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.

Going from junior high school to senior high school is     1     really big challenge. First, I had to think very     2     (careful) about which courses I wanted to take. The school adviser helped me choose the     3     (suit) ones. He recommended that I should sign up for advanced literature because I like English and I’m good at it. Second, I had to choose extracurricular     4     (activity). I tried to join the school football team,     5     the coach said I wasn’t good enough. I     6    (join) a volunteer club instead. Lastly, I’ll have to study harder as a senior high school student and get used to     7    (be) responsible for a lot more. I am a bit worried about keeping up     8     the other students in my advanced course, and it’ll be difficult     9     (get) used to all the homework. Studying hard isn’t always fun, but I’ll be well     10    (prepare) for university or whatever else comes in the future.

I know I’ll have to study harder as a senior high school student and get used to     1     (be) responsible for a lot more. I’m a bit worried about keeping up with the other students in my     2     (advance) course, and it’ll be quite difficult to get used to all the homework. Still, I’m happy to be there. Studying hard isn’t always fun,     3     I’ll be well prepared for university or whatever else     4     (come) in the future.

I felt butterflies in my stomach when I started calligraphy class ten years ago. I wondered what I was doing there. At that moment, I couldn’t have known that I’d just made one of the best     1     (choose) of my life.

I sat down and listened to the teacher     2     (introduce) the tools of the craft. Then it was time for me to try my hand: I took up the brush, using the correct gesture,     3     (dip) it in the ink, and carefully wrote “one”     4     Chinese.

After nearly five years of practicing. I started to make versions of well-known poems. Calligraphy seemed like a bridge,     5     connected me to authors from centuries past. Stroke (笔画) by stroke, word by word, I could feel their emotions, cherished my own peace and learned     6     (appreciate) my daily life.

Now, calligraphy is not only     7     hobby, but also a way to remove myself from the     8     (worry) of life. Rolling out the paper, I can write for a whole day. Calligraphy     9     (able) me to balance my busy schedule and live     10     (peace).

Thando Gowon, a 16­-year­-old Grade 10 student at South Hill High Schoo, comes from South Africa. He is good­looking, thinks fast, and    1    (play) hard. While     2    (study), he always holds a book or a pen. Apart from being in class, he will be either in the library     3     in the computer lab. At the weekends, he     4     (usual) plays computer games if he is not busy studying. His dream is     5     (set) up his own IT company.

Ann Wells,     6     Grade 10 student at Lakeside High School, is from USA. She is active and curious     7    everything. She likes asking questions, and believes that she can learn best by     8     (do). Physics is her favourite subject. Besides reading short     9    (story), dancing and skating     10     (be) also her hobbies. Her dream is to become an engineer in the future.

If you have learnt some maths at school, you can quite     1    (quick) work out that one eleventh is about 9 percent. But did you know that 9 percent is also the number of children     2     are not at school? That’s right - one in 11 children is not     3    (study) and probably even cannot do the simple maths you just did so very easily. They drop out of school     4     their families are too poor and they have to work like adults. In 2013, millions of children and     5    (teenager) were out of school. Most live in poor countries, but there     6    (be) also some boys and girls who cannot go to school in rich countries. If you are one of the lucky ones who can go to     7     senior high school, you should be grateful for the opportunity. So the next time you feel like you do not want     8    (do) boring, difficult homework or go to class, think about the children who don’t have the chance to get a good     9    (educate). Make the most of your education and make the world a     10    (good) place.

Adam, a freshman of senior high school, thought going to senior high school was really     1    (challenge). The first week made him a little    2    (confuse). Different    3    junior middle school, he had to choose suitable courses. He chose Chinese, hoping to speak it fluently when he graduated. His adviser also suggested that he sign     4    for advanced literature. Besides, he tried to join the football team,    5    he failed.    6    (obvious), he had to find a way to improve on his own to try next year. In    7    word, he wanted to be a person with a strong sense of    8    (responsible). Though he was worried about    9    (keep) up with other students, he was sure he    10    (will) be well prepared for future life.

Keeping a diary in English is one of the useful ways     1     can improve our English writing ability. Compared with other forms of writing, it is     2    (short) and takes less time. It can help us to develop the habit of thinking in English. If we keep     3    (try) this practice, gradually we’ll learn how to express ourselves in English.

In keeping a diary in English, we     4    (certain) run up against many difficulties. In the first place, it often happens that we have difficulty     5    (find) exact words and phrases to express our mind. Secondly, there are many idiomatic ways of saying things in Chinese. And it is extremely hard for     6    (we) to put them into English properly.

My     7    (propose) is that we should always have a notebook and a Chinese-English dictionary     8     easy reach. Whenever something     9    (trouble) us, we can first put it down in our notebook and then refer to our dictionary. When necessary, we can also turn to our English teacher for help. In short, I believe that it is     10     effective way to keep a diary in English for the development of our writing skills.