A punctual person is in the habit of doing things at proper time in a     1     (plan) way and is always keeping his appointment. He knows     2     if he wants to succeed in his work and society he must observe regular or appointed time. The     3     (punctual) man, on the contrary, seldom does what he has to do at the set time. If he has made an appointment with someone, he never cares about the appointed time and is     4     (like) to be late for half an hour.

Unpunctuality is very harmful. Friends sometimes grow cold to wards each other, or even become     5     (enemy), because one of them has been remiss in keeping     6     (appoint). Imagine how it would be if those who are     7     (trust) with important tasks failed to be at their proper place at the appointed time. A man who is known to be habitually unpunctual is never trusted by his friends, his     8     (classmate) or colleagues.

There is a proverb which says, “There is a time     9     everything.” This is true. In fact time is life     10     (it), and the man who really has a great deal to do is very careful of his time and is no doubt fond of punctuality.

According to legend, the Yellow River flooded during the period of Emperor Yao, and the people     1     (force) to leave their villages, and went to live in trees or on mountain tops. The flood     2     (bring) great misfortune to the people. So Yao assigned (指派) Gun to regulate it. Gun wanted to cut off the flood with stones     3     failed. Then, Shun assigned Yu, Gun’s son, to continue the work. Having learned     4     (he) father’s lesson, Yu dredged (疏浚) new river     5     (channel) as outlets, guiding water into river and river into sea. Day by day, year by year, Yu spent thirteen years     6     (govern) the flood without a break. It was said that during the thirteen years, he passed his home three times, but did not enter     7     his task was completed. His efforts not only solved the flood problem, but contributed to the     8     (develop) of agriculture.

In the face of difficulties, we should have the wisdom     9     (overcome) difficulties and the spirit of public selflessness. We also need powerful spirit and strong faith, only     10     that way can we work together to deal with a variety of difficulties.

Every Wednesday afternoon, Le Duc An, a Vietnamese PhD student at Beijing University of Technology, practices calligraphy in the calligraphy group.

The 33-year-old     1    (study) Chinese calligraphy for nearly three years. “I     2    (expose) to Vietnamese calligraphy when I was a child, and it was one of the things that made the biggest impression on me,” An says.

When he came to Beijing in 2019 for his PhD studies focusing on the environment, he also spent time practicing Chinese calligraphy,     3    (commit) himself in earnest to the journey of learning the art.

    4    (initial), An says that he did not understand the techniques in Chinese calligraphy, but with the help of Professor Liu Hongli, he gradually came to understand the meaning behind the characters and the techniques in calligraphy.

    5    (gain) a deeper understanding of calligraphy, An has visited many ancient sites in Beijing, including the Confucius Temple and the Forbidden City. He has also participated     6     a number of calligraphy competitions, both at school and international events.

An says that places     7     he has seen treasured scrolls of calligraphy have left a profound impression, and are     8     major source of inspiration. “Calligraphy has become a part of me,” An says.“Whenever I see Chinese calligraphy from different     9    (dynasty), and on sculptures and at historical sites, I find myself     10    (impress) by the vastness and depth of Chinese culture.”

In Shanxi Province, there is a tradition of taking afternoon naps, which means people take a short rest in the middle of the day. You can see people of all ages, men or women     1    (take)their naps. To them, it’s a peaceful and quiet time     2    the busy streets become empty and still.

Taking an afternoon nap is a tradition that     3    (be)around for a long time in Shanxi. It has been passed down from generation     4     generation. Parents teach their children the     5    (important)of rest and encourage them to do it. Through naps, they hope the young ones can learn to take care of     6    (they)and enjoy a quick break from a busy day.

Actually, the tradition of afternoon naps     7    (believe)to have many benefits. It helps people feel     8    (great)refreshed for the rest of the day. It also gives their bodies and minds a chance to relax and recover from all the activities in the morning.

So, if you ever visit Shanxi, don’t be     9    (surprise)if you see people taking naps in the early afternoon. And when you feel tired during the day, try finding somewhere comfortable and taking a good afternoon nap. Who knows, a little shut-eye might make     10    difference in making you feel great and your day even better!

In many ways, friendship     1     (natural) comes to kids. However, it is also a skill to learn and manage, particularly as kids get older.

It is important for teens to choose friends wisely. They might choose friends with shared interests or look for people     2     have different backgrounds. The most important things are whether or not the person will be a good friend and whether they enjoy     3     (spend) time with each other. If it’s a yes on both counts, then that person is likely     4     (play) the role of a friend.

It can take time to make a good friend, but it is often worth the effort. Doing things together, whether it’s homework or kicking a soccer ball,     5     (build) closeness. Considering the other person’s     6     (feeling) in different situations is also important. It’s true that you should stand by good friends in the hard times, but you don’t want to give and give without anything     7     return. Healthy friendships are     8     two-way street.

    9     (honest) and trust are important in friendships. Teens need to learn about the importance of being frank (坦率的) with their friends. Friends sometimes hurt each other, but they can always apologize (道歉) and forgive each other. Good relationships are worth the work to repair the damage     10     (cause) by any miscommunications.

Qinzhen Mipi, a traditional snack originating from Huyi District, Xi’an City, Shaanxi Province, is     1     (high) popular among food     2     (lover) for its unique texture (口感) and long history. In Shaanxi Province, Qinzhen Mipi has been one of the special snacks.

Qinzhen Mipi is made from high-quality rice grown     3     the west bank of the Fenghe River in Huyi District. The rice goes through a series of process, including soaking, grinding, and steaming. The     4     (finish) Mipi is seasoned with specially made chili oil, vinegar, salt, and other spices. Additionally, bean sprouts (豆芽) and shredded cucumber     5     (add) as toppings, making it refreshing and appetizing (引起食欲的). With every bite, you can taste the unique flavours of sourness, spiciness, chewiness, freshness and coolness,     6     (create) a distinctive flavour.

Although the way of making Qinzhen Mipi gradually faded away due to wars     7     disasters, Xue Shouxin, in the Qing Dynasty, successfully steamed Mipi based on historical legends and records. He invited his neighbors to taste it, receiving     8     (they) praise.

Today, Qinzhen Mipi has become a famous snack in Huyi District. There are many other special snacks in Shaanxi Province. Visitors from all over the world can enjoy the snacks,     9     can help them better understand the deep historical and     10     (culture) heritage of Shaanxi Province.

A man who recently made his 27th attempt al passing the gaokao, China’s national college entrance examination, has ended up falling short of his goal.

Liang Shi, 56, scored 424 points out of a total of 750, which was 34 points     1    (low) than the minimum requirement for being admitted into the second batch of universities in Sichuan Province, Cover News reported.

Liang     2    (previous) said that he would go to a satisfactory university     3     stop sitting the gaokao if he managed to meet the requirement for the second batch of universities. However, he was unable to hit that line,     4     meant Liang would not reach that target this year.

The Sichuan native first took the gaokao in 1983. After the first few failed     5    (attempt), his parents persuaded him     6    (enter) a technical school, but he quit after a year. He worked different jobs, got married and earned     7     small fortune, while retaking the test several times. Since 2010, he has sat the gaokao every year. Two years ago, he switched from science subjects in the gaokao     8     liberal arts.

Some netizens have been critical of Liang’s “unremitting” attitude,     9    (comment) he is just putting on a show. But Liang insisted that getting a good score in the gaokao was the only way for him to realize his dream of becoming a college student, and that anything else wasn’t a concern for him. And he also     10    (state) he would persist in his dream.

“The real China that I saw with my own eyes was so different     1     what the Western media had been portraying for years,” says Wong, who studied in China. The Chinese government     2     (award) her a scholarship in 2013. Wong studied the Chinese language at Central China Normal University in Wuhan for a year,     3     then went to Shijiazhuang and completed her Bachelor’s in law at the Hebei University of Economics and Business in 2018.

“China was full of energy,” Wong recalls. She says she     4     (impress) by the culture, people and landscapes when she was in China. “I really have wonderful     5     (memory) of my visits,” Wong says.

Wong now works as a     6     (manage) at Dingjin Real Estate Development Co and oversees Nausori Plaza,     7     is one of its largest investments in Fiji.

China’s ambassador to Fiji, Zhou Jian, says Fijians are becoming more interested in     8     (learn) about China.     9     (recent), many young people and students have traveled to China.

“If you’ve never been to China, you should visit,” Wong says. “It’s the only way you will know what China     10     (true) is.”

John Snow was a pioneer in the use of maps and statistics when     1     (study) cholera. He began the investigation by marking on a map the exact places where all those who died had lived. However, you couldn’t imagine     2     difficulty he had encountering during that time. There were multiple     3     (dead) near the water pump in Broad Street     4     no one died in some households. The survivors     5     (give) free beer and had not drunk the pump water. Another woman away from the water pump had the water     6     (deliver) to her house so that she as well as her daughter died of cholera. As a consequence     7     the evidence, Snow announced the water pump was     8     (blame). With his intervention of removing the pump handle, Snow stopped the disease in its tracks.

Besides, he showed a link     9     cholera and water companies,     10     (make) them sell clean water. Therefore, the threat of cholera around the world saw a substantial decrease.

There is much debate nowadays as to what makes up a healthy diet. For example, scientists     1     (insist) for years that a big enemy of health is fatty food. However, there is     2     (increase) evidence that the real driver of poor health is not so much fatty food,     3     sugar. Heart disease is the Number One     4     (kill) of Americans. And in America, people who receive 25% of their daily calories or more through sugar are     5     (two) more likely to die from heart disease than people who receive less than 10% a day. This is true regardless of how healthy the rest of their diet might be. To put     6     simply, while people continue to argue over whether or not fatty food is dangerous, we already know that sugar is bad for our health.

Much of this extra sugar comes from sweets and sweet drinks. The average American     7     (get) 1/3 of his or her sugar through sweet drinks alone. The American Heart Association recommends that we limit ourselves to less than 100-150 calories a day from sugar,     8     is less than what is contained in one can of sweet drink or in a single candy bar. In other     9     (word), if you want to be healthy, you have to cut down on desserts, and cut out sweet drinks     10     (complete).