In the distant past, friend relied on each other for their survival. They hunted together and defended each other against {#blank#}1{#/blank#}(danger) animals and enemies. In those days, if you didn't have a friend, you would either starve, be eaten {#blank#}2{#/blank#} killed. Nowadays, friendship isn't {#blank#}3{#/blank#}(exact) a matter of life and death. However, friendship is still of great importance and not having a friend is something to be {#blank#}4{#/blank#}(concern) about. Most people look upon friends as someone they can depend on when they are going {#blank#}5{#/blank#}times of trouble. In such times, friends provide them with emotional support and sometimes financial help. It is in these troubled times {#blank#}6{#/blank#} they find out who their true friends are. As an old saying {#blank#}7{#/blank#}(go), in times of prosperity, friends will be plenty; in times of {#blank#}8{#/blank#}(suffer), not one in twenty. And there is another saying {#blank#}9{#/blank#} says you can hardly make a friend in a year, but you can easily upset one in an hour. So do your best to get along with and be grateful to all those {#blank#}10{#/blank#} are willing to side with you even when you are in the wrong as they are true friends and they are not easily come by.

    One day, Nick invited his friends to supper. He was cooking some delicious food in the kitchen. Suddenly, he {#blank#}1{#/blank#}(find) that he had run out of salt. So Nick called to his son, “Go to the village and buy some salt, but pay a fair price for it: neither too much {#blank#}2{#/blank#}too little.

    His son looked surprised. “I can understand why I shouldn't pay too much, Father, but if I can pay less,{#blank#}3{#/blank#}not save a bit of money?

    “That would be a very{#blank#}4{#/blank#}(reason) thing to do in a big city, but it could destroy a small village like {#blank#}5{#/blank#}(us), Nick said.

    Nick's guests,{#blank#}6{#/blank#}had heard their conversation, asked why they should not buy salt more cheaply if they could. Nick replied, “The only reason a man would sell salt{#blank#}7{#/blank#}a lower price would be because he was desperate for money. And anyone who took advantage of that situation would be showing a lack of respect for the sweat and struggle of the man who worked very hard to produce it.”

    “But such a small thing couldn't {#blank#}8{#/blank#}(possible) destroy a village.

    “In the beginning, there was only {#blank#}9{#/blank#}very small amount of unfairness in the world, but everyone added a little, always {#blank#}10{#/blank#} (think) that it was only small and not very important, and look where we have ended up today.”

    Once there lived a rich man,{#blank#}1{#/blank#} wanted to do something for the people of his town. But first he wanted to find out {#blank#}2{#/blank#} they were worth his help or not.

    In the center of the main road into the town, he placed a very large stone. Then he {#blank#}3{#/blank#} (hide) behind a tree and waited. Soon an old man came along with his cow. “Who put this stone in the centre of the road?” said the old man, but he did not try to remove the stone.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}, with some difficulty he passed around the stone and continued on his way. Another man came along and did {#blank#}5{#/blank#} same thing; then another came, and another. All of them complained {#blank#}6{#/blank#}the stone but none tried to remove it.

    Late in the afternoon a young man came along. He saw the stone,{#blank#}7{#/blank#} (say) to himself, “The night will be very dark. Some neighbors will come along later in the dark and will fall against the stone. ” Then pushing and pulling with all his {#blank#}8{#/blank#} (strong), the young man began to move the stone ... How {#blank#}9{#/blank#} (surprise) he was! There was a bag of money under{#blank#}10{#/blank#}.

    Dragon Head Raising Day,{#blank#}1{#/blank#} falls each year on the second day of the second lunar month, is one of the Chinese traditional festivals. As the proverb goes: “The dragon is awaked,{#blank#}2{#/blank#} (raise) his head”. On this day, dragons, a prominent totem (图腾) in Chinese culture raise {#blank#}3{#/blank#} (they) heads with the sound of thunder. Around this time, the earth {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (burst) with life. Grass and trees are beginning to shoot up. In ancient China, people {#blank#}5{#/blank#} (pray) the dragon god beside a river or a lake for the precious spring rains to breed their crops.

    {#blank#}6{#/blank#} (tradition), food eaten on this day was renamed after parts of the dragon. For instance, wontons were called “dragon's eyes.” The special {#blank#}7{#/blank#} (food) usually eaten on this day include dragon's scales, popcorn and pig's head.

    In Shanxi, people get their hair {#blank#}8{#/blank#} (cut) in a symbolic move to remove the old and embrace the new. In {#blank#}9{#/blank#} countryside in Hebei Province, people would fetch water from a well at dawn. It was believed {#blank#}10{#/blank#} on this day the well was full of dragon eggs which would bring the collector good harvest.

    Starting this September, freshmen at Tsinghua University will have to take swimming courses. They won't receive their degrees until they pass the test{#blank#}1{#/blank#}(success). Exceptions will be allowed for students with certain physical or mental conditions, if{#blank#}2{#/blank#}(prove) by medical staff.

    Actually, viewing the ability{#blank#}3{#/blank#}(swim) as a must for students is not something new to this university. It was a{#blank#}4{#/blank#}(require) in the early 20^th century. Later it{#blank#}5{#/blank#}(drop) due to a rising number of students and a lack of facilities（设施）.

    As for {#blank#}6{#/blank#}new rule, opinions vary greatly. Some students welcome it, saying it's a necessary skill {#blank#}7{#/blank#}can save lives, while others argue that it's not reasonable to link degrees {#blank#}8{#/blank#}swimming ability.

    In response to the negative reviews, Liu Bo, head of the Division of Sports Science, gave the following explanation. {#blank#}9{#/blank#}a water sport, swimming does less harm to joints（关节）and muscles and is helpful in improving students' endurance.{#blank#}10{#/blank#}(consequence) it's beneficial to students in the long run.

    When I left for the United States to study, I had butterflies in my stomach. I was nervous because I was going to {#blank#}1{#/blank#} new place with new people and new customs. I couldn't even understand {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (they) language. Everything was different {#blank#}3{#/blank#} my own country. There was nobody that I could talk to. I just had my husband, {#blank#}4{#/blank#} was a new person for me, too.

    It was a sad moment when I had to say goodbye to my family and friends. I didn't want {#blank#}5{#/blank#} (leave) my hometown because I grew up there and had wonderful {#blank#}6{#/blank#} (memory) of the place. So, {#blank#}7{#/blank#}(think) about all these changes made me nervous and I was {#blank#}8{#/blank#} (worry) about my new life. But studying abroad was a {#blank#}9{#/blank#}(decide) that I made myself. I had to continue and accept the challenge. I looked forward to {#blank#}10{#/blank#} (visit) my family in the summer vacation.