2 . George Shull was born in 1874 on a farm in Clark County, Obio, and his knowledge of plants and hybrids came at an early age. Being needed on the farm, Shull received his early formal education off and on. However, it was supplemented (增补) by intense home study so that by 1892. he was teaching in a public school, and later attending Antioch College.

In 1901, he graduated from Antioch and went to the University of Chicago to do graduate work. With his knowledge of botany and experience with farming practices, Shull passed a Civil Service exam, and was appointed as a botanical assistant at the U. S. National Herbarium. He also worked at the U. S. Bureau of Plant Industry as a botanical expert examining the plants and animals of Chesapeake Bay and Currituck Sound. The data he collected during this time was to comprise his Ph. D. thesis (论文). And in 1904 he was appointed to be in charge of plant work at the Station for Experimental Evolution.

He began working on corn in 1905. Following Gregor Mendel’s example, Shull obtained purebred (纯种的) lines of corn through self-pollination (自花受粉). The pure-bred lines were less healthy and productive, but when he crossed the pure-bred lines, the hybrid yields were better than any of the parents or those pollinated in the open fields. He immediately recognized the potential for using this strategy to improve crop yields.

In 1915, Shull accepted a professorship at Princeton University. With his encouragement, Princeton University Press began the publication of a new journal, Genetics. Shull was the managing editor for ten years. Genetics is still one of the top international science journals.

Shull retired in 1942. He and his wife spent most of their later years with their children and grandchildren.

4 . It is natural to find aspects of other cultures not only interesting but also attractive. Often the first image we see from another culture________ the longest in our minds. If you ask me what “Chinese culture” is, I would perhaps mention The Art of War or the Tao Te Ching, old classics I ________ by a Sinophile friend when I was a teenager. We considered them insightful and cool.

There is no better way, however, to help anyone really understand contemporary China than to learn its________. Therefore, I was ________ when the British government adopted a target that 5,000 students should be studying Mandarin(普通话) eight hours a week by 2020. Yet this is just part of a pan-Western ________! In the United States, the president has ________a similar movement to prepare young students to deal with China in future jobs.

The ________ behind such decisions include China’s economic development and growing importance in the world. As George Osborne, a member of the British Parliament put it, learning Mandarin will help young people succeed in an increasingly ________ economy. Mandarin is more “ ________ ”to their later careers than other languages.

I first met many Chinese and visited China during my university years. Since then, I’ve been trying to learn Mandarin. ________, studying the language by myself with books and CDs turns out to be quite tough. Devotion and regularly talking with native speakers really ________.

Meanwhile. I have found that many fresh graduates from China are not knowledgeable enough about Chinese and are not able to ________ original ideas to the West. This may explain why the most famous Chinese books in the West are still classics like those I mentioned. ________, the Western trend for learning Mandarin should not only fill you with pride but come as a“ ________” too. While you are busy learning English, you should perhaps spend an equal amount of time stepping up your Chinese knowledge as well. As part of the rising generation, you have the chance---and the responsibility--to ________ that cultural influence will go in both directions.

5 . There are thousands of incredible trails that allow us to get up close to nature and here are 4 of the best hiking trails in the world.

Pennine Way, the United Kingdom

Stretching 268 miles from the Derbyshire Peak District to the Scottish Borders, the Pennine Way is the United Kingdom’s most famous long-distance path. The entire walk takes around three weeks, passing over wild east of Manchester and through the picturesque Yorkshire Dales, before crossing the ancient border of Hadrian’s Wall and moving on toward Scotland.

Camino de Santiago de Compostela, Spain

Rather than following a single path, the Camino, also known as the Way of St James, is actually a series of different pilgrimage (朝圣) routes. The most popular modern route follows a line across northern Spain from the French Pyrenees. While some choose to stay at monasteries (修道院) along the way, plenty of operators offer hotel stays and luggage transfers.

Appalachian Trail, the United States

Extending for 2,200 miles, the Appalachian Trail is billed as the longest hiking-only footpath in the world. It runs from Springer Mountain in Georgia to Mount Katahdin in Maine, passing through some of the most remote places in the United States. Those keen on comfort can use companies like Go Shenandoah, which offers pre-booked accommodation and packed lunches.

The Basho Wayfarer, Japan

This self-guided trip follows a route taken by the poet Matsuo Basho over 300 years ago. The six-day hike starts in Sendai and works its way through the northern Toboku region, passing through the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Hiraizumi and along the ancient Dewa Kaido path, with its wonderful forests, before heading into the mountains of Natagiri-toge and finishing at the temple of Yamadera.

7 . In Shakespeare’s HAMLET, Polonius asks the prince, “What are you reading, my Lord?” Hamlet replies, “Words, words, words.” Either, as is likely, Hamlet wasn’t interested in what he was reading, or, less likely, he didn’t understand the words he was reading. In this case, Polonius should have lent Hamlet a good dictionary.

Dictionaries are essential tools for people who like to read. There are so many words in English that even the most educated person will sometimes meet an unfamiliar word and have to look it up. Languages keep changing, too, with new words constantly being added and new meanings being applied to old words. For example, the 12th edition of Xinhua Dictionary, the most popular dictionary in China, has added new words such as “chu xin” “fen si” “er wei ma” etc. As for new meanings, “girl” once meant “a small child of either sex”. And “naughty” didn’t mean you were “enjoying playing tricks”; it meant you were poor.

A printed dictionary can’t keep pace with all the changes, which is why most dictionaries have websites and apps to help you keep up-to-date. However, I still prefer printed dictionaries because they give you more definitions and more examples of how a word is used. Even a simple word, such as “set”, has 430 meanings (the most of English words) but an online dictionary would only offer two or three. A printed dictionary also gives you the opportunity to discover new words as you run your finger down the page looking for the word you want.

There is no “official” English dictionary, but the Oxford English Dictionary is considered to be the best. For English language learners, however, I would recommend the Collins COBUILD Dictionary for Advanced Learners. Hamlet, by the way, was Danish and a college student. He would have appreciated the Collins Dictionary to help himself with his words, words, words. This dictionary has over 40,000 words and gives you full-sentence definitions with good examples of how words are used.

10 . I remember dreading (惧怕) having to sit through fifty-five whole minutes of a poetry class when I was in high school. But walking into that class _________ my life.

Before I took the _________, I believed poetry was all fluff (没多大意义的娱乐) — just rhymes about rainbows, flowers, love and the stars. I soon _________ that poetry could be about that, but it was also so much more. Poetry is about _________ yourself in a completely raw form and using phrases other than “the sky is blue”. Poetry is a reminder that it’s okay to feel pain._________ is supposed to evoke emotion.

Through that high school poetry class, I found I was able to _________ the perspectives of so many lives. People I only knew the names of became people I was _________ invested in because I was forced to try to understand the experiences they had to _________. Before the class, I was aware of the hardships my classmates suffered, but the poetry class let me _________ the same emotions they had through their poetry.

Since high school, I have taken two more poetry classes.__________ these classes, my writing has been strengthened, my listening skills have __________ and my public speaking has developed greatly.

My poetry classes helped me to view the world with a(n)__________ set of eyes and have taught me to __________ criticism with open arms.

Critical thinking, writing and public speaking are __________ in the workforce, and my poetry classes have enabled me to __________ those tools. Poetry has really changed my life.