How’s it going? I’m having a great time     1     (live) with an American family. I’m     2     (study) English and I’m learning a lot. I’m a    3     visiting some of my old friends. I’m so happy to see     4     (they) again. Today is the Dragon Boat Festival. Are you watching the races o    5     eating zongzi? Well, it’s 9:00 p.m. in New York now, it’s cool and     6     (cloud), and it’s the night before the festival. But there isn’t a Dragon Boat Festival here, so it’s like any other night for me and my host family. The mother is reading a story to her two young     7     (child). The father is watching a soccer game o    8     TV. I miss my family and wish to have my     9     (mom) delicious zongzi. I like New York and my host family a lot, b    10     there’s still “no place like home”.

See you soon.

Su Lin

There     1     (be) twelve months in a year. My favorite month is October. First, October1st is National Day. It’s     2     important (重要的) festival in China. Everyone is free and happy on this day. We have a seven-day holiday (假期). During the holiday, my parents often     3     (take) me to see my grandparents in the countryside (乡村). Second, there are some     4     (interest) things in October. On the     5     (twelve), we have a soccer game. I     6     (not like) basketball because it’s difficult for me.     7     I love soccer. I love     8     (play) soccer and watching soccer games on TV. On October 24th, we have a book sale. I have three old books and I want     9     (sell) them there. Then we have an art festival on October 29th. We can draw many beautiful pictures. My birthday is also on this day. October is a     10     (real) great month for me!

Do you know travel study (研学旅行)? It’s one of the     1     (good) ways to spend your holiday. And you can     2     (learn) new things and eat different food, too.

When you have a travel study, you can go to many great places. And you can travel     3     your family, friends or classmates. On your trip, you can learn about other cultures (文化) from your friends     4     they are from different counties. You can also have different     5     (kind) of food. Of course, you have to speak English if you are in     6     English-speaking country. You must also learn     7     (live) by yourself. Maybe you worry what you can do if you get     8     (lose). However (然而), these are not real problems if you go with a group.

I’m having a travel study in London now. Look! My classmates and I     9     (listen) to the guide in a museum. It is very interesting. London is a good place     10     (have) fun and I want to bring my parents to this city one day.

Travelling has been more and more popular with people. If you don't want to s    1     your holiday travelling on a bus, resting in the hotel or sitting on the beach, you may try hiking.

Hiking is an activity of going out for a long walk for fun. It is a great way to travel. You will get close to nature and take exercise. You can see lots of rivers and grass at the same time. Hiking is e    2     to do. The things you need are just good shoes, clothes and a big bag. Hiking doesn’t have to be very expensive as well. You can hike in mountains, in a forest or along a river. It won’t cost you much. If you go with your friends, you can have a talk with them on the way.

Hiking is fun and it's good for your health. Here is some a    3    on hiking.

◇ Bring water, a good map and a phone.

◇ Don't hike alone(单独的). You shouldn’t f    4     safety. It is the first.

◇ Wear a hat to protect yourself from the sun.

◇ Take an u    5     with you so that you won’t get wet in the rain.

Why not put on your hiking shoes and take a hike now?

Last week, my father and I went back to my hometown-Zibo     1     (try) Zibo barbecue (烧烤). Recently, the local food has become     2     popular that people all over China travel there to taste it.

One the way to Zibo, my father told me     3     unusual story. Last year during the COVID-19 pandemic,     4     (thousand) of college students were stuck in Zibo. The local government helped students and offered a great barbecue dinner when the quarantine (隔离) was over. The government officers also invited the students to come     5     to Zibo again when spring came. They would give the students a warm welcome. I     6     (move) when I heard this.

At 5 p.m., we arrived at the restaurant. My father had booked a table two days     7     (early). Or there wouldn’t be any seats for us. People in the restaurant didn’t know each other before. But we just talked     8     (natural) about daily life and sang together. Some local people even put off     9     (they) orders when they heard there weren’t enough seats. They wanted tourists from other places to have the chance to eat.

After eating the delicious food, I kept thinking why Zibo became popular. Is it the promise     10     the government and the college students? Or the special tasty food, or the warmhearted people?

The “ice city” of Harbin, one of China’s most beautiful cities, attracts (吸引) the attention of a number of visitors every winter. Many people     1     (attract) by the great ice sculptures (冰雕) of its Ice and Snow Festival. About two months ago, 11 special visitors     2     (get) a lot of attention on the Internet. What is so special about these     3     (visitor)?

Well, the 11 visitors are a group of children aged between 3 and 6. Led by three teachers, they came to Northeast China from Nanning, Guangxi for a study tour. The lovely kids wore orange coats,     4     people called them “small sugar oranges” .

At first, some parents were worried. But then they found that the children adapted (适应) well and enjoyed     5     (them). “The children experienced the unique (独特的) ice and snow culture during     6     trip. They tried ice skating and built snowmen. They also     7     (make) new friends and learned a lot. They spent time together in the cold wind, learned     8     (work) together and helped each other. It was very     9     (interest)! ” said one of the parents.

    10     January, this group of “small sugar oranges” visited China’s northernmost fire station in Mohe. There they sang the national anthem (国歌) and showed their thanks to the firefighters.