Henry’s family had a picnic over the weekend. They asked their friends, Nancy and Tom, to go     1     them. On Sunday morning, Henry’s wife, Kate, got up     2     to prepare（准备） sandwiches for the picnic. She told Henry to get the picnic basket ready. She     3     told him to put paper plates into it. At 10 o’clock in the morning, Nancy called Henry and told him that she wanted to     4     something to the picnic. Henry advised her to bring     5     bottle of wine（红酒）. At     6     , Nancy and Tom went to Henry’s house. Then they went to a nearby park together. There     7     tables and chairs under the trees beside the river. The weather was cloudy but it didn’t     8     . Everybody enjoyed the     9    . And all of them had a     10     time.

Americans spend their weekends in different ways. But they usually choose to rest and to enjoy     1     (they) with their family and friends.

Some Americans hold     2     (party) on Saturday night. They won’t get up     3     9:00, 10:00 or even 11:00 o’clock next morning. After they get up, they will buy the daily newspaper. They can get news     4     films, plays, shows and sports in the paper. It will help them decide what     5     (do) on Sunday afternoon.

Before going out on Sunday, they will have a meal, which is called “brunch” —“br” from breakfast and “unch” from “    6    ”. They will make it at home     7     go to a restaurant. After brunch some Americans may have a picnic together with their family or friends. Usually they drive to a beautiful park, a lake or the farm.     8     an active life they have!

    9     meal is the most important of a week? Of course, the Sunday dinner is. It is the     10     (big) meal of the week and all family members try to be present(出席)!

It is Sunday afternoon. Amy and her mother are in     1     big shopping mall now. They want to buy something. Amy wants to buy a new skirt, and her mother wants to buy some food     2     dinner. In the shopping mall, there     3     many things on sale. She finds a blue     4    . It looks very nice. She     5     it on and likes it very much.     6     when she asks her mother to buy it for her, they find it is $180! It is very     7    . Amy’s mother says she doesn’t have so     8     money with her. So Amy has to buy another skirt. It is     9     nice, and it is only $30! Then her mother     10     for the skirt. Her mother also buys some vegetables, bread and milk. They are very happy.

【推荐2】When autumn arrives, the sweet smell of sugar-roasted chestnuts usually f    1    the air.

In China, sellers u    2    cook chestnuts in black sand on a stove. When passing by, many people want to s    3    and buy bags of shiny chestnuts on their way to school or work.

However, it’s not o    4    Chinese people who enjoy eating chestnuts. In Paris in the winter, for example, chestnut sellers can be found in every c    5    of the city. All over Paris, the smell of sweetness seems to say that one doesn’t have to walk far to buy this tasty snack.

And in the US. Chestnuts are a must for the h    6    . The Christmas song Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire perfectly shows the love for the Christmas treat (美食) people in the US have. The festive nut is p    7    in the US for a long time. However, in the early 1900s, a tree-killing disease a    8    killed every American chestnut tree within 40 years. Luckily, chestnut trees were reintroduced (再引进) to the c    9    over the following years. Chestnuts are not only famous as a treat for the end-of-year holidays, but used in many dishes. US people often use chestnuts to make sauces or jams as well—or e    10    use them to make beer or soup. Isn’t that amazing?

Many students ask for advice about improving their English. There are three basic questions.

The first question is about real English. Li Hao from Hubei wrote, "I enjoy w    1     English films on TV and listening to real English songs. But it takes a long time. What do you think?"

This is a great way to learn English! Talk about the film or song with your friends, and guess the m    2     of the new words. Just enjoy yourself!

The second question is about speaking. Sam, from Suzhou wrote, "Our school has a f    3    teacher. But I'm shy and can't speak to her. What should I do?"

When I visit China, lots of people in the street say, "Hello! How are you? Where are you from? Do you like China?" These are good questions to s    4     a conversation. Many people are shy when they speak English, so before you begin, take a deep breath and smile! Smiling always helps.

The third question is about vocabulary. Olive, from Anhui wrote, "I want to remember all the new words. I wrote them down, but I forget them q    5    , What should I do?"

Try to remember eight or nine words a day. Write them on p    6     of paper and place them in your bedroom. Say the words when you see them, and change them every day.

And when you're shopping, h    7     about counting the English words, or saying the English names for everything you see?

Maybe it's a little difficult, but if you try your best to do it every day, you will be successful at last.