John lives in a small town. He has a bookshop. He is _______ all the time and his wife does all the housework.

One day, Mike, his son, was _______. His wife sent their son to the hospital. The doctor examined (检查) the boy and told him to stay in _______. John was worried about his son, but had _______ time to see him. That night he   _______ very late but couldn’t fall asleep. About an hour later, as soon as he went to sleep, the telephone rang.     

He got up at once, ______ up the phone and said, “Hello, who’s _______?” “Can you hear who’s _______ here now, John?” a woman laughed and said. “Oh, Mum,” said John. “What has happened to you?” “Nothing. Dear,” said the woman. “It’s your birthday today.” “Did you call me in the middle of the _______ only to tell me about this?” John asked _______ . “Yes, my dear,” said the woman. “You got me up thirty years ago and I want to get you up at this time today.”

Here is a part from Maria’s diaries (日记) about her vacation (假期).

Dear Diary,    On the first day, we visited many places of interest in Guazhou and did lots of shopping. On the second day, we took a plane at Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport.

The 3rd Day: We arrived in London in the rain. We went to some big shops and buy a lot of things.

The 4th Day: We came to Paris from London by train. It was cloudy and the food wasn’t good. We liked the shops here, and the clothes are fashionable.

The 5th Day: We arrived in Rome in the hot weather. We had lunch in a small restaurant, and the food was delicious. We visited some shops. They were all wonderful.

The 6th Day: We flew to New York City and the things in the shops were all expensive. We didn’t buy many things. But we liked the warm weather there.

The 7th Day: Today we watched some Broadway shows in New York City. They were wonderful. We’ll go back home tomorrow after a week’s vacation.

When 1949 meets 2023

Hi, I’m Hanhan, an eighth-grader from Beijing. I was born in 2008. China held the Summer Olympics that year. In the past 15 years, everyone’s life has changed a lot. So has my life. My grandfather Jianguo feels the same. He was born in 1949. “When I was your age, life was very different,” he said to me. But how was it different? I’m going to talk to him.

Jianguo: When I was born, many families were poor. Most people could spend only about 50 yuan a year.

Hanhan: In 2023, most people spent about 30,000 yuan a year. It increased a lot. I have some pocket money. I use it to buy my favourite toys.

Jianguo: In 1949, about three quarters of Chinese people could not read or write. Going to school was a dream for many people.

Hanhan: Now almost everyone can go to primary and junior high schools. In some poor areas, students can enjoy free meals after class. We have better chances to make our dreams come true.

Jianguo: I used to live in a hutong with my family. My brother and I shared a small room.

Hanhan: My family lives in a tall building. I have my own bedroom, but life in the hutong sounds so fun.

Betty lives in a big city. Her grandparents live in the countryside. They are both farmers and have     36     big farm.

Last summer, she went to the farm and visit her grandparents. There she saw a lot of animals,     37     as sheep and cows (奶牛). What did she do on the farm every day? Let’s have a look!        

In the     38    , Betty had breakfast first. After that, she went to feed horses. She liked a white horse very much and she rode     39     sometimes. Then she went to pick vegetables     40     her grandma in a garden. In the afternoon, Betty went to the bank (河岸) of the river and painted there. She is very     41     in painting. Sometimes, she     42     fishing by the river. It was really relaxing for her to see many     43     of fish in the river. In the evening, it became dark. Betty usually     44     books in the house. Everything was quiet. She could see many stars in the sky. They were bright.     45     a wonderful night!