Life in the past and present

Your grandparents’ teenage days

When my grandparents were young, they wrote letters to keep in touch with others. They used     1    . Their letters were sent by post and it took several days to reach people. While they were     2     the reply, they might feel worried.

Now

Today we     3     to keep in touch with our friends. Our emails can reach others     4     and we can get a reply in a short time. We do not use paper to write emails, so we can save     5     trees and help protect the environment.

Come and study in Los Angeles! You are     1     to learn a lot from the course, for example, improve your English and understand more about American     2     at the same time. The courses last for     3     weeks. Our teachers are well trained and have a lot of experience. We also hope you will form close     4     with the other students in your class. You can stay in a hotel or as a     5     with a family but that depend on your personal     6    . If you stay with the family, you will take part in their daily life. You will have meals with the family and do some activities with them too. The school     7     books and computers to help you study, and the teachers set some     8     every week to check your     9    . Do not forget—you must fill out a form and     10     at least one month before you start the course.

3 .

Hundreds of years ago, news was carried from place to place by people on foot or by horse. It took days, weeks and sometimes months for people to     1     news. Now it is possible to send words and pictures around the world in     2    . Newspapers have been an important     3     of everyday life since the 18th century. Many countries have hundreds of different newspapers. How do newspaper editors decide which news to print? Why do they prefer some stories and not others? What makes a good newspaper story?

Firstly, it is important to report new stories. Secondly, a news story has to be interesting and     4    . In addition, many people are interested in news in foreign countries, but more prefer to read stories about people, places and     5     in their own countries. So in Chinese newspapers, the stories on the     6     page are usually very different from the ones in other countries.

Are you looking for something fun? Would you like to help others in your     1     time? Then join us to be a volunteer! We’re a non-profit (非盈利的) organization. We have volunteer jobs of all ages. Anyone, from twelve-year-old children to people     2     can become a volunteer.

You can help people in many ways. Schools need help with taking care of children     3     parents are working. Animal hospitals need volunteers to     4     animals while animals are sick. Book lovers can     5     a volunteer after-school reading program. There is something for everyone.

“As a volunteer, I don’t want to get     6    . Seeing the look of joy on the children’s faces, I get such a strong feeling of     7    .” said Carlos Domingo, an old woman of 62. “I     8     computer games in my spare time before. Now I help old people learn how to use computers,” said another volunteer     9     18.

If everyone helps     10     a little, we will have a better world to live in. Interested? Call us at 010-800-555-5756 or visit our website: www.activol.com.

Come to learn English in Los Angeles! We can     1     you great summer English courses. You will love coming to Los Angeles to learn about American culture and improve your English at the same time.

The courses last for four, six or eight weeks. They start at the end of July. Our teachers are well trained and have a lot of     2    . They teach English classes for four hours a day. You can work in small or large groups: it     3     on your personal choice. We provide books, and we set tests every week to check your     4    . There are also computers for     5     study.

As     6     as learning English, we want you to experience life in the US. You can stay as a guest with an American family and take     7     in their daily life. You will have meals with the family and do some activities with them too. For many of our students this is the     8     part of the course. Many families form     9     friendships with the students and stay in     10     with them. But if you prefer, of course, you can stay in a hotel.

Do you use emojis (表情符号) on your mobile phone? One of the nicest things about emojis is that people from all over the world can understand them. But I have     1     learned that some emojis have different     2     in China. So we need to be careful when using emojis.

Take the smiling face emoji for example. At first, I thought it was     3     a normal, friendly smile. But later, I     4     that it could mean something different. It could mean that someone was looking down on you or even laugh at you. Later I read     5     that the emoji was smiling, but its eyes were looking downward, which made it     6     an unreal smile.

What about the smiling face with a waving hand? It certainly looks friendly enough. But in fact, some people use this emoji     7     they don’t want to talk to someone—the hand is waving “goodbye”. It is telling you that “You should not talk to me again”.

In fact, some emojis also have     8     meanings in Western countries. One of my favorite emojis is the “cry-laugh” emoji. At first, it meant “rolling on the floor laughing” or ROFL. But over the years, the meaning     9    . It is often used to describe situations that are so sad that you can’t help but laugh to make     10     happy.

It looks like the language of emojis changes over time, just like real language. We should be careful about how we use it when speaking to others.

Everyone is good at something, but some people are truly talented. It’s always interesting to watch other people show their talents. Talent shows are getting     1     . First, there were shows like American Idol and America’s Got Talent. Now, there are similar shows around the world, such as China’s Got Talent.

All these shows have one thing     2    : They try to look for the best singers, the most talented dancers, the most exciting magicians, the funniest actors and so on. All kinds of people join these shows. But who can play the piano the best or sing     3    ? That’s up to you to decide. When people watch the show, they usually     4     in deciding the winner. And the winner always gets a very good prize.

However, not everybody enjoys watching these shows. Some think that the lives of the performers are     5    . For example, some people say they are poor farmers, but in fact they are just actors. However, if you don’t take these shows too seriously, they are     6     to watch. And one great thing about them is that they give people a way to make their dreams come true.

Welcome to Wang Wang’s Home. We have food and clothes for dogs. The dog’s food is very good and     1    . It’s only 9 dollars for a bag. For clothes, we have T-shirts, shorts and     2    . They are all very cool. Do you     3    shoes for your dog? We have shoes, too. We sell     4    at very good prices. They are 3 dollars for one pair and 5 dollars for two     5    . Come to our store now!

Everyone is good at something. It’s always interesting to     1     other people show their talents. Talent shows are getting more and more     2    .

All of these shows have one thing in common (共同): They try to     3     for the best singers, the most talented dancers, the funniest actors and so on. All kinds of people     4     these shows. But who can     5     the piano best or sing the most beautifully? That’s up to you to decide. When people watch the show, they usually play a     6     in deciding the winner. And the     7     always gets a very good prize.

However, not everybody enjoys watching these shows. Some think that the lives of the performers are not     8    . For example, some people     9     they are farmers, but in fact they are just actors.

One great thing about the shows is that they give people a     10     to make their dreams come true. That’s enough.