8. An earthquake happened ________ in Wenchuan on May 12th, 2008.

Once, somebody asked a successful businessman, “How have you ______ so much success?”

He answered, “I grow great by dreams. I imagine what I want to do. Then, I go to bed and ______ my dreams. I dream long into the ______. And when I ______ the next morning, I see a way to make my dreams come true. Other people are saying, ‘You can’t do that. It is impossible,’ ______ I’m already on my way to get what I want.”

As Woodrow Wilson, the 28th president of the US, said, “We grow great by dreams. All big men are ______.”

They see things in the soft wind of a spring day, or in the red fire on a long winter evening. Some of us let these dreams die, but others ______ them and work hard for them. They take care of them through bad days. ______ always comes to those who sincerely (真诚地) hope that their dreams will come true.

Don’t tell yourself that your dreams are ______. Don’t let other people ______ you as you go after success. Sing your songs, dream your dreams and hope your hopes.

CAN YOU COOK?

This teenager can—and his mum is very happy with him.

Tom is like any other teenager. He goes to school, does his homework, meets his friends and enjoys doing sports.

But between 5: 30 and 6: 30 from Monday to Friday, Tom does something different. He cooks dinner for all the family: mum, dad, younger brother Joe and older sister Emma.

“I think it’s important for teenagers to learn how to cook. Maths and English are important, of course, but they need other skills too to help them in today’s world. First I taught Tom how to cook easy meals like pizza or eggs and chips. Then he started using recipes in my cookery books. Yesterday he made vegetable soup. It was very good!” Tom’s mum said.

“I love cooking and I think I’m really good at it. None of my friends can cook. I don’t know why. It isn’t difficult and it’s great fun!” Tom said.

In the past, Tom didn’t help out at home and his mum wasn’t very happy with him. Today, things are different and she is very happy.

Have you ever tried hiking? I had my first hiking experience on Jade Dragon Snow Mountain with my friend when I went to Yunnan.

This was the first time I had traveled so far without my parents. I was very excited and discussed the plan with my friend almost every week leading up to the trip: Unfortunately, not everything went according to the plan. When we arrived at Lijiang, the weather was not good. It was a cloudy day, and we could barely see the mountain. My friend and I decided to book a tour called Hiking to the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain.

The next morning, we arrived at the starting point and waited for our guide and driver. We passed a lake on our way to the mountain. It was hard to believe that the temperature could change so fast. When we were in the car, we just wore shirts. However, when we walked to the lakeside, I felt a cold wind blow.

At the foot of the mountain, we could only see mountains, soil and the sky at a glance. We arrived at an altitude (海拔) of about 3,800 meters after a long time. There I started to feel a bit sick. This made it hard to enjoy the view. The guide gave me good advice. He said, “Watch your step instead of thinking about how many steps you have to take.” It was not easy, but the experience was unforgettable. It was nice to see the valley from up above when we finished the hike.

In 10 days, we climbed the mountain, visited lots of ancient towns and traveled to Xishuangbanna. It is hard to say which place was the best. Things like this make it so fun to travel.

Dancing and singing, the Yi people and visitors had fun around the fire during the Torch (火把) Festival in Bijie, Guizhou Province, on August 12th. Every year, the Yi ethnic group (彝族) lights torches to show they look up to the fire.

The early Yi people lived in high and cold places in the mountains. They used fire for light to stay warm and cook food. One Yi ethnic old saying goes, “Everything you eat must ‘see’ fire. ” In the old days, people lit a small fire outside the door before they took animal meat into the home. They put the meat over the fire to drive away bad luck. Fire was also used to light leaves on the ground to make the land rich.

But the festival is more of a social event now. During the festival, both the Yi people and visitors come together. They show and spread their happiness and thanks for a good life. The Yi people also want to get more people to learn about their life.

The chrysanthemum (菊花) is a very popular flower in China. The beautiful flower has many m    56     in Chinese culture.

The chrysanthemum is k    57     as one of the “Four Gentlemen in Plants”. The other three are the plum blossom, the orchid, and bamboo. In the past, they stood for noble (高尚的) qualities.

The chrysanthemum comes out in bright colors during cold a    58     days when most flowers die. They are beautiful, strong and tough. The flower thus greatly inspired (启发) ancient Chinese poets. They spoke highly of its beauty and also used the chrysanthemum to represent (代表) their o    59     in their works.

Tao Yuanming was a f    60     poet. He once wrote a poem about living as a hermit (隐士). He described how he loved the chrysanthemum and used it to show his s    61     in the poem.

“I pluck chrysanthemums under the eastern hedge, and gaze afar toward the southern mountains (采菊东篱下，悠然见南山),” Tao wrote in his poem. Since then, the chrysanthemum has become the s    62     of the hermit. But the chrysanthemum is not only found in Chinese poems. It is also a p    63     of Chinese food.

The Chongyang Festival falls on the ninth day of the ninth month of the lunar year. On that day, drinking wine made from chrysanthemums is a popular tradition. Chrysanthemum tea is also usually seen on Chinese dinner tables. It tastes great. People believe it is good for one’s health, e    64     for eyes.

In a word, the chrysanthemum has i    65     people’s life deeply and widely.

66. 假如你是李华，请根据以下提示，给你的笔友Tony用英文写一封邮件，向他讲述一个发生在海河岸边的感人故事。

How are you? I’d like to tell you a story that happened by the Haihe River.

Last Sunday evening, _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Do you have a story to share? Hope to hear from you.

Yours,

Li Hua