1 . What Is Active Listening?

Active listening is a special way of communicating. Its goal is to make it easier for people to clearly express ideas and feelings. It can lead to a better understanding between a speaker and a listener.

    1    , or it can be done by two people on their own. Active listening works best when the speaker and the listener sit facing each other. The two people take turns talking. The goal is for the listener to give full attention to the speaker. You should avoid thinking about what to say next or whether what the speaker is saying is right.    2    . Try as much as possible to see things from the speaker’s point of view.

Once the speaker finishes talking, you should repeat the main points of what he or she just said.    3    . It gives him or her a chance to clear up any misunderstanding. The speaker can explain his or her ideas until he or she feels fully understood.    4    . From there, the two people switch back and forth (来回地) until they have both fully heard and understood each other.

Active listening is very useful for people who live or work together. Family members and co-workers often have bad listening habits. They react to each other based on what they expect the other person to say rather than on what is actually said.    5    .

A vast region with beautiful scenery, lush plants, a lot of rivers and lakes dotted around, Hulun Buir Grassland is like a huge, green picture scroll,    1    gives you boundless views. The name Hulun Buir, which means “the land of lakes and rivers”,    2    (date) back to a legend long long ago. It is the best-preserved grassland in China    3    recognized as “The Crass Kingdom”.

With the most plentiful and excellent pastures and    4    any pollution, Hulun Buir Grassland, also has the name The Purest Grassland. Its animal products, like meat, milk, leather, and wool,    5    (enjoy) by people both at home and abroad. It’s a famous tourist destination now.

With the irrigation of thousands of rivers, the grassland presents    6    (it) as a green carpet underneath the blue sky and white clouds. You can ride on camels and horses, watch wrestling and horse racing, and enjoy a bonfire party — the unique lifestyle of nomads can be    7    (full) appreciated.

The region’s location makes it warm and pleasant in the summer, while cold and    8    (snow) in the winter. During the summer, the meadows are covered with    9    blanket of multicolored wildflowers. Even in ancient times, the beautiful scenery of this place gained    10    (popular) with poets and writers and was described in their literary works.

I take part in the Cultural Exchange Week in London last month. Honest speaking, I enjoyed myself in a city. I paid a visit a city museum and some places of interest. They made me have a better understanding of the British society, culture or history. Of course, I also made several new friend there, who hobbies are similar to mine. What’s more, I was lucky to call on a pen friend, Johnson, who had been in touch with myself for a long time. I will never forget the most happiest days that we spent together. When returning to China safely, I felt very satisfying.

7 . Trees are one of the oldest “citizens (公民)” of our Earth. They keep our air clean, reduce noise pollution, improve water quality and provide food and building materials.

Just like us, trees change a lot as they grow. At 1 to 3 years old, young trees learn how to protect themselves. For example, many trees grow thorns (刺) to warn animals not to go near Most young trees have large, deep green leaves so that they can catch enough sunlight and change it into their food and energy.

When trees are 4 years old, they begin to grow very rapidly and become strong enough to face challenges later in life. At the age of 15, trees become young adults. Afterwards, they grow more slowly and begin to produce flowers and fruit.

It is not until the tree is 20 to 25 years old that it becomes a real adult. The tree reaches its largest size. The adult tree gives us shade, oxygen and natural beauty; it is also a great place for a tree house, or a place for us to read a book, listen to music and so on. If we give the adult tree proper care, it will go on to live healthily for many years.

Gradually, trees begin to grow older and older and even die. At this time, they still have their important place in nature. When a tree becomes hollow (空心的) or part of it becomes dead, it provides a home to small animals and is a source of food for many other animals.

In many ways, the life of a tree is like our own life experience. When we are looking at the life of a tree, we   learn that each period of life brings its own form of joy and challenge. So, let’s enjoy every minute of our life and take care of it like planting a tree!

8 . On July 10,1980, I was aboard an old destroyer(驱逐舰), sailing from Singapore to the Philijppines. The day was gray with threatening clouds. There was a typhoon ________our way. All of us were looking forward to arriving in the Philippines as quickly as possible.

Suddenly, the lookout ________an object floating. He announced that it was a boat with many people on it in a   _____area with reefs(礁石).The captain announced that we were heading towards the boat to offer ________. Everyone prepared for the possible rescue. I made my way to the back end of the ship. The ship ________. But along the way, I heard most of the crew were ________about assisting the people. And I even heard an engineer ________said, “We ought to leave them out there to die!”

We got close to the boat and sent out the whaleboat with a small crew to ________it out further. The crew reported back it was an old wooden boat ________with about 50 men, women and children, who were very weak. Our ship became even more _______ after that news. Some gathered any dry clothes they could ________and I prepared the area for rest and all the medical items.

We ________got alongside the boat and the first thing I noticed was the strange sound of babies crying. Then came the sound of the men and women excitedly talking with pain in their voices. All their faces ________great tiredness. We helped get them ________. The weakest received ________while the rest got a place to rest.

During those hours after the _______, I noticed a big change in the ________of the crew. The same ________even helped in caring a baby girl. Outside, the weather was growing worse, but inside, everything felt _______ and pleasant. Our new friends were very happy as if they were on a luxury ship ________an old destroyer.