The United Nations, known as UN, is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are     1    (keep) international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation,     2    be a centre for harmonizing the actions of nations. It was founded in 1945 and    3    (have) about 193 member states now. This is the reason why the UN has a huge number of translators and interpreters, since international meetings in the UN are attended by people who speak so many different languages. Translators are people who usually work with written language, while interpreters work with spoken language. Meetings     4    only two languages are used may need only one interpreter, while a bit    5    (large) events where leaders from many countries gather may need over 70 interpreters.

There are two main ways that an interpreter can provide spoken translation. First is the method which requires the speaker to stop every few sentences, so the interpreter can translate    6    (that) sentences for the audience. The second method is    7    one in which the interpreter listens and translates at the same time. This second method is more difficult, but the place where the interpreter     8    (locate) is not so important. The interpreter can be in a     9    (complete) different location from the speaker, listen through headphones, and translate for an audience     10    (sit) in another location!

The Chinese language has become increasingly popular in the world. More British students chose to take Chinese tests than German in this year's A levels, showing a great     1    (curious) about the ancient Asian language.

This is the first time that Mandarin     2     (overtake) German at A levels, a British public exam taken by high school students,     3     (make) it the third most popular language in the UK.

A total of 3，334 candidates chose Mandarin     4     their foreign language, up 8.6 percent from 2017,     5     around 3,058 took German A level, down 16.5 percent year on year.

French and Spanish still remain the most popular foreign languages. The German language       6    (follow) by Russian and Polish.

According to the Office of Chinese Language Council International, as of 2017,   some 100 million people, excluding native speakers, use Chinese     7    (global), while the number of Chinese teaching centers has surpassed(超过)70,000.

South Korea has a     8    (large) population of Chinese language learners than any other country in the world with the number estimated at around 10.6 million. Last year alone, over 170，000 people     9    (sign)up for Chinese language tests, like the HSK,     10     name is Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi in Chinese.

The United Nations in 2010 suggested a Chinese Language Day which falls on April 20th each year to celebrate cultural diversity as well as to promote the equal use of all official languages.

Billionaires Race to Space

In late July 2021, Jeff Bezos achieved an out-of-this-world ambition. The billionaire founder of Amazon     1     (fly) to the edge of space — 62 miles (100 kilometers) above Earth’s surface — on a rocket designed by his company Blue Origin.

“Best day ever,” Bezos said over the radio to mission control after landing     2     (safe) back on Earth, but others weren’t so impressed.

Bezos wasn’t the first billionaire to set his sights on space. Nor was he the first     3     (criticize) about wasting enormous personal wealth. A week     4     the Amazon founder made history, business owner Richard Branson did, too. The fact     5     Branson became the first person to fly to space on a rocket he helped fund was certain.

Critics say that the money going toward commercial space travel would be better spent on     6     they see as more important pursuits. These include working to cure diseases, reducing poverty, and helping to solve the climate crisis. Besides, launching spacecrafts is     7     (harm) to the planet, critics declare. The naturalist Holly Haworth pointed out in Sierra magazine, “traveling in rockets is arguably the most carbon-emitting thing an individual can do.”

But supporters of commercial space travel argue that it does benefit humanity, allowing for personal funds to     8     (put) toward high-paying jobs and a new industry. That’s money they could have spent on new luxury cars or villas for     9    , supporters say. Plus, their companies are investing in new technologies that increase access     10     space and drive innovation in other areas as well.

Nowadays, millions     1     lonely singles are now going online instead.     2     World Wide Web is quickly becoming the world’s most popular matchmaker(媒人).

Singles are flocking(涌向) to the Internet     3     (main) because their busy lifestyles leave them little time to look for a significant other. Using dating sites(约会网址) is quick and convenient. Many singles say the regular dating scene     4     (just lead) them from one bad experience to     5     and are ready to try something else. Dating sites also make     6     easy to avoid someone     7     you are not interested in. In the real world,     8    , ignoring someone you don’t like can be difficult.

Despite all the advantages, online dating also presents its own set of problems. People aren’t always those who they declare to be in their online     9     (describe). Safety is another concern. You are just     10     (like) to find a criminal online as you are Mr. Or Miss Right.