Emily was an eighth grader. To pass her Civics course, she had to do some volunteer services in a nursing home for a week.

    One Monday, Emily went to the nursing home after school. When she arrived, she was told she would spend an hour every weekday with an elderly lady, Mrs Blair. She was then led into a room, where an old lady in a flowery dress was sitting on a sofa.

    Emily stood awkwardly（别扭地）in front of the lady. She cleared her throat and said, "Good afternoon. I'm Emily."

    "Good afternoon, Emily. Take a seat, please." Mrs. Blair replied.

    Then,1filled the space between them. Emily wondered what to say.

    "Tell me about yourself, Emily," Mrs Blair said suddenly.

    "Well," Emily started, "I don't have any grandparents, so I don't know how to get on well with elderly people. I love the performing arts. I'm here mainly because I have to volunteer here to get a good grade for my Civics class."

    Mrs Blair didn't seem to mind. 'Many people, especially teens, don't seem to2old people like me. Now you are here, and I'm going to change that about you. Ask me anything."

    Emily thought for a moment, and finally decided, "What was your job?"

    "I was a Broadway star in the 1950s."MrsBlair answered.

    Cool! Can you tell me about it?" Emily asked, amazed.

    Mrs Blair smiled. "Back then3the lead actress had the honor to wear a special bracelet. I was the lead in almost all of the plays, so I always wore the bracelet. Till this day, I still have it."

    Emily smiled along with Mrs Blair and listened to the other stories attentively. She had become very4Mrs Blair's stories. She decided to come earlier the next day.

    Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday passed by quickly. Then came Friday. As she was leaving, Emily was really upset to say goodbye.

    "Don't be sad. You can still visit me," Mrs Blair comforted her. She then handed a small box to Emily, "It's my gift to you."

    Emily5opened the box and was surprised to see what was inside. "It's the bracelet that you wore. Thank you!" Emily said, with tears in her eyes free.

    I'm sure to visit you whenever I'm on the way home, Emily thought of her own love for the performing arts. She touched the bracelet and6that she would keep her word to Mrs Blair.

    "I can't believe what I'm hearing!" I thought to myself. Jeff was the last candidate (候选人) for president of Students' Union. My best friend Tony came to me and said, "I'm 1, Mike. I really thought you should be 2."

    Later that day, I happened to pass Jeff in the dining room. I offered him a polite " 3" and walked to my usual table. To my surprise, Jeff put his plate beside mine.

    "I'm, er-I'm just wondering 4 you would…consider coming to work on my team," he said 5. "You are really smart, and you would be a great manager."

    "I don't think so," I replied, feeling 6.

    "Well, if you change your mind, we are meeting tomorrow," he said before moving to 7 table.

    All that night, I thought about the offer from Jeff. Maybe being a part of the election process (选举过程) would give me a chance to make important changes at our school. I 8 to join them.

    My first goal was to 9 an attractive advertisement. Within a few days, we designed a10 with Jeff's pictures showing him in a number of activities. No one could walk through any hallway without passing Jeff's smiling face.

    My next step was to 11 which new activities students would like to have at our school. Many of them wanted a chess club and a volleyball team. With the information I had collected, Jeff met with the headmaster. The headmaster 12 to add these activities to our school program.

    With my help, Jeff and our ideas were well received at school.

    An eighth grader said, "It'll be like attending a new school with Jeff as president."

    Hearing these words made my heart filled with 13. I had wanted to become president of Student Council to make a difference. I achieved that and more by working as a member of Jeff's team. He became the most popular candidate and I was a large part of his 14. The fact that it has made a(n) 15 in other people's lives is the real prize. What a great feeling!

In winter and spring, the flu is a kind of serious illness. In fact, it is hard for you to stay away from it. However, there are some ways to cut down the possibility of catching it.

{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

According to a study, the immune system(免疫系统) in the body doesn't work well in the cold weather, while viruses(病毒) don't like the warm body. So wearing enough clothes may help keep away from them.

{#blank#}2{#/blank#}

Although it's possible for you to keep away from anyone coughing, you're more likely to pick up viruses from something you touch. "Wash hands often. If there is no way to clean hands, try not to touch your eyes or nose," said Dr Walton. "This is a common way for viruses to get into your body."

{#blank#}3{#/blank#}

When you're sleeping, your body is able to produce something to fight with viruses. People who sleep for seven to eight hours will have a stronger immune system than those who sleep less. According to Dr Walton, if you can't get enough sleep during the night, a 30-minute daytime nap is enough to make up for the bad effect of the poor nighttime sleep on the immune system.

{#blank#}4{#/blank#}

Taking enough exercise can keep the immune system work better. However, doing too much exercise may bring some bad results. For example, you may catch viruses more easily.

{#blank#}5{#/blank#}

To keep away from the flu, having flu jabs(预防针) is necessary and important. "It's true that the jab can't protect us against all kinds of flu, but it can save lives. I certainly have one every year,"says Dr Walton.

Do you know Dragon King in the novel Journey to the West? He can control rain. When he sneezes, it rains.

Dragons are common in Chinese culture. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}. How often do your parents say "wang zi cheng long"? They say it because they want you to be successful. That means you not only have the ability to control your life but also have much time to have fun.

Chinese dragons are not real. They usually have fantastic power like controlling the weather. The Chinese emperors liked dragons very much. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}. They hoped they could have the power, too.

{#blank#}3{#/blank#}. In the West, there is a bad dragon. It has seven heads and eats babies! Western dragons look like dinosaurs. They don't have moustaches, but do have wings. In stories, they spit out (吐出) fire and catch women. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}. In one of the Harry Potter stories, Harry Potter has to kill a deadly dragon to get a gold egg.

Because of this, some Chinese experts have advised changing the English word for Chinese dragons to "Loong". They believe the word "dragon" makes western people think badly about China. But some don't agree. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}. Most western people already know the differences between Chinese dragons and western dragons.

Chinese opera is one of the oldest art forms in the world. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Different parts of China have their own local opera and there are more than 300 different kinds. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Actors in Sichuan opera wear specially painted masks on their faces in many different colors. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} They will suddenly change completely, and all the time, the actor is dancing beautifully with many difficult movements. Some actors can change face ten times in twenty seconds, and yet you never see their fingers touch their face.

Of course, you realize that the actor has many different masks, one on top of the other. They are made from very thin silk in bright colors. If the actor turns his back to you, you think he is changing his mask while you cannot see him doing it. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Then he shakes his head suddenly and that mask has changed, like magic, into another one! You cannot believe your eyes, and yet it has happened!

To be able to change the masks without being seen is a very special skill. It takes much time to learn it perfectly. The exact method used by the actors is a closely guarded secret that is only passed on from father to son or master to apprentice（学徒）. As China's influence develops around the world Chinese culture travels too. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

Here is a recipe:

Ingredients: 2 potatoes; 1 egg; 2 spoons of flour (面粉); 3 spoons of vegetable oil (植物油); 1 spoon of salt.

Instructions:

*Peel the potatoes and cut them up. Cook them for 20~25 minutes and then put them into a bowl.

*Break the egg into the bowl. Also add the salt and flour to it.

*Mix them all up.

*Put the pan (平底锅) on the gas cooker (煤气灶) and turn on the gas cooker.

*When the pan is warm, pour the vegetable oil into it.

*Then pour the mixture in the bowl into the pan when the oil is at a high temperature.

*Turn it over from time to time. Bake (烘焙) it for about five minutes.

*Finally, you can enjoy it.