In many countries, {#blank#}1{#/blank#} is not unusual for families of different backgrounds to live together in the shared space. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}, in the United States, this idea may still be considered strange.

    But this type of housing, {#blank#}3{#/blank#} (call) co-housing, is getting its {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (popular) in the United States, too. Co-housing complexes (综合设施) appear across the country. For many people, this way of life is a good {#blank#}5{#/blank#} (choose) in the busy modern society. A co-housing community has {#blank#}6{#/blank#} (private) owned houses and shared land. There is often a “common house" with a kitchen and dining room, meeting room, and maybe a workshop of library or music room. About 25 co-housing communities {#blank#}7{#/blank#} (build) in recent years, and 150 more are planned.

    A co-housing complex is a place {#blank#}8{#/blank#} citizens shop, cook, and eat together. Citizens of a co-housing complex like its sense of shared community. Children have other kids to play {#blank#}9{#/blank#}, which many families like. Other citizens like the feeling of living in a “village”. Citizens also say that they can live in co-housing for {#blank#}10{#/blank#} (little) money than they would pay for nearby apartments.

UK Schools Ban Students From Using Slang (俚语)

    Officials at Sheffield's Springs Academy has introduced a new policy to prevent students aged 11 to 18 {#blank#}1{#/blank#} (use) slangs and colloquial abbreviations (口语化的缩写) inside the school. Harris Academy Upper Norwood said it carried out the program to allow its students {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (express) themselves confidently and appropriately. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} we want to make sure of is that they are confident in using standard English. Slang doesn't really give the right impression of the person. Young people going to interviews for their first job need to make a good impression {#blank#}4{#/blank#}employers will have confidence in them.

    Donna Bowater at the Telegraph writes that short forms of words {#blank#}5{#/blank#} (become) popular with the rise of text messages and the social networking website Twitter in the past few years.

    "In addition to {#blank#}6{#/blank#} (give) students the teaching they need to succeed academically, we want them to develop the soft skills {#blank#}7{#/blank#} they will need to compete for jobs and university places," the school was quoted as saying in a statement by the BBC.

    {#blank#}8{#/blank#} the above-mentioned support, South Yorkshire MP Angela Smith said that the policy might cause a risk to dialects (方言) and accents. Some critics argued that slangs provided students with an environment {#blank#}9{#/blank#} they could feel both the history and development of languages.

    The widespread argument is making people wonder {#blank#}10{#/blank#} it is necessary to cut the use of slangs entirely or not. All in all, different opinions of the policy help us have a deeper understanding of the truth that language is always changing with the times.

    Keeping a diary in English is one of the {#blank#}1{#/blank#} (effect) ways to improve our English writing ability. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (compare) with other forms of writing, it is shorter and takes {#blank#}3{#/blank#} time. It can help us to develop the habit of thinking in English. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} we insist in this practice, gradually we'll learn how to express {#blank#}5{#/blank#}in English. In keeping a diary in English, we certainly come across many {#blank#}6{#/blank#}(difficult). In the first place, {#blank#}7{#/blank#} often happens that we have trouble finding proper words and phrases to give expression to our mind. Secondly, there are many idiomatic ways of saying things in Chinese.

    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 for help, if necessary. In short, I believe that it is {#blank#}9{#/blank#} great use to keep a diary in English for {#blank#}10{#/blank#} development of our writing skills.

When talking about our bodies, we often forget our skin. Actually, our skin is very important, too. It keeps us{#blank#}1{#/blank#}(inform) of the outside world--{#blank#}2{#/blank#}it is hot or cold, wet or dry.

Try this: pull up the skin from the back of your hand and then let {#blank#}3{#/blank#}go. What happens?

The skin goes back to its first position, which means that skin is elastic (有弹性的).

Our skin seems to be very thin, but it {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (make) up of two layers. The top layer is the one we wash every day. Do you know that this part of skin is dead? However, it is still very important because it serves as{#blank#}5{#/blank#} (protect) against dirt and disease.

Skin has millions of tiny holes called pores(毛孔). Pores allow liquid, especially sweat,{#blank#}6{#/blank#}(pass) through. By{#blank#}7{#/blank#} (sweat), our bodies keep up a normal temperature. When it is very hot, we sweat a lot, but{#blank#}8{#/blank#}(strange) enough, when it is quite cool, we also sweat. On a cool day, our bodies produce {#blank#}9{#/blank#}average of 700 ml of sweat. That is{#blank#}10{#/blank#}(much) than 0.5 kilos.