People send birthday wishes using cards and postcards in many cultures. It is not known when and where the tradition of     1     (send) birthday cards began, however, it is believed     2     it was in England in the early nineteenth century. In those days, people sent birthday cards because they couldn’t wish somebody a happy birthday     3     person.

In 1840, the first postage stamp was issued (发行) in Britain and sending birthday cards became       4     (cheap) and therefore more popular. The development of colour printing processes in the 1930s also helped to increase sales of cards.

Today usually cards are given with    5     present, even when people can send     6     (they) wishes in person. In recent times, e-cards have also become popular: many people are starting to use these instead of traditional cards as they     7    (be) free, environmentally    8     (friend) and arrive more quickly. So will e-cards take the place of paper cards in ten or twenty years? Probably not. For young     9     (child) and old people or for very formal occasions (正式场合) e-cards are not proper and some people     10     (simple) don’t use the Internet.

3 . As a young boy, Britain’s great former Prime Minister(首相), Sir Winston Churchill(温斯顿·丘吉尔) attended a public school called Harrow. He was not a good student and nearly _________ out of school for breaking the school rules. _________, he finished his schoolwork and his mistakes there did not prevent him from going on to a university. He even really had an army experience, for which he was later elected _________. He achieved it for his wisdom and courage. Because he once refused to _________ to Germany during the painful days of World War Ⅱ, his amazing determination helped inspire his entire nation and was an _________ worldwide.

Towards the end of his period as prime minister, he was _________ to make a speech to the students at his old school. When the great day arrived, Sir Winston Churchill gave his short, clear­cut speech:

“Young man, never give up. Never give up! Never give up! Never, never, never, never!”

Another _________ example is Sandra O’Connor who fought to achieve her best education. Graduating at the top of her class, she worked her _________ into Stanford Law School, where she graduated with _________. Though working hard, she was __________ a woman in the 1950s. She was refused by many law firms __________ they preferred to hire a less qualified(有资格的) man __________ a great woman lawyer. Yet she refused to give up on her dreams. With great efforts, her dream finally came true.

Just like Churchill and Sandra, they stand for those who never give up. __________, many people in our daily life simply say they want something but without making efforts. Instead, they let the fear of failure stop them from trying. As a wise saying goes: “It’s not how many times you fall down that __________. It’s how many times you get back up that makes success!” With hard work,__________ and preparation, you can overcome any difficulty and achieve success.

Some people believe humans could live on the planet Mars (火星) by the year 2100.     1    (hopeful), people could start all over again and build    2    better world on Mars. Here is    3    life there could be like. With the    4    (develop) of technology, the journey might only take about 20 minutes by 2100 in spacecraft that travel at the speed of light!    5    , the spacecraft would travel so fast that the journey might be quite    6    (comfortable). Humans cannot survive     7    water, oxygen (氧气) or food. Nobody    8    (know) whether there would be enough water or oxygen on Mars for people there. Gravity could be another problem. The gravity (重力) on Mars    9    (be) only about three-eighths (八分之三) of that on the Earth (地球). People would have to wear boots that are specially designed to prevent    10     (them) from floating off into space. Life on Mars would be interesting as well as challenging.

7 . The city of San Francisco is a wonderful tourist attraction that offers many different things to see and do. The best way for a traveler to get a good look at the city is to take one of the many different tours there.

Tour the City on Foot

When touring the city by walking, you aren’t going to walk much. What’s more, there are far more benefits. This kind of tour allows you to appreciate as many buildings of the city as possible. A tour of the city on foot usually focuses on a more localized neighborhood level, which can be very interesting in a number of different ways.

Hit the Waters of San Francisco Bay

The waters of San Francisco Bay have played an important role in the city’s development over the last century. Touring San Francisco from the water is a completely unique way for you to see this wonderful city.

Take a Bus Tour

If you want to see a wide variety of attractions from all over the city, one of the best things you could do is to book a tour through our company that offers services here. A bus tour of San Francisco is one of the most complete ways to experience the city.

Tour San Francisco From the Air

While it is one of the most expensive ways to see San Francisco, touring the city from the air is one of the most unique and thrilling ways to see the city. Seeing the city from high above allows you to get a full view of the city as tour guides point out attractions from high above. If you do decide to tour San Francisco by air. You’ll be creating memories that you won’t forget forever.

We are a travel agency providing high-quality services and discounts. For more information, please  click here.

8 . Imagine this: You’re digging a well, and instead of hitting water, you unearth a headless human body made of pottery. This actually happened to farmers in Shanxi province in central China in 1974. Local archaeologists heard of the find and biked over to investigate. They realized that the figure had come from a tomb built over 2,000 years ago for China’s first emperor, Qin Shihuang. Archaeologists finally discovered three separate pits (穴) filled with 8,000 life-sized statues, all made from terracotta-a type of fired clay.

About a mile away from these pits, there’s a large mound (山丘). Archaeologists know that this is the main part of Qin Shihuang’s tomb, but they have never looked inside. They have left it alone out of respect for the first emperor and to protect the tomb as it is.

“Many people wish to see the treasures and mysteries inside, but we cannot,” says Xiuzhen Li, an archaeologist. Opening the tomb could damage its contents. Someday, Li hopes, we’ll have technology that will let us see inside the main part of the tomb without opening and disturbing it.

“Probably in the near future we’ll have some new technology that can see inside like an x-ray,” she says. Scientists are working on techniques that make it possible to see underground. Another idea is that a tiny robot could enter through a small hole and capture videos of what it sees. Even if this robotic exploration is done very carefully, however, it would still damage the tomb. For now, the Chinese government prefers to wait to do anything until they have even better technology.

9 . Summer Courses 2022

San Diego Seaside College is offering one and two-week English summer courses for high school students from all over the world who want to improve their English. Classes are offered at five levels, from basic to advanced. Students will be tested when they arrive and placed in the level appropriate to their language ability. Each class has a maximum of 14 students.

Tuition Fees (学费)

One-week Course (July 26–August 1): $310

Two-week Course (July 26–August 8): $620

The full payment must be received before the beginning of the courses.

Accommodations (食宿)

We provide housing, including breakfast & dinner, 7 days a week.

Single room: $250 per week

Twin room: $160 per person, per week

You should reserve your accommodations before May 15 and all the accommodation fees must be paid in full before June 15.

How to Apply

Fill out an application form and send it to us at esc@sdc.edu.

Come to our college this summer and make yourself shine at English.

10 . It was a winter morning, just a couple of weeks before Christmas 2005. While most people were warming up their cars, Trevor, my husband, had to get up early to ride his bike four kilometers away from home to work. On arrival, he parked his bike outside the back door as he usually does. After putting in 10 hours of labor, he returned to find his bike gone.

The bike, a black Kona 18 speed, was our only transport. Trevor used it to get to work, putting in 60-hour weeks to support his young family. And the bike was also used to get groceries (食品杂货), saving us from having to walk long distances from where we live.

I was so sad that someone would steal our bike that I wrote to the newspaper and told them our story. Shortly after that, several people in our area offered to help. One wonderful stranger even bought a bike, then called my husband to pick it up. Once again my husband had a way to get to and from his job. It really is an honor that a complete stranger would go out of their way for someone they have never met before.

People say that a smile can be passed from one person to another, but acts of kindness from strangers are even more so. This experience has had a spreading effect in our lives because it strengthened our faith in humanity (人性) as a whole. And it has influenced us to be more mindful of ways we, too, can share with others. No matter how big or how small, an act of kindness shows that someone cares. And the results can be everlasting.