Several times each year the Queen gives afternoon tea parties. But she simply sits beside a big silver plate, pouring cups of tea for everyone and {#blank#}1{#/blank#} (skill) avoiding the cakes and sandwiches.

    At cocktail parities the Queen moves from group to group, chatting informally, and manages to make one glass of drink last {#blank#}2{#/blank#} entire evening.

    Tours abroad are difficult because hosts seem to have a {#blank#}3{#/blank#} (believe) that the warmth of their welcome must be shown with wonderful state banquets (宴会). But the Queen has perfected the art of appearing to enjoy her meal without actually {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (eat) much.

    During one visit to the Pacific islands of Tonga, a specially– {#blank#}5{#/blank#} (prepare) dinner was arranged in her honor. The Queen looked uneasily at her plate when she discovered a whole roast pig was her serving.

    Then a turkey, some meat, an apple and bananas {#blank#}6{#/blank#} (carry) in for each guest. But she depended on her old favorite trick of talking with her host, King Tupou IV, and carrying {#blank#}7{#/blank#} a warm conversation.

    Sometimes the Queen will seem so carried away by foreign leader's political chat {#blank#}8{#/blank#} she simply never has time {#blank#}9{#/blank#} (finish) a meal before it is time to get up and make her speech. She will lift her fork to swallow a mouthful, and then put {#blank#}10{#/blank#} down again to make another point, leaving almost all of her meal untouched.

    The giant panda loves bamboo. An adult panda requires 12.5 kilograms of bamboo, which it{#blank#}1{#/blank#}(hungry) pulls out with its powerful paws, to satisfy its daily needs. Wild pandas live only in the high bamboo forests of Central China. These mountain forests are cool and wet--just as pandas like it. In the summer, they may climb as high as 4000 meters to help themselves to bamboo {#blank#}2{#/blank#}（grow) at higher altitudes. Frequently, pandas{#blank#}3{#/blank#}(see) eating in a relaxed sitting position, with their back legs stretched out before them.{#blank#}4{#/blank#} they may appear inactive, they are in fact skilled tree-climbers and efficient swimmers.

    Giant pandas are unsociable. They have a highly developed sense of smell that males use{#blank#}5{#/blank#}(avoid) each other and to find females for mating in the spring. After a five-month pregnancy, a female gives birth {#blank#}6{#/blank#} a cub. The blind baby pandas weigh only 142 grams and cannot crawl(爬行){#blank#}7{#/blank#} they reach three months of age{#blank#}8{#/blank#} are born white, and develop their much loved coloring later.

    There are only about 1000 giant pandas left in {#blank#}9{#/blank#} wild, with perhaps another 100 in zoos. Because they are so rare, much of{#blank#}10{#/blank#} we know about pandas comes from studying these zoo animals.

    Gymnast Shawn Johnson is my favorite athlete. Back at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, I was very {#blank#}1{#/blank#} (excite) when she won the gold medal on the balance beam. Years later, Shawn wrote an autobiography, Winning Balance. I was only ten years old{#blank#}2{#/blank#}she wrote her book and I wanted to wait a few years to read {#blank#}3{#/blank#} since I had a feeling that I wouldn't understand the book then.{#blank#}4{#/blank#} (release) in June 2012, the book won much popularity among her fans.

    Shawn talks about her experiences as a gymnast and her post-Olympic life in her book. One of the things that she wants her readers{#blank#}5{#/blank#}(get) from reading the book is that “behind all the glory and glitz(浮华) I am able to have a normal life”. She hopes that her reader, especially {#blank#}6{#/blank#} (girl) in middle school and high school, will get really{#blank#}7{#/blank#}(encourage) by reading her book and believe that dreams will{#blank#}8{#/blank#}(actual) come true. I believe that gymnasts around the world {#blank#}9{#/blank#}(take) a lot from this book because in some situations they experience {#blank#}10{#/blank#} same things in gymnastics.

    As one of "China's new four great inventions", China's high-speed rail eyes the world again with "Fuxing". It is proud of a top speed of 400 km/h and a continuous speed of 350 km/h. It is {#blank#}1{#/blank#} (total) designed and produced by Chinese engineers {#blank#}2{#/blank#} any help from the West.

    China's high-speed train is not only known for its amazing speed, but also for its safety and comfort. Last year, it safely carried 1.4 billion {#blank#}3{#/blank#}, or the total population of Africa and South America {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (combine).

    In 2015, a video taken by a Swedish traveler became popular on social media both at {#blank#}5{#/blank#} and abroad. In the nine-minute video, a coin stood upright all the time on a fast-running high-speed train. It shows the steadiness (稳定) of China's high-speed train, {#blank#}6{#/blank#} (give) visitors a comfortable travelling experience.

    The service on China's high-speed rail is still improving. The new bullet train plans to increase the height, and the Wi-Fi network will {#blank#}7{#/blank#} the whole train. Its air conditioning system is designed to reduce the influence of the external pressure wave {#blank#}8{#/blank#} the train is passing through tunnels, easing {#blank#}9{#/blank#} (comfort) of ears.

    The rapid development of China's high-speed rail in the past five years {#blank#}10{#/blank#} (mark) China's increasing strength in technology and innovation. It has become a new symbol, showing China's great progress to the world.

    Few people I know seem to have much desire or time to cook. Making Chinese {#blank#}1{#/blank#} (dish) is seen as especially troublesome. Many westerners {#blank#}2{#/blank#} come to China cook much less than in their own countries once they realize how cheap {#blank#}3{#/blank#} can be to eat out. I still remember {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (visit) a friend who'd lived here for five years and I {#blank#}5{#/blank#} (shock) when I learnt she hadn't cooked once in all that time.

    While regularly eating out seems to {#blank#}6{#/blank#} (become) common for many young people in recent years, it's not without a cost. The obvious one is money; eating out once or twice a week may be {#blank#}7{#/blank#} (afford) but doing this most days adds up. There could be an even {#blank#}8{#/blank#} (high) cost on your health. Researchers have found that there is a direct link between the increase in food eaten outside the home and the rise in {#blank#}9{#/blank#} (weigh) problems.

    If you are not going to suffer this problem, then I suggest that the next time you go to your mum's home {#blank#}10{#/blank#} dinner, get a few cooking tips from her. Cooking food can be fun. You might also begin to notice the effects not only on your health but in your pocket.

    Nowadays more and more people like to travel, {#blank#}1{#/blank#} (especial) when vacations come.A great number of people rush out of their homes or companies to {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (travel) spots. They either drive or take a bus, a train, a ship {#blank#}3{#/blank#} so on. Some even ride bikes.

    However, there {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (be) another way of travelling—poorism. People have a tour in {#blank#}5{#/blank#} poorest areas of the worlds Some people may take a one-day poorest tour, and some even pay to stay in very poor neighborhoods {#blank#}6{#/blank#} (experience) the lowest living standards in the worlds Poorism tours take place around the world, and not just in the third world {#blank#}7{#/blank#} (country).You can, for instance, tour New York neighborhoods in the Bronx. Such tours can take people into the heart of poor areas. These tours may awaken people to pay {#blank#}8{#/blank#} (much) attention to long-standing poverty, or the effects of war.

    Some think that tours in the poor areas can raise social care. And the money from the tour can {#blank#}9{#/blank#} (donate) to help the people {#blank#}10{#/blank#} live there.