I _____ (excite) last few days. I just can't wait to start my senior high school. To quickly _____ (get used to), I've done _____ (as...as, research) and managed to collect a wealth of information. Besides, I told myself to _____ (habit, shape). I expect to _____ (friend, judge) in the new school.

How are you _____ (get along)? Please write and tell me.

Yours,

Li Hua

New Year’s celebrations are a little bit different all around the world. They are celebrated with different c    1     and special foods.

In the United States, celebrations usually begin on December 31, or New Year’s E    2    , and continue into January 1, the first day of the new year. Black-eyed peas, ham (火腿), and cabbage (卷心菜) are traditional dishes to serve on New Year’s Day. They are s    3     of good luck. The Dutch often eat doughnuts (油炸圈饼) to welcome the New Year. Because doughnuts are shaped like a circle, they are thought to r    4     the completion of a cycle — the beginning of a new year and the ending of the previous year. In Japan, people eat long noodles for celebration. Eating these noodles without breaking them symbolizes long life. In Spain, there is the t    5     of eating 12 grapes at midnight. This marks successful grape harvests of the past and the hope for more in the future.

One of the most colorful New Year’s celebrations takes place in China. The Chinese New Year is determined by the l    6     calendar. The festival lasts about two weeks. During this time, towns are d    7     with colorful     8     (灯笼) and flowers. People     9    (彻底地) clean their homes to symbolize getting rid of (去除) the misfortunes of the previous year, and dumplings are eaten as a traditional food.

SOHO working style is advanced and should be encouraged.     1    , working at home instead of office is cost-efficient to the whole society. It can save a lot of unnecessary costs. The employers no longer have to pay for Internet use, electricity and other expenses related to the office daily work.     2    , the SOHOs do not need to wake up early every morning just for taking the bus. They can spend longer time in sleeping than before, which will make them energetic at work. I think working at a flexible time schedule is beneficial to us to balance between family and work.     3    , this working style should be encouraged.

Not everyone can be a freelancer.     4    , being a freelancer requires some special qualities, such as self-control, perseverance, commitment to the plan and the like.     5    , I think not everyone can be a freelancer.     6    , being self-employed is not easy. Although this kind of lifestyle is attractive to a lot of people, it is also a riskier proposition than working at a traditional job.

Thanks to some of my doctor’s t    1     I began to take exercise a year ago. I’m not the exercising kind of person and have a busy life, so I wasn’t sure if I would be able to fit exercise into schedule     2     (定期地). However, I drew up a detailed training plan and successfully exercised three times a week for a whole year. At last, I became     3     (amaze) at the results. I started off with walks, and now I am c    4     of running five kilometres w    5     an hour. I’m now feeling so much fitter and even the doctor says that my efforts have put me       6     (健康状况良好). I’m excited that my hard work has     7     (奏效).

However, the reason why I am writing this is not primarily because of the physical health     8    (益处). Instead, I want to explain the very positive effect that exercise has had on my mind. A quick look online shows that it is widely accepted that exercise is good for both your body and mind. For example, exercise can increase blood f    9     and o    10     to the brain, and     11     (预防疾病) effectively. Meanwhile, it can also     12     (缓解疼痛) or stress, and develop confidence.

71-year-old Guan Jingxue, a native of Benxi, Liaoning Province, started running in a playground near a factory with the aim of     1     (增强他的免疫系统) years ago. At the time, few people in China went     2     (jog) in groups to keep fit. It was then that Guan found that members of a running group often     3     (gather) in the playground for training, and he finally joined them. At the first six months, he found it difficult to     4     (跟上) the others. However, with his effort over a long time he slowly felt quite comfortable with the pace (步调) of their training. Every day he     5     (提醒) himself that he     6     (应该) keep on. After years of training he could finish long-distance running at a fast speed.

Three years earlier, Guan went to Beijing to take care of his granddaughter, where he joined Yuandadu Marathon Club. Being a runner, he spent little on     7     (装备). He just pressed on to improve himself and began to     8     (报名) for the     9     (每年的) Beijing Marathon. In the 2019 Beijing Marathon, Guan     10     (惊人地) finished second among those over 65.

How are you getting on? I am writing to share with you my exchange experience in China, which is thrilling and fascinating. Here are the details.

Just a few months here in China saw my enjoyment in my life.     1    (首先令我印象深刻的东西) was the Chinese food. I couldn’t believe     2    (在中国到底有多少种食物)！Something I also found impressive was     3    (中国老百姓几乎用筷子吃每一样东西). Then there’s China’s colourful culture, from art to music, and from calligraphy to literature.     4    (我该怎样去更深地体会它) remains an important goal for me, as I am truly fascinated by it. I am also amazed by the convenience of cashless payments in China. I can go outside without any need for cash— all I need is my mobile phone! The biggest reason why I love China, however, is     5    (我喜欢和中国人待在一起). I have made great friends here —friends that I will remember long after my departure.

I will tell you more in later letters.

Best wishes.

Yours,

Leon

I’m delighted to learn you like Chinese characters. It is true that     1    (写中国汉字) is difficult, especially for foreigners, but don’t worry. I’m glad to offer you some suggestions.

Firstly, remember that     2    (耐心练习) can help you make progress in time. Moreover, as     3    (正确引导) will help you learn much more easily, it’s a good idea to learn some basic writing skills either from a Chinese teacher or from teaching videos on the Internet. What’s more,     4    (使用字帖) as we Chinese do at our beginning stage.

I hope my advice will be of some help to you.

Yours,

Li Hua

I’m writing to ask for two days’ leave from school.

Tomorrow is my grandma’s 90^th birthday and all members of my family     1    (相聚) to celebrate it at 9 am. My hometown is far away from our school. I     2    (返回) at 10 the night of the day after tomorrow.

I’m sorry, but your due consideration to my request will be highly appreciated. Besides, I promise I     3    (上学) at 9 the day after I return.

Li Hua

We had just moved into a new house and I had been working hard to get my new room in order. This had not been easy because I owned over a thousand books. To make matters worse, the room is rather small, but     1    (一个好主意已经被我想到) that I could store the content of my not-so-important books in my computer.     2    (在确认它们已经完全被存进电脑之后), I will sell them as second-hand books online which can reduce the coverage of books in my room. As all the stuff     3    (已经被处理妥当), I will invite my friends to my new house and have a party. I can imagine how they will reflect when they find the disappearance of some books, asking     4    (它们怎样被处理了). “    5    (已经被吞进电脑的肚子里了).” I will say jokingly.

My love for Chinese can     1     (追溯到) my childhood when I visited an exhibition about Chinese     2     (文明) and Chinese calligraphy. Since then I have been     3     (爱上) Chinese. To     4     (领会) Chinese culture much better, I am now in China studying in Peking University and my     5     (专业) is Chinese literature.     6     (在……的开始) the first semester, it was really a     7     (难事) for me to understand what the     8     (本地的) speakers of Chinese said. However, I would     9    (决不) give up and     10     (看待) it as a chance to explore the writing     11     (系统)．

    12     (尽管) the fact that there are     13     (各种各样) dialects and     14     (符号) in Chinese, I have been     15     (努力) to learn it.     16     (无论何时) I come across a new character, I always     17     (查阅) the dictionary.     18     (无论哪里) I go, I try to communicate with the local Chinese people and     19     (联系) them. Gradually, the harder I work, the larger my     20     (词汇) will become and the more classic works I will be equal to reading.

From my     21     (观点), though there may be some     22     (浮沉) in learning a foreign language, one needs to take a positive     23     (态度) to it. Besides, set a     24     (明确的) aim and work hard, and one day you will surely make it.