Each time after taking     1     exam and seeing my scores, I have a lot to do.

In one notebook, for example, I write down not only the questions I got wrong, but     2     the ones that took     3     (I) a long time to think about on the test. I compare my idea with the right answer     4     (careful) and find out where I was stuck.

In another notebook, I write down good sentences and paragraphs mostly on Chinese and English test papers,     5     the test essays (文章) are usually good to study from. They can help make my writing much     6     (good).

For science     7     (subject), I often find out more about the background (背景) of a question to help me understand the question better. Once, I was stuck when I     8     (do) an energy conversion (能量转换) problem of an electric motor (电动机). So I learned about the structure of the motor. Afterward I found it much easier     9     (solve) similar problems.     10     (find) more background information has helped my study a lot.

Good afternoon. I’m Wu Lingling and I want to share     1     (me) experience of learning English with you. At school, I was always good at     2     (read) and writing English. However when I tried to speak with foreigners, I seldom succeeded. I thought I would never learn to speak well.

Then     3     (first) day, I went to English Corner. Chinese people and foreigners get together to speak English. Everyone there is learning English themselves     4     happy to help others learn. I have been going to English Corner once     5     week for more than a year now and my English     6     (improve) so much.

The biggest lesson I have learnt is not to be shy. Most people are happy to talk to newcomers. When you talk     7     English, stay with simple topics, such as jobs, culture and     8     (interest). If you do not understand something, say, “Could you please repeat that?” Do not be afraid to ask people to speak more     9     (slow), or to explain difficult words for you.

Most importantly, remember to have fun. The greatest thing about learning another language is getting the chance to make friends with people from     10     (difference) countries.

What’s more, I enjoy listening to music, and I always have some music playing during my free time. I listen to all types of music, but I like listening to beautiful piano music     1     （well）. Some people can’t study while they     2     （listen）to music, but for me, I believe I can study better by listening to light songs.

Some people choose     3     （relax）by traveling. I don’t have a favourite place, but I hear that traveling in Thailand is really     4     （enjoy）. I like visiting different kinds of places and eating famous snacks there. I also enjoy sightseeing and seeing how the culture can people change from place to place.

Maybe everyone has trouble in learning new words. It is not easy to remember and use them     1     (correct). The following suggestions will help you a lot.

It can be a good idea to divide(分) the new words into groups according to the     2     (mean). Thinking about the connections between words may help you remember them. The more you practice, the better you will use them. You can also write a list of new words. Express your ideas with them and discuss the uses of these words as     3     (much) as possible. However, there     4     (be) one more thing that you should pay attention to. Don’t try to learn too many words at one time. Choose several important ones to you. Repeat     5     (they) pronunciations(发音) and spellings in your mind. Learn a little every day and you     6     (learn) a lot in a few years. It is the skills that can make you learn new words     7     (easy).

7 . Sophia likes English very much. It takes her a lot of time     1     (study) it every day. She usually goes to the school library and reads English newspapers. After school, she goes to the city library behind     2     (she) school. She needs to use the computer there to surf the Internet because she does not have a computer at home. She tries hard to chat with her     3     (America) e-friends in English.

In fact, Sophia did not like English at     4     (one). At that time, studying English was very hard for her. She did not know the good ways of learning English. But one day, her new English teacher told her the     5     (important) of English and taught her how     6     (learn) English well. From then on, she     7     (begin) to try to listen to English songs, read English newspapers, and write down good English sentences in the notebooks. Now, she loves English very much. She hopes to become an English teacher some day and help more students learn English well.

8 . Many Chinese people want to improve their English in different ways     1     (recent). Twenty-four young singers from all over China     2     (enter) a competition by singing popular English songs. Nearly all the singers sang very clearly and looked     3     (comfort) on the stage. Although some of them took part in the competition for the     4     (one) time, they were able to sing English songs just as well as native speakers.

The winner of the     5     (man) competition was a 40-year-old man from Xi’an and winner of the women’s competition was a 19-year-old girl from Dalian. Both of     6     (they) were very modest (谦虚的) and they didn’t think they were     7     (good) than the other singers. The winner of the women’s said studying English helped her win the prize and she would have to study hard.

10 . Why Short Stories Are Best for English Learning

You get more time to focus on words. When a text is short, you can have more time to learn how every single word is used and what importance it has in the text. This is more useful for those who are     1     (begin) of English. You can read a whole story at a time. Attention length is very important for learning. And the ability to finish a story gives you more time     2     (understand) it. Short stories are written to give you     3     (much)information with less effort (努力).

It is best for consistency (一致性). It is much easier to read one story every day than trying to read a big novel that never     4     (seem) to end.

You can share them easily in a group. Since short stories can     5     (read) in any place, they are perfect for book clubs and learning circles. Most of the time these groups do not work because members have no time to read. Short stories are the perfect way for them.

You can focus more on ideas. Language is less about words and more about the meanings behind them. If you spend all your time     6     (learn) vocabulary and grammar, you will never be able to speak a language     7     (smooth) because you will have little to talk about. Short stones give you the chance to understand big ideas in a short text.

In a word, short stories will not only improve your English reading comprehension (理解力) but also open your mind to different worlds.