Learning Chinese calligraphy     1     (list) as one of the must-do things when I came to China. Now, I’m in the course of learning this unique art,     2     value is considered very high in China, even across East Asia today. It is not only     3     ancient artistic form of human language, but it also reflects Chinese traditions.

As someone who paints, draws, and loves all     4     (create) things, at first, I assumed I would be rather good at Chinese calligraphy. I was     5     (total ) wrong. Using thick brush tips to produce awkward brush strokes (笔画)     6     (be) very difficult for a beginner. I have no idea about the different types of calligraphy and the meanings     7     ( hide) behind each one. Also, I have to hold the paintbrush     8     a very specific way; unlike a pen or pencil, the paintbrush is held upright in the hand. I need to be extra careful when changing the angle or     9     (direct) of the brush, especially if I press too hard on the paper.

After taking the lesson, I now understand the difficulty of calligraphy and that it will take efforts and commitment     10     (master) this art form. Yet, I am grateful to learn such a special Chinese tradition.

With my high school life     1     (begin), I feel a little anxious right now. I hope to make a good first     2     (impress). But I wonder whether I will make friends or what if no one talks to me.

To tell the truth, the maths class was difficult for me,     3     the teacher was kind and friendly. He told us a funny story and every student laughed so much! In the afternoon, we had our chemistry class in the science lab. The lab is new and the lesson was     4     (interest), but the guy next to me tried to talk to me the whole time. Therefore, I couldn’t concentrate     5     the experiment. I     6     (real) wanted to tell him to be quiet and leave me alone!

All in all, the first day was     7     wonderful day. Though I was worried in the morning, I didn’t feel awkward or     8     (frighten) at all. I believe I will make new     9     (friend) in the new school and there’s a lot     10     (explore) at senior high. I think that tomorrow will be a great day!

My high school life has been filled with many ups and downs, whether it is social or academic. Even though my current high school was not my first choice, I never regretted     1    (attend) Southside High School.

Up until the junior year I did not realize my capabilities as a student. I    2    (tell) that my junior year would be the    3     (tough) in all years of high school. With this little piece of information, I walked into my junior year,     4     (scare) of my grades. As weeks passed by, I still didn’t pay enough attention to it. My grades were rapidly becoming worse       5    by the end of the first term I had had five Cs in seven of my classes! I couldn’t believe it! I made great efforts     6     (get) my grades up myself without any help from anyone, but my pride just     7    (make) my grades worse. And I had to miss out on one of     8     most important speech and debate competitions all year: States. I realized I had to get help. Once I got a tutor, my grades went from Cs, Ds to nothing     9     As and Bs. I slowly started to gain my     10    (confident) back in all of my classmates and myself and even received awards from speeches and debates.

I am proud to be a Southside Tiger.

I am taught by many teachers in my school. Every subject has a    1     (differ) teacher, but I like my math teacher    2     (well). Her name is Lakshmi but we usually call her Ma’am. She is our class teacher too.

Ma’am    3     (join) us last term. She is very kind and her way of teaching is so    4     (interest) and simple that we all can understand everything    5     is being taught and how it can be done. Most    6     (important) , Ma’am teaches math with lots of patience. If we do not understand a problem, she will spend extra time guiding us until we understand it. And we can go to ask her at any time during school hours for help.

She also helps us     7     activities at school. When there is some kind of programs, she will be there     8     (help) us to get ready for the show. Even when we go on picnics, she takes good care of     9     (we)．

To me, Ma’am is not only    10     good teacher, but also our best friend. I love Ma’am and I wish her a happy life.

When bright and colorful Beijing Opera faces appear on a computer screen, a teacher asks the students, “Shall we go to see Beijing Opera?” This is the scene of     1     online Chinese class in India’s Mumbai. As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to spread, online Chinese learning on a     2     (vary) of platforms is gaining popularity locally.

Eighteen year-old Drashti Gala from Mumbai is one of many online Chinese     3     (learner) and even has a Chinese name Tang Dashi. Actually, all three sisters in her family     4     (begin) learning Chinese after their father offered the suggestion. Within a short space of time, she has     5     (successful) passed HSK3 (Level 3 of the International Chinese Proficiency Test) and is now preparing for the higher-level exams. At first, some students hesitated as they were not used     6     studying online, but now they realize that online learning means they can save time     7     would have been spent on traveling.     8     (translate) some ancient Chinese poems into Hindi (印地语) also can help improve Drashti’s Chinese.

Most Chinese training institutions in Mumbai have been moved online due to the lockdown. Some people in charge said, “    9     (compare) to traditional classroom teaching, our online courses are more convenient and easier to conduct, and the cost of renting classrooms     10     (save) too. So online learning is popular.”

Career training comes in all forms. As     1     important part of career training, online training has helped raise the skill levels of employees and make them better prepared for the job market. Government departments have made a series of policies to inspire workers to     2     (active) take part in online career training. Before April 18, 2020, 31 provinces     3     (set) up websites for online training companies. Besides, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security intended to work with some network companies and introduce digital courses covering     4     (many) than 100 jobs.

In order to encourage people     5     (take) online training, the ministry will provide subsidies (补助金) for the workers     6     receive online training. Some provinces have come up     7     a series of new measures so as to ensure the quality of online career training.

    8     is important to build interactive platforms for online training, such as filming courses in the workshop, so that people can gain access to more     9     (practice) skills. What’s more, it’s also necessary to strengthen the     10     (guide) of online training companies and set standards related to the content and duration of the courses.