16．　　The People's Republic of China celebrated the 70th anniversary (周年纪念) of its founding in October. People from home and abroad are all surprised at China's great (1)      . On October 1st, China held its (2)       military parade (阅兵仪式) in Tian'anmen Square. It was really amazing. Looking back at the past, China (3)      and gone through a lot.
　　In the past, many people (4)      because of wars and hunger. Most people in China lived a poor life. About five to seven people lived in a tiny house. Children couldn't have their own rooms and the younger (5)      had new clothes. During the 1960s﹣1970s, lots of young people had to work in the countryside or mountain areas instead of getting (6)      . As a result, China fell far behind. (7)      , in 1978, China carried out the reform and opening up policy (改革开放政策). It was a(an) (8)      turning point for Chinese people. China has developed quickly since then.
　　Now, people's life is totally different from (9)      in the past. The country tries is best to help poor areas with science and technology. More people step into well-to-do families (小康家庭). China also pays great attention to compulsory (义务的)education. So far, the rate (比率) of compulsory education has(10)      to over 94%. With the development of the Internet, some of China's inventions are getting more popular.
　　It's no doubt that China will have a better future.

18．　　There once lived a rich businessman who had a lazy son. The businessman wanted his son to realize the value of labor. One day he said to his son, "Today, I want you to go out and earn something, if you fail, you won't have your meal tonight. "
　　He went crying straight to his mother. Her heart was broken at her son's eyes. She gave him a gold coin. When the father asked his son what he had earned, the son presented him the gold coin. The father asked him to throw it into a well (水井).
　　The next day, he still asked his son to earn something. This time he went crying to his sister who gave him a coin. When he showed it to his father, he again asked him to throw it in a well. Then the father asked him to earn more money.
　　This time since there was no one to help him, the son had to go to the market. One shopkeeper told him he would pay him two coins if he carried his trunk to his house. He did so and sweated plenty. As he returned home, his father again asked him to throw them into the well. The son almost cried out. He could not imagine throwing his hard﹣earned money like this. He cried, "My entire body is aching. How are you asking me to throw the money into the well!"
　　At this moment, the businessman smiled. He told his son that one feels the pain only when the fruits of hard labor are wasted. On the earlier two occasions he was helped and therefore had no pain in throwing the coins into the well. The son now realized the value of hard work. He promised never to be lazy and to safely keep the father's wealth. The father handed over the keys of his shop to the son and promised to guide him through the rest of the life.

19．　　If you go shopping in any toy store, you can see clearly the different games and toys for boys and girls:there are a lot of pink toys on one side of the store for girls;and dark colored cars, guns, and soldiers for boys. Some big stores with toys may even have a pink floor for girls and a blue floor for boys. In fact, it is difficult to buy a toy for a girl that is not pink.
　　Some people think that too much pink is bad for girls. Sue Palmer, writer of Toxic Childhood, is very worried that most girls over the age of three are crazy about the color. According to some scientists, this happens for two reasons. Firstly, most companies offer too many products in pink. Also, many parents think their little daughter looks cute in pink. Sue Palmer says that girls at this age cannot make proper decisions by themselves, but the pink can affect(影响)the choices and the decisions they will make in the future.
　　Some parents are worried too—for example, Vanessa Holburn, thirty﹣two, who has two girls under the age of four. Their bedrooms are a sea of pink and Vanessa is not happy. "Pink says that you are soft and gentle. Blue says that you are strong and powerful. I want my daughters to be strong and powerful. I'm worried that pink will not help them with that." she says.
　　But not everyone thinks there's something wrong with pink. Grayson Turner is a father of three girls and he isn't worried at al. "People forget that things change all the time. He says, "My girls used to love pink when they were little, but as they get older, they change. "Turner explains that his twelve-year-old daughter never wears pink clothes anymore. "This love of pink is just a fashion and all fashions change. "he adds. "It's only since the 1940s that people have started dressing girls in pink﹣— before that it was a color for boys."

20．How do people find their inner talent?
　　British writer and speaker Sir Kennethtalked about this at TED. He told the story of Gillian Lynne, a dancer and a choreographer (编舞者) who has worked on many famous musicals.
　　Gillian Lynne never did well in school as a child. She couldn't focus on schoolwork and often found herself moving restlessly. Her mother was quite worried about her. She took Lynne to a doctor. For 20 minutes, she talked about the problems Lynne was having in school. Then, the doctor said to Lynne, "I need to speak to your mother first. Wait here."
　　As they left the room, the doctor turned on the radio. He then said to Lynne's mother, "Just stand and watch her." The minute they left the room, Lynne was on her feet, dancing to the music on the radio.
　　The doctor then turned to Lynne's mother and said, "Mrs. Lynne, your daughter isn't sick. She's a dancer. Take her to a dance school."
　　So she did. Lynne's new dance school was full of people just like her — People who had to move in order to think ________. Lynne later went to the Royal Ballet School (皇家芭蕾学校), one of the world's greatest dance schools, and became a great dancer.
　　After leaving the school, she worked on some of the most successful musicals in history. It is hard to believe that years ago, somebody else would just put her on medication (药物治疗) and tell her to calm down.

21．A: Hi, Peter, how long have you been in China?
B:(1)      However. I'm going back to Britain tomorrow. I've seen many interesting things in China.
A:(2)      
B: Oh, yes. I love it. But when I visited it last time, there were too many people. I've also been to the Bird's Nest.
A: Wow, great!(3)      
B: Yes. I went to see the West Lake in Hangzhou. It is so beautiful.
A: OK. Have you tried and Chinese food?
B: Oh, yes. I love Chinese food.
A:(4)      
B: My favorite is Beijing Duck. It's delicious.
A: Thank you for your time!(5)      
B: Thank you.

22．　　Suzhou is my hometown. It is in Jiangsu Province. Although it is not as big as Beijing, everyone in China (1)      (know)this beautiful place. People regard it as "Venice of the East".
　　Suzhou has a long history for (2)      (century). There are many ancient Chinese gardens in Suzhou. Now, these beautiful gardens are becoming famous tourist places. Besides, some rich people also own (3)      (they) personal gardens.
　　In the past 30 years, my hometown (4)      (change)rapidly in many ways. On the one hand, many people don't live in the old houses anymore. They have moved into the new high buildings and are enjoying a (5)      (comfort)life. On the other hand, builders have also set up some modern buildings of different styles. This has made Suzhou (6)       (become) more modern and beautiful.
　　Though many have changed, the sweet memory till remains in my mind. To be honest, I like the changes because they show how (7)      (live) the city is and how friendly the people are in this city. You may expect (8)      (visit) the beautiful city. It's really worth (9)       (travel).
　　Why not come to visit Suzhou this summer?I'm sure you (10)      fall in love with it.

28．　　While China makes great efforts to control the COVID-19 (新冠病毒), the virus has hit over 200 countries worldwide and infected more than two million people recently.
　　Many countries are taking quick action to control the outbreak. South Korea has called on people to stop social activities and has put off the opening of secondary and primary schools. Italy has delayed soccer matches. In Japan, secondary and primary schools have been closed since March 2.
　　Progress is being made in developing vaccines (疫苗) and new treatment methods. According to WHO, more than 20 vaccines are in development around the world.
　　WHO said that even without a vaccine, people can still find ways to protect themselves. "There are things everyone can do to protect themselves and others today, "WHO listed 10 simple things such as washing hands regularly, cleaning surfaces regularly, avoiding travelling with a fever or cough, not coughing or sneezing in to clothing, and taking extra care for those over the age of 60.
　　As ordinary people, we may not be able to devote ourselves like doctors and nurses. But we could try to follow the right suggestions from doctors. Protecting ourselves is helping doctors fight against the virus.

29．在你的成长历程中, 一定收到过礼物. 有件礼物不一定贵重, 但是在你看来却非常珍贵.
某英语杂志以"A Precious Present(一件珍贵的礼物)"为题举办征文活动, 请写一篇短文, 跟大家分享. 内容包括:
1. 这件礼物是什么?
2. 你为什么觉得它珍贵?
3. 它背后有什么故事?
要求:
1. 100词左右; 2. 文中不得出现真实姓名及校名.