In much of Asia, especially the so-called “rice bowl” cultures of China, Japan, Korea, {#blank#}1{#/blank#}Vietnam, food is usually eaten with chopsticks.

    Chopsticks are usually two long, thin pieces of wood or bamboo. They can also be made of plastic, animal bone or metal. Sometimes chopsticks are quite artistic. Truly elegant chopsticks might {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (make) of gold and silver with Chinese characters. Skilled workers also combine various hardwoods and metal {#blank#}3{#/blank#} (create) special designs.

    The Chinese have used chopsticks for five thousand years. People probably cooked their food in large pots, {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (use) twigs（树枝）to remove it. Over time, {#blank#}5{#/blank#} the population grew, people began cutting food into small pieces so it would cook more quickly. Food in small pieces could be eaten easily with twigs which {#blank#}6{#/blank#}(gradual) turned into chopsticks.

    Some people think that the great Chinese scholar Confucius, {#blank#}7{#/blank#} lived from roughly 551 to 479 B.C., influenced the {#blank#}8{#/blank#} (develop) of chopsticks. Confucius believed knives would remind people of killings and {#blank#}9{#/blank#} (be) too violent for use at the table.

    Chopsticks are not used everywhere in Asia. In India, for example, most people traditionally eat {#blank#}10{#/blank#} their hands.

    Many people believe small talk is very{#blank#}1{#/blank#}(bore).Although that is true,there are many places where small talk is very important.In Western culture,strangers talk to other strangers{#blank#}2{#/blank#}(frequent).On the other hand,small talk is not so common in Eastern culture.Strangers are{#blank#}3{#/blank#}(friend)to one another in Western culture,and small talk is very important to English learning.One other place where small talk is important is in{#blank#}4{#/blank#}interview.Besides,the best way to learn small talk is to provide many examples.Here are some{#blank#}5{#/blank#}(suggest)about how to use examples.Small talk{#blank#}6{#/blank#}(involve)many different topics.In other words,students can learn several lessons,{#blank#}7{#/blank#}(cover)other subjects,such as sports,jobs,schools,etc.Once we have started the small talk,{#blank#}8{#/blank#}is your responsibility to keep the conversation{#blank#}9{#/blank#}(focus)on your work and study.In order to do so,you can talk about anything{#blank#}10{#/blank#}is not too personal.

    阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容（1个单词）或括号内单词的正确形式。

    In China, there are {#blank#}1{#/blank#}(variety) means of transport for day-to-day living: subways, buses, cars, and even bikes… but taxis rank high on the list.

    Taxis are certainly the most convenient, as {#blank#}2{#/blank#}requires little effort to raise your arm to call a cab. Besides, fares in China are affordable. They start in daytime hours in the capital at 13 yuan for {#blank#}3{#/blank#}first 3 kilometers, after {#blank#}4{#/blank#}you pay another 2.3 yuan per kilometer. This is far {#blank#}5{#/blank#}expensive than that in European capitals. In London, for example, two kilometers' ride could cost you about 63 yuan.

    Taxicabs , as we know today, first appeared in China in the early 20th century, but {#blank#}6{#/blank#}(be) the reserve (特权) of the rich and the powerful. Nowadays, taking a cab is common in China.

    Before coming to China, I {#blank#}7{#/blank#}(warn) that there were awful drivers who would make long detours (绕行) {#blank#}8{#/blank#} (get) higher fares. {#blank#}9{#/blank#}, most taxi drivers I have met are nice. They know the city like the back of their hands, and are glad to be {#blank#}10{#/blank#}some help.

    Though quite {#blank#}1{#/blank#} few Chinese students say that their knowledge of English grammar is good, {#blank#}2{#/blank#} most would admit that their oral English is poor.

    Whenever I speak to Chinese students, they always say, “My oral English is poor.” {#blank#}3{#/blank#} , their oral English does not have to remain “poor” ! I would like to suggest that there may be some {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (reason) for the problems with their {#blank#}5{#/blank#}  (speak) English. First, they fail to find suitable words to express {#blank#}6{#/blank#} (they) due to a limited vocabulary. Second, they are afraid of making mistakes. The {#blank#}7{#/blank#} (three) reason is that not enough attention {#blank#}8{#/blank#} （pay）to listening.

    If you don't use your English beyond the classroom，you will forget {#blank#}9{#/blank#} you know. Remember: USE IT OR LOSE IT! You can learn how to speak English better {#blank#}10{#/blank#} speaking English more.

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#} is well known, optimism(乐观)plays an important role in one's life. Although we are facing many difficulties, we should keep optimistic. Optimism is a mental(精神的)attitude or world view and it means expecting {#blank#}2{#/blank#} best possible result from any given situation.

    I did {#blank#}3{#/blank#} (poor) in English in the past, but I never gave up struggling(搏斗). All my families, teachers and friends encouraged {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (I) and they taught me a lot of {#blank#}5{#/blank#} (use) ways of learning English. I {#blank#}6{#/blank#} (keep) practicing as they told me to do. I listened to English news and songs and I read interesting English stories. At weekends, watching some English movies was another good way to make my English better. {#blank#}7{#/blank#}difficulties I came across, I tried my best to work them out. I believe in myself, {#blank#}8{#/blank#} (believe) that hard work would finally pay off. Gradually, I make progress in my English. Nowadays, I can remember English words {#blank#}9{#/blank#} (easy) and use them freely when communicating with foreigners.

    Thanks to optimism, I have become one of the top English {#blank#}10{#/blank#} (learn) in my school now.

注意：每个空格只填一个单词。

    Changes are hard for many people to accept. However, what's worth keeping in mind is that life is constantly changing. We might lose our jobs, lose our loved ones, or have other life-changing things, but these changes are just part of life. We might not like how society is changing or how our community is changing, but we need to be able to deal with these changes in a positive way. Luckily, there are many ways to view changes, to deal with them and to finally accept them.

To deal with changes wisely, you should accept that feeling when a type of change is upsetting you. There's no way you'll get past it if you ignore it and don't work through it. Thus, if you've lost your job, let yourself feel mad and/or disappointed. You can even express your feelings to others, but do so in a polite way. Also you can ask yourself, "Why am I upset or worried about this change?" Then, "What is it that I believe will happen, as a result of this change?" And then, "Are these thoughts and beliefs correct and practical?" Going through these questions can help you determine if the change is really worth worrying about. What's more, even though the change can have a negative effect on your life, in most situations you can use it to turn a loss into an opportunity or a way to rediscover your enthusiasm for life.

    Of course, when it comes to dealing with changes, taking action is more important. If you're going through a period in your life when the change is negatively influencing you, make yourself busy. Making yourself busy, by working, producing something or engaging socially with others, will do more than just make you forget worries–it'll help you contribute to changing your life positively for the future. Besides, you can try something you've never done before.

    An important part of accepting changes is finding a way to move on and thinking about your future. By looking ahead, you'll be able to better deal with the past and accept it as that had to happen in order to move forward. So accept the change that makes you uncomfortable, and determine you're going to try to use your energies to make an even better world. In this way, you're using it to power what you think is a positive change.