was made as a national cultural heritage in 2006. However, it is not {#blank#}9{#/blank#}（wide）used in daily life today. In fact, it is a dying language. Now linguists are taking action to prevent this incredible cultural heritage from {#blank#}10{#/blank#}（disappear）.

    Dough figurine(捏面人), also known as dough modelling, is a kind of Chinese folk art. It is {#blank#}1{#/blank#}(simple) made but of high artistic value. It {#blank#}2{#/blank#}(record) as early as the Han Dynasty. Dough craftsman draws materials based on the required. After a repetition of rubbing, twisting and lifting {#blank#}3{#/blank#}hand, and poking, cutting, and carving by bamboo knife, the craftsman {#blank#}4{#/blank#}(shape) the body and the face of the figurine gradually. Dressed up with hair accessories and clothes, all of a sudden, a vivid artistic figurine comes to life.

    Our trip was fantastic. Every driver and every tour guide{#blank#}1{#/blank#}(be) knowledgeable, and tried to meet our interests and wishes. As Erich practiced his Chinese with them, they responded in English. The locations{#blank#}2{#/blank#}(select) by us were most interesting. Although I am not used{#blank#}3{#/blank#}sub-zero weather,{#blank#}4{#/blank#}was Harbin that I would recommend to any travel lover because it was so unique. All of the sights were unique with so much to offer. If we hadn't gone on the trip to Harbin, we would {#blank#}5{#/blank#}  (have) no chance to enjoy all the sights there then.

    The hotel accommodation was comfortable. We had one experience when the power went off in a block that contained our hotel, but{#blank#}6{#/blank#}(fortunate), the power was restored within a few hours. The restaurants were as unique as the areas{#blank#}7{#/blank#}we went and a Chinese cuisine was enjoyed by all four. Our guides made certain that our meal was ready and to our{#blank#}8{#/blank#} (tasty).

    If our son and daughter-in-law stay another year, we will discuss a repeat visit next year around the same time. As Erich and Caitlin are students at an in ternational university in Tianjin, the trip revolves around their academic schedules. We are quite pleased with the nice{#blank#}9{#/blank#} (serve) provided by the relevant people {#blank#}10{#/blank#}(show) our friends and family we have taken lots of photos and videos.