How is everything going? It is my     1     (two) month in Australia. Now it is 5:00 P. M. and I     2     (write) to you. I think you are sleeping.

Australia is a beautiful country, but I don’t like the     3     here. The houses are too cold in winter and too hot in summer. I like the long summer nights in Beijing. But it gets dark (黑暗的) by 9:00 P.M. in summer. Besides, I don’t like the teachers here,     4    . They make so many rules and they are strict     5     me. Luckily, the host family sister is     6     (friend). When she is free, she usually     7     (teach) me to swim and now I can swim well. Another terrible thing is that I have to get up early. I can’t sleep at 5:00 A.M. because about two     8     (hundred) birds sing outside my window every morning. They are too     9     (noise). I can’t stand (忍受) them!

As a saying goes, “East or west, home is the best.” I really     10     you! I wish to see you soon.

Your loving daughter,

Alice

Thanks for your message. Yes, I’m having a great time on my student exchange program in France. I was a bit nervous before I arrived here, but there was no reason to be. My host family is really nice. They go out of their way to make me feel at home. The grandmother has a teenage granddaughter about my age. She’s really kind and she always talks to me in French to help me practice. You wouldn’t believe how quickly my French has improved because of that.

My biggest challenge is learning how to behave at the dinner table. As you can imagine, things are very different from the way they are at home. For example, you shouldn’t put your bread on your plate. You should put it on the table! I thought that was pretty strange at first, but now I’m used to it. Another example is that you shouldn’t eat anything with your hands except bread, not even fruit. Another thing is it’s impolite to say that you’re full. If you don’t want any more food, you should just say, “That was delicious.” Also, you shouldn’t put your elbows (肘部) on the table. I have to say that I find it difficult to remember everything, but I’m gradually getting used to it. I don’t find French customs (习俗) so strange any more.

I’ll write again soon and tell you more about my life in France. Hope you’re having a good school year.

Yours,

Wang Kun

3 .

Martin Albert Haase developed a deep interest in Chinese culture as a child. The Canadian enjoyed practising tai chi with his mother. He also showed an interest in TCM (中医). After graduating from high school, he entered the Oshio College of Acupuncture & Herbology in Victoria. His teacher then was from Hunan.

“He taught us many interesting things about Hunan, like the great herbalist doctor Zhang Zhongjing. He also told me that if I wanted to really understand Chinese medicine, I must go to China, so I came to Hunan,” said Haase.

Haase came to study at the Hunan University of Chinese Medicine (HUCM) in Changsha in 2007. Zhong Huan, a professor at HUCM, said that he really liked the Canadian student. “He speaks up in class and often expresses creative ideas,” Zhong said, adding that Haase always asked plenty of questions and attended academic conferences.

After spending more than 15 years in Changsha, Haase speaks good Chinese. He has a deep understanding of TCM, which he calls a treasure of Chinese civilizaion (文明). Haase also likes to practise kung fu and tai chi, which he studies under Zou Zequn, a famous tai chi master in Hunan. Haase practises kung fu and tai chi in a park near his home every morning to keep in shape.

Haase often talks about TCM with his friends. He said that many friends who used to be dubious (怀疑的) about TCM have now changed their attitude towards it. He said that if he decides to return to Victoria, he plans to open a clinic to spread the knowledge of TCM and Chinese culture. He also hopes to introduce kung fu and tai chi to more people to help them build their bodies.

How’s everything with you in England?

Now here I am in Vancouver. I am _________ a host family. They are the Johnsons and live in an area called Oakridge. Oakridge is a few kilometers from the city center but there are buses and a train so it is _________ to get there. I’ve made some friends of my age around here and I go to the language course three mornings a week.

Talking of _________, well, that’s been the difficult thing, especially listening. I mean, there’s no problem when I’m talking to one person, but in a big group, it can be hard to _________ the conversation. Luckily, it’s getting easier now!

Otherwise (在其他方面), it’s all good. I thought that a lot of things would be very different here, but they aren’t. One thing, though, is that you have to _________ to leave a tip (小费) in restaurants.

OK. I have to go. Write and tell me how you are.

Maros

5 . I’ve been in China for two months now. I want to study in a local university, so I took some Chinese classes. I _______ on China because it’s a country with trade relationships all over the world. Studying here could be useful in finding a good job in _______ or business. What’s more, Chinese culture is really interesting, so choosing to come here was a _______ decision for me. China isn’t like I thought it might be. I thought it would be quite old and traditional, but in many ways, the cities are just as _______ as London. There’s so much more food to try and it’s all delicious! The prices are very low, so it’s great for my _______. The people I meet here are very welcoming _______ me as a foreigner. However, _______ anyone speaks English in my area, so it can be a bit hard at times. But I guess that’s why I’m here. I also get a chance to _______ the city. I usually get up early each morning to enjoy a big _______ on the street, and then I often visit a park. I’m really interested in kung fu, so I ________ a lot of time in the city parks practising with the locals. I love my life in China.

I had the idea to be an exchange (交换) student in Germany in September, 2023. With tears in my eyes, I ________ goodbye to my family. After I finally arrived ________ the airport in Berlin, I was welcomed by my host family. They didn’t know much about my disability (残疾). “I hobble (跛行) a little but I don’t see it as a ________.” I think it depends on my will and the disability doesn’t matter!

________ I went there, I knew I was going to miss home. Maybe I was going to regret (后悔) making such a decision. ________ I went! Why? Because I wanted to be a fighter so I never ________. My mother wrote to my host mom about my trouble. My host supported me greatly. By e-mail, they also told all my teachers about me.

Everything worked ________. By the end of my year, we were asked to talk about our years. I spoke in front of about 100 people. I ________ my great speech. The next day, some teachers stopped me and said, “Your ________ was the best one.”

My year in Berlin was the best thing I’ve done so far. I have proved (证明) I am a fighter and ________ is impossible. And now I want to tell you that we should enjoy life no matter how difficult it is. And we should think in a positive (积极的) way even in a terrible situation.

9 . 假设你是李华，你的美国朋友Jack即将作为交换生来到你们学校，他对中国文化很感兴趣，想要在课余时间深入体验中国文化的魅力，写邮件向你寻求建议，请你用英文给Jack回信。要点如下：

I am glad to hear that ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Best wishes,

Li Hua