My husband and I were paying a visit {#blank#}1{#/blank#} my parents in Tucson. We went to a fast-food restaurant for dinner together. My husband went to the counter {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (order) dishes and I stood with my parents.

    My dad is 90 years old. He can hardly see very well and walks with a stick. I was scanning the restaurant, {#blank#}3{#/blank#} (wait) to sit at the first table that was {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (convenient) than others. A woman who was sitting with her son made eye contact with me and asked me to come to her. With a {#blank#}5{#/blank#}(puzzle) look on my face, I pointed to myself and said , “Me ?” She {#blank#}6{#/blank#} (nod) and said, “Yes, you.” I walked to the table and she said, “Bring your family here. I can finish eating at the counter. My son is in {#blank#}7{#/blank#} hurry to leave anyway.” My eyes {#blank#}8{#/blank#} (fill) with tears as she wiped down the table and guided my dad to the seat.

    I always believe that there are {#blank#}9{#/blank#} (nature) kind people in this world. This woman has set a good example to her son, {#blank#}10{#/blank#} is a really lucky guy.

    Do you have any idea of New Year paintings?{#blank#}1{#/blank#} (know) as “paper paintings” and “painted pictures”, New Year paintings are a special art form in Chinese folk culture. Without New Year paintings, our traditional Chinese folk culture would be much less {#blank#}2{#/blank#}(color). The paintings get such a name because they are {#blank#}3{#/blank#}(most) posted during the Chinese New Year holiday for {#blank#}4{#/blank#}(decorate) and they are also accepted as a symbol of New Year's greetings.

    New Year paintings appeared around the Tang dynasty, replacing the previous door pictures believed to be able to protect the residents and drive away ghosts. In the Song dynasty the New Year paintings{#blank#}5{#/blank#} (create) on a large scale(规模){#blank#}6{#/blank#} the printing techniques improving, the content and forms of New Year paintings became various. The development of the paintings matured in the Ming and Qing dynasties,{#blank#}7{#/blank#} the art hit its heyday (全盛期).

    There are many {#blank#}8{#/blank#}(tradition) printing methods of New Year paintings,{#blank#}9{#/blank#} (include) woodblock printing, stone-block printing, offset printing, watercolor painting, etc.{#blank#}10{#/blank#} is reported, woodblock-printed New Year paintings are the most popular and interesting ones, according to a recent survey.

    Qingdao lies in the east of Shandong Province. As we all know, it is an important port city and it is an economic and {#blank#}1{#/blank#}(culture)center. It is also home to the Tsingtao Brewery Co. Ltd. and the {#blank#}2{#/blank#}(large)international beer festival in China. Of course, Qingdao is a very beautiful city, too. Many places around the city are well worth {#blank#}3{#/blank#}(visit).Every year, the festival {#blank#}4{#/blank#}(hold)on schedule. Millions of visitors {#blank#}5{#/blank#} come from the world go to the city during the festival.

    It is very convenient to go to Qingdao. It is {#blank#}6{#/blank#}(rough)650 kilometers from Beijing with an average travel time of one hour and 10 minutes by air and five hours by high-speed train. It is about 740 kilometers from Shanghai, and it {#blank#}7{#/blank#}(take)about one hour and 25 minutes by air. There are also frequent direct {#blank#}8{#/blank#}(flight)from Qingdao to the Republic of Korea and Japan. The city's airport is connected {#blank#}9{#/blank#} 66 domestic cities and 12 overseas cities, with a great number of planes arriving {#blank#}10{#/blank#} taking off each week. Warmly welcome to Qingdao!

    Whenever anyone asks me where my favorite place in China is, I say Dali without hesitation. Dali, {#blank#}1{#/blank#} (surround) by mountains for hiking and lakes for bicycling around, is the kind of place that everyone likes.

    Last year I met a couple of young students I'd known {#blank#}2{#/blank#} I travelled to Dali, and we agreed {#blank#}3{#/blank#} (cycle) along the lake in a small town outside of Dali. The lake {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (it) was pretty easy to cycle around, {#blank#}5{#/blank#} flat paths passing through a lot of little villages. While cycling, a woman recommended an hour-long boat ride for about 40 RMB each--a bit expensive but {#blank#}6{#/blank#} adventure we felt like having, so we paid for it.

    In about 20 minutes we witnessed in {#blank#}7{#/blank#} (excite) how a fisherman fished with his fishing birds. A string was tied around each bird's neck so that when it dived for fish, it was unable to swallow them. The birds {#blank#}8{#/blank#} (give) a fish as payment for their service after the fisherman had a satisfactory catch. I'd {#blank#}9{#/blank#} (previous) read about this fishing method, but it was pretty exciting to see first-hand.

    The day finished with a brilliant sunset, {#blank#}10{#/blank#} I climbed onto a roof to get a photo of.

    Nearly 800 new pupils of Lianhua Elementary School in Hefei, Anhui Province, is reported {#blank#}1{#/blank#}(receive) a unique gift: an admission letter {#blank#}2{#/blank#} their names are written by teachers using Chinese writing brush. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}(similar), Shaanxi Normal University has been sending their freshmen calligraphy admission for eleven years. Several former professors in {#blank#}4{#/blank#} 70s take about a week writing more than 4,500 admission letters every year.

    It is believed in China that "handwriting is the man," {#blank#}5{#/blank#} (mean) good handwriting can not only cultivate one's temperament (气质), but can also reflect one's literacy and character. At present, {#blank#}6{#/blank#}(tradition) calligraphy has again become a compulsory lesson in many Chinese primary and middle schools, which aims {#blank#}7{#/blank#}(enhance) students' cultural competence. At the same time, parents are attaching great importance {#blank#}8{#/blank#} children's calligraphy practice. It is fair to say that calligraphy is not left out in today's fast-paced society; {#blank#}9{#/blank#}, its incomparable value is standing out.

    The charm of Chinese culture embodied in calligraphy can always strike a chord with writers and {#blank#}10{#/blank#}(view). Do you have any interest in learning it?