2 . Du Fu, one of the greatest Chinese poets, is well-known in China.     1     Recently, the BBC’s (英国广播公司) one-hour documentary Du Fu: China’s Greatest Poet is spreading through the Internet.

The film introduces the great poet to Western audiences (观众). As the first English language documentary about Du, it compares him to Dante and Shakespeare, two of the greatest writers of the West.     2     Du was born in 712 and lived a hard life. Du never stopped writing, although life was difficult for him. Even though he never held a high position in the government, Du still cared about common people.     3    

The documentary explains why Du’s works have been popular for centuries. Chinese people really value the recording of history and Du is better than anyone at reflecting (反映) history in his poetry.     4    

Du’s 1,400 poems have been collected by Stephen Owen from the USA.     5     It is expected to help Du’s works reach more readers.

There is no doubt that Du is a cultural symbol of ancient China, but his brilliant (辉煌的) works and spirits have also inspired people abroad.

4 . Jack London was a famous American writer. He was ________ on January 12, 1876, in San Francisco, California. Jack lived in a poor family, and he had to leave school to make money. He worked hard in many different jobs.

Later, Jack ________ to school, but he didn’t stay there long. He wrote, “Life and pocketbooks were both too short.” He wanted to take up something that would make his life different.

In 1897, he went to Alaska to look for gold. ________, he found ideas there for his books and stories. He went back home and started to work. His writings were so successful that he became rich and famous in his ________.

Jack London was not a happy man, however, long-term illnesses made him weak and sad. In poor ________, he took his own life in 1916. He was only 40 years old then.

5 . The 18-year-old American author, Juliette Turner, has published her third book for student readers. With her now novel, That’s Not Hay in My Hair, she has become a new star in the publishing industry.

After Juliette finished fourth grade in New York, she moved to a farm in Cooke County. Texas, with her mother. There she started a new life working with horses and cattle as a fresh writer. “Only my mother and I were living there.” Juliette said. “We had to break the thick ice on the trough (饮水槽) so that the animals could drink.”

Juliette’s mother, Janine Turner is a famous actress in the US. Life in Cooke County was not as attractive as the life she had lived before. But for young Juliette, the country life gave her a lot of food for thought to create her works .

That’s Not Hay in My Hair is unlike Juliette’s first two books. “Everything that happens in the book actually happened in the lives of my mum and me,” she said. “The adventures are hard to believe, but they all happened exactly as they’re described in the story.”

As Juliette is considering her coming college life, she hasn’t decided where she will spend the rest of her life, in a city or in the countryside.

“I will always be a country girl at heart,” she said. “I love the country life. It is where I feel peaceful and natural. For the moment, I have no idea where life is going to take me. But I will always return to the country and to my mum. It’s where my roots are.”

Du Fu (712—770), one of     1     (great) poets in China, is familiar (熟悉的) to most of us. However, Du has remained largely unknown in the Western world.

The BBC’s one-hour documentary (纪录片) Du Fu: China’s Greatest Poet, introduces the Great poet to Western audiences. As the first English-language documentary about Du Fu, it compares     2     (he) to Dante and Shakespeare. British historian Michael Wood explores the     3     (poet) life in the film. He visits a number of places     4     (learn) about the amazing stories of the poet. The documentary explains     5     Du’s works have been popular for centuries. “Chinese people pay much attention to     6     (record) history and Du Fu is     7     (good) than anyone at reflecting history in his poetry,” said Zeng Xiangbo,    8    professor at Renmin University.

Known     9    China’s “saint of poetry (诗圣)”, Du Fu wrote about 1, 400 poems that are still with us today. Du Fu’s 1, 400 poems have been translated into English by Stephen Owen from America. He completed the eight-year-long project in 2016 and published a six-volume book. The book     10     (expect) to help Du’s works reach more readers now.

A poor young man went to Paris,     1     (expect) that his father’s friend could help him find a business for living.

“Are you good at maths?” his father’s friend asked him.

The young man     2     (shake) his head.

“How about your history?” “How about your law?”

The young man lowered his head sadly.

His father’s friend asked again and again, but the young man could only shake his head. He himself couldn’t find out any     3     (disadvantage).

“Then write down your address first.”

The young man wrote his address and turned to leave, but he     4     (stop) by his father’s friend. “Your name is written very     5     (beautiful), which is your advantage. You shouldn’t satisfy     6     (your) with finding a job for living”.

Many years later, the young man wrote the classical work that was well-known in the world. He was Alexandra Dumas (大仲马)—a famous French writer of the 18th century.

There are many ordinary persons in the world     7     all have many small advantages, but they can’t find them.     8     fact, there is a gold mine in every ordinary life.     9     you’re willing to dig, you will dig out     10     (treasure) that surprise yourself.

Ernest Hemingway is one of the most famous writers in the world. He was born     1     1899 in Oak Park, Illinois. Hemingway’s father taught him early on     2     to hunt and fish, two activities Hemingway loved in his life.

Instead of     3     (go) to college, Hemingway became a reporter for the Kansas City Star. Later, in Europe, he worked     4     a driver for the Italian army until he was wounded and shipped home, where he again wrote for newspapers. Two years later, he moved to Paris, where he hoped     5     (improve) his writing. There he became friends with other     6     (America) writers, including Gertrude Stein and F. Scott Fitzgerald.

Hemingway developed a style of writing that was simple and direct. He chose words sparingly (保守地), avoided     7     (use) adjectives, and trusted the reader to understand the     8     (mean) of his writing. As he said, “I always try     9     (write) on the principle (原则) of the iceberg (冰山). There is seven     10     (eight) of it under water for every part that shows.” This style continues to influence writers today.

Du Fu, one of the greatest poets in China, is familiar to most of us.     1    , Du has still been unknown in the Western world. Recently, the BBC’s one-hour documentary Du Fu: China’s Greatest Poet is spreading through the Internet.

The film introduces the great poet to Western audiences (观众). As the first English language documentary about Du, it compares     2     to Dante and Shakespeare, two of the greatest writers of the West. It also introduces the     3     (poet) life experiences in detail. Du was born in 712 and lived a hard life. Du never stopped     4     (write), although life was difficult for him. The documentary explains why Du’s works have been popular for centuries. Chinese people really value the recording of history and Du is     5     (good) than anyone at reflecting history in his poetry. That’s because     6     (history) events were mirrored in his own life.

Du’s 1,400 poems have been     7     (collect) by Stephen Owen from the USA. He spent eight years translating them     8     English and published a book. It is expected to help Du’s works reach more     9     (reader).

There is no doubt that Du is a cultural symbol of ancient China, but his brilliant works and spirits have inspired people     10     (deep) abroad.