It’s a popular     1     (believe) that fish can’t remember anything for longer than seven seconds. It may seem sad to think that they don’t remember what they’ve eaten or     2     they’ve been, and they don’t recognize you or any of their friends —every moment in their lives would be like seeing the world for the first time. But don’t be so quick to feel sorry for them. A recent study     3     (find) that fish have much     4     (good) memories than we used to think. In fact, certain species of fish can even remember events from as long as 12 days ago.

We all know that forgiving yourself and others can bring you peace of mind. Recently, a new study published in the journal Psychology and Health     1     (find) that forgiveness may help you sleep well, too. Researchers led by Luther College psychology professor Loren Toussaint surveyed nearly 1,500 American adults to rate how likely they were     2     (forgive) both themselves for their own mistakes and others for hurting them. Then the participants were asked quite a few questions over their sleep quality, life     3     (satisfy), and overall physical health. Their findings show that people who were forgiving slept much     4     (well) at night, and, in turn, were happier and healthier than those who went to bed     5     anger.

The results led the researchers to conclude that forgiveness of others and self-forgiveness may help create a     6     (relax) mental state that supports sound sleep,     7     is connected with better health. Of course, forgiving yourself or someone else isn’t always easy. According to Karen Swartz, a doctor of the Johns Hopkins Hospital, it is about more than just     8     (say) the words.

“It is an active process in which you make a decision to let go of negative feelings     9     the person deserves it or not,” Swartz explains.

So, next time you can’t sleep at night, why not give forgiveness     10     try? It’s certain that it can make you feel better the next day.

Imagine a road crossing without the three-way traffic signal. Cars, trucks, school buses, bicyclists and students walking to school would try to rush through the crossing     1    the same time. Their safety would be in danger.

Thanks to an African-American    2    (invent) named Garrett Augustus Morgan, we have three-position traffic signals that help make crossings much safer. Mr. Morgan was born in Kentucky in 1877. He only    3    (receive) six year’s education. As a teen he left his family’s farm in search of better opportunities.    4    (live) in Cincinnati, Ohio, he continued his studies in English grammar. Then he moved on to Cleveland    5     he worked as a repairman for a clothing factory. He had a keen interest in solving problems    6    (meet) in everyday life. Later he patented(获得专利) several inventions. The three-way traffic signal was just one of his famous inventions. One day he felt very sad when he saw a traffic accident.     7    (help) reduce traffic accidents and save people’s lives, he     8    (immediate) began to work on the invention. Finally, it was     9     great success which saved lives then, and     10    (be) still saving lives today.

When we think of paper, we think of newspapers and books. But there are many other uses. Only half of the world’s paper     1     (use) for books and newspapers.

Paper is very good for     2     (keep) you warm. You have perhaps seen homeless men     3     (sleep) on large numbers of newspapers. In Finland, it is sometimes -40℃ in winter. The farmers wear paper boots (靴子) in the snow. Nothing could be     4     (warm).

Each year, more and more things are made of paper. We have had paper cups     5     plates for a long time. But now we hear     6     chairs, tables, and even     7     (bed) can be made of paper. Besides paper boots and shoes, you can wear paper hats, paper dresses, and paper raincoats. When you have used them once, you may throw them away and buy new ones.

The latest use of paper     8     (seem) to be paper houses. These are not small houses for children to play in, but real, big houses for people to live in. You can buy     9     house with three rooms for about 500 dollars. You can put it up by     10     (you) in a few hours, and you can use it for about five years.

Introduction to English as a Second Language Teacher’s Book

One of the earliest-known inventions is the bow and arrow, which is still used throughout the world today, 15,000 years     1     it was first invented. Of course, these days, the bow and arrow     2     (use) mainly in sporting events, but in some places it is still a means of killing animals for food.

In western Asia, another extremely important invention was born — the ability to produce pots. As long as 6500 years ago, people were producing pottery, mostly plain and without designs, but the technique has changed little since.

Some people say that the wheel is the single most important invention. Early examples from about 5000 years ago have been found in the forests of Europe. Around 1500 years later, the Phoenicians used sand, limestone and sodium carbonate to produce     3     else which we would be lost without-glass.

How many things do you lock with a key every day? Doors, cupboards? The car? We really don't think much about them,     4     we? Well, the first example of a lock and key dates back to 2750 years ago, in Assyria. This is a lock on a large wooden door in the palace of Sargon II.

Another amazing invention, which we probably take for granted these days, is the skill of knitting       5     first appeared in the Roman Empire, some 1700 years ago. The     6     (early) examples are knitted socks!

Eye glasses developed from just one lens in a frame, like a simple magnifying glass, way back in the 13th century. In about 1290, the idea to put two lenses in a frame to sit on the nose was developed in Florence. And, believe it or not, the modern contact lens is 120 years old! 

Time flies and we spend a lot of time     7     (check) how much time we have left! This would be impossible     8     clocks and watches,     9     are all around us: on walls, on our wrists, on our PCs, and even on our mobiles and iPod’s. The first pocket watch was invented by Thomas Tompion (1639-1714) in England 330 years ago, and his watch — face design, with two (and sometimes three) hands moving around a single dial,     10     (remain) largely unchanged in all that time.

The Mid-Autumn Festival is one of the     1    (important) festivals in China.It is an evening celebration when families gather together to light lanterns,eat moon cakes     2     appreciate the round moon.On that night,the moon appears     3    (be) roundest and brightest.The full moon is a symbol for family reunion,which is     4     that day is also known as the Festival of Reunion. 

The Mid-Autumn Festival celebrations date back to more than 2,000 years ago.In the Tang Dynasty,people began to enjoy and worship the full moon     5     a custom.In the Southern Song Dynasty,however,people sent round moon cakes to their relatives as gifts in     6    (express) of their best wishes for family reunion.    7     it turned dark,they gazed up at the fall silver moon or went sightseeing by lakes     8    (celebrate) the festival.Since the Ming and Qing dynasties,the custom of the Mid-Autumn Festival celebration     9    (become) even more popular.Together with the celebration appeared some special customs in different parts of the country,such as     10    (burn) incense(香),planting Mid-Autumn trees,lighting lanterns on towers and fire dragon dances,etc.

Since the pre-Qin period, Chengdu    1    (be) an important cultural town in China. But    2    really sets the city apart, culturally, is its opera.    3    important aspect of Sichuan Opera is the magic of “face changing” where vividly coloured masks are changed within the blink of an eye. In opera gardens and tea houses across the town, audiences     4    (want) a glimpse of the local culture love to drink tea while listening to Sichuan Opera and watching face changing.

It is believed that “face changing” has its roots in    5    (evolve). Early humans    6    (need) strategies to avoid fierce animals and foreign invaders. Often, aggressive facial gestures and non-verbal cues were part of it. The Sichuan Opera is said    7    (bring) this range of emotions on stage.

Once the performance starts, the actor keeps pulling down one mask    8    another in swift movements to convey different emotions.    9    (astonish), no matter how close one is to the stage, they just can’t tell how the masks change.

In fact, the different kinds of characters and personalities that Sichuan Opera brings alive can    10    (find) among common people. This is why its emotions will continue to resonate with people for a long time.

Xuan paper, known as one of the Four Treasures of Study, first came into existence in Xuan Prefecture in the Tang dynasty. The traditional skill of making the paper     1     hand has been passed down through     2     (generate). The process takes as many as 18 steps, all of     3     require a level of delicacy.

Take papermaking master Zhou Donghong, for example. He uses a fine screen to filter (过滤) a mixture of water and fibers. He lifts it up, and it’s a sheet of paper. It takes him and his partner only 15 seconds     4     (form) and shape it, but they’ve devoted themselves to perfecting the skills for decades.

“There are a lot of tricks of filtering the fibers, and timing is the     5     (difficult) part of all. We have only one chance to filter the right amount of fibers, and only the proper weight     6     (guarantee) the paper is neither too thin nor too thick, and the margin for error is     7     (extreme) small,” said Zhou. With just the right degree of thickness, top quality Xuan paper holds ink and water tightly.

The skill of papermaking,     8     (recognize) as a national treasure, has also proven to be an international one. We felt     9     great sense of pride as it was listed as a world intangible culture heritage (非物质文化遗产) by UNESCO in 2009. Since then, in Jingxian County, Xuan papermaking     10     (teach) in schools.