Tianshui,     1     ancient Silk Road city in Gansu Province, became the latest place with a nationwide craze thanks to its iconic dish malatang, a local street dish     2    (feature)a mix of fresh vegetables and meat boiled in a hot, spicy soup. One restaurant owner in Tianshui noted that he has been serving at least 400 customers a day, some of     3     drive here from other provinces to experience this inviting dish firsthand. Based on data from Ctrip, a major Chinese online travel service platform, in the past month, there     4    (be)a significant increase in tourism in Tianshui. The overall number of travel orders has increased by over 20% compared to the same period last year,     5     hotel orders increasing by over 40%.

Local-produced ingredients such as Gangu chili, Qin’an peppercorns, and Dingxi potatoes are the secrets to the unique flavor and attractive appearance of Tianshui malatang. Gangu chili has a bright red color and a spicy fragrance with lingering sweetness. Potatoes     6    (grow)in Dingxi have a high starch content(淀粉含量), making hand-pulled noodles have a chewy texture. It is these authentic ingredients     7     lay the foundation for Tianshui malatang to stand out.

With the drive of the “malatang economy”, the export orders of Gansu local agriculture     8    (product)are also increasing. It seems that food has     9     (apparent)become a new hot spot for small Chinese cities to catch the spotlight on social media platforms. The Tianshui government is also seizing every opportunity     10    (promote)Tianshui development with a small bowl of malatang.

In the 20^th century, baguettes became less popular as fast food and supermarkets became more common. Shoppers began buying     1     (freeze) bread at their local supermarkets as an alternative to baguettes. Therefore, in 1993, the French government passed another law     2     (protect) the future of the traditional baguettes. The law stated that baguettes must only contain four     3     (ingredient): water, yeast, salt, and wheat flour.

Recently, a group of French bakers took     4     (far) steps to protect their national bread. They     5     (send) an application to the UN requesting that baguettes be recognized as     6     UNESCO cultural treasure. The bakers believe that gaining UNESCO     7     (recognize) will save their tradition and bring attention     8     the special baking techniques they’ve developed over the years. The road to UNESCO probably won’t be an easy     9     , though. Baguettes will have to beat out the beautiful Paris roofs and a popular French wine festival in order to win the honor. The past two years have been difficult for baguette bakers. COVID-19 restrictions have forced thousands of bakeries to close down for good. However, chances are     10     the demand for fresh baguettes will remain high and these stores will reopen once things get to normal.

I remember the first time I ate snail rice noodles (螺蛳粉). Looking at the chili (辣椒) sauce on the noodles     1     seems to be delicious, I asked my friend, “Is this hot     2     not?” My friend said with a smile that chili in Liuzhou was not hot at all. Without     3     (doubt) his words, I had a taste, but within two seconds, it     4     (bring) tears into my eyes because it’s too hot for me! My friend laughed at me.

From then on, I was afraid of eating chili. However, it is common for people there     5     (use) chili when they cook everything. Every time I ate chow mein, I would say, “Sir, please do not add any chili to the noodles!” But when the noodles     6     (serve) on the table, there was still so much chili.

Besides, the weather in Liuzhou is much     7     (hot) than that in other places. In summer, Liuzhou is as hot as a big stove (炉子). However, people in Liuzhou have a very good character. When I first came here, I asked a passerby for the way to the Bank of China. But     8     (lucky) I could not understand what he said. He was still very patient even after providing a long     9     (explain). Finally, he led me to the bank     10     person.

Therefore, I love this hot city—Liuzhou.

When I was younger, I thought science would make good things     1     everybody. However, it represents the    2    (destruct) of people and it puts our future at risk sometimes. What is the value of science? 

The first value is that    3    (science) knowledge enables us to do and make all kinds of things. Scientific knowledge is     4     enabling power to do either good or bad — but it does not carry instructions on     5     to apply it. Such power     6    (have) obvious value. Another value is the intellectual enjoyment. Thanks to the scientific effort, we have been led to imagine all     7    (sort) of things more fantastic than poets and dreamers of the past ever could. Let’s turn to the third value. The scientist has a lot of experience with     8    (ignore) and doubt and uncertainty, and this experience is of great importance. Scientists take    9     for granted that it is perfectly possible to live and not know. 

    10    (know) the great progress that is the fruit of freedom of thought, scientists have responsibility to declare the value of this freedom.