Incense (香) boasts a long history,    1    its roots in many cultures-ancient China, ancient Egypt, Babylon and beyond. People from all walks of life benefit from its countless qualities, whether they use it for pleasure    2    as medicine.

Since the Tang and Song dynasties, burning incense, hanging paintings, making tea, and enjoying music have been known as the “four arts for literati (文人)”.    3    (make) from seeds, leaves and flowers, incense has been used as an enjoyable     4    (pursue) for scholars.

Moreover, medical incense is an essential part of Traditional Chinese Medicine, which considers preventative healthcare as     5    far superior form of treatment when illness strikes.

    6    (basic), medical incense can kill bacteria in the environment, protecting people against infections. It is also believed     7    (possess) the ability to balance the flow of Qi, a vital energy force within the body. Once the medical elements within incense are breathed in, they soon find    8    (they) way into the bloodstream. From there they go directly to the organs    9    treatment assistance is needed. The specific types of incense    10    (choose) based on the individual’s condition, aiming to restore balance and promote well-being.

It’s difficult to try to get people’s attention on the Internet. However a granny has managed     1     (do) it. The star here today is     2    70-year-old granny named Chen Jifang, with 3 million likes on her Douyin videos. So far, she     3     (win) many people’s hearts with her excellent workouts on Douyin. And she once even     4     (appear) on one of reality shows on CCTV.

Chen’s health used to be poor when she was young. She even had to give up her job because her health was     5     (bad) influenced by the pregnancy (怀孕). “In the past, when I felt     6     (comfortable), I had to lie at home for a whole day,” says Chen. After three months of     7     (train), Chen lost 28 kilograms and her BMI (身体质量指数) returned to normal. According to her trainer, Chen got more than 400,000 followers within just a few     8     (month).

“The main group of people I wanted to encourage was those aged 30 to 50,” says Chen. “I hope they     9     (encourage) to work out in the fitness centres after seeing that a granny like me can.     10     I want to say is that it is never too late to go for good health.”

Nanjing, situated in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, was the capital of China for six Dynasties. An Australian Nanjinger Townley loves the rivers in the city. He     1     (ride) a bike along the bank of a river to the Nanjing Fishmouth Wetland Park in Jianye District every Saturday and Sunday mornings, about a 15-km round trip.     2     (walk) around the city or visiting museums is also an enjoyable part of his life.

According to Townley, Nanjing is in an ideal     3     (locate) in one corner of the Yangtze River Delta region, close to Shanghai.

Now, Townley works with and     4     (support) by the Jiangsu Industrial Technology Research Institute. He serves     5     a visiting professor at the School of Environmental Science and Engineering at Nanjing Tech University. After being a consultant and in the industry for     6     (year), he loves being connected to a university again     7     (share) his knowledge and experience with younger people and to initiate research based on the problems he has encountered in the real world so far. “I know my education and life are different from the     8     (type) Chinese students. Despite the differences,     9     I want to do with my Chinese students is encourage them to think, to be curious     10     to always search for new things.”

When travelling overseas, do you buy water in plastic bottles or take your chances with tap water? Imagine you are wandering about on a Thai island or     1     (admire) the ruins of Angkor. It’s hot so you grab a bottle of water from a local vendor. It’s the safe thing to do, right? The bottle is sealed, and the label says “pure water”. But maybe what’s inside is not so     2     (nature). Would you still drink it if you     3     (know) that more than 90 percent of all bottled water sold around the world contains microplastics?

That’s the conclusion of a recently     4     (release) study, which analyzed 259 bottles from 11 brands sold in nine countries, revealing an average of 325 plastic particles per liter of water. These microplastics included a substance commonly known as PET and     5     (wide) used in the manufacture of clothing and food and liquid     6     (contain). The study was conducted at the State University of New York     7     behalf of Orb Media, a journalism organization. About a million bottles are bought every minute, not only by thirsty tourists but also by many of the 2.1 billion worldwide     8     live with unsafe drinking water.

Confronted with this evidence, several bottled-water manufacturers including Nestle and Coca-Cola undertook     9     (they) own studies using the same methodology. These studies showed that their water did contain microplastics,     10     far less than the Orb study suggested. Regardless, the World Health Organization has launched a review into the potential health risks of drinking water from plastic bottles.

Recently, you may have noticed some new trends in the fashion industry, from “dopamine (多巴胺) dressing” to “tomato girl”. Now, it is the perfect time     1     (try) something new with the “Maillard style” that’s getting popular on social media.

The term “Maillard” originally refers to the Maillard     2     (react). This phenomenon is well-known in Western cuisine. It describes a chemical change that produces flavor chemicals and browning in foods such as toast and steak, as     3     (note) by BBC Science Focus.

    4     (similar), Maillard-inspired fashion creates clothes     5     show different kinds of brown, like rich reddish-browns, warm yellow-browns, and delicate off-whites(米色). This makes     6     easier for people to think of the rich tastes food brings,     7     (create) pleasant emotions in their brains.

    8     (compare) to the bright colors of “dopamine dressing” and the fresh “tomato girl” look, the dark earth colors that Maillard style uses reflect the autumn season and give people a     9     (comfort) feeling.

The style has also become     10     hit among many famous brands. At fashion shows showing off their new autumn products, brands like Miu Miu, Hermes, and Miuccia Prada have all presented Mailard-themed clothes one after another.

The Icehotel is the world’s first ice hotel in northern Sweden. The hotel, including the chairs and beds, is constructed from snow and ice blocks,     1     are taken from the nearby Tome River. Artists are invited to create different     2     (room) and decorations built by ice. Besides bedrooms, there is a bar with glasses made     3     ice. Each suite is unique and the architecture of the hotel is changed     4     (annual), as it is rebuilt from scratch.   

    5     (design) the main hall and the imaginative suites, artists around the world send applications to the Icehotel each year. When spring comes,     6     is pitiful to see everything melt away and return to the Tome River.     7     the Icehotel only exists between December and April, it     8     (consider) as one of the Seven Wonders of Sweden recently.   

At the Icehotel the beds are bedded with furs and people are given special equipment to use while     9     (sleep) in the hotel. The guests sleep in polar-tested sleeping bags. Since there is no heating in     10     hotel, the bedroom temperature remain constantly around -5℃. The ice suites do not have any bathroom facilities but bathroom for guests can be found in a warm building close by.

Yiwu’s market bounces back after three difficult years

Orders from all over the world     1     (flood) into Yiwu factories since earlier this month, a snapshot of global trade in the post-pandemic era     2     indicates a strong recovery for foreign trade in Zhejiang province in early 2023.

Statistics show that on Feb 2, 75,000 merchants     3     (participate) in the opening ceremony at Yiwu International Trade City — the world’s largest     4     (distribute) center for small commodities — placing orders on-site after almost three years of being unable to do so     5     person since the COVID-19 epidemic began.

Lu Qingrong, manager of the Jingrong Toy Company, said that orders have already been scheduled for May and June,     6     that this year’s sales are expected to be 30 percent     7     (high) than the previous two years.

For the past three years, Yiwu’s manufacturing companies     8     (devote) more energy to innovation and quality as they have upgraded, in a bid to underpin steady and accelerated growth.

Lu added that Jingrong will focus on strengthening innovation and research     9     (satisfy) increasing demands and plans to launch at least 10 new products every week.

In addition, the company is currently adding more production lines, which will raise     10     (efficient) and is expected to increase production by 50 percent.

With more and more children being overweight, we need to find     1    (create) ways to encourage them to develop healthy habits. How do you inspire teens to lose weight?

Overweight teens bear a heavy burden. Being overweight affects their     2    (popular), self-esteem, ability to make friends — everything important to a teenager. Bruce, son of dietitian Anne, describes his anxiety about being overweight. He was worried about     3     clothes made him look fat. When he finally lost weight, he felt that a huge burden     4    (lift).

At her STAR (Service for At-Risk Teens) Clinic, Anne finds that overweight kids are at risk for depression, poor self-image, and lack of friendship. Teens can’t succeed at weight loss alone. They need helpful parents, who create healthy home environments and serve     5     good role models. When parents succeed at weight loss, their children are more likely     6    (succeed) as well.

She suggests     7    (turn) off the television and limiting computer time. Studies show kids spending hours in front of screens are more inactive and that they have a strong tendency to be snacking     8    (mindless) while sitting.

She also says parents may need some additional guidance to help overweight teens get to the stage     9     they are ready to lose weight. Health care professionals can provide valuable     10    (suggest) that teens will listen to, as well as support for both parents and teens.

Qimin Yaoshu is the most completely preserved of the ancient Chinese agricultural texts. It     1    (write) by the Northern Wei Dynasty official Jia Sixie. The book is believed to have been completed in the     2    (two) year of Wu Ding of Eastern Wei, 544 C.E., while another account gives the     3    (complete) between 533 and 544 C.E.

The text of the book is divided into 10 volumes and 92 chapters, and     4    (comprehensive) records 1,500-year-old agricultural science and technology in the north of China. The book quoted (引用) nearly 200 ancient     5    (source). Since the publication of the book,     6    (history) Chinese governments have long attached great importance     7     it. Since the book spread overseas, it has been considered a classic text     8    (study) changes in species. When Charles Darwin was researching the theory of evolution, he made reference to (参考) an Encyclopedia of Ancient China,     9     is said to be the book Qimin Yaoshu. The book’s name “Qí mín yào shù” can be explained as either “techniques by which common people make their livelihood”     10     “techniques to harness (利用) the people’s livelihood”.

During the Song Dynasty, there was a beloved toy known as “Mo He Le”,     1     is praised as the “Barbie doll” (芭比娃娃) of its time. Mo He Le gained     2     (popular) on the traditional Chinese Qixi Festival,     3     was widely sold. It was crafted mainly from wood and clay materials,     4     (feature) complex details in body shape, facial expressions and hair. Some Mo He Le figures even had     5     (fix) poses with a characteristic feature — holding lotus flowers and leaves in hands. It was not     6     (common) for children to copy the appearance of these toys.

With fashionable styles and diverse clothing, Barbie dolls     7     (attract) the attention of children throughout the world.     8     (similar), Mo He Le appealed to children with their unique styles and charming appearance.     9     being made of a different material, Mo He Le succeeded in creating lifelike figures that stress children’s entertainment and imagination and played     10     essential role in the ancient times.