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).

    As a kid I disliked most vegetables. My daily meal consisted {#blank#}1{#/blank#} sugary cereal (谷类食物)in the mornings with whole milk, bread with butter for lunch along with chips, and a plate of white rice with chicken for dinner with either soda {#blank#}2{#/blank#} juice to drink. Whenever {#blank#}3{#/blank#} (go) out on weekends. I always chose fast food. An order of chicken nuggets with a side of fries was what I always wanted.

    Then the food that I loved {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (begin) to give me chest pains, heart burns, and stomachaches. I quickly realized that this couldn't end in anything good. So I decided {#blank#}5{#/blank#} (put) a stop to my unhealthy diet. I cut out fast food from my diet and instead searched for places {#blank#}6{#/blank#} offered me steamed vegetables, fruits, and foods higher in protein like beans which were things that I had been previously lacking in my diet.

    Making a change will never be {#blank#}7{#/blank#}easy task but sometimes it takes a hit of tugging to push us towards {#blank#}8{#/blank#}(we) goal. In my case it took an upset stomach and chest pains to learn that fast food wasn't the best choice for my health, but thanks to this now I feel {#blank#}9{#/blank#}(well) than ever. I am {#blank#}10{#/blank#} (constant) going to the gym, and I'm still eating what I love while supporting ray own body.

    It seems that Chinese people have always loved to discuss {#blank#}1{#/blank#} differences between northerners and southerners. Now, another difference has drawn wide attention: the way northerners and southerners shop for food at markets.

    People from southern China normally buy {#blank#}2{#/blank#}they need for just one or two meals at a time. It's normal for them to buy just half a Chinese cabbage, two {#blank#}3{#/blank#}（potato）and 25 grams of beef at a time, {#blank#}4{#/blank#}， a person may be laughed at if they do this in the north. Instead, buying enough vegetables and meat for a week {#blank#}5{#/blank#}（be）normal.

    The difference could be because {#blank#}6{#/blank#}the different climates. Food can {#blank#}7{#/blank#}（keep）for a long time in the north, as it's {#blank#}8{#/blank#}（usual）cold and dry there. Many northerners have the habit of {#blank#}9{#/blank#}（store）food for a long time. But due to the hot and wet weather in the south, southern Chinese people prefer {#blank#}10{#/blank#}（buy）just enough food for one meal or one day. Otherwise, the food may go bad.

    Maybe these debates about different customs help us to understand each other better.

Food from the air

    Everyone has seen plants growing, but have you ever thought {#blank#}1{#/blank#} they get their food? In the seventeenth century, a European scientist {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (call) Van Helmot asked this question. Like most people, he thought that plants must get their food from soil. However, Van Helmot decided {#blank#}3{#/blank#} (test) the theory with experiments.

    First, he dried some soil, put it into a pot and weighed it. Next, he weighed a small tree, planted it in the pot and added rain water. Then, he watered it {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (regular) with rain water.

    After five years, he removed the tree from the pot and weighed it again. He found that the tree had gained {#blank#}5{#/blank#} huge amount of weight. When he weighed the soil, however, it was almost exactly the same as it had been five years {#blank#}6{#/blank#}. So Van Helmot drew the {#blank#}7{#/blank#} (conclude) that the tree grew by drinking water. Though it turned out to be wrong, he showed the importance of the use of scientific evidence to support ideas.

    We now know that plants and trees make their own food. Their leaves, when exposed {#blank#}8{#/blank#} the air and sun, are like factories {#blank#}9{#/blank#} can change the energy from the sun into chemical energy. During this process (过程), oxygen and sugar {#blank#}10{#/blank#} (produce). The oxygen is released back into the air, and the sugar is used by the plant as food.

    The Internet {#blank#}1{#/blank#} (become) part of young people's life. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} report shows that 38% of students often use the Internet. Most of them get {#blank#}3{#/blank#} (use) information on the Internet and use the Internet to help in {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (they) studies. But many students don't use it {#blank#}5{#/blank#} a good way. Some play games too much and some visit websites they shouldn't look at. So bad things may happen if students spend too much time on the Internet.

    {#blank#}6{#/blank#} is important for students to use the Internet {#blank#}7{#/blank#} (proper). Now we have a textbook, {#blank#}8{#/blank#} uses many examples to teach students some good ways to use the Internet. It gives some useful {#blank#}9{#/blank#} (advise).

    Some students also make friends on the Internet. But if you want to have a face­to­face {#blank#}10{#/blank#} (meet) with your online friends, let your parents know and meet in a proper place.