Starting a new school term is always exciting.It is a chance {#blank#}1{#/blank#} (see) your friends again.But most exciting of all,the new term lets you take up all hobbies.In Britain it is common for students to take up new hobbies after the Christmas holidays.Promising to learn something new is a common New Year's resolution.

    Most schools offer different kinds {#blank#}2{#/blank#} hobby classes.Students  {#blank#}3{#/blank#} (usual)take  them in their free periods or after school.Some classes you have to pay for but some {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (be) free.For example,I once took a free Wednesday evening gymnastics class {#blank#}5{#/blank#} is offered by my school.But when I learnt how to play the drum,my parents had to pay for the lessons.

    The most popular extra classes at my school were piano lessons and drama lessons.Both classes offered exams students could take.Students with many hobbies sometimes felt {#blank#}6{#/blank#} stressed than those without any.But the students with hobbies left school with many extra {#blank#}7{#/blank#} (skill).

    I haven't continued any of the hobbies I {#blank#}8{#/blank#} (begin) at school.But I have never regretted taking  {#blank#}9{#/blank#} . My {#blank#}10{#/blank#} (good) friend today is someone I met in my gymnastics class.

    How long can a person live?How tall can a human being grow?The Guinness（吉尼斯）World Records book lists many of the greatest records{#blank#}1{#/blank#}the greatest potentials（潜能）.But it's a fossil record.It speaks only to what has been done,not how much can{#blank#}2{#/blank#}(do),which is why it has to be constantly updated（更新）.

    Take the{#blank#}3{#/blank#}(surprise )case of the British middle-distance runner Roger Bannister for example.In the 1950s, experts said{#blank#}4{#/blank#}the human body could not run a mile in less than four minutes.Then Bannister came along in 1954 and proved it could{#blank#}5{#/blank#}act be run in 3:59.4.Once Bannister broke the imaginary barrier{#blank#}6{#/blank#}(sudden )the floodgates opened;scores of runners started besting（击败）the four-minute mark every year,each one{#blank#}7{#/blank#}(fast) than the last. How fast does a human have the ability{#blank#}8{#/blank#}(run)the mile today?We honestly don't know.That is why we hold our{#blank#}9{#/blank#}(breathe )during every Olympics.

    All we know{#blank#}10{#/blank#}(be)that this kind of change is possible.Keep this in mind the next time you feel stuck or challenged.Just because it hasn't been done before doesn't mean it's impossible.

    Charlie Chaplin was considered to be one of the most popular {#blank#}1{#/blank#} (star) in the early days of films. He brightened the lives of people throughout the world {#blank#}2{#/blank#}(use) his perfect acting. Charlie was born in a poor family and lived {#blank#}3{#/blank#} hard life in his childhood. His parents were both poor hall performers,{#blank#}4{#/blank#} didn't make much money. Therefore, at a very young age, Charlie had to learn {#blank#}5{#/blank#} (sing) and dance. By his teens, his subtle acting had become so entertaining {#blank#}6{#/blank#} no one in England was ever bored watching him mime and act the fool doing ordinary everyday tasks. In 1972, he won a special Oscar {#blank#}7{#/blank#}his outstanding work in the films that he wrote, directed, produced, and starred in. He made people laugh even when they felt depressed. And no one has done {#blank#}8{#/blank#} (well) than him up to now.

    Charlie lived in England and the USA but {#blank#}9{#/blank#}(spend) his last years in Switzerland, where he died of {#blank#}10{#/blank#} (nature) causes on December 25, 1977.

    Steam trains were replaced by electric ones many years ago, so when the newspaper I worked for {#blank#}1{#/blank#} (hear) that the Admiral steam engine had been restored (恢复), they decided to send me on {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (it) first trip. I wanted to go even though I {#blank#}3{#/blank#}(general) disliked travelling by train. In fact, I was looking forward to {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (see) something I had never seen before.

    When I arrived at the station, lots of people had already been there for a while, enjoying the {#blank#}5{#/blank#} (celebrate) of the rebirth of the Admiral. At two o'clock, everyone was ready {#blank#}6{#/blank#} (board) the train. I settled myself into a compartment (列车车厢) where I was soon joined by an old man {#blank#}7{#/blank#} claimed to be one of the original workers on the Admiral. He told me how much he had hated being covered in coal dust all {#blank#}8{#/blank#} time. His family had been too poor to buy more things {#blank#}9{#/blank#} the basic necessities. It was a pleasure to listen to him. At every station, people were waiting to greet the train, and it was {#blank#}10{#/blank#}(excite) to see their faces as the past seemed to come alive again.

    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.

    Imagine life today if the printing press had never been invented. We would not have books, posters, magazines or newspapers. The printing press {#blank#}1{#/blank#} (allow) us to share large amounts of information {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (convenient). In fact, the printing press is so significant {#blank#}3{#/blank#} it has come to be known as one of the most important inventions of our time.

    Before the printing press {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (invent), any writings and drawings had to be completed painstakingly by hand. Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press in the mid-1400s, {#blank#}5{#/blank#} led to a huge social and cultural revolution. Long before the Gutenberg press, Chinese {#blank#}6{#/blank#} (improvement) in ink, block printing and movable clay type were made. This expanded the {#blank#}7{#/blank#} (write) word's range of influence.

    Modern print technology has made printing more affordable than ever, whether you're printing thousands of booklets {#blank#}8{#/blank#} a single poster. The industry has even embraced the Digital Age, which has given rise to online printing companies that make it easy for anyone {#blank#}9{#/blank#} (design), print, and mail printed materials by {#blank#}10{#/blank#} (use) their computers.