If a traditional sport bores you, it’s time to try something new! Cycling, but outdoors on city roads; surfing, but on the land; playing frisbee, but with a group of people... New sports begin to thrive with great attention     1     (pay) in support of national fitness. Nearly 1,200 young people participated in a study by Houlang Research Institute, more than 93 percent of     2     born after 2000 are interested in urban sports.

Why do young people favor new sports? Apart from keeping fit as a type of exercise, many young people pick them up to socialize,     3     (allow) them to build up their social circles. Players tend to have online group chats announcing their usual activities and     4     (simple) sharing their lives.

“The new sports are also suitable for taking photos and less restricted by venues”, Zou Qingling, the CEO of Lvmama,     5     tourism website in China,     6     (tell) China News Service. People can enjoy new sports from parks to spacious     7     (sidewalk).

The new sports are easier for new players to start,     8     other traditional sports, such as soccer and basketball, which usually require strict and complicated rules. Thus, the new sports are less     9     (compete) but could bring more fun. People have also gained a stronger passion for outdoor activities and healthier lifestyles.

Urban sports have unlocked new lifestyles in China as they reflect     10     (diverse), youth and fun. This new trend is also proof that more people are exposed to and willing to enjoy sports.

Technology has started to take over the world. It may seem like a huge advancement to society, but large setbacks come equally.

We now live in an age of social media. We have never been as     1     (connect)as we are now. Everyone around us can be reached instantly. Besides, the use of technology has made all of our lives     2     (incredible)efficient. Furthermore, a majority of people have access to technology,     3     helps them express themselves on many different platforms. Lastly, technology has given people many ways     4     (entertain)themselves. Various websites offer hours upon hours entertainment for those     5     (bore)nights.

While some may see social media’s positive effects     6     relationships, others can see it as the exact opposite. It keeps people from seeing each other face to face. Meanwhile, there is nothing more frustrating than having technology not work right when it     7     (need)to. Moreover, so dependent on technology, people don’t try to explore life outside of a smart device. Also, with more and more people posting information on     8     internet, it can be very difficult to determine whether the information is credible or not. This can lead to false information being taken seriously, and     9     (change)perspectives of those who believe it.

To understand technology, one must know     10     it provides in terms of advantages and disadvantages.

What is culture? Culture is the shared characteristics and knowledge of a group of people,     1     (include) their language, religion, food, social habits. music and arts. The word “culture” has     2     (it) root from the Latin “culture”, which is related to the meaning of “growth”.

A number of historical events     3     (help) shape Western culture in the past 2,500 years. The fall of Rome cleared the way for the establishment of a series of states in Europe. The Black Death of the 1300 cut the population of Europe by one-third,     4     remade the society. Gradually, Christianity became the     5     (strong) of all religions in Europe. Then the trade between East and West allowed Europeans to explore North and South America.

Eastern culture generally refers to the traditions in Asian     6     (country). Like the West, Eastern culture was heavily influenced by religion during its early development, but later it     7     (influence) by the agricultural development significantly.

    8     culture differs from area to area, one thing is for certain: Cultures change. “Culture plays     9     important role in our interconnected world,” De Rossi said. “But it is no longer fixed. Culture is     10     (constant) moving and essentially fluid.”

WHO Declares the Coronavirus Outbreak a Global Health Emergency

The World Health Organization declared on Thursday that the new coronavirus outbreak was a global health emergency, acknowledging that the disease represents a global risk, which emerged last month.

The declaration-officially called a Public Health Emergency of International Concern-serves notice to all United Nations member states that the world’s top health advisory body    1    (rate) the situation as serious.

Countries can then decide    2     to close their borders, cancel flights, screen people arriving at airports or take other measures.

The decision came as cases have begun to appear in people    3     had not travelled to virus-affected regions during the outbreak.

Health officials on Thursday reported the first case of person-to-person transmission of the new coronavirus in the United States.

The patient is    4     husband of a woman who was the first reported case in Chicago, officials said at a news briefing. The woman, who is    5     her 60s, had returned to America from travelling. She was hospitalized but appears to be doing well, said Dr Jennifer Layden, an epidemiologist at the Illinois Department of Public Health.

Her husband, who had not travelled with his wife, recently began showing symptoms and was immediately isolated in the hospital. Lab tests have now confirmed that he    6    (infect) with the coronavirus, Dr Layden said.

Health officials are tracking the places visited by both patients and identifying all close contacts     7    (monitor) them. The public is at low risk, officials said.

Person-to-person transmission may occur if someone who is sick breathes, talks, coughs or sneezes in the vicinity of others. Respiratory droplets carrying the virus    8     then travel from the sick person to other people or surfaces.

    9    (base) on the transmission patterns seen in China and other countries, experts have expected to see some person-to-person spread in the United States, said Dr Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “We understand that this may be concerning,” Dr Redfield said. “But our assessment remains that the immediate risk to the American public is low.”

The disease is not spreading widely in the US and people who have not had close contact with    10     who recently travelled to COVID-19 stricken places are unlikely to get infected.

Young tech influencers know the sky's the limit

From robots to aircraft, a new generation is providing thrust     1     innovation, Wang Qian reports.

While most people     2    (stick) at home last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, feeling isolated and maybe even caged in, some young people were thinking outside the box and reached for the sky as they created an impressive array of work, from robots to rockets.

It's difficult to predict what will be     3     next big thing to materialize from this tech-savvy generation. On video sharing and live streaming platform Bilibili,     4    seems that anything is possible. No dream, it seemed, was beyond    5    (imagine). At first, they did not know each other but were united by a spirit of creativity.

When Bilibili uploader Lin Xiao, nicknamed Lingshiqi online, had too many bags to carry, instead of asking someone for help, the then 18-year-old spent 200 days    6    (handle) the problem. The devil was in the detail you could say. He built a robot, which can follow him     7     he goes, and upon which he can ride. The robot's name? Devil!

Tech influencer Peng Zhihui,     8    online name is Zhihuijun, is already a household name. A 16-minute video clip features the 28-year-old Huawei engineer designing and creating a robotic arm, named Dummy.     9    (power)by Huawei's 5G technology, it can be     10    (remote) controlled to do the most precise activity. To prove it, Dummy can even stitch grape skins together.