Are you facing a situation that looks impossible to fix (修理)？

    In 1969, the pollution was terrible along the Cuyahoga River near Cleveland, Ohio. It {#blank#}1{#/blank#}(be) unimaginable that it could ever be cleaned up. The river was so polluted that it{#blank#}2{#/blank#}(actual) caught fire and burned. Now, years later, this river is one of{#blank#}3{#/blank#}most outstanding examples of environmental cleanup.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}the river wasn't changed in a few days or even a few months. It took years of work{#blank#}5{#/blank#}(reduce) the industrial pollution and clean the water. Finally, that hard work paid off and now the water in the river is{#blank#}6{#/blank#}(clean) than ever.

    Maybe you are facing an impossible situation. Maybe you have a habit {#blank#}7{#/blank#}is driving your family crazy. Possibly you drink too much or don't know how to control your credit card use. When you face such an impossible situation, don't you want a quick fix and something to change immediately?

    While there are{#blank#}8{#/blank#}(amazed) stories of instant transformation, for most of us the{#blank#}9{#/blank#}(change) are gradual and require a lot of effort and work, like cleaning up a polluted river. Just be{#blank#}10{#/blank#}(patience).

    March 14 is, perhaps quietly, celebrated as Pi Day, {#blank#}1{#/blank#} day to honor the number that many people are familiar with. The date comes from the first three number of Pi: March is the third month,{#blank#}2{#/blank#} (follow) by the one and four that make 14. Pi {#blank#}3{#/blank#} (appear) wherever there are circles. Pi is a ratio. It measures the {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (distant) around a circle to its diameter(直径).

    A website, Piday.org , shows little known facts about the number. Pi has been{#blank#}5{#/blank#}(universal) known for thousands of years and gets its name {#blank#}6{#/blank#}a Greek letter, π. The Greeks are believed to have used the letter to describe the ratio. The first Pi Day {#blank#}7{#/blank#}(celebrate) on March 14, 1988. San Francisco's Exploratorium Science Museum started the event, according to the site. The museum marks the day with a daylong celebration {#blank#}8{#/blank#}(include) a parade.

    March 14 has other scientific {#blank#}9{#/blank#} (link). It is the birthday of physicist and Nobel Prize winner Albert Einstein. Princeton University, {#blank#}10{#/blank#}Einstein lived for many years, celebrates Pi Day as well.

刚到那里，托尼发现很多人在排队购票。

    The "selfie" is used to describe the self-taken photo, often from a smartphone. Someone takes about 10 selfies each time he does, and he only ends up {#blank#}1{#/blank#} (post) one or two of those. He picks the one that he feels make him look the {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (good). In that picture, he gains confidence. For that moment, everything bad or terrible that has happened to him {#blank#}3{#/blank#}(remove), because that smile is what gives him the {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (determine) to love himself.

    I read {#blank#}5{#/blank#} poem recently and the young man said, "If I ask you {#blank#}6{#/blank#} you love, the answers will most likely roll off your tongue. You love to read. You love to write. You love your mom, you daughter, or your friends. How long do you think you can go on and on before you say 'I love {#blank#}7{#/blank#}( I )' "

    That statement hit me like a ton of bricks. I've struggled with confidence all my life. I still do. And in {#blank#}8{#/blank#} way am I saying that taking a selfie is a gateway {#blank#}9{#/blank#} confidence. {#blank#}10{#/blank#}, the selfie does deserve some credit for allowing individuals to express themselves.

    The Water Splashing Festival of the Dai ethnic minority (少数民族), {#blank#}1{#/blank#} falls in April, is the most important festival for the Dai people in the Dehong area of Xishuangbanna, Yunnan Province. It is the New Year for the Dai, a festival to send off the old and greet the new.

    During the festival which lasts for three or four days, people {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (dress) in their best clothes and take part in a {#blank#}3{#/blank#} (various) of rich and colorful activities. Dragon boat racing, fireworks displays and other {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (performance) such as peacock dance are held on the first day. And the most popular event is water-splashing on the second day. People splash water on each other, {#blank#}5{#/blank#} (hope) to take away sickness and disasters. The wetter you get, the {#blank#}6{#/blank#} (lucky) you will be. The last day is usually for the young people to play games as a way {#blank#}7{#/blank#} (express) their love for each other.

    The Water Splashing Festival {#blank#}8{#/blank#} (vivid) exhibits the Dai's respect {#blank#}9{#/blank#} water and the culture of music and dance, food, and costumes. It is also a cultural bridge between Xishuangbanna and Southeast Asian countries that share {#blank#}10{#/blank#} same festival culture of water-splashing.