From this year’s trip through Southeast Asia, last year’s Central America adventure and traveling within Canada, travel has been a(n)     1     (wonder) part of my life. My study abroad in Australia had such a huge impact     2     my life that I created my own travel blog Little Miss Ottawa as a way     3     (challenge) myself to experience Ottawa as a traveler would.

Whenever a friend or family member comes back from a trip, they always can’t wait to tell you about the highlights (最好的部分)! Research from San Francisco State University has shown that people feel     4     (comfortable) when they spend money on experiences than on other things and they feel the money is better spent.

Experiences are something I truly value. Your     5     (happy) increases with experiences, but the impact of people you meet along the way also matters. Some of my best    6     (trip) were when I went alone and I     7     (lucky) met people who would become friends for life. Now I have people I can visit all over the world. In fact,     8     is so easy to build friendships with other travelers because everyone is ready to meet new people. I jumped into my study abroad in Australia     9     (know) no one. I left with friendships     10     will last a lifetime. There’s something about going through experiences together that has bonded (建立关系) us for life.

If you’re looking for a way     1     (deal) with stress, consider tai chi.

Tai chi is an ancient Chinese tradition that, today, is practiced as a graceful (优雅的) form of exercise. It involves a series of movements     2     (perform) in a slow, focused manner and accompanied (伴随) by deep breathing.

There are different     3     (type) of tai chi. Each style may have various tai chi rules and methods. Some styles may focus     4     health maintenance (维持), while others pay attention to the martial arts aspect of tai chi.

Tai chi is low-impact and puts the least stress on joints,     5     (make) it generally safe for all ages and fitness levels. In fact, because tai chi is a low-impact exercise, it may be     6     (especial) suitable if you’re an older adult     7     otherwise may not exercise.

You may also find tai chi attractive because it is inexpensive and requires no special equipment. You can do tai chi anywhere, including indoors or outside. And     8     makes tai chi more interesting is that you can do it in a group class.

Although tai chi is generally safe and really     9     (help), people with joint problems or back pain should ask their health care provider for help before trying tai chi. Other kinds of exercises that avoid some challenging postures (姿势) may     10     (recommend).

The celebrations of Chinese New Year, also     1     (call) Chinese Spring Festival, were born out of fear and myth (神话). Legend (传说) spoke of the wild beast Nian (which also is the word for “year”)     2     appeared at the end of each year,     3     (attack) villagers. Loud noises and bright lights were used     4     (frighten) the beast away, and the Chinese New Year celebrations were born. Today, the Spring Festival     5     (celebrate) with a week of vacation in China. Much like the Western New Year (January 1st), the biggest celebration is on the eve of the holiday.

The Chinese New Year’s Eve meal is the most important dinner of the year.     6     (typical), families gather at a designated (指定的) relative’s house for dinner, but these     7     (day), more and more families choose to hold New Year’s Eve dinner at a restaurant. Many restaurants require reservations (预订) months ahead.

There are also some families that hire ( 雇用) a professional chef to come cook at home. Chefs are often busy running from one home     8     another cooking dinners for different families on New Year’s Eve.

Chinese New Year is a 15-day celebration and each day, many families take turns to hold celebrations among homes of     9     (they) relatives. The festivities are day-long and sometimes, a family ends up cooking two meals for relatives, once at lunch     10     once at dinner.

At age 85, my mom still worked in her yard. I was joking with her one day and said, “Mom, I’m so glad there won’t be any grass cutters in heaven, because you would have to use    1     (they)!” She had a good laugh.

During all my life, mom has been working hard at something. Growing up, I didn’t have to worry about    2    (get) new dresses. Mom made my dresses. She didn’t have a store bought style; she would take a newspaper and cut her own style. She     3     (use) a machine to make the dress.

Almost every baby     4    our neighborhood had one of my mom’s quilts (被子). And other quilters have said the church window style is one of    5     (hard) to do, so of course my mom had to show she could do it. At 85, she set out     6    (make) this beautiful quilt,     7    has more than 1,000 pieces. Finally, she gained the    8     (succeed). Now she is 88 years old, not in good health and unable to make quilts anymore.     9     (lucky), she gave me that last quilt as a gift. It is     10    unusual gift. Thank you, Mom.

It’s true that as you get older, you care less what people think about you, but some of us still have those moments sometimes. My friend, Tiffany, however,     1     (actual) never cares what people think and I love her for it. All you can do is watch her be herself and be very    2     (confidence) because what you see     3     (be) what you get. I’ve learned from Tiffany,     4     is not afraid of holding anything back,     5     (accept) my loud and talkative self rather than hiding it     6     some people because I’m afraid of being annoying (烦人的) or too much.

She makes me laugh — well okay, if you know me, you’d know that anyone and anything can make me laugh in two     7     (second), but this girl can get me crying so fast because she can fall into a laugh attack ( 突然大笑) just as easily     8     me. She doesn’t judge me for saying or doing stupid things. She’ll also be the one     9     (sit) next to me on the couch ( 长沙发) to make sure I’m okay. She and I have had some pretty deep talks and that’s something about our friendship that I value. We accept each other for who we are and she has helped me become much     10     (comfortable) to be myself.

The robot lawn mowers (割草机)     1     (design) by us have the following benefits besides saving you time and effort.

First, they are environmentally friendly. With global warming now     2    (be) a major concern you can have peace of mind with these mowers. They run on rechargeable batteries and do not use petrol or burn oil like conventional lawn mowers.

Second, they work very     3     (quiet). After careful assessment, noise from them     4     (find) to be about 60 decibels (分贝) lower than a typical lawn mower, so you can program them to work at night while you sleep.

Third, rain sensors in our robot lawn mowers warn the robot     5     (return) to its shelter or stay in its shelter while it’s raining. On     6     other hand, if you are using a simple electric lawn mower, you will have to stay out in the rain while you get your mower under shelter     7     it will be useless.

Fourth, bump sensors in our robot lawn mower protect the lawn mower from running over items     8     may be lying in the yard, thus increasing its life and efficiency.

Last but not least, they are    9     (benefit) for people with allergy problems — they can cut your grass while you sit far away, reading your favourite novel     10     comfort.