I'd planned to spend my weekend in the sun, potting flowers outdoors. But that was before the pair of crows (乌鸦). Out of nowhere, they had set up their base camp in our backyard.

    We first discovered our feathered enemies on Friday morning. It was early, and the sound the birds made traveled through our neighborhood. I figured they'd go away soon. But, no. They were getting louder and probably annoying my neighbors nearly as much as us with the noise. I admit I got a little desperate.

    Then, on Sunday afternoon, I looked out the kitchen window to see our dog Quatchi staring at something on the ground. I went to explore and found a small coal-black bird in the grass. Its eyes were milky, and it stayed perfectly still as my dog inched towards it. Only when Quatchi touched his nose to its head did it walk away. I took hold of the dog and locked him inside and came back with my camera.

    It never occurred to me that the young would be hanging out on the ground, growing and gaining strength as its parents guarded it from above. The second I saw this little creature I forgave the crows.

    To be honest, I've never been much of a bird person. I also have a healthy respect for birds, and by healthy I mean slightly fear-based. They're basically living dinosaurs.

    I wish they'd chosen another backyard. There are only so many sunny days in Seattle, and I still can't do any gardening out there. But I'm also grateful that I got to see this little bit of nature unfold up close. It's pretty amazing.

    The experience has also strengthened my desire to create a beautiful backyard garden that attracts lots of bees, butterflies, and yes, birds. They are welcome here.

— Well, they have set out to deal with the present situation ________ they think deserves their immediate attention.

—She is a lovely girl, though she ________be naughty sometimes.

—She is a lovely girl, though she ________be naughty sometimes.

    Despite their popularity, only three of Jin Yong's martial arts novels have been translated into English. But fans will soon get more from the writer as his most popular trilogy, named after the first of the three books, Legends of the Condor Heroes, is scheduled to hit bookstores in February.

    Jin Yong is the pen name of Louis Cha. And the author, who lives in Hong Kong, is one of the best-selling Chinese authors alive. With regard to Jin Yong's works this latest translation project is the most ambitious. The trilogy, written by Jin Yong in the 1950s and 60s, covers the Song Dynasty and the early Ming Dynasty, and features hundreds of characters.

    According to the publishing house, Maclehose Press, the translated work will come in 12 volumes, including Legends of the Condor Heroes; Divine Condor, Errant Knight; and Heaven Sword and Dragon Sabre.

    Speaking of the project which she took up in 2012, Holmwood, a self-employed translator focusing on Chinese-English literary translations, says in an email interview: “It had to be Jin Yong then. It was the obvious place to start, not only because of the quality of his writing, but also because of his standing and reputation in Asia.”

    Having studied history at the University of Oxford, Holmwood was determined to learn Chinese due to her previous trip to China. She then went to Taiwan Normal University for language training in 2,009. In a bookshop there, she saw a whole shelf dedicated to Jin Yong. She bought a copy of Jin Yong's work—Lu Ding Ji (The Deer and the Cauldron), the longest of his novels. “What is a bigger challenge for the translator is making the original pace and excitement into English. It's all about whether the English reader will be lured by the emotions and characters.”

    It took five years for Holmwood to finish the translation of the first volume. As for why his works need to be translated, she says: “Many have considered Jin Yong's world too foreign, too Chinese for an English-speaking readership.Impossible to translate.” “And yet this story of love, loyalty, honor and the power of the individual against successive corrupt (腐败的) governments and invading forces is as universal as any story could hope to be.” “The greatest loss that can occur in translation can only come from not translating it at all.”

    As a saying goes, he who doesn't reach the Great Wall is not a true man. The Great Wall in China {#blank#}1{#/blank#}(impress) everyone who sees for the first time {#blank#}2{#/blank#} the general tourists to scholars. The vastness of the structure helps children grasp the great {#blank#}3{#/blank#}(achieve) in human history and can help inspire them {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (learn) more about human success over one thousand years.{#blank#}5{#/blank#} (construct) over a period of 2,000 years, the stone solider {#blank#}6{#/blank#}(actual) consists of many great walls, some of{#blank#}7{#/blank#}date back to the fifth century B.C. The first emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang,{#blank#}8{#/blank#} (order) these earlier long wall sections linked and extended with watchtowers to protect the new empire from northern tribes. Succeeding emperors and dynasties continued the construction.{#blank#}9{#/blank#} (spread) westward into the Gobi desert to guard{#blank#}10{#/blank#}Silk Road. All together, the walls may have stretched more than 30,000 miles.

    As a saying goes, he who doesn't reach the Great Wall is not a true man. The Great Wall in China {#blank#}1{#/blank#}(impress) everyone who sees for the first time {#blank#}2{#/blank#} the general tourists to scholars. The vastness of the structure helps children grasp the great {#blank#}3{#/blank#}(achieve) in human history and can help inspire them {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (learn) more about human success over one thousand years.{#blank#}5{#/blank#} (construct) over a period of 2,000 years, the stone solider {#blank#}6{#/blank#}(actual) consists of many great walls, some of{#blank#}7{#/blank#}date back to the fifth century B.C. The first emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang,{#blank#}8{#/blank#} (order) these earlier long wall sections linked and extended with watchtowers to protect the new empire from northern tribes. Succeeding emperors and dynasties continued the construction.{#blank#}9{#/blank#} (spread) westward into the Gobi desert to guard{#blank#}10{#/blank#}Silk Road. All together, the walls may have stretched more than 30,000 miles.

    As a saying goes, he who doesn't reach the Great Wall is not a true man. The Great Wall in China {#blank#}1{#/blank#}(impress) everyone who sees for the first time {#blank#}2{#/blank#} the general tourists to scholars. The vastness of the structure helps children grasp the great {#blank#}3{#/blank#}(achieve) in human history and can help inspire them {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (learn) more about human success over one thousand years.{#blank#}5{#/blank#} (construct) over a period of 2,000 years, the stone solider {#blank#}6{#/blank#}(actual) consists of many great walls, some of{#blank#}7{#/blank#}date back to the fifth century B.C. The first emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang,{#blank#}8{#/blank#} (order) these earlier long wall sections linked and extended with watchtowers to protect the new empire from northern tribes. Succeeding emperors and dynasties continued the construction.{#blank#}9{#/blank#} (spread) westward into the Gobi desert to guard{#blank#}10{#/blank#}Silk Road. All together, the walls may have stretched more than 30,000 miles.

    As a saying goes, he who doesn't reach the Great Wall is not a true man. The Great Wall in China {#blank#}1{#/blank#}(impress) everyone who sees for the first time {#blank#}2{#/blank#} the general tourists to scholars. The vastness of the structure helps children grasp the great {#blank#}3{#/blank#}(achieve) in human history and can help inspire them {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (learn) more about human success over one thousand years.{#blank#}5{#/blank#} (construct) over a period of 2,000 years, the stone solider {#blank#}6{#/blank#}(actual) consists of many great walls, some of{#blank#}7{#/blank#}date back to the fifth century B.C. The first emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang,{#blank#}8{#/blank#} (order) these earlier long wall sections linked and extended with watchtowers to protect the new empire from northern tribes. Succeeding emperors and dynasties continued the construction.{#blank#}9{#/blank#} (spread) westward into the Gobi desert to guard{#blank#}10{#/blank#}Silk Road. All together, the walls may have stretched more than 30,000 miles.

His ________ to become a pilot was held back by his poor eyesight.

内容包括：1）自我简介；

2）你的梦想是什么？

3）如何实现自己的梦想？

要求：1）包括所有内容；

2）文中不得出现真实的校名和人名；

3）字数不少于80。

—Of coupe. ________, Sir.

    We Chinese are really particular about what we eat; meanwhile we are also concerned with how we eat. Along with the growing popularity of the manners in the workplace,{#blank#}1{#/blank#} The following are some Chinese table manners. Hope it would help you to get an idea on how to handle the table manners with high proficiency.

    At the beginning of Chinese dinner, the first wet towel served by the waiter is for the hands, not the face. Along with lobster, chicken and fruits would come a small basin in it some lemon slices or rose petals are floating on the water,{#blank#}2{#/blank#}When washing your hands, you should wet your fingers in turn and wash them quietly, then dry your hands with wet towel.

    You can introduce the features of Chinese food to foreign guests.{#blank#}3{#/blank#} and they can choose dishes as they like. Some people like to recommend food or even picking up dishes for the guests, but you have to know the foreign guests are not used to this; they may grow tired of your repeated advice.

    You have to pay attention to the manner when picking up food, only do so when the dishes come in front of you; do not pick up before your neighbors; the dishes should not be picked up too much at one time and you should chew your food slowly,{#blank#}4{#/blank#} It is a greedy performance to wolf down the food.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} For example, avoid touching the neighbor, be careful not to make the dishes out of the plate or spill the soup. Please do not make food noise when drinking the soup or chewing the dishes. Do not chat with others when eating. Do not spit the bones or the fish bone directly to the desk, you had better cover your mouth and pick it out on the plate with your chopsticks.

A. Dining manner should be gentle

B. Do not repeatedly urge the guests to eat

C. which is for hand-washing not for drinking

D. table manners are also demanding more attention

E. At last, you should learn how to become a gentleman

F. we should know how to be polite in some public places

G. which is not only good for digestion but also a part of table manners

—Well, maybe ________ is not how much you read but what you read that counts.