1 . It was raining.I went into a cafe and asked for a coffee.While I was waiting for my drink, I realized that there were many people in the place,________ I sensed loneliness. I saw their bodies, but I couldn’t feel their ________ because their souls belonged to the Intenet.

I stood up and walked between the ________. When I came to a corner I saw a young man sitting in front of a computer. “I’m Steve,” he finally answered ________ asked him a couple of times what his name was. “I ________talk with you. I’m busy,”   said.To my ________, he was chatting online and at the same time,he was playing a computer game — a war game.

Why didn’t Steve ________ to talk with me? I tried again to speak to him, but no word came out of his mouth.I touched his shoulder, still no reaction.I was ________ and put my hand in front of the sereen. This time, he shouted.

“Leave me alone!”

At that moment, I realized that the people there were having a nice conversation with their ________, not with people. They were more interested in having a relationship with the computers. I couldn’t imagine their future ________ they preferred sharing their lives with machines instead of with people. I was worried and I lost myself in thinking.

2 . It was raining. I went into a cafe and asked for a coffee. While waiting for my drink, I saw many people playing computer games.

I stood up and walked between the tables. When I came to the biggest computer, I saw a thin, small man sitting in front of it. “I am Steve,” he finally answered after I asked him a couple of times what his name was. “I can’t talk with you. I’m busy,” he said. He was chatting online and, at the same time playing a computer game—a war game. I was surprised.

Why didn’t Steve want to talk with me? I tried again to speak to that computer geek (电脑迷), but not a word came out of his mouth. I touched his shoulder, but no reaction. I was unhappy. I put my hand in front of the monitor and he shouted, “Leave me alone.” I took a few steps back, wondering if all those people were having a nice conversation with their machines, not with people, especially Steve. I wouldn’t want to imagine the future of human beings if they preferred sharing their lives with machines instead of with people. I was worried and sank in my thoughts. I didn’t even realize that the coffee was bad, just as Steve didn’t notice there was a person next to him.

8 . Lifeart is a student-run organization which was _______ by one of my best friends at my school in Boston, US. It sells _______ by our friends and classmates and raises money for cancer (癌症) research. To collect more money, we set out onto the streets of Boston to sell our painting to the public last spring.

We came to the subway station in order that we could get more _______. Things didn’t go well at first. It was _______ that day, so our paintings kept being blown away. All of us were quite_______ and were slow to ask people if they would consider buying our paintings. We were also worried about being driven away.

One of our girls, Luna, tried to talk to our first customer. Although he did not buy anything, it gave some _______ to the rest of us. With every new customer Luna brought to our little stand (货摊), we had more courage. I also stepped forward and talked to a Korean woman _______. I felt a bit embarrassed when she said that she didn’t have time. But thanks to this short conversation with the stranger, my courage _______. I kept talking to more people, including some Chinese people. At the _______ of the day, we sold about 20 pieces of paintings. It might not be as much as we had expected, __________ the courage that we got made up for the day’s shortcomings (不足).

9 . Belgium is the land of music festivals. There are rock, pop, world, electronic music festivals and more, so you’re sure to find a festival that suits your taste.

Groezrock

Groezrock could be considered the opener of the festival season in Belgium. This festival grew from a small event to an international festival that had 33,000 visitors in 2021. If you’re into the harder stuff (东西), this is where you need to go.

When? April 29—30, 2022. Where? Meerhout. Music? Punk, emo, ska and rock in all its variations. Free? No.

Sfinks Mixed

Sfinks is a world music festival that focuses on bringing culture together. There are also plenty of things to do besides watching the performances. Good to know for families: Sfinks is a kid-friendly festival, with workshops, storytelling and performances aimed at children.

When? July 27—30, 2022. Where? Boechout. Music? World. Free? The festival is free; the camping is not.

Graspop Metal Meeting

If Groezrock doesn’t seem rough enough to you, Graspop Metal Meeting might. As the name says, this festival is all about metal, rock and punk. In 2021, the festival received 140,000 visitors who came to watch the more than 100 bands performing.

When? June 16—18, 2022. Where? Dessel. Music? Metal. Free? No.

Genk on Stage

Genk on Stage is a pop music festival with not only a lot of Belgian artists, but also some international names, 80,000 people attended Genk on Stage in 2021.

When? June 23—25, 2022.Where? Genk. Music? Pop. Free? Yes.