Finally, in the 20th century, the southern part of Ireland     1     the UK, which     2     the full name we have today: the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Most people just use the     3     name: “the United Kingdom” or “the UK”. People from the UK are called “British”, which means the UK is also often     4     as Britain or Great Britain.

Jan Tchamani, an English teacher in Birmingham, UK, suddenly developed a serious illness and had to quit her job. At age 50, she found herself out of work and     1     at home with only her computer to     2    . After a while, she discovered that     3     the Internet could help her feel less lonely and bored. She could listen to music, watch films, play games, and explore the world. She also joined an online group where she could talk about her problems and get support and advice from others. She realised that one of the greatest benefits of the Internet was its ability to remove the     4     that usually exists between people.

I still remember the last Christmas Granny spent with us. I remember it was a cold, windy day because Granny’s grey hair was a     1     when she arrived. With Christmas on the way, our     2     grew each day—lights appeared in the streets, Christmas cards arrived, and there was snow everywhere. Granny and I made sugar biscuits,     3     the turkey and then I sat on my granny’s lap and we sang Christmas songs. Granny had     4     to sing it over and over again.

On Christmas Eve, Granny took a seat by the fire as we put up the Christmas tree. I     5     most of the decorations on the branches.Before bed, Granny and I put a stocking at the end of my bed. I was on my best behaviour as we opened the presents the next day. Later, Granny called me over. “I have something special for you,” Granny     6    . “It’s for all your treasures. Merry Christmas.”It was a music box with a ballet dancer inside.

Lunch was a loud and exciting affair. We put on silly paper hats and had a big turkey with potatoes, followed by Christmas pudding. David put so much pudding in his mouth that he couldn’t     7    . Granny laughed so much that her paper hat fell off.

A few weeks after that Christmas, Granny passed away. When I think about what makes Christmas so     8    , it’s not just gifts and Father Christmas that come to mind. It’s also my memory of Granny.

Long running has a lot of benefits. First, it will help you    1    and prevent diseases. Like any exercise, running    2    the flow of blood and oxygen to your brain. It makes your heart stronger and allows more blood to flow around your body. It also    3    your immune system and reduces the risk of serious health problems. Besides, anybody who is feeling down can go for a run to    4    . A thirty-minute run can provide relief from aches or tension that one may be suffering    5    stress. But remember to    6    and cool down properly before and after running. Such kind of warm-down    7    your body.

Avatars are    1    that you use to represent yourself online. You can choose an avatar from    2    ready-made images, or create your own images. Although avatars haven’t been around for long, they are widely used.

Avatars let you express yourself and give you room for    3    . People usually make their avatars look better than they do in real life. They also    4    things like different hairstyles—which says a lot about what they want to look like. But the use of avatars has also caused a few    5    . Some users worry that they are spending too much time in virtual worlds that they are becoming afraid of    6    people in the real world. The use of several avatars can also be    7    , as people can use avatars to cheat others online. However, many people see avatars    8     They look forward to a time when their avatar will act like a real person and travel around bigger, more exciting virtual worlds.