Americans are proud of their variety and individuality, yet they love and respect few things more than a uniform, whether it is the uniform of {#blank#}1{#/blank#} elevator operator or the uniform of a five-star general. Why are uniforms so popular there?

    Among the arguments for uniforms is that most uniforms look more {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (profession) than civilian (百姓的) clothes. People expect superior quality from a man {#blank#}3{#/blank#} wears a uniform. The television repairman wearing a uniform tends {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (inspire) more trust. Faith {#blank#}5{#/blank#} the skill of a garage worker is increased by a uniform. Uniforms also have many practical {#blank#}6{#/blank#} (benefit). They save on other clothes and laundry bills. They are  often {#blank#}7{#/blank#} (comfortable) than civilian clothes. Among the arguments against uniforms {#blank#}8{#/blank#} (be) their lack of variety and the loss of individuality. {#blank#}9{#/blank#} there are many types of uniforms, the wearer of any particular typeis generally stuck with it, without change. When people look alike, they will think, speak, and act {#blank#}10{#/blank#} (similar).

Today, enjoy the highlights of Shanghai, China's most {#blank#}1{#/blank#}(energy) city consisting of people from different parts of the world. Your tour will begin with a tour of Old Shanghai, a {#blank#}2{#/blank#}(mix) of pretty narrow streets, traditional Chinese stores, and restaurants selling delicious dumplings, {#blank#}3{#/blank#} is the original pre-war Shanghai. Dating back to 1911 Shanghai, Old Town, was a walled city made up {#blank#}4{#/blank#}(main)of fishermen, but the walls of the city {#blank#}5{#/blank#}(tear) down to allow free movement and easier trade. Continue through the Old Town, {#blank#}6{#/blank#}you'll find the Yu Garden there, first {#blank#}7{#/blank#}(establish) in the Ming Dynasty by a Mandarin named Pan Yunduan, who used to be the governor of Sichuan. The Yu Garden is considered {#blank#}8{#/blank#}the best garden in Southeast China, and enjoys {#blank#}9{#/blank#}history of over 400 years long. A large-scale restoration of the Yu Garden was conducted {#blank#}10{#/blank#}it opened to the public formally in 1961.

    The Great Wall of China is more than 6,000 kilometres long. It winds {#blank#}1{#/blank#} (it) way from west to east, across deserts, over mountains, through valleys{#blank#}2{#/blank#}at last it reaches the sea. The Great Wall has a history of over twenty centuries. The first part of it {#blank#}3{#/blank#}(build) during the Spring and Autumn period. During the Qin Dynasty, {#blank#}4{#/blank#}(keep) the enemy out of his empire, Emperor Qin Shi Huang had all the walls {#blank#}5{#/blank#}(join) up. Thus, the Great Wall came into being. The Great Wall is wide enough at {#blank#}6{#/blank#}top for five horses or ten men to walk side by side. Along the wall are watchtowers, {#blank#}7{#/blank#}soldiers used to keep watch. Fires were lit on the towers as a {#blank#}8{#/blank#} (warn) when the enemy came.

    It was {#blank#}9{#/blank#}(extreme)difficult to build such a wall in the ancient days without any modern machines. All the work was done {#blank#}10{#/blank#}hand. Thousands of men died and were buried under the wall they built. The Great Wall was made not only of stone and earth, but of the flesh and blood of millions of men.

    In 1850, an American lawyer, Bethune, bought a slave to work in his home. The slave, a woman, had a small child{#blank#}1{#/blank#}(call) Tom, who was blind.

    One day, Bethune {#blank#}2{#/blank#}(walk) around his garden when he heard music coming from the house. He went inside and found young Tom playing on the family piano. Bethune {#blank#}3{#/blank#}(immediate) realized that the boy, who was only four, had special abilities. He asked a band of {#blank#}4{#/blank#}(music) to come to the house and play in front of {#blank#}5{#/blank#} (he). Tom reproduced perfectly the music he had heard. Tom was indeed an unusual boy.

    In 1857, "Blind Tom" took part {#blank#}6{#/blank#} his first public performance. The reviews were so good {#blank#}7{#/blank#} Bethune took him on a tour of the US. Three years later, Blind Tom {#blank#}8{#/blank#} (invite) to the White House to perform for the president. Over the next forty years, Tom performed {#blank#}9{#/blank#}(enjoy) shows all over the US and other countries. His concerts were {#blank#}10{#/blank#} mixture of classical music and his own compositions.

    I have been learning English for the last five years and one of the things {#blank#}1{#/blank#} has helped me to improve is reading. I love reading and often read during my free time. First, I {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (start) reading easy things in English, like recipes (食谱) for cooking and short stories {#blank#}3{#/blank#} (write) especially for language learners. Then I moved onto longer stories and newspaper articles. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} first I found that reading was difficult because of the variety of vocabulary and the grammar, {#blank#}5{#/blank#} this soon became easier and I found that I could understand more and more of {#blank#}6{#/blank#} I was reading. I didn't worry if I didn't know all the words, as I could still understand the main ideas. Reading has helped improve my English in many ways. I'm not only {#blank#}7{#/blank#} better and quicker reader, but also my {#blank#}8{#/blank#} (spell), writing, grammar and vocabulary are all much better. I think I have improved faster {#blank#}9{#/blank#} some of my friends who have been learning at the same time as me. So, I would say that everyone who wants to learn a language {#blank#}10{#/blank#} (quick) should read.