A dozen American high school students posed merrily for a group photo, each holding a painting or drawing they 【小题1】(make) themselves.The photo was taken during a contest on Chinese language and arts in California,US.

The students, from Justin-Siena High School   joined their peers   from other schools for the annual 14th Chinese Language Bridge Cup Contest.

Shelby Thomason, an 11th-grade girl from the high school, completed an oil painting of a tree in the two-hour contest, which she said【小题2】 (represent) hopes of everyone on the planet.

Thomason has studied Chinese language for three years, and she said it was great fun to attend【小题3】 contest with over 1,100 other children, ranging from kindergarten kids to high schools.

"Before I took Chinese in high school, I didn't have any idea about the culture or writing or drawing or【小题4】 like that, it's not really my thing, but it's fun to come to a contest that incorporates different ideas and show 【小题5】 you've learned in school, and be a little artistic," she said.

She added that it was hard for her to learn Chinese at first,【小题6】 once she looked at the writing of Chinese characters as a form of art,she feel different about it.

Juliette Nast, a 12th-grade girl from the same school, shared her own experience of Chinese.

She said learning Chinese at the high school is a bold decision.

"I was going to take French at first but then I decided to try something【小题7】(new) and take Mandarin," she said.

In China with her teacher and a few other students,Nast said she saw lots of【小题8】(share) bikes on the street of Beijing,"It's amazing and very convenient for people out there to ride them around in the city."

And Vivi Li, teacher of world languages at Justin-Siena High School, said everyone she teaches shows great passion 【小题9】 Chinese culture.

"It's really unusual for a school that has only about 650 students on campus in Napa,【小题10】 there are much smaller Chinese communities than any other places in California," Li said.

When I was young I hated languages. My dad spoke several and was ambitious for me. It was not until my 【小题1】 (graduate) from high school 【小题2】 I considered learning 【小题3】 second language — Spanish.

I was working in a school for disabled children in a class of six. Only two children could speak, but I realized 【小题4】 (gradual) that every child could communicate. Some of them used physical signs and movements 【小题5】 (express)   themselves. Others used their voices — they made noises which changed depending 【小题6】 how they felt. They even “talked” to each other, 【小题7】 (have) arguments and friendly chats like anyone else. Every child in that room had likes and dislikes, desires and fears 【小题8】 they communicated every day, without saying a single sentence.

As time went on, I learned not only Spanish but the language of everyone of the children I cared for. I had been making excuses for not trying all these years and here 【小题9】 (be) a group of disabled children showing me how important communication really is. It made me want to challenge 【小题10】 ( I ) and really learn Spanish.

When I was a student, I 【小题1】 (perform) better in Chinese language and history. But when 【小题2】 (surround) by a variety of bronzeware (青铜器) dating back thousands of years at an exhibition, I often feel I should brush up on my knowledge of the Chinese language. Characters, such as zun and ding, are widely used to describe various types of bronze vessels. But many others are rarely seen, and therefore difficult for us 【小题3】 (recognize) and correctly pronounce. Qingong Bo is a musical instrument to produce sounds similar to that of a bell. It also bears an inscription of 135 characters, 【小题4】 can help historians learn more about the history of the Qin state.