Decorating with Plants， Fruits and Flowers for Chinese New Year
Chinese New Year is a （1） （celebrate） marking the end of the winter season and the beginning of spring．This is why decorating with plants， fruits and flowers（2） （carry） special significance．They represent the earth （3） （come） back to life and best wishes for new beginnings．
These are some of the most popular in many parts of the country：
Oranges：Orange trees are more（4） decoration；they are a symbol of good fortune and wealth．They make great gifts and you see them many times（5） （decorate） with red envelopes and messages of good fortune．
Bamboo：Chinese love their "Lucky Bamboo" plants and you will see them often in their homes and offices．（6） （certain） during the holiday period，this plant is a must．Bamboo plants are associated （7） health， abundance and a happy home．They are easy（8） （care） for and make great presents．
Branches of Plum Blossoms （梅花）：The（9） （beauty） long branches covered with pink﹣colored buds （蓓蕾） make fantastic decorations．The plum trees are （10） first to flower even as the snow is melting （融化）．They represent the promise of spring and a renewal of life．
When I was young, we lived in what is now a forest preserve. People had the bad habit of abandoning dogs, ______ drove my poor mother crazy! We were not rich and already had a dog.
Looking out of the window my mother complained to us about the________(responsible) and cruel person, who had just thrown a dog. We ______
___(tell) to stay away from the dog as we could not afford it. I felt _______
__(extreme) upset, and I couldn’t believe my mother refused to help the animal. She said, “Here we are not the only one. Let ____
_____take care of the creature.
_____poor dog lay at the end of the driveway and hardly moved. I was very sad, __
_ dared not say anything to my mother. _____
___(late) that day I couldn’t find my mother in the house. I looked in every room but she was gone. Then I saw my mother ____
_ (come) home with the dog. We kids ran outside to greet our new friend. My mother didn’t say _____
_she had changed her mind. It’s not what you say. It’s what you do.
A young man and an old man were waiting for a bus at a station. sat next to each other. “What’s that in your bag?” asked the young man,
(point)to a big bag beside the the old man.
“Gold. There is nothing but gold,” answered the old man. The young man could not believe his own ears. “What?” he said to himself in surprise. Then he began to think about to get the gold .The old man was tired and it seemed that he could hardly keep his eyes open. After a while,the old man
(lie) down and he fell asleep.
The young man took the big bag (gentle). But when he was just going to run away , he found a corner of his fur coat was under the old man’s body . Several times, he tried to pull it out,
in vain. At last he took off his coat ,thinking that the gold in the bag must be
____ (value) than his fur coat Worried but ___
__ (delight), the young man ran out of the station as quickly as his legs could carry him, he reached a place,
he thought the old man couldn’t find him, he stopped and quickly opened the bag.
But he just found a great many stones in it. He ran back tothe station(hurry) only to find the old man was gone.
Old age may not sound_______ (excite).But recent findings provide good news for older people and for people worried about
(get) older.
The findings came from_______ survey of more than 340,000 adults in the United States. The Gallup Organization questioned
________ by telephone in 2008.At that time, the people were between the ages of eighteen and eighty-five.
The researchers asked questions about emotions like happiness, _______(sad) and worry. They also asked about mental or emotional stress. The research team found that levels of stress were
________ (high) among adults between the ages of twenty-two and twenty-five. Stress levels dropped
______ (sharp) after people reached their fifties.
Happiness _______ highest among the youngest adults and those
________ their early seventies. The study also showed that men and women have similar emotional patterns as they grow older.
______ , woman at all ages reported more sadness, stress and worry than men.
Several years ago, when a foreigner appeared in China, many people would gather around and stared____ him or her as if they were watching a rare animal.
However, it’s not uncommon to meet some foreigners even in middle schools now. There’s no doubt ___ schools will be better known. What’s more, it’s good for students to develop interest
_____ English study as well as learn more about foreign cultures. Meanwhile, their oral English will be improved a lot.
_____ the other hand, some foreigners, though well paid, find
____difficult to get used to the way of life in a foreign country and they sometimes worry
_____ their safety.
___we know, everything has two sides. In my opinion, the foreign teachers are not quite familiar with the students. As a result, many students can’t benefit
___ them. So we should try our best to communicate more with the foreign teachers.
阅读下面短文，根据以下提示：１）汉语提示，２）首字母提示，３）语境提示，在每个空格内填入一个适当的英语单词，并将该词完整地写在右边相对应的横线上。所填单词要求意义准确，拼写正确。
The past five years have sgreat changes in my school. On May 12, 2008, the earthquake in Wen Chuan was so terrible that it
(破坏） almost everything in the school. It is now, however, taking on a new look. Tall buildings have been put
, including classrooms and laboratory buildings, and a library. There is a
a newly-built standard playground. In the new environment, teachers and students are living h
and working hard. It is really exciting that the very place
was once ruined has now been turned into a beautiful school,
of life.
a matter of fact, the whole society has always been
（关心的）about the rebuilding of my school. It is their love and selfless help that have brought about the great changes. We can work wonders if we unite as a family, care for each other and help those
need.