I’m Emily Barr, a British journalist. One day, an idea of travelling around the world came into my mind. I was so scared at first that I thought about canceling the whole plan at least twice a day. But I finally made up my mind and left.

Travelling around the world is the most exciting thing I have ever done. During the first few months I saw the beautiful view of Miami’s South Beach. I crossed the United States by train and walked on a Fijian beach, and I was happy to visit New Zealand. Then I spent about a month in Australia.

When I arrived in China, I carefully copied the Chinese characters for the hotel I wanted to stay in onto a piece of paper, and handed it to a taxi driver. He frowned(皱眉), and then laughed at my ugly writing. In Chengdu, I rode out of town to see pandas at their reserve(保护区)．One evening when I spent my time in a bar, I met James, another tourist, who is my husband now by the way. We flew to Tibet together the next day.

James and I walked around in Lhasa, travelled on Indian trains, wandered around the Taj Mahal and slept on the floor at the Golden Temple in Amritsar. Then a year after I began my trip, I went back home.

Now James and I live in France with our two young sons and often make plans to travel with the boys. Once you have done it, anything seems possible.

  a. Travelling to China.    b. Crossing the United States.

   c. Visiting New Zealand.        d. Going to India.         e. Going on a trip to Australia.

I went out to breakfast this morning to meet a friend. It was lovely. But what wasnˈt so lovely was the lady who took our_(1)__.She spoke in a way that was frustrated, unhappy, _(2)__not friendly, and sort of rude.

When it came to my___(3)___to approach her and order, I thought to myself, “What can I do here to make her day, to__(4)___her, and to make her smile？”

I had nothing. Surely there must be something I can__(5)__praise her. Then there it was and I knew immediately. It was her__(6)__.She had the most extremely well spoken and clear voice. It was so good. Professionally good. I had it. That was it. That was what I would__(7)___her up.

So after she took my order and gave me the same unfriendly___(8)_, I told her, “I must say you have the most___(9)__voice. Itˈs so clear, well spoken and sounds so___(10)__.”I told her how she honestly had one of those voices that would be perfect for announcements or__(11)___radio broadcasts.

I saw her whole face__(12)__, she smiled(the first time I had seen her do so)and as I__(13)__and walked away, I noticed her whole attitude change.The__(14)__behind me received a totally___(15)__kind of service. A happier one. And all was ___(16)___ what I did. Something so simple!

There was a time when this sort of thing would have__(17)__me. Or Iˈd have been shy and___(18)_to say such a thing. Not now. Now I must！Why？Because I have the power. The power to___(19)_change someoneˈs day by something as simple as a few kind__(20)__and being kind. And you have this power too. We all do.

Life in the Slow Lane

I always seemed to be rushing through my life. I’d  (1)   my seat belt and slam(猛踩)the accelerator to get where I wanted to go. Or, at the mall, I’d  (2)  the stores like a runner in the hundred-meter dash. There just weren’t enough hours in the day and I was afraid I might  (3)  something if I didn’t hurry up.

And then one day, as fate would have it, I ran out of  (4)  . As my car coasted off the road, I looked at my watch and hit the steering wheel  (5)  . I had a meeting in fifteen minutes and I hadn’t even finished  (6)  for it.

But as I got out of my car, a(n)  (7)  thing happened. I looked out towards the east, and the  (8)  was just beginning to shine over the horizon. There was a low misty  (9)  hanging over the river, and some ducks were cutting thick, smooth trails(痕迹)across the otherwise glass-like surface of the water. A few sailboats  (10)  at anchor, their mirror images extending out before them.

I was shocked. This  (11)  scene had been going on right outside my car every morning and I had never  (12)  time appreciating it. I had been rushing around in such a  (13)  that I had been missing everything!

I was quietly,   (14)  ， patiently watching as the sun painted a brand new day when a co-worker finally  (15)  my car and stopped for me. I had somehow been transformed. Life went from a fast break dance into a slow waltz. I began taking long, slow walks  (16)  my yard and neighborhood, noticing for the first time all the neighbors, mysteries and wonders  (17)  were right there for me to see all the time. Not only were there sights that I had been missing, but I began to hear entire  (18)  all around me：birds singing, wind blowing and leaves rustling.

  (19)  one gives close attention to anything, even a blade of grass，it becomes a mysterious, beautiful and indescribably magnificent  (20)  in itself.

In our whole life, we will come across different kinds of people and things.   (1)   , our views of the world, life and value have been changing all the time. To be honest, one of my English teachers has made a great   (2)   on me.

Although she was short, old and ugly, she was talented,  (3)   and passionate(热诚的).Thus, we called her “a crazy stone”. She didnˈt mind it   (4)  ; instead, she seemed to love her   (5)  very much. In addition, she was so   (6)  with students that she knew how to raise our   (7)  and get along well with us. Therefore, we studied English well and   (8)  her.

To be honest, I am fond of listening to   (9)  told by others in my daily life. Maybe I have heard so many that it is__(  (10)  __for me to laugh. But she was a(n)__(11)__. Her jokes were always so funny, for she always led you to the scenes of them and__(12)__an interesting atmosphere. Although I_(13)__the university ten years ago, I still remember several jokes, one of which I would like to__(  (11)  __with you.

Before having an English lesson, there was a handsome boy who made a self­introduction. He said that he was able to do__(15)__and finally made a conclusion that he was rather untalented. After hearing that,Stone__(16)__the teacherˈs desk and said an old saying: “Innocence is the virtue(美德) for__(17)__”. Hearing this we all burst into laughter.

Although I met several good teachers when I was in the high school and during my college, “a crazy stone” is the best teacher in my__(18)__. It was she that made me get__(19)__in English. It was she that educated me how to fight for success and__(20)__difficulties.

We convey (传达) information through the position and movement of the body. We often use gestures or body movements to stress what we are saying. For example, when I lecture , I often use my hands to emphasize (强调) points or point to something on the blackboard. Some people use them more than others. The victory sign, the OK sign, the goodbye wave and the blowing of a kiss are all popular gestures in America. It is important to recognize, however, that most gestures are not universally recognized. For example, although the OK gesture means acceptance in America, it has other meanings in other cultures. In France it means worthlessness. And in Greece, it is considered obscene .

   There are some sex differences in nonverbal behavior. In American culture, men tend to sit or stand with legs apart and hands outward, while women tend to keep legs together and hands at their sides. Women are also better than men at understanding nonverbal gestures.

   A nonverbal behaviour is to have the tongue just slightly protruding (突出) from the mouth. A study showed that people were less willing to approach others who had their tongues showing. Perhaps this is why people often tend to avoid individuals with bad nonverbal behaviours. When we make decisions about other people, we learn to recognize nonverbal cues (提示) and interpret (理解) them along with verbal information. 

A friend of mine named Paul received an expensive car from his brother as a Christmas present. On Christmas Eve when Paul came out of his office, a street urchin(顽童) was walking around the shining car. “Is this your car, sir?” he asked.

Paul answered, “Yes, my brother gave it to me for Christmas.” The boy was surprised. “You mean your brother gave it to you and it did cost you nothing? Sir, I wish…” He hesitated(犹豫). Paul thought of course he knew what the boy wanted, but what the boy said surprised him greatly. “I wish,” the boy went on, “that I could be a brother like that.” Paul looked at the boy in surprise, and then he said again, “Would you like to take a ride in my car?” “Oh yes, I’d love to,” the boy answered.

After a short ride, the boy turned and with his eyes shining, said, “Sir, would you mind driving in front of my house?”

Paul smiled a little. He thought he knew what the boy wanted. He wanted to show his neighbors that he could ride home in a big car. But Paul was wrong again. “Will you stop where those two steps are?” the boy asked.

He ran up to the steps. Then in a short while Paul heard him coming back, but he was not coming fast. He was carrying his little crippled(残疾的) brother. He sat down on the step and pointed to the car.

“There he is, Buddy, just like I told you upstairs. His brother gave it to him for Christmas and it didn’t cost him a cent. And some day I’m going to give you one just like it…then you can see for yourself all the nice things in the Christmas windows that I’ve been trying to tell you about.”

Paul got out and lifted the boy to the front seat of his car. The shining-eyed elder brother climbed in beside him and the three began an unforgettable holiday ride.

More students than ever before are taking a gap year(间隔年)before going to university. It used to be called the“year off”between school and university .The gap-year phenomenon originated(起源)with the months left over to Oxbridge applicants between entrance exams in November and the start of the next academic year.

This year,25310 students who have accepted places in higher education institutions have put off their entry until next year, according to statistics on university entrance provided by the University and College Admissions Service(UCAS).

That is a record 14.7% increase in the number of students taking a gap year. Tony Higgins from UCAS said that the statistics are good news for everyone in higher education. “Students who take a well-planned year out are more likely to be satisfied with, and complete, their chosen course. Students who take a gap year are often more mature and responsible,”he said.

But not everyone is happy. Owain James, the president of the National Union of Students(NUS),argued that the increase is evidence of student hardship—young people are being forced into earning money before finishing their education.“New students are now aware that they are likely to leave university up to ￡15,000 in debt .It is not surprising that more and more students are taking a gap year to earn money to support their study for the degree. NUS statistics show that over 40% of students are forced to work during term time and the figure increases to 90% during vacation periods,”he said.

Billboard Music Awards of the Year 2015 goes to Taylor Swift，a singer-songwriter，who has shaped and inspired the American music industry with her success．

 When Taylor Swift first came to public notice，she was a 17-year-old newcomer who loved singing to her own guitar．She was far more enthusiastic than skilled，but apparently threw spark of superb talent．

  Four years’ later，Swift has become a multi-awards winner，with the biggest selling albums．

 Swift is used to breaking chart records and winning honors since her career started．She followed that up in 2008 with Fearless，which established her as a skilled songwriter with