Few people would even think of beginning a new job at the age of 76, {#blank#}1{#/blank#} one of America's most famous artists did just that.Anna Mary Robertson, better known as “Grandma Moses”， turned to painting {#blank#}2{#/blank#} she was too old to work on her farm.

Grandma Moses was crazy about painting soon after she picked it up and worked hard at it.She painted {#blank#}3{#/blank#} (care) and her works were nice.She first painted only to please {#blank#}4{#/blank#}， and then began to sell her works {#blank#}5{#/blank#} a little money.In 1993, a collector, Louis Caldor happened to see several of Grandma Moses' works {#blank#}6{#/blank#} (hang) in a shop.He liked them, {#blank#}7{#/blank#} (buy) them at once, and set out to look for {#blank#}8{#/blank#}．Caldor held {#blank#}9{#/blank#} show to introduce the works of Grandma Moses to other artists. Grandma Moses, {#blank#}10{#/blank#} was world­famous, died on December 13, 1961, at the age of 101.

    My name is Tabitha,a 36-year-old mother living with my three{#blank#}1{#/blank#}(kid) in West Tennessee.I{#blank#}2{#/blank#}(lose) my job a couple of weeks ago and I am still searching for work now.The town{#blank#}3{#/blank#}I live is quite small and finding a job here has proven to be a major task.

    Since leaving my last job,I have found that it's{#blank#}4{#/blank#}(difficult) to make myself employed again than I expected.I have become a full-time homemaker{#blank#}5{#/blank#}(take) care of my motherly duties as well as housework.Apart from caring for my children and taking care of the house,I am still busy looking for part-time and full-time{#blank#}6{#/blank#}(employ) to help my family financially.I{#blank#}7{#/blank#}(frequent) visit our local career center and search online if I have very little free time.

    To be frank,I admit that being unemployed is stressful.I usually find myself lying awake at night and wondering{#blank#}8{#/blank#}I'm going to support my family if I cannot find{#blank#}9{#/blank#}job.In my inner heart,I never think about giving up.Having devoted much effort to my job-hunting,I believe it will pay off one day.Therefore,I will continue to search until I find one that allows me{#blank#}10{#/blank#}(provide) an income for my family.

    After giving a talk at a high school, I was asked {#blank#}1{#/blank#} (pay) a visit to a special student. An {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (ill) had kept the boy home, but he had expressed an interest {#blank#}3{#/blank#} meeting me. I was told it would mean a great deal to him, so I agreed.

    The thirteen-year-old, {#blank#}4{#/blank#} had muscular dystrophy（肌肉萎缩症）, wanted to meet me because I was a gold-medal power lifter, and I knew how to deal with difficulties.

    I spent over an hour talking to him. Never once {#blank#}5{#/blank#} he complain or ask, “Why me?” He spoke about going for his dreams. {#blank#}6{#/blank#} (obvious), he knew what he was talking about. He didn't mention his classmates had made fun of him because he was {#blank#}7{#/blank#} (disable). He just talked about his hopes for the future. When we had finished {#blank#}8{#/blank#} (talk), I pulled out {#blank#}9{#/blank#} first gold medal I had won and put it around his neck. He looked at it for a moment, then {#blank#}10{#/blank#} (take) it off and handed it back to me. He said, “Someday when I get to the Olympics and win my own medal, I will show it to you.”

    Dogs are often called “man's best friend” and make ideal pets.

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#} most attractive quality of a dog is its faith in its owner. They always greet us when we come home and they will never leave us even {#blank#}2{#/blank#} a desperate (绝望的) situation. For example, there was a very sick man and his dog barked and barked until the rescue team {#blank#}3{#/blank#} (arrive).

    Furthermore, dogs are strong animals {#blank#}4{#/blank#} will protect us. Houses with dogs are considered much {#blank#}5{#/blank#} (safe) than those with burglar alarms (防盗警报器). Not only will they stop thieves, {#blank#}6{#/blank#} they will also guard against fire. For example, there was a serious fire and a dog managed {#blank#}7{#/blank#} (pull) its owner out.

    And {#blank#}8{#/blank#} (final), dogs can be trained by people. Dogs can do a number of things that people can not. For example, they can find drugs, bodies, illegal DVDs and hunt down prisoners with {#blank#}9{#/blank#} (they) nose. They're also used to help the elderly and disabled.

    To sum up, dogs are really friendly, civilized(文明的) and loyal {#blank#}10{#/blank#} (partner).

    China has splendid culture with a long history. Chinese opera is one of the{#blank#}1{#/blank#}(old) dramatic art forms in the world. During the Tang Dynasty, the Emperor Taizong established an opera school {#blank#}2{#/blank#}the poetic name Liyuan (Pear Garden).Since the Yuan Dynasty, encouraged by court officials and emperors, it{#blank#}3{#/blank#}(become)a traditional art form. During the Qing Dynasty, {#blank#}4{#/blank#}became fashionable among ordinary people. Performances{#blank#}5{#/blank#}(watch) in tearooms, restaurants, and even on temporary stages.

    It developed from folk songs, dance, talking, antimasque（滑稽戏）and especially distinctive dialectical music. Gradually it combined music, art and literature into one performance on the stage.{#blank#}6{#/blank#}(accompany) by traditional musical instruments, actors present unique melodies which may sound strange to{#blank#}7{#/blank#}(foreign)as well as beautifully written dialogues, which are of high literary{#blank#}8{#/blank#}(valuable).These dialogues also promoted the development of distinct literary styles, such as Zaju in the Yuan Dynasty. For Chinese, especially older folks,{#blank#}9{#/blank#}(listen) to this kind of opera occasionally is {#blank#}10{#/blank#}real pleasure.