Julie:Are you OK, Bill? You look tired.

Bill:Iˈm fine, Julie. I just   (1)  ________ (stay) uplate last night to write an English essay. It istime for me to improve my English writing.

Julie:Read as many things youˈre interested in aspossible,   (2)   ________ soon youˈll realise thatthere are many different ways of saying  (3)  ________ same thing. After all, having avariety of sentence  (4)   ________ (structure) inyour writing makes your English appear better.

Bill:Reading can also broaden my vocabulary. Whatkind of books should I read?

Julie:You can choose books   (5)  ______ (write) bynative speakers. They often contain sentences

  (6)   ________ differ from those commonly seenin English textbooks.

Bill:Good idea. But sometimes I donˈt know what towrite about and find   (7)   ________ hard to writea long essay.

Julie:I suggest you begin by writing short ones abouttopics youˈre interested in, such as movies andsports.

Bill:Yes. Iˈll write something every day.

Julie:Writing all the time is the key   (8)  ________improving your writing.

Bill:Quite right. Practice makes perfect.

Julie:Itˈs   (9)   ________ (easy) said than done. But inthe end, itˈs worth the work youˈve put in.

Bill:Thank you for giving me such   (10)   ________(value) advice.

Cynthia: Hello, Paul. Yesterday I bought a book — Corinne Maier's French bestseller Bonjour Paresse,   (1)  ________ translates into English as Hello Laziness. Have you heard of it?

Paul: Yes. In fact, I finished   (2)   ________ (read) it last week.

Cynthia: Really? What do you think of it?

Paul: It's very interesting. I   (3)   ________ (laugh) out loud several times while reading it. If you are working in a(n)   (4)  ________ (bore) job with little chance of advancement, do as little as possible when you are at work. That's   (5)   ________ Maier says in her book.

Cynthia: Why does she advise readers to do so?

Paul: She thinks most people work because they have to — because they need the money   (6)  ________ (live), not because they love their jobs.

Cynthia: Do you agree with her?

Paul: Not really. Instead, I think Maier's book encourages people to give up. For example, there's   (7)   ________ tip from Maier: Never accept a position of responsibility,   (8)  ________ you'll have to work extra hard for little money. However, if we act just as she says, we could be replaced by another person   (9)   ________ any time.

Cynthia: Well, I think we can't take anything she says very  (10)   ________ (serious). It's kind of a joke.

I needed to get some money so I   (1)   ________ (take) a job in the clothes department at Graham's for the January sale. I can't say that I enjoyed it,   (2)   ________ it was an experience I'll never forget.

When I arrived half an hour before opening on the first day of the sale, there was already   (3)  ________ queue around three sides of the building. This made me very nervous. The moment the security guards unlocked the doors, they hid behind the doors for   (4)   ________ (protect) as the noisy crowd rushed in. I couldn't believe my eyes: this wasn't shopping; it was a battlefield!

After a while, clothes were flying   (5)  ________ all directions as people searched for the sizes, colours and styles they wanted. Within minutes I had half a dozen people   (6)  ______ (push) clothes under my nose, each wanting   (7)   ________ (be) the first served. The whole day continued like that. People were spending money like water without thinking   (8)   ________ they needed what they were buying. As long as it was a bargain it was OK.

That night, after a quick dinner I went to bed   (9)  ________ (exhaust), fearing the sound of the alarm   (10)  ________ would tell me to get ready for the second day of the sale.

Attending a live musical performance in a huge sports center with thousands of other fans is   (1)   (excite). Even in a restaurant or theater, a skilled   (2)   (perform) can provide a great show. Here in the US, a very different kind of performance space is gaining in popularity.

Singer-songwriter Annalise Emerick is getting ready   (3)  (play) a show in Nashville, Tennessee. It is something   (4)   she does most nights in coffee houses, bars and other small spaces across the country. But tonight, the setting is even  (5)   (small). Ms. Emerick will play for a few people in Kristina Shulz's home.

“An artist will come into my house and play music. All I have to do  (6)  (be) provide the atmosphere, which I am   (7)   (absolute) happy to do,” says Ms. Shulz. She has been holding such performances in her home  (8)  about four years. The crowd is usually a mix of family, friends, neighbours and even strangers. The performances  (9)   (list) on house concert websites.

House concerts have become  (10)  important part of Annalise Emerick's earnings, too.“I can play a bar for 100 dollars, but I can play a house concert and if there are 50 people there and they all pay $20, I'm having a great night. And they all buy CDs, too. It's amazing.”

very specific dinner: Sunday roast. This is the British name for a traditional dinner on Sundays. Britons  2__ (eat) Sunday roasts for centuries. In the old days, people had to go to church on Sunday. Afterwards, people would be hungry. So families would get together to eat a big meal.

So what is this  3  (taste) dish made of? Sunday dinner usually has roast meat, usually chicken or beef, crispy roast potatoes,  4  (fresh) boiled vegetables, and finally Yorshire pudding. This is a pidding made of batter and is a staple of the Sunday roast.

What if you don’t have any of the ingredients(原料)  5  (make) the traditional dinner?  6  to worry. In Britain, there are special restaurants, called carveries,  7  you can eat a Sunday roast. The name “carvery” comes from the act of carving the meat into slices, before putting them on a plate.

   Besides the delicious food on the plate, this meal is a great time  8  families. This is the time of the week when parents and children will sit down and tell each other about their week at work or school.

   With many traditions  9  (fade) into the background, traditional Sunday dinners are as strong as ever. And I have the feeling  10  this traditional cuisine will be on British dinner tables for decades to come.

Jimmy:  Alice, how was your journey to the countryside?

Alice:   Wonderful. We   1   (enjoy) beautiful sights and food in the country.

Jimmy:  Food? Did you have   2   big dinner in the countryside? What have you had?

Alice:   It was not a big dinner at all,   3   there were a lot of foods which only can be eaten in the local place, such  4  some wild vegetables.

Jimmy:  Oh, I see. Did you do anything   5  ?

Alice:   Yes. We got   6   well with the villagers and sent pens and books we carried to the poor students.

Jimmy:  That is really great! I think they must study harder with your help.

Alice:   It is far from enough.   7   (actual), I felt a little sad as soon as I saw the joy on the children who got the pens and books.

Jimmy:  Why do you have this kind of feeling?

Alice:   As far as I am   8    (concern), these things are nothing for the children who live in our city.

Jimmy:  You are right. We can do more for the children living in that area.

Alice:   Yes. Many of us who went to the place   9   (plan) to give more help to the children.

Jimmy:  Can you tell me what you are going to do?

Alice:   We are going to buy a number of books and donate   10   to the local school.

Jimmy:  It is a good idea. I am entirely willing to join you.

Alice:   It’s very kind of you.