Those who haven’t been to the Mu Us may not have an opportunity to do so. The desert is disappearing from    1     map as it has been turned into an oasis(绿洲)!

The Mu Us     2     (stretch) over 42,200 square km between Shaan Xi and inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, lying north of the Great Wall. In Mongolian, “Mu Us” means barren land     3     nothing can grow.

However, the area was no desert in ancient times. It used to be grazing land     4     (sufficient) supplying grass and water for sheep and cattle. Since the Tang Dynasty, it began to degrade because of excessive farming and overgrazing and     5     (year) of war.

In modern times, the Mu Us, the fourth     6     (large) desert in China, began to move southward and passed the Great Wall,     7     (attack) Yulin (Shaan Xi province). Local pastures(牧场) faced serious desertification, salinization and degradation, and the villagers had to move as the desert advanced. By the time People’s Republic of China     8     (found), Yulin had only 0.9 percent of forest cover. It became an urgent task     9     (block) the sands.

Thanks to greening, the desert is poised to disappear. The feat(丰绩) wouldn’t have been achieved     10     national anti-desertification policies and the efforts of generations of eco-warriors.

Nissan's piloting intelligent factory is set to run sometime before April next year. At the factory, robots do most of the work. So the workers can focus     1     more skilled work such as analyzing data     2     (collect)by the robots and keeping the equipment in good conditions.

Nissan said the technologies being tested at the intelligent factory will be     3     (gradual)rolled out at     4     (it) other global plants, including French partner Renault's factories.

"It is difficult to estimate exactly how much the intelligent factory will save, "Nissan's President said during a tour of the production line for the Ariya sport vehicle at     5     piloting plant Friday. "But Nissan     6     (need) to adapt to labor shortages and to lower carbon emissions     7     (help)fight climate change. "

"Up to now, people had to make production     8     (adjust) through experience, but now robots with artificial intelligence are able to do them automatically. The technology has developed to that level, "he said.

Actually, all     9     (automaker)are working on robotic technology,     10     will help them to respond quickly to market demand and cut operating costs.

Overfishing and climate change are pushing some of the     1    (world) most iconic seabirds to the brink (边缘) of extinction, according to a new report.

The study reveals that kittiwakes (海鸥) and gannets (塘鹅)     2     (be) among a number of seabirds that have now joined the red list of under-threat birds     3     (draw) up by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

According to the study, birds are well studied and great indicators of the health of the wider environment. A species     4     higher risk of dying out is such a worrying alarm call     5     action needs to be taken now.

The study finds that overfishing and changes in the Pacific and north Atlantic caused by climate change     6    (affect) the availability of sand eels (鳗鱼) in recent years. This has caused “disastrous chick survival rates”, it says.     7     (global), the species is thought to have declined by about 40% since the 1970s,     8     (justify) its move from the “least concern” category to “vulnerable” on the Red List.

“The alarming decline of the seabirds, provides a     9     (pain) lesson in what happens when nations take     10     ‘out of sight, out of mind’ approach to conservation,” said Marguerite Tarzia, European marine conservation officer for Bird Life International.

Around the world, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is     1     hot topic. It seems that most health food stores have a section with TCM herbal remedies, and many cities have at least one acupuncture (针灸) clinic. What’s more, some Western doctors recommend TCM for certain illnesses. Within China, TCM is     2     (wide) used. All in all, 28% of drug sales in China are made up     3     medicinal herbs, and there are over 4,000 TCM hospitals in China. Let     4     (we) take a look at how TCM started.

In ancient times, many people around the world thought that illnesses     5     (cause) by evil spirits, and so spells and prayers were used to get rid of the spirits and thus bring relief. At the same time, some doctors in China recognized that many illnesses had     6     (vary) possible natural causes. The doctors believed that since illnesses were natural in origin, they could be cured through natural remedies. Perhaps the most important of these early doctors was Qin Yueren, who wandered from place to place,     7     (provide) medical care to those in need. He was so respected     8     people called him Bian Que.

Much of what has been passed down through history about Bian Que has a legendary quality. However, Bian Que sought     9     (set) the medical profession on a firm basis of preventative treatment, observing symptoms, and offering natural     10     (cure) without resorting to spells.

Despite having only a high school diploma and knowing little about the art world for most of her life, Chen Shaoqin    1     (be) one of the most popular narrators today at Ullens Center for Contemporary Art (UCCA) ,    2    most art guides have formal academic backgrounds.

For Chen, the greatest source of inspiration comes from learning about Chinese artists. “ Their     3     ( intelligent) and achievements taught me that it is never too late    4    ( start) a new career.” she said. Over the past four years, she would arrive 30 minutes before every tour with a bilingual list of relevant vocabulary in Chinese and English. In addition     5     the exhibit information, she also has extensive notes and analogies from her daily reading. By reading a flurry of literature, Chen can always say something fresh. She may be the     6    (old) guide with more than 3,000 hours of experience, but her lively and lyrical style has captivated audiences who listen to her     7     ( respectful).

“Art has brought     8     (I) into contact with outlooks on the world and introduced me to a vast range of truly differing perceptions, ideas     9     knowledge. As long as there are things to love and things to pursue, that is a good thing to keep you young and     10     (energize). Whatever you like, stick to it and life will be richer and more interesting” she said.

Xu Yuanchong was a famous Chinese translator, best known for translating Chinese ancient poems into English and French. Xu was born in 1921 in Nanchang, Jiangxi. His mother, who was well educated and good at painting, had great impact on Xu in his     1     (pursue) of beauty and literature. When studying at Provincial Nanchang No. 2 High School, he excelled at English. In 1938, he     2     (admit) to the Department of Foreign Languages, Naitonal Southwest Associated University, a school     3     graduates have played a central role in modern China. At university, Xu gave outstanding performances in English, Russian, French, while even hosting Shakespeare classes, clearly showing a gift for translation.

After his graduation, Xu devoted     4     (him) to education and translation. He was the first Chinese translator     5     (translate) Chinese poetry into English and French verse. He also translated many     6     (masterpiece) into Chinese including The Red and the Black and Jean-Christophe.

In his last days, the hundred-year-old scholar was still working on the translation of Shakespeare’s complete works. Seven hours of work in front of a computer every day is     7     unbearable task for young adults.    8     (surprising), this 100-year-old scholar is never bored with his work, passionately typing his translation word by word, day after day.    9     the morning of June 17, Xu passed away in Beijing at the age of 100. The respectable translator enjoyed a life worth     10     (remember).