Keeping a diary in English is one of the effective ways to improve our English writing ability.

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#}(compare) with other forms of writing, it is shorter and takes {#blank#}2{#/blank#}(little) time. It can help us to develop the habit of thinking in English. If we persist in(坚持) this practice, gradually we'll learn how to express {#blank#}3{#/blank#}(we) in English. In keeping a diary in English, we certainly run up against many{#blank#}4{#/blank#}(difficult). In the first place, it often happens that we have trouble in {#blank#}5{#/blank#}(find) appropriate words and phrases to give expression to our mind. Secondly, there {#blank#}6{#/blank#}(be) many idiomatic ways of saying things in Chinese. And it is {#blank#}7{#/blank#}(extreme) hard for us to put them into English properly.

    As far as I am concerned, my suggestion is {#blank#}8{#/blank#} we should always have a notebook and a Chinese-English dictionary within easy reach. Whenever something beats us, we can first put it down in our notebook and then consult our dictionary. We can also ask our English teacher {#blank#}9{#/blank#} help, if necessary. In short, I believe that it is of great use to keep a diary in English for{#blank#}10{#/blank#} development of our writing skills.

    Ask helpful Hannah

    Dear helpful Hannah,

    I've got a problem with my husband, Sam. He bought a smart phone a couple of months ago and he took it on our recent ski vacation to Colorado, it was a great trip except for one problem. He has a constant urge {#blank#}1{#/blank#} for next messages; he checks his phone every five minutes! He's so addicted to it that he just can't stand the idea{#blank#}2{#/blank#} there may be an important text. He can't help checking even at inappropriate times like when we are eating in a restaurant and I am talking to him! He behaves {#blank#}3{#/blank#} any small amount of boredom can make him feel the need to check his phone even when he know he shouldn't. The temptation to see {#blank#}4{#/blank#} is connecting him is just too great. When I ask him to put down the phone and stop {#blank#}5{#/blank#}  (ignore) me, he say, “In a minute.” but still checks to see if {#blank#}6{#/blank#} has posted something new on the Internet. Our life {#blank#}7{#/blank#}  (interrupted). If we go somewhere and I ask him to have the phone at home, he suffers from withdrawal symptom. May this dependency on his smart phone has become more than an everyday problem.

    I recently read an article about “nomophobia,”{#blank#}8{#/blank#} is a real illness people can't suffer from the fear of being without your phone! I am worried that Sam maybe suffering from this illness because he feels anxious if he doesn't have his phone with him, even for a short time.

Who would have thought that little devices like these could have brought so much trouble!

    Sick and Tired Sadie

    Nowadays, we can find advertisements almost wherever we go. We are so used to them  {#blank#}1{#/blank#} we often do not even realize how many we see and hear in {#blank#}2{#/blank#}day. An advertisement uses words and pictures {#blank#}3{#/blank#}(persuade) people to buy a product or service, or to believe {#blank#}4{#/blank#} an idea. There are two main types of advertisements—commercial advertisements {#blank#}5{#/blank#}public service advertisements (PSAs). A commercial advertisement is {#blank#}6{#/blank#}someone has paid for to advertise a product or service. PSAs are often run for free, and {#blank#}7{#/blank#} (mean) to educate people about health, {#blank#}8{#/blank#} (safe), or any other problem that affects public welfare. When {#blank#}9{#/blank#}comes to advertisements, we must all use our {#blank#}10{#/blank#}(intelligent) and not be a slave to them.

    Examinations are of great{#blank#}1{#/blank#}(important) in Chinese schools and universities, so millions of the students take part in them every year. Almost all the students{#blank#}2{#/blank#}(teach) from an early age to understand the nature of examinations. It is true that some students can pass an examination{#blank#}3{#/blank#}(easy) than others, although it doesn't mean they are better with their study.

    Quite a few students are afraid of examinations though they master {#blank#}4{#/blank#}they have learned very well. Sometimes the fear of examinations comes from pressure.

    People think pressure is good for students{#blank#}5{#/blank#}it can make the students{#blank#}6{#/blank#}(try) harder and make some school work more challenging. But too much pressure may even cause diseases {#blank#}7{#/blank#}will influence students' academic performance badly.

    No student succeeds {#blank#}8{#/blank#}hard work. If one spends little little{#blank#}9{#/blank#}(work) on their lessons every day, they can't expect {#blank#}10{#/blank#}good result at the end of the term. Developing study skills can get students to learn better and to pass examinations with ease if they understand the lessons and the work involved.

    A material can be really special when it was named after the place where it {#blank#}1{#/blank#} (create) originally. That certainly the case {#blank#}2{#/blank#} “china”. And of all types of china, white porcelain(瓷)is among the most famous.

    Nowadays, the {#blank#}3{#/blank#} (tradition)material has taken on a modern look in the  {#blank#}4{#/blank#}(hand)of four Chinese artists in the Modern White Porcelain Exhibition. And the key word here is “modern”. One of the works {#blank#}5{#/blank#} (be) a porcelain boat. But look {#blank#}6{#/blank#} (attentive) and you'll see that the boat {#blank#}7{#/blank#} (build) with porcelain looks like a takeout box. Inside the boat is a statue of a baby. The baby stands for humans and the boat is {#blank#}8{#/blank#} supports life. It suggests we may have done some damage to {#blank#}9{#/blank#} environment and that we're treating life like fast food.

    All the four artists gave white porcelain a modem style, each in {#blank#}10{#/blank#} (they)own way. And this is what the exhibition's theme comes from. It's a dialogue between the past and the present.