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.

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.

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.

4 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

In China, even for the most accomplished chefs, cooking     1     (involve) improvising with the ingredients (原料) on hand: feel and taste. For the Chinese, the idea of exact time and amounts in cooking is an alien concept. In fact, times and measuring cups won’t     2     (find) in a traditional Chinese kitchen. Nor will a Chinese cook asked     3     he or she makes a particular dish respond with clear     4     (quantity) of ingredients and an exact cooking time, for such concrete instructions are almost nonexistent in the world of Chinese cuisine.

    5     (make) Chinese food can be very time consuming. One reason is     6     the preparation before the actual cooking takes time, as ingredients for the same dish are     7     (typical) cut into uniform shapes, and preferably into bite-sized pieces. Chinese cooking employs different methods according to the nature of the ingredients, the     8     (long) of cooking time, and the degree of heat. The major emphasis, though, is on enhancing the natural flavor of ingredients, as well as retaining nutrients.

Almost every Chinese kitchen has     9     bamboo steamer. In this method, food s are put in the steamer above boiling water. This technique preserves the colors, flavors, and nutrients of the food. A good cook knows which techniques to use     10     (combine) the natural flavors of the ingredients for the best taste and nutrition.

Recently, some 10th graders from my school held a series of Harry Potter-themed activities that brought many students’ dreams of magic to life, among     1     the cosplay show was the most interesting. Han Xinrui,     2     Harry Potter fan who cosplayed Hermione, said, “The     3     (prepare) was complicated but interesting. We edited clips of the characters we played from the     4     (origin) movies and projected them on the background for our performance. After numerous rehearsals, the actors put on their wizard robes and wigs,     5     (step) onto the stage and waved their hands, acting like     6     (superstar). Apart from the cosplay shows, the students     7     (encourage) to write out some famous quotes from the novels in beautiful handwriting. As one quote said, “It does not do well to be obsessed with dreams     8     forget to live. Working hard is important. But there is something     9     matters even more: believing     10     yourself.” These classic lines were inspiring to the students, encouraging them to keep looking ahead.

In 1818 Mary Shelley published Frankenstein, the story of a scientist who tries to create a superior, being and instead creates a monster. In the last two centuries, this story     1     (tell) over and over again in countless variations. At first sight, the Frankenstein story appears to warn us that if we try to play God and engineer life we will be punished severely. Yet the story has a     2     (deep) meaning.

The Frankenstein myth confronts. Homo sapiens (智人) with the fact that the last days are fast approaching.     3     some nuclear or ecological disaster strikes, the pace of technological development will soon lead to the replacement of Homo sapiens by completely different beings who possess not only different physiques, but also very different cognitive and emotional worlds. This is something most Sapiens find extremely worrying. We like to believe that in the future people just     4     us will travel from planet to planet in fast spaceships. We don’t like to think about the     5     (possible) that in the future, beings with emotions and identities like ours will no longer exist, and our place will be taken by alien life forms     6     abilities beat our own.

We seek comfort in the fantasy that Dr. Frankenstein can create only terrible monsters, whom we would have to destroy in order to save the world. We like to tell the story that way because it implies that we are     7     best of all beings, that there never was and never will be anything better than us. Any attempt     8     (improve) us will inevitably fail, because even if our bodies might be improved, you cannot touch the human spirit.

We would have a hard time     9     (accept) the fact that scientists could engineer spirits as well as bodies, and that future Dr. Frankenstein could therefore create something     10     (true) superior to us, something that will look at us as condescendingly (居高临下地) as we look at the Neanderthals (穴居人).

Chongqing is famous for its hot pot. There are tens of thousands of restaurants specializing in the hot, spicy dish to choose from, but if you’re looking for the most impressive one, go to Pipa Yuan,     1     giant restaurant situated on a large hill. It covers an area of 3, 300 square meters, and most diners require directions to find their     2     (reserve) tables.

Because of its size, and the fact that it     3     (place) on a steep hillside, diners can take up to 30 minutes from the parking lot at the bottom of the hill     4     one of the 888 tables available. However, that doesn’t seem to affect the     5     (popular) of this place. In fact, despite the massive capacity of the restaurant, you can’t     6     (possible) find a table without reservation.

As you can imagine, cooking several tons of hot pot every day     7     offering it to thousands of diners require a massive staff. It is reported that it     8     (hire ) hundreds of waiters, tens of cooks, and dozens of kitchen staff, as well as over 25 cashiers so far. At Pipa Yuan,     9     (serve) time can be a bit long, but the fresh ingredients, the mild spices, and the view from the hill can hold the patience of     10     (tourist).

About 800 meters above sea level and next to the picturesque Taiping Lake, Houkeng village in Huangshan, a region in the south of Anhui province, seems     1    (bless) by nature and is home to the handmade tea variety Taiping Kowkui.

Every spring     2     foggy days moisten the emerald hillsides, villagers know their harvest will come. “    3     any of three key factors—proper location, plant variety, or processing technique—the perfect Kowkui will not be born,” Fang Jifan, the fifth-generation tea farmer says. “It’s     4     signature of our home.”

Kowkui’s exceptionally large leaves often lead to its     5    (mistake) for “vegetable” by first-time viewers, but this “king” of green tea in Fang’s eyes beats other     6    (variety) at more than just size. “Its     7    (fragrant) and flavor also stand out, thanks to the time- consuming work to process them.” Fang says.

Last November, traditional tea processing techniques and associated social practices in China     8    (add) to the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. “The tea culture not only reflects a refined taste in life, it also shows the beauty of craftsmanship     9     people’s creativity,” says Zheng Yi, deputy head of Anhui Tea Culture Research Society. “For centuries, the scent of tea leaves     10    (offer) nutrition to this land. This intangible cultural heritage of tea processing techniques is deeply rooted in people’s everyday life.”

The city of Zibo has never seen so many visitors.

As the sun begins to set, the aroma of sizzling meat falls the air and draws in more     1     (hunger) customers. On each street, queues stretch outside restaurants for more than a hundred meters. Some restaurants even run out of key ingredients as early as 7p.m.     2     the night. All hotels are also operating at full capacity.

The city was barely known by outsiders     3     it went viral on Chinese social media platforms recently. Most visitors are young people, who share their experience of traveling to Zibo to experience the city’s barbecue culture on social platforms,     4     (attract) even more visitors.

Zibo- style barbecue’s classic three-piece set contains roast lamb, green onions, and nan bread, which,     5     (combine), make a mouth-watering combo (组合). The fame of Zibo barbecue used to be limited to just Shandong Province.     6     (previous), barbecue in Northeast China was much more popular across the country.

Behind Zibo’s sudden fame     7     (be) the efforts and services of the local government, as well as a good reputation of local businesses,     8     receive favorable reviews from visitors who share their experiences online.

To promote Zibo-style barbecue, Zibo has launched two dozen “special barbecue trains,” where local tourism officials would serve tourists     9     (they). At the city’s train station, shuttle buses transport tourists to various barbecue stalls directly. Netizens joke that the high-speed trains     10     (pack) with visiting tourists and that the air onboard is filled with cumin.

Tea is commonly considered native to Southern China. However, in a garden in Geling village in Metog county in the Tibet autonomous region, the morning air is filled with the sweet aroma of     1     (fresh) picked tea.

Tsering Yangdron, a 25-year-old Monba, one of the ethnic groups     2     live in this region, skillfully makes her way through the garden, carefully picking tender tea leaves and tossing them into a bamboo basket tied to her waist. Tea picking     3     (become) a habit for her over the past five years. After she is done, Tsering Yangdron goes back home, where she also runs a homestay. “We have come up with       4     dish of fresh tea buds fried with eggs,” she said. A kilogram of fresh tea buds       5     (sell) for 300 yuan. Once     6     (dry) and processed to make green tea, their value increases significantly.

Geling was once inaccessible as a result of the dense forests,     7     the opening of the Metog highway in 2013 significantly improved connectivity and created opportunities for economic growth. Prior to Huang Jiabin’s appointment     8     the village’s Party secretary, the tea plantation in Geling was a neglected piece of land.

“    9     (realize) the valley was suitable for growing tea, since 2018, we have improved the management of the tea plantation, introduced advanced planting techniques and provided training for     10     (village),” Huang said.