Opportunities don’t come often. They come every once in a while. Very often, they come quietly and go by without     1     (notice). Therefore, it is advisable     2     you should value and treat them with care. When an opportunity comes, it brings a promise but never realizes it     3     its own. If you want to achieve something     4     intend to fulfill one of your ambitions, you must work hard, make efforts and get     5     (prepare). Otherwise, you will take no advantage of opportunities when they come to visit you. The difference between a man who succeeds and one who does not     6     (lie) only in the way each treats opportunities. The successful person always makes adequate preparations to meet opportunities as they arrive. The unsuccessful person, on     7     other hand, works little and just waits     8     (see) them pass by. In my opinion, there are plenty of opportunities everyone in our society, but only those who are prepared adequately and qualified     9     (high) can make use of them to achieve     10     (they) purpose.

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!

Hardly had I received your letter when I couldn’t help     1    (write) back to you. You truly need correct ways to read successfully. I’m glad to tell you     2    (me) suggestions.

First of all, you’d choose the books     3    are neither too difficult     4    too easy for you. Secondly, the books should not only interest you but also benefit you. Besides, you might     5     (know) before that some books ought to be read    6    (careful), while others should be read roughly. In addition, you are sure to remember more clearly if you read aloud. Last but not     7    (less), remember to make     8    (note) while reading, and you might as well look up new words in a dictionary when necessary. It’s impossible that you’re     9    (blame) for not knowing every word.

Best wishes! If there’s anything I can do     10    you in future, please don’t hesitate to tell me.

A concert     1     (feature ) ancient China's Tang Dynasty poems was held in Philadelphia, on Friday night January 6 to celebrate the upcoming Chinese Lunar New Year.

Echoes of Ancient Tang Poems, the 1.5-hour-long concert attracted more than 2,000audience and brought the Tang Dynasty to life with ancient poems reinterpreted by young international    2     (composer).

    3     concert, presented jointly by Suzhou International Young Artist Festival and the Philadelphia Orchestra, was also held to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the orchestra’s historic 1973 tour of China.

Chinese Consul General in New York Huang Ping,     4     made remarks before the show, said, “The Philadelphia Orchestra     5     (become) one of the most popular foreign orchestras in China since the ensemble’s (乐团) trip to China. The stories between the Philadelphia Orchestra and     6     (it) Chinese partners showed that people to people exchange is a constant driving force for China-U. S. relations.”

    7     (found) in 1900, the orchestra was the first U S orchestra to perform in China Since then, it has     8     (frequent) visited the Asian country, serving     9     a bridge for bilateral cultural, educational and people-to-people exchanges. “The concert was marvelous, ”said Jennifer Lin, a local documentary director told Xinhua after the show. “The poetry was     10     (impress) .The singing was beautiful , and the orchestra was fantastic ”

Shao Lujie, a 28-year-old craftsman from Zhejiang Province, has created multiple works of art for the upcoming 19th Asian Games. His craft is known     1     quilling, an art of creating decorative designs from thin strips of curled paper.

Since Shao     2     (be) a child, he has loved painting and handicrafts. In 2016, he started to learn quilling from a master of the art and has been devoting     3     (he) entirely to it ever since.

“During this process, I found that this paper art handicraft can     4     (combine) with painting and different design elements. I hope to find breakthroughs in this handicraft,” Shao said.

In an era     5     AI-generated art and other commercial works are entering the art market, Shao still insists on     6     (stick) to this ancient craft. In recent years, Shao has begun to develop cultural and creative products with local characteristics. “One     7     (innovate) is changing the theme of a wedding celebration from flowers to ‘China-chic’ and local features,” Shao said.

    8     (attract) young people’s interest in this art form, Shao has gone online, creating accounts on social media such as Xiaohongshu. “    9     (normal), I would like to write articles about this art and post pictures of my latest works on Xiaohongshu,” he said.

Shao hopes to open     10     exhibition hall in the future so that more people can learn about his craft and, ideally, pass it down to future generations.

The culture of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) became     1     (increasing) popular with the arrival of the 31st FISU World University Games in Chengdu in July, capital of southwest China’s Sichuan Province. “We mainly promote TCM culture by displaying TCM     2     (element) such as TCM-themed backdrops, samples, 3D paintings made from acupuncture (针灸) tools, and herbal bags,” explained Deng Hongyuan,     3     staff member at the TCM culture area.

Visitors to the TCM culture area     4     (treat) to live shows of therapeutic massages (治疗性按摩) , Taijiquan, and Wuqinxi, a set of exercises     5     (inspire) by the movements of five animals as well as Baduanjin. Baduanjin, a form of gentle exercise that is a part of TCM culture,     6     is similar to Taijiquan and other TCM therapies, became a hit for its health benefits. Ancient Chinese medical books, TCM equipment, and medicinal materials unique     7     Sichuan are also on display.

“Foreign guests particularly enjoyed experiencing Chinese therapeutic massages. They were highly     8     (appreciate) of our massage services. They even asked if they could have this experience every day,” Deng noted.

“TCM culture is an important part of traditional Chinese culture and we are committed to     9     (broaden) its reach through the World University Games of Chengdu. We hope to enable more people     10     (learn) about TCM culture,” Deng concluded.

Stephen Koss was a math teacher in a New York high school near Manhattan's Chinatown. About a fourth of his students were Chinese. One day, some of them asked him if he would like to be the advisor of their Asian Culture Club since according to the school's rules, a new club must have a teacher taking     1     (responsible) for it. Stephen said yes, and that yes changed his life.

He became interested in Chinese history and culture and began to listen to Chinese songs, watch Chinese movies, and read Chinese books. The students noticed this and advised him     2     (visit) China. Finally, in the summer of 2001, Stephen Koss     3     (arrive) in China. He visited all the prime tourist     4     (destination) : Beijing, Shanghai, Xi'an, and the other big cities. But he thought Suzhou was the most     5     (impress) one. In Suzhou, people talked to him when he walked in the streets, introducing themselves. He recalled that experience: “They were very open     6     foreigners.”

Stephen traveled between China and America, spending the summers in Suzhou,     7     opened a new world for Stephen. He visited historical sites, guest-taught at a local high school, and watched the local opera. He went beyond Suzhou,     8     (explore) the countryside on his bike and visiting the water towns in the region— ancient towns known for their rivers, bridges and canals (运河) .     9     (eventual) , Stephen decided to stay in Suzhou and he became     10     Suzhou local.

Hidden in one of Beijing’s     1     (tradition) hutongs, Grandpa Jin’s store might not attract young people, but it surely means something to the local elderly people.

The 75-year-old storekeeper Jin Anguang has been selling wall calendars since 1980.   However, calendar stores are     2     (exceptional) rare today. Many people say it’s the last store of     3     (it) kind you can find in the busy city.

The wall calendars     4     (display) in the small store used to be a must-buy item for almost all the Chinese     5     (family) to welcome a new year. However, with the rapid development of digitalization (数字化), young people have turned to digital calendars,     6     (leave) the paper ones almost “a thing of the past“.

Nowadays, Jin’s store suffers from a decline, sometimes making less     7     100 yuan a day. Yet, among many local elderly people, it’s a place they’d pay     8     visit at least once a year. Some would even drive a long way just     9     (get) some old or new calendars. And this is what keeps Jin     10     closing the door forever, though his income isn’t stable.

“As long as someone comes, I’ll stick to it, regardless of how many people,” Jin said.

City stories from streets of inspiration

Wahed Ahmadzai has lived in Beijing’s Chaoyang district for nine years. The man in his     1     (twenty) from Afghanistan usually starts his day with a morning run along the Liangma River. After the morning routine, he goes to Sanlitun, a famous place     2     he runs his business.

The daily moments of Ahmadzai made their way into a short video recently that     3     (stand) out at the 100 Reasons to Love Beijing Short Video Competition at the end of last month. The event     4     (host) by the Information Office of Beijing has been held annually since 2020.

“100 Reasons to Love Beijing is not just a short video competition but a platform for     5     (share) stories,” says Xu Hejian,     6     (direct) of the Beijing Information Office.

At the awards ceremony, Xu was touched by the participants’ works, ranging from a Swedish artist who dreamed of coming back to Beijing to learn about folk art     7     a Mexican woman who expressed her longing for Beijing in a performance of a Tang poem.

    8     (surprising), the competition has attracted more than 3,000 participants from around the globe and nearly 5,000 short video entries since the first edition. In the future, more efforts will     9     (make) to adapt to the trends of mobile, social and visual international communication     10     (tell) the stories of the city better.

Children are naturally curious beings, but getting them     1    (learn) something that they aren’t interested in can be a difficult task. Teachers and parents often find themselves    2    (turn) to rewards in the form of stars, promises of high grades and wonderful     3    (career), or threats of punishment. But what if rewards and threats aren’t the answer?

Natural curiosity is     4    (normal) referred to as “intrinsic (内在的) motivation” sometimes. Lately studies     5    (find) that children who see learning     6     fun and important are better at it. And it’s easy to understand why     7     is difficult to study something we aren’t engaged with, and if we’re enthusiastic about the information we’re learning, it feels more meaningful.

Extrinsic (外在的) motivation is really     8    (benefit). Praise and stimulation based on either achieving good grades     9     fear of punishment has been acknowledged to motivate older students. However, it seems that at an early age, it doesn’t have as much effect.

The key is to allow some degree of autonomy and     10    (free). If you want to teach a child to read, let them choose which book they use. Whether it’s a graphic novel, TV guide or classic literature     the aim of stimulating their appetite for reading is met.