Squatting down on my disorganized closet floor, I looked eagerly through my albums for the picture of my grandma's Christmas lights. I searched so long and so eagerly that I lost all feeling in the legs. Ignoring the pain, I went on with my search, because finding the picture was worth it.

    My beloved grandma on my dad's side, who passed away almost four years ago, would decorate the Christmas trees like it was her job. Each year she would decorate an ornate, 12-foot-tall, shining tree in her living room, and most years she would have an additional pink tree, palm tree, coloured-light tree, white-light tree, bedroom tree, etc. The ideas varied year after year, but the theme was always the same:Let There Be Light.

    For the outside of the house, my grandma hired people to come and string thousands of lights through the trees in her yard. It wasn't easy, and it wasn't cheap, but it was a labour of love. People in the small town came and parked their kid-packed cars on the street, gazing at the thousands upon thousands of shining lights year after year. They brought us magic, which was grandma's legacy. That is the family act I am supposed to follow for the rest of my life. It's what I'm dying to recreate and pass on to my own kids. I feel so much pressure because no one is capable of doing it—and of doing it correctly—but me.

    So, it's me and only me, each year unfastening countless strings of lights, winding them round a 10-foot, prickly tree, and sending the lights to the highest branches. Though I'm only ever just scratching the surface of grandma's magic, I uncover a little more each year. I still haven't found that picture of my grandma's Christmas lights, but I know it exists, and I will find it, even if it means losing all feeling in my legs.

注意：1. 每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；2. 只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。

    After travelling many times with my family members, I went alone to Italy for a long weekend. I traveled by a train and checked into my hotel before exploring the beautiful town. I went out for dinner alone, that meant I could watch people and took in the atmosphere. The next day I went to Lake Garda and took some lovely picture. I then read a book and sat under the sun for a few hours! I had a really amazed time. I think the best thing about traveling alone is you can be selfish and do exactly what you want to. You are in control of your day and fun, but my advice is to take the opportunity to travelling alone. As long as you stay safely, you will have a wonderful time!

    John was part of my childhood growing up in the 1970s and a link to sunny, fun-filled days spent on the beach at Bangor in Northern Ireland where we went for our summer holidays. To many, he was a mystery. Every afternoon John would wander to the end of the pier (码头) where he fed the seagulls and delighted in the sound of their excited cries as they flew around his head.

    Often I asked my family questions regarding John. Eventually I gave up as no one could tell me anything about him. As I grew up, my visits to the beach became less frequent, and my memories of John buried in a child's imagination.

    Last year memories came flooding back as I walked along the coastline, where I noticed a lady feeding the seagulls on the pier, and I decided to introduce myself. Then I came to know that the lady was John's daughter, and after John left this world she carried out the ritual (惯例), which had held such importance for her father.

    In some strange way I felt we shared a bond, each needing to remember. In return, Lucy told me of John's life, his days in the British Navy (海军) during World War I and how he almost lost hope when his ship was attacked by a German U-boat in the North Sea and he found himself in a lifeboat with five others.

    Close to death, he thought he heard the sound of wings. He put up his hands, only to catch a seagull that had landed on the side of the boat. The seagull saved the lives of the six men as it was used to catch fish, which kept them alive until they reached land. This period of John's life was one he never talked about. But the ritual he first performed as a young man remained a part of him until he died.

    Now I visit Lucy as often as I can, just to chat or very often walk along the beach to the pier end. We enjoy the comfortable silence, each lost in special memories.

    With his leg lame and his teeth uneven, the boy thought of himself as the most unfortunate child in the world. He 1 played with his classmates, and when asked to answer questions, he always2his head without a word.

    One spring, his father brought home some saplings (树苗). 3 of his children would plant a sapling and he promised, “Whoever4his sapling best shall get a gift.” The boy certainly wanted to get the gift. 5 seeing his brothers and sisters watering the trees, he 6 an idea: he hoped the tree he planted would die soon. So watering it once or twice, he never 7 it.

    Several days later, he was 8 to find it not only didn't die, but also grew so many fresh 9. Compared with those of his brothers and sisters, his appeared greener. His father kept his 10, bought the boy a gift and said he would become an outstanding 11 after growing up.

    From then on, the boy slowly became 12 and confident. One evening, he suddenly 13 his biology teacher once said that plants   14grow at night. Why not go to see the tree? 

    When he came to the courtyard, he found his father working near the tree! Instantly he 15: Father had been secretly 16 his tree! He returned to his room, tears 17 in his eyes.

    Decades passed. The boy didn't become a botanist. 18, he became the U.S. President. His name was Franklin Roosevelt.

   19 is the best nourishment (滋养品) of life. 20 it is just a bucket of water, it can make the tree of life grow well!

注意：请将答案写在答题纸上相应题号的横线上。每个空格只填一个单词。

How to Survive Embarrassing Moments

    Have you ever done something embarrassing? At that moment, you probably wished you could disappear into thin air. Unfortunately, embarrassing things happen to everyone at one time or another. The good news? You can keep the damage to the minimum．Here's some help．

Laugh it off

    You're staring at your crush （意中人） so hard that you walk into a wall．You trip over your own feet and drop all your books．The best thing you can do? As long as you're not seriously hurt, laugh it off．Say like "Hey, I can teach you to do that if you want to!" or "It took me years to learn that!" By laughing at yourself, you show people you're confident and still in control of the situation．That's bound to make a stronger impression than the fact that you dropped a stack of books．

Move on

    Some situations are too personal to laugh off．Your underwear falls out of your backpack. Your bathing suit falls off in the pool．You pass gas while giving a presentation．Making a joke would just call more attention to what happened — and that's the last thing you want．What  now? You can just pretend nothing happened and go back to what you were doing, or you can acknowledge it with a "Oh, that was awkward" and then move on．

    If there's a joker who thinks it's a good idea to point out how badly you just embarrassed yourself, fix him with a glare and then go back to whatever you were doing．Tell yourself he's a  little bug on the ground, not even worth thinking about．Remind yourself that it's over, done．Move on．

Apologize and move on

    Some embarrassing situations pack a double punch．Not only do you embarrass yourself,  but you make someone else feel bad．You say to a friend that another friend is such a copycat, and then realize the copycat is standing right behind you．You imitate your teacher's unusual accent just as the teacher walks in．Now you're embarrassed and they're mad or hurt．

    Making a joke now would make the situation even worse, so don't go there．Although you might feel like running away or even crying, neither of those responses will make you look better．Instead, apologize, "I'm so sorry．That was really mean of me．"

    If you've been disrespectful to a teacher or a parent, accept whatever consequences without complaint．If you've hurt a friend, do your best to make it up to them．Once you've done all you can to make things right again, move on．If someone else brings it up, just say, "I feel bad enough about that —can we just let it go, please?"

    The next time you're stuck in an embarrassing moment, remind yourself that you're a strong person and you can get through this．Stay calm and act confident and the moment will pass．

    One morning, I was waiting at the bus stop, worried about (be) late for school. There were many people waiting at the bus stop,  some of them looked very anxious and (disappoint). When the bus finally came, we all hurried on board. I got a place next  the window, so I had a good view of the sidewalk. A boy on a bike (catch) my attention. He was riding beside the bus and waving his arms. I heard a passenger behind me shouting to the driver, but he refused (stop) until we reached the next stop. Still, the boy kept  (ride). He was carrying something over his shoulder and shouting. Finally, when we came to the next stop, the boy ran up to the door of the bus. I heard an excited conversation. Then the driver stood up and asked, " anyone lose a suitcase at the last stop?" A woman on the bus shouted, "Oh dear! It's. (I). " She pushed her way to the driver and took the suitcase thankfully. Everyone on the bus began talking about what the boy had done, and the crowd of strangers (sudden) became friendly to one another.

It to buy the cheapest computer just to save a little money.

    As a child, a fall left a big scar on one of my eyes. So my scarred, 1 and gray eye lived on with me.

    I walked with my face looking at 2 so people wouldn't see ugly me. Sometimes people laughed at me. I grew up imagining everyone 3 me.

    Yet mother would say, "Hold your head up high and 4 the world." She started when I was young. "If you do so, people will see your 5 soul." She continued this message 6 I wanted to hide.

    Those words have meant 7 things to me over the years. As a 8, I thought mama meant, "Be careful or you will 9 or bump into something because you are not looking." As a youth, though I tried to look down to 10 my shame, I found sometimes when I held head up high and let people know me, they 11 me. Mama's words helped me realize by letting people look at my face. I let them recognize the intelligence and 12 behind both eyes even if they couldn't see it on the 13.

    In high school I did well, 14 on the inside I still felt like a disable person. All I really wanted was to 15 everyone else. When things got really bad, I would cry to mama and she would look at me with 16 eyes and say, "Hold your head up high. Let them 17 the beauty inside."

    My mother's love and encouragement helped me overcome my own 18. I learnt to face the fact and appreciate 19.

    "Hold your head up high" has been heard many times in my home. The gift my mother gave me 20 in another generation. Because each of my children has felt its invitation.

    If you think your vocabulary is weak, a little effort every day over six to nine months can go a long way in improving it. Here are some tips for increasing your vocabulary.

    . You may be comfortable reading a particular part of the newspaper but make an effort to read different articles on every page. The editorial (社论的) page is highly recommended not only for vocabulary but also for structuring and presenting thoughts.

    Make it a habit to read a new book every week. . You can consider becoming a member of the local library. Make a list of new words and look up their meanings in the dictionary.

    Watch English movies and television shows. It's an interesting way to enrich your vocabulary. .

    Use vocabulary cards. Vocabulary cards are used by students who are trying to learn many words in a short time. You can make your own cards by writing the word on one side and the meaning on the other side of a piece of paper. .

    Use the Internet. The Internet is an unlimited resource for reading material.

    . You will come across plenty of material to read. The Internet will also introduce you to new words. Be sure to look them up in a dictionary.

    Shakespeare's Birthplace and Exhibition of Shakespeare's World. Welcome to the world-famous house where William Shakespeare was born in 1564 and where he grew up. The property(房产) remained in the ownership of Shakespeare's family until 1806. The House has welcomed visitors travelling from all over the world，for over 250 years.

◆Enter through the Visitors' Centre and see the highly-praised exhibition Shakespeare's World, a lively and full introduction to the life and work of Shakespeare.

◆Stand in the rooms where Shakespeare grew up.

◆Discover examples of furniture and needlework from Shakespeare's period.

◆Enjoy the traditional(传统的) English garden, planted with trees and flowers mentioned in the poet's works.

    The Birthplace is within easy walking distance of all the car parks shown on the map；nearest is Windsor Street(3 minutes' walk)．

The House may present difficulties but the Visitors' Centre, its exhibition, and the garden are accessible(可进入的) to wheelchair users.

    The Shakespeare Coffee House(opposite the Birthplace).