Comrades, friends, ladies and gentlemen, greetings to you all!

The year 2021 is arriving. From China’s capital Beijing, I extend my New Year wishes to you all!

2020 was     1     extraordinary year. Facing the sudden COVID-19 pandemic, we put people and their     2     (life) first to interpret the great love among humans. With solidarity (团结) and resilience (坚韧), we     3     (write) the epic (史诗) of our fight against the pandemic.

During the days when we managed to overcome the hardships together, we saw the heroic spirit of marching straight to the frontlines, holding posts with tenacity (顽强), taking responsibility to get through thick and thin, sacrifices with     4     (brave), and touching moments of helping each other.

From     5     (medicine) workers to the people’s army, from scientific researchers to community workers, from volunteers to those     6     built the projects, from seniors to youths born after the 1990s and 2000s, a great number of people completed their tasks at the cost of their lives and protected humanity with sincere love. They pooled their drops of strength     7     great power and built an iron wall     8     (protect) lives.

Many figures marched ahead without hesitation, many relays were accomplished hand in hand, and many scenes showed touching moments. All these have     9     (vivid) displayed the great spirit of fighting against the pandemic.

Greatness is forged (铸造) in the ordinary. Heroes come from the people. Every person is remarkable!

Our sympathy goes to all the unfortunate ones     10     (infect) with the coronavirus! We salute (向……致敬) all the ordinary heroes!

I am proud of our great motherland and people, as well as the unyielding (顽强不屈的) national spirit.

(Adapted from Chinese President Xi Jinping’s speech made to welcome the New Year of 2021.)

Infectious diseases can be scary. And there is nothing     1     (frightening) than fighting an enemy that you cannot see. The novel coronavirus pneumonia (NCP) is one of these invisible     2     (enemy).

This year’s Spring Festival has witnessed the severe outbreak of the NCP,    3     symptoms are similar to the common cold or the flu, but it’s     4     (probable) more dangerous. Since the first death was reported in Wuhan, it     5     (infect) over 100,000 people around the world.

    6     (prevent) the spread of the virus, our government has taken strict nationwide measures. All the people     7     (forbid) to go outside unless it is necessary. And there are mass health tests for all those in close contact with the infected. Once     8     (confirm) infected, patients are quickly isolated.

According to the government, only when the situation is completely     9    control can students and workers return to schools and companies. It is because of these effective measures that of the infected has dramatically decreased.     10     number in the battle against the NCP, medical workers fight on the front line, while people from all walks of life help pass on love to one another. We believe with our joint efforts China is bound to overcome this huge challenge.

China will emerge stronger from the coronavirus challenge, experts said at a seminar here on Tuesday, while     1     (praise) China’s efforts to stop the impact of the COVID-19 epidemic (传染病).

Speaking at the seminar     2       (title) “Battling Coronavirus, ”Sumit Mullick，chief information commissioner of India’s southwestern state of Maharashtra, said that China has created a new criterion in addressing a health issue by quarantining (隔离) Wuhan, the epicenter city of the virus outbreak.

“The coronavirus does not understand or respect borders. It does not need a visa or passport.” Mullick said. “Challenges are     3     (true) in global in nature. ”

However, Chinese labs have quickly decoded the genetic sequence of the coronavirus and shared it with the world,     4     is now working on a new vaccine, he said.

R. N. Bhaskar, a senior journalist and consulting editor with Indian English newspaper Free Press Journal, said that China is doing all it can       5     (contain) the spread of the virus and create a vaccine.

“As       6     very big player in the global economy, there will be negative impact     7     the Chinese economy for a temporary period. However, thanks to the swift responses to the virus outbreak, the Chinese economy will overcome this crisis and emerge stronger,” he added.

Health officials at the panel discussion also listed the steps       8     (take) to fight the virus and shared their experiences in countering misinformation and creating       9       (aware) among the public at large.

The event       10     (organize) jointly by the Observer Research Foundation, a think-tank body, along with the Chinese Consulate General in Mumbai.