1． Helping others always brings you something sooner or later, one way or another. I didn't know that until one day when I went to my (1)       school.
It was a cold and (2)       morning after the winter vacation. Actually, it was my (3)       day at my new school. I was walking slowly and worrying about lots of things. It was early and there weren't many people on the road. A girl who was on a bike passed me quickly. She was (4)       on snowy ice when suddenly she fell off her bike just a few steps in front of me. She was trying hard to (5)      , but fell again. Without thinking, I went over and helped her stand up. She said, "Thank you" with a smile and then rode away. The words "Thank you"(6)       me and this small event made me feel less nervous about my new school.
(7)      , I got to school. The teacher led me to the classroom and asked me to sit down beside a girl. I was so nervous, I knew some of the students were looking at me but I didn't dare to (8)       them. Soon the first class started. It was English. They used a different textbook from my old school and I didn't have a copy. As I was (9)        what to do, a book appeared in front of me. "Let's share. " the girl next to me said. "And hi, I'm Carrie. " I looked up. It was the girl I helped that morning. What a surprise!
From then on, we became good (10)      . She was my first and best friend at my new school. Helping her also helped me find a friend.

2． I love visiting new cities and seeing all of their famous tourist places. Not long ago, I visited the German city of Leipzig. Leipzig is quite a big city, and there' s so much to do and see. These are the top three places I visited in the city.
The Museum of Fine Arts
Sometimes art museums can be a little bit boring but I really enjoyed visiting Leipzig' s Museum of Fine Arts. Set up in 1848, the museum has a collection of about 4, 600 paintings (from. the Late, Middle Ages to modern day). I love learning about different artists from across the ages.
The St. Nicholas Church
This is a church (教堂) with a very interesting past. In the past it was a popular place for famous musicians and the sound there was the best in the city. I had heard a lot about this church, so it was amazing to finally visit it in person. Inside, there are beautiful paintings on the wall and it is very peaceful.
Leipzig Zoo
I think Leipzig has one of the best zoos in the world Leipzig Zoo! The zoo is famous for its large building projects such as Gondwanaland world' s second largest indoor rainforest. As you walk in Gondwanaland, it feels like you're going through the rainforest of Africa, Asia and South America.
The best part of Leipzig Zoo is the safari (游猎) area. There's a real river and you can travel down it on a boat. It is so cool!

3． On Monday, I stopped my car in front of my daughter Juliet's middle school. She jumped in the front seat, feeling down. She asked me to help her study for her science test.
"Dad I need to memorize a unit about the Reproductive Cycle of Plants. And I can hardly make it."
"You know memorizing seems like the best way to study, but in fact you can do better in tests if you work on trying to understand the material."
Juliet was open to my advice. It was Monday afternoon and we had two nights to study before the test on Wednesday. I suggested a plan. "Tomorrow night, you are going to teach the material to me. Tonight, read the unit. Prepare to teach."
Asking her to teach me was an unusual idea but I was determined to do it. Studies show teaching somebody else is a very useful way to lean, Even if you don't do the teaching. the act of preparing to teach leads to more learning than just trying your best to memorize the material.
On Tuesday afternoon, Juliet sat down with her Science book facing me said, "Okay Dad, let's study." I wanted her to teach me. But false starts happened. I couldn't be too hard on her. So instead we starred with me asking her some simple questions. She knew some but not other. When she didn't know the answers. I encouraged her to check the book.
She started checking things that didn't make sense. And she was actively seeking to test her understanding. I was happy to see it. She wasn't memorizing, she was trying to make sense of things, which was exactly what I had hoped she would do.

4． I have returned to my hometown of Wilson Creek after an absence of 10 years. So many things have changed around here. When I left Wilson Creek, there was a small lake in the south-east of the town. They have filled in the lake and built a large shopping mall and a swimming pool there. They have also built a new post office just across from my old school.
The baseball stadium (体育场) in the north-east of Wilson Creek has also changed completely. They have now added a new stand (看台) where probably a few thousand people could sit. It looks really great.
The biggest changes have taken place in the town center. It has become a pedestrianised area (步行区) and you can't drive there anymore. They have built a large square and a cinema. There is also a new street café and a grassy area.
My street looks just the same as it always has been, but a public library has appeared on the next street. There used to be a park there but they have cut down all the trees, which is a pity. The library now has a large green area in front of it but it's not the same as when the park was there.
Another change is the new restaurants that have opened in Wilson Creek. A Chinese restaurant and an Italian restaurant have opened in the town center, and a Mexican restaurant has opened near my home, which is where I am going tonight!

5． Sleep is a beautiful thing. Not only is it quite comfortable, it's also a very important activity that can help us to recharge and reset (恢复体力和调整) daily.
(1)       But there are also quite a few of us who find it's really hard to fall asleep when we need rest. It often makes us crazy.
(2)       Here are the 3 things that I've found to be the most useful for helping me fall asleep faster and finally get a better night' s sleep:
● Put down your phone.
The first decision that I've found to be really helpful in getting me to sleep faster at night is not to end my night by being on my phone. (3)       Of course, it' s of great help.
●Meditate (冥想).
I've heard that some people say when they try meditation, they can' t seem to focus (集中注意力) and as a result they fall asleep. (4)       I often choose to guide myself through my bedtime meditation and it helps me sleep.
●Write it out.
The last tool I'd like to suggest is keeping your diary. (5)       After writing out what happened in the day, you simply end your day with ease.

16． A trader had traded in a far city for months and made a lot of money. He was riding his horse home. He rode on and on. The trader said to              (he), "I'11 lock the money in my safe (保险箱),              I won't feel easy. "
At noon the trader stopped              (give) his horse water. "Sir, a nail (钉子) is loose(未固定牢的)in your horse' s shoe, " somebody reminded him.
The trader said, "I am in a hurry. I'll fix it when I get home. "
In the afternoon              person reminded him to fix it, but he refused and the nail remained loose.
The trader rode              (far). When he went into a forest, the horse fell down all of a sudden, and could not get up again.
The trader could only              the night in the forest.              (lucky) he discovered a house nearby and the old couple in the house agreed to let him stay.
The trader put his bag of money under his arm and soon fell into a deep sleep.
At midnight, a group of robbers (强盗) came to the house. The old couple and the robbers were              (partner). The robbers stole the bag of money,
The next morning, when the trader woke up, he found that his money              . (steal), and there was nobody in the house.
Now the trader              (lose) everything just because he would not stop to fix a small nail in his horse' s shoe.

17．进入新学年,九年级二班迎来了一名新来的英语老师,他的课很有特色.李明和班里其他一些原本不喜欢上英语课的同学,现在有了很大的变化,他们的英语水平也明显提高.假如你是校英语小记者,请你根据下面的提示内容,写一篇短文,介绍李明及班里其他同学的变化.80词左右.开头已给出,不计入总词数.

Great changes in the English class
　　This term, great changes have taken place in Class two, Grade Nine since the new English teacher, Mr Yang came. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________