First, I had to think very carefully about    1    I wanted to take. The school adviser helped me choose     2    : maths, English, chemistry, world history, and Chinese. I know that Chinese is a very difficult language, but I    3    when I graduate. My adviser    4    that I should    5         6    because I like English and I’m good at it.

I know I’ll have to study harder as a senior high student and get used to    7    a lot more.I’m a bit worried about    8    the other students in my advanced course and it would be quite difficult to get used to all the homework. Still, T’m happy to be here. Studying hard isn’t always fun, but I’ll    9    university or     10    in the future.

So why has English changed over time?    1     all languages change and develop when cultures meet and communicate with each other. At first the English     2     in England between about AD 450 and 1150 was very different from the English spoken today. It was     3     more on German than the English we speak at present. Then     4     between about AD 800 and 1150, English became     5     like German because those who ruled England spoke first Danish and later French. These new settlers     6    the English language and especially its vocabulary. So    7    the 1600’s Shakespeare was able to make use of a wider vocabulary than ever before. In 1620 some British settlers moved to America. Later in the 18th century some British people were taken to     8    too. English began to be spoken in both countries. Finally by the 19th century the language was     9    . At that time two big changes in English spelling happened: first Samuel Johnson wrote his dictionary and later Noah Webster wrote The American Dictionary of the English language. The latter gave a separate     10     to American English spelling.

PERU is a country on the Pacific coast of South America with three main areas:     1    , dry, flat land running along the coast, the Andes Mountains and the Amazon rainforest.

In the 1400s and 1500s, Peru was the centre of the     2     ancient Inca Empire. The Inca emperor lived in the now-famous     3     Machu Picchu. Spain took control     4     Peru in the 16th century and ruled until 1821. It is for this reason that Spanish is the main     5     language of Peru.

This four-day walking tour will take you on amazing     6     through the Andes Mountains on the way to the city of Machu Picchu. After reaching your     7    , you will have a day to     8     and be amazed by this ancient city. Especially amazing is the Inca’s dry stone method of building. Inca builders cut stones to     9     sizes so that nothing was needed to hold walls together other than the     10     fit of the stones.

My name is Wang Kun. Ever since middle school, my sister Wang Wei and I have     1     about taking a great bike trip. Two years ago she bought     2     expensive mountain bike and then she     3    me to buy one. Last year, she visited our     4    , Dao Wei and Yu Hang at their college in Kunming. They are Dai and     5    up in western Yunnan Province near the Lancang River, the Chinese part of the river     6     is called the Mekong River in other countries. Wang Wei soon got them     7    in cycling too. After graduating from college, we     8     got the chance to take a bike trip. I asked my sister, "Where are we going?"     9     was my sister who first had the idea to cycle     10     the entire Mekong River from where it begins to where it ends. Now she is planning our schedule for the trip.

Dollywood, in the beautiful Smoky Mountains in the southeastern USA, is one of the most     1    theme parks in the world. Dollywood shows and celebrates America’s traditional southeastern culture.     2    Dollywood has rides, the park’s main attraction is its culture. Famous country music groups     3     there all year in indoor and outdoor theatres. People come from all over America to see     4     and other craftsmen make wood, glass and iron objects     5     the old-fashioned way. Visit the candy shop     6     try the same kind of candy that American southerners     7     150 years ago, or take a ride on the only steam-engine train still working in the southeast USA, You can     8    see beautiful bald eagles in the world’s largest bald eagle preserve. And for those     9     like rides, Dollywood has one of the best old wooden roller coasters, Thunderhead. It is world-famous for having the most length in the smallest space. Come to Dollywood to have fun     10     all about America’s historical southeastern culture!

As a player, Lang Ping brought honour and     1     to her country. As a coach, she led the China women’s volleyball team to     2     at world championships and the Olympics. As a person, Lang Ping is loved by fans     3         4         5         6    . When the Chinese team was preparing for the 2015 World Cup, her determination was     7    . The team that Lang ping had built was     8         9    . One of the best players had been     10    , and the team captain had to leave     11         12     heart problems. Losing two important players was a big     13    , but Lang Ping did not     14         15    . She had faced difficulties before, and she knew that her young players could win if they     16         17     as a team. Two weeks later, they were world champions! Then in 2016, Lang Ping led her volleyball team to Olympic gold in Brazil.

Celebrated all around the world, festivals have a wide range of o    1    , such as the seasons of the year, religions, famous f    2    , and important events. Of all the traditional festivals, the harvest festival can be found in almost every culture. This important agricultural festival takes place after all the crops have been   g    3     in. People celebrate to show that they are g    4     for the year’s supply of food. The harvest festival in ancient Egypt f    5     a parade and a great feast with music, dancing and sports. Customs play a s    6     role in festivals, but sometimes they can change over time. For example, lighting fireworks is one of the t    7     traditions in Chinese Spring Festival to drive away the evil spirits and celebrate the new year. Recently, to avoid air pollution, it is banned in many big cities. Moreover, with many online shopping websites and social media apps boosting, festivals are celebrated more and more c    8     leading to people's different ideas about it. Festivals are an important part of society. They reflect people's wishes, b    9    , faiths, and attitudes to life. They are o    10     that we need to relax and enjoy life, and forget about our work for a little while.