It’s influenced by graffiti art and     1     art. I walked around looking at the street art for a few hours. It was quite modern and lively.     2    , I ate some delicious Mexican-Chinese noodles from a food truck. A real mix of     3     here!

The appeal of magic

Have you ever interacted with a magician or entertainer in the flesh who       1     (使惊讶) you with a show of magic? I once had such an unforgettable experience on a cruise.

It was ten years ago, after I renewed my       2     (签证) as a visiting scholar in a high school in West Virginia, the US. For the summer vacation, I w    3     from my little town in the eastern US accompanied by two colleagues and boarded a huge ship that reminded me of the Titanic, going from Miami across the sea b    4     to the Bahamas, an island country famous for its white sandy beaches and sky-blue water     5     (难得) seen in daily life.

While we were having dinner in the dining hall, an entertainer came over to our table and asked “Excuse me, would you like to see a little magic?” “Yes, of course,” we replied. How could we possibly r    6     the temptation of getting involved in a magic show? And so, the entertainer fished out       7     (迅速地) one rubber band from his pocket and asked me to hold out my hand. He put the band around my fingers, turning it in different ways to make a complex web. Then came something that seemed u    8    : slowly but surely, he     9         10         11     (去掉) the band from my fingers in one turn, as if the band had never been wound! A language teacher by p    12    , I failed to make any verbal       13     (反应), until the entertainer wished us to enjoy our dinner and went away.

Having seen many splendid magic shows on TV, I am still impressed with the one performed around my fingers. Magic can     14     ( 逗 乐 ) and amaze people whether they are       15     ( 成 熟 的 ) adults or children, easterners or westerners. The appeal of magic is u    16    .

    1    , they find Luo’s parents eagerly waiting for them. Their home has been     2     for the joyous occasion. From the    3    of the paper-cuttings on the windows, to the Spring Festival    4    on the door, and to the New Year paintings on the wall, everything    5    joy, luck and happiness.

The whole family are going to    6    on the Chinese New Year’s Eve. They    7    around the television to watch the Spring Festival Gala, while    8    , chatting with each other and making dumplings that they will eat at the    9    of the new year. In the    10    of the room, Luo Yan talks about his plan for the future.

One day, when my two brothers and I were coming back home, we met a h    1     (可怕的) storm. All at once, the sky was c     2     with clouds. With the wind and waves, we were going in the direction of the whirlpool, nearer and nearer to the edge of it. After we went over the edge and were still a    3    , I knew I must do something in order to     4     (存活下来), so I made three important observations. F    5    , I made the right decision and was picked up by the fishermen.