A Christmas Party

Please mark your calendars for December 21, ladies and gentlemen! We are busy     21     for the coming annual(每年的) Christmas party this Wednesday. The office Christmas tree is already decorated, and holiday balloons are everywhere. The fireplace will     22     up the meeting room and keep us all warm!

For the children, we will have our annual “plastic Christmas sculpture”     23    . I have washed and saved all the plastic knives, forks and spoons we have used in the office for the past year. The children will have an hour to construct a Christmas decoration out of them. There will be a     24     for the most creative one!

Similar to last year, plenty of food will be served, so please come hungry! I expect you to help     25     to cheeseburgers, chicken wings, Italian pizza and a big Christmas themed cake. This year, we will have several cakes in the     26     of presents, such as: chocolate cake, vanilla and fruit flavored cakes.

Speaking of presents—on the invitation I have written that I request your “presence”. So—please don’t bring any Christmas “presents”. I invite you to join me in donating(捐助) money to the China Wildlife Fund for Nature     27    . There will be a piggy bank(小猪储钱罐) on the kitchen table. Just put in whatever amount you like! Every single dollar given by you will be sent to support the     28     of wildlife in China! Pandas and snow leopards need our help to survive.

Hope to see you at the party!

Travel Alone

I am so excited. Also a little nervous! I am off on a trip on my own. Yes! Alone! I am feeling so brave and can’t wait to get going. I am heading off to Europe to see some cities I really want to visit. I am also going to have so much fun. It is great b    56     I can choose what I want to do in each city. I am going to travel by train on the Euro-rail. I can buy one train ticket that l    57     two weeks, and use it all over Europe.

The train trip across Italy was fast and the v    58     of the countryside were beautiful. Now I am in Salzburg, Austria. The quiet hills of Austria are a great place to visit. The movie The Sound of Music was filmed around this area. It is truly beautiful. I enjoy the n    59     scenery of the mountains and the Danube River from my hotel window. There are also many castles and cathedrals to visit. Mozart, the famous musician, was from here. I listened to some of his classical music. I could really r    60     myself when I sipped on a hot cup of coffee.

Amsterdam is a fun city, f    61     of friendly locals and tourists. The train ride to Amsterdam was a long one. It gave me time to write some postcards to send back home. I spent the whole day exploring the art museums here. I took a boat ride a    62     the many water canals(运河) and saw people wearing their wooden clogs(木屐). I even got to taste some delicious Dutch cheese.

Different Attitudes towards Hairstyles

A new research shows that women try 150 different hairstyles in their lifetime, including various cuts, colours and shapes. However, men settle(固定) on their favourite hairstyle after trying only 5 different cuts.

The study of 2,000 women has found that women visit the hairdresser five times a year on average, and about 100 like to try something different with each trip to the hairdresser. Almost half are willing to be experimental and change their hairstyle.

Women are likely to go for two new styles and at least one colour change every year between the ages of 15 and 65. The study found that 64 percent of women will change their hair simply because they are bored with their current style. Nearly 12 percent will change their hair so as to look like a celebrity(名人) while 15 percent will change their style for a wedding. 13 percent of women would change their hairstyle after having a baby. Other reasons for trying a new hairstyle were birthdays.

However, men are not as troublesome as women. They only try five different hairstyles and then stick to their favourite one in their lifetime. Men usually stick with just one style because of its being convenient (68 percent) or being liked by their partner (10 percent).

The study of 2,000 men also noticed how celebrity hairstyles(名人发型) have the influence on them and what kind of haircuts would be more fashionable in their eyes. 400 of them admit they want to grow their hair longer to copy the likes of David Beckham and actor Brad Pitt, while 240 consider dying(染色) their hair grey, to keep up with fashion trends(潮流). Actually, a hairstyle that stands for one’s personality is the first choice for men.