Last Friday a storm swept through two villages in the New Territories, {#blank#}1{#/blank#}  (destroy) fourteen homes. Seven others were so badly damaged {#blank#}2{#/blank#} their owners had to leave them, and fifteen others had broken windows or roofs. One person was killed, several were {#blank#}3{#/blank#} (serious) hurt and taken to hospital, and a number of other people received smaller hurt. Altogether over two hundred people were homeless after the storm.

    A farmer, Mr. Tan, said that the storm began early {#blank#}4{#/blank#} the morning and lasted for over an hour.

    “I {#blank#}5{#/blank#} (eat) with my wife and children,” he said, “when we heard a loud noise. A few minutes later our house fell down on top of us. We tried our best {#blank#}6{#/blank#} (climb) out but then I saw that one of my children was {#blank#}7{#/blank#} (miss). I went back inside and found him, safe {#blank#}8{#/blank#} very frightened.”

    Mrs. Woo Mei Fong said that her husband had just left for work when she {#blank#}9{#/blank#} (feel) that her house was moving. She ran outside at once with her children.

    Soldiers helped to take people out of the flooded area and the welfare department brought {#blank#}10{#/blank#} (they) food, clothes and shelter.

    The seventh day of the seventh lunar month, called the Chinese Valentine's Day, is the only Chinese festival {#blank#}1{#/blank#} (connect) with love in the lunar calendar. Valentine's Day in China usually{#blank#}2{#/blank#}(fall) in August.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}the evening of the 7th day of the 7th lunar month, Niulang and Zhinü meet on a bridge of magpies across the Milky Way. If it rains that night, the rain will be the tears of Niulang and Zhinü.

    Compared with love stories in western legends (传说){#blank#}4{#/blank#}story of Niulang and Zhinü seem not so romantic. They just wait patiently on the riverbank,{#blank#}5{#/blank#} (believe) that their love can be worth their not staying together. Unlike St. Valentine's Day in other{#blank#}6{#/blank#}(country), there is not so much importance on giving chocolates,

    {#blank#}7{#/blank#}(beauty) flowers and kisses. Instead, Chinese girls prepare fruits, melons and so on as offerings to Zhinü. They ask Zhinü to give them wisdom and high skills in making hand-made arts with needles in the hope of finding their satisfactory husbands. On that day, people in love like to go to the local temple and hope{#blank#}8{#/blank#}(get) their love and possible marriage.

    At night, people sit outdoors to observe the stars {#blank#}9{#/blank#}(happy). Some old people  say  that  if  you  stand  under  a  grapevine  ( 葡 萄 藤 ),  you  can  probably  overhear{#blank#}10{#/blank#} Niulang and Zhinü are talking about.

    When Mr. Wang, a Chinese calligraphy(书法)master and painter, invited me to his studio, I got extremely{#blank#}1{#/blank#} (delight) . What a treat!

    His apartment doubles as his studio, {#blank#}2{#/blank#} he creates calligraphy works and paintings as well. The living room has a long desk with a collection of{#blank#}3{#/blank#} (brush) of varying sizes, two big ink pots and a pair of paper weights.

    Mr. Wang showed his latest work, a scroll(卷轴)of the Great Wall at Badaling {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (wind) its way along the steep hills, which {#blank#}5{#/blank#} (recognize) as a World Heritage Site by the United Nations in 1987. The beauty of the seven-meter-long scroll painting was beyond {#blank#}6{#/blank#} (describe).

    He told me someone had offered a large amount of money for the painting, but he refused {#blank#}7{#/blank#}(part) with it as he wanted to donate to the National Museum.

After that, Mr. Wang invited me to practice calligraphy, and it was the first time that I had {#blank#}8{#/blank#}(true) experienced the beauty of the line. It was then{#blank#}9{#/blank#} I noticed Mr. Wang appeared to have a healthy body. I wondered if practicing calligraphy kept him so fit. Whether that is true, one thing is certain; as Mr. Wang put{#blank#}10{#/blank#}, "Only do one thing and do it well—that's the secret to success"