In March 2017, Enea Dumitru-Sorin came to Beijing International Studies University (BISU)    1     (teach) Romanian on a 7-year Eastern European languages teaching program. He was     2     (immediate) impressed when he arrived in Beijing.

“Everything looks so big, and I was afraid I would get lost. When     3     (arrive), I only knew how to say hi, how to pronounce my name and how to say where I come from in Chinese. Luckily, I discovered the Chinese people are very friendly and many of them can speak English. I found out that the phone apps can help figure out the solutions     4     some problems,” said Sorin.

He     5     (fascinate) by China’s picturesque scenery when he went traveling in July 2023. “Xizang is beautiful and is different from what I thought. I had the impression that it would be covered in snow     6     would be very cold because of the high altitude. I didn’t expect that Xizang would be so dry and have so much desert. So far the efforts people     7     (make) to have forests there are amazing. I think that in the future, most parts of Xizang will be greener and the life of the people will be     8     (easy),” said Sorin.

“I like my job, and I like to work with Chinese students,    9     are smart and hardworking. I have very good relations with my colleagues, and I feel we are like     10     big family,” he added.

2 . One day, I was appointed to be a volunteer to welcome Alex Haley, the author of The Autobiography of Malcolm X. I was _________ because I feared that I would embarrass myself in front of this famous gentleman. After meeting him, I was struck by how _________ he is.

“I’d like to become a writer, but I don’t know if I have the _________. You’ve accomplished so much. How did you _________ that you had a gift for writing?” I raised my question without hesitation. Mr. Haley laughed,_________, “I didn’t, and I don’t.” “_________ is a craft (技艺),” he said. “I learned to write through practice and persistence.”

He explained that when he entered the Coast Guard in 1939, he was _________ some boring work. He became so bored that he bought a portable typewriter. He began to write letters for sailors who wanted to _________ their parents and others back home but lacked writing skills. He wrote every day. As his writing skills improved, he _________ became a journalist for the Coast Guard.

“If you want to become a writer,” he __________ to say, “don’t worry about whether you have some magic al gift. Put in the work. Write every day, and don’t give up until you __________ it.”

This was not the answer I __________. I thanked him for his advice. After my __________ with Alex Haley, I no longer care about whether I have the “gift” to become a writer.__________, I start writing every day. Within two years, I published three stories in national children ‘s magazines. I’ve been writing and publishing ever since. Had I not met this extraordinary man, I would never have received the benefit of his wise advice and the __________ that followed.

7 . Earlier this year I made a decision to remove all Internet service from my home. It ended up being the best decision I’ve ever made.

I was not content with the time I was wasting —I felt I could do more purposeful things with my time than spend it on the Internet. This doesn’t mean I think the Internet is bad or wrong —it’s not. It is an amazing tool, one that changed my life for the better.

How can I go without Internet service at home? The answer is easy: I plan my Internet use. I don’t do so in a strictly controlled way—it’s not like I say, “OK, I’ll be on Twitter from 2: 00 p. m. to 4: 00 p. m. next Thursday.” If I see something I want to research on the Internet, I write it down and use that list when I have Internet access.

Now I’m forced to leave the house to access the Internet. I’ll go to the library, the coffee shop, or some other place with free public Wi-Fi to work on all the things I need to do online (post writing, check email, read blogs, etc.).

No longer am I taking unconscious (无意识的) breaks from my life to surf the Internet. Now when I’m on the Internet, it has a purpose—it is a tool I use to improve my life. Sure, sometimes I watch some funny videos or laugh at funny pictures, but I go to the Internet with the intention of doing these things.

When I got rid of the Internet at home, I did it mostly so I could focus on writing--but I have found so many extra benefits. I have more time for friends. I have more time to exercise. I no longer want the Internet badly like I once did. My mind is more focused on important things. And I don’t have a monthly Internet bill.