Dear Patrick,

My dad is always very busy at work and rarely     1     (spend) time with me. I feel like he’s becoming more and more like a stranger to me. Sometimes I don’t even know     2     to get close to him when he’s around. Do you have any     3     (suggest)?

Hai

Hi Hai,

I’m Patrick McCarthy, but you can call me Pat. This is the space where I can help you with your daily life problems, one-on-one. Go ahead and ask away!

    4     (frank) speaking, my dad is very similar     5     yours. He is always busy and obsessed with work, also called a “workaholic (工作狂)”,   and I’ve never felt like I could have a close relationship with him,despite my best efforts.

Still, not every family relationship will end up     6     same way. In your case, you can suggest an activity you two could do together, like going to the movies. You could also talk about any interests you both have in common, such as history or art. Over time, you may end up     7     (encourage) him to “come out of his shell” more and more and help him realize that you two have things in common and     8     life is more than just work.

Also, it’s good to remember that our parents are still people like you and me. They have faults of their own. Be willing     9     (forgive) your father for his faults and missteps. This way, you won’t subconsciously (潜意识地) hold a grudge (怨恨) against him for acting like a stranger and thus avoid driving him away even     10     (far).

Patrick

The virus “Ebola” is named after the Ebola River in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. That’s     1     the virus was discovered in 1976. A person can only get Ebola through direct contact with an infected person’s body fluids, for example, sweat or spit. Additionally, the virus can get into your body     2     your eyes and mouth. That’s why health care workers are supposed to keep themselves completely     3     (cover) while treating patients.

The deadliest Ebola outbreak is spreading fast in Western Africa, taking over 900     4     (life) so far. The health systems in this area are severely lacking in resources, and health care workers may not have enough protective clothing     5     working in rural clinics. For now, all doctors can do     6     (be) to treat the symptoms and provide some care.

There are several promising drugs and vaccines (疫苗) in     7     (develop), but since Ebola is less common — and research about it is not     8     (good) carried out — there is no drug or vaccine that     9     (approve) for use in humans. Many of the other drugs and vaccines have not yet been tested in humans. The WHO (World Health Organization) is meeting next week     10     (discuss) whether experimental treatments should be used during this outbreak.

Imagine biting into a juicy burger that was produced without killing animals. Meat grown in a lab is turning that     1     (imagine) into a reality. Several companies are developing lab-grown beef, pork, poultry and seafood. And the field is attracting millions in funding.

If widely used. lab-grown meat, also     2     (call) clean meat, could reduce much of the cruel treatment of animals     3     are raised for food. It could also reduce the environmental costs of meat production     4     (great).

The meat     5     (produce) by first taking a muscle sample (样本) from an animal. Scientists collect stem cells from the sample and multiply (使繁殖) them to form more muscles. It’s said that one muscle sample from a cow can produce enough meat     6     (make) 80,000 hamburgers.

Many companies say they expect to have products for sale within the next few years. But clean meat will have to overcome     7     number of difficulties, such as reducing the cost and proving the safety     8     the meat before it appears on the market. The good news is that despite all these     9     (challenge), the clean meat companies are keeping trying. If they can succeed, clean meat could make our lifestyle     10     (green) and more ethical than before.

Tommy Bell was the best friend. Those who are familiar    1    our adventures, admire our brotherly bond. Born 10 metres apart in the same hospital, we were brought up in the same town,    2    was a paradise for both of us. By the time we were teenagers, we were business partners selling imported luxury goods. In our twenties, I followed him into the Great War. As the battle unfolded, there were horrible scenes in our    3    (surrounding). I ought to have died when a bomb    4    (strike) something near us. Tommy struggled to drag me to safety on his back. Despite    5    (lose) my leg, I survived and I owe him my life.

    6    (make) his fortune and work out his destiny after the war, Tommy went to so much trouble to the West. We seldom corresponded, but never did he forget his old pal. Unusually I’d always receive a pack of money each month on my doorstep. I never proved my guess that it came from him. I never asked him about it, and I think he preferred that I didn’t.

When I received news of his passing away, I was    7    (bitter) ashamed that I didn’t keep in contact with him more regularly. Meetings    8    (postpone) for one reason or another. Now I’m here at this    9    (appoint) place and time, to pour some whiskey, his favourite drink, and raise a glass to Tommy Bell. It’s plain to see he was    10     impressive, inspiring, and ambitious fellow. Wherever he is, I sincerely wish he could find comfort and rest easy.

As one of the three major drinks in the world, tea is also the most consumed drink after water on earth. Since tea trees     1     (discover) thousands of years ago, the drink has become closely integrated with daily life and has developed into     2     unique culture.

How could such a little leaf from nature generate such great power? An ongoing exhibition     3     (focus) on tea culture manages     4     (explorer) the answer by offering visitors a comprehensive view of the drink.

The World of Tea: Special Exhilition of Tea Culture takes place at the Wu Men Exhibition Hall of the Palace Museum from September 2 to November 30 in Beijing. It displays 555 items       5     (attach) to tea culture, many of     6     are representative collections of 30 cultural institutions and museums at home and abroad.

Furthermore, it also provides insights into a cultural phenomenon’s origins, evolution and     7     (remark) achievements while emphasizing how it has acted as a unifying thread connecting diverse regions and fostering the integration of various ethnic groups. Using tea as a medium, it displays the essence of Chinese tea culture, and also embodies the Chinese philosophical     8     (pursue) of unity between heaven and humanity.

Wang Guangyao, director of the show and also a researcher at the Palace Museum, says, “We want our audience to     9     (complete) lose themselves in the show by setting     10       interaction spaces.”

Some entrepreneurs (企业家) are     1     (simple) born with a gift of sniffing out a good business. Bryan Loo is one of them.     2     (raise) in the smallest state in Malaysia, Loo owes his success to his parents introducing him to business at an early age.

It was     3     chance then that he realized the gaps in the Malaysian market for tea. People were talking about tea but didn’t have a place to go for a “proper, modern” tea, he said.

Bubble tea, which combines Asian tea with milk or fruit syrups, originated in Taiwan and has most recently spread in     4     (popular) around the globe. Loo then went to Taiwan, where he     5     (expose) to the modern tea drinking culture. After much research, he approached the top ten brands of tea makers to see if they’d expand with him in Malaysia,     6     none of them had any interest in expanding into Malaysia’s market.

And then through a stroke of luck, Loo’s friend mentioned a Taiwanese company called Zhi Qu Cha Tsai was open to talking. So     7     then-24-year-old flew to Taiwan and bought the franchise (经销权), changing the name to Chatime to fit into the Malaysian market. Loo opened his first Chatime store in September 2010, and     8     (have) 172 stores with 880 staff across Malaysia up to now.

It seems there’s no stopping this young, successful entrepreneur     9     hopes his company can lead the way for other ASEAN countries,     10     (inspire) them as a role model.

Whether you use Short Messaging Service (SMS) or an instant messaging app (即时通讯应用程序) on your smartphone, you’ll see some words that are hard     1    (understand) because of the chat slang (俚语) people use.

Chat slang is a specific kind of language     2     is used in the context of new technologies. Most instant message slang falls into two kinds: acronyms and contractions. These acronyms     3    (make) up of the first letter of several words such as IDK (I don’t know), OIC (Oh I see), BRB(Be right back), BFN (Bye for now), LOL (Laugh out loud), and ASAP (As soon as possible). Contractions cut unnecessary parts of words and may use     4    (number) to take the place of sounds while keeping the meaning clear. Take     5     look at these examples of contractions: Plz (Please), Thx (Thanks), Cya (See you), U (You), R (Are), L8r (Later), B4 (Before), 2morro (Tomorrow).

Instant messaging with this kind of language can save time and be great fun,     6     remember to use it     7    (proper) and try not to depend too much     8     it. If you have to keep     9     (explain) what you write to people, it might be     10    (fast) to use the full word!

Primary and middle schools, as well as universities across China, have introduced herb-planting courses on their campuses as part of a campaign     1     (promote) traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). An herb farm has just been opened at Chaotiangong Minzu Primary School in Nanjing, Jiangsu. More than 30 species have been planted on campus, including Chinese ground orchid and rosemary. Students are guided     2     pharmacists (药剂师) from a     3     (province) TCM hospital. Students learn to recognize different herbs, learn about their medicinal value and plant sprouts (苗) in the garden. The hospital donated over 100 cartoon books     4     (relate) to TCM to help the children develop a stronger interest in herbal medicine.

Also in Shanghai, Tongji University has created     5     opportunity for overseas students to plant various species’ of herbs including Chinese angelica, wolfberry, fish mint and dangshen,     6     are all widely used. in Chinese cuisine. By taking care of the plants     7     (regular), overseas students can gain first-hand experience of making herbal medicine from start to finish, and spread TCM culture to their own countries.

March 17     8     (mark) Chinese Medicine Day, in commemoration (纪念) of this time-honored way of caring for people’s health. Introducing herb-planting courses at schools not only brings students up close and personal with Chinese herbs but also helps pass on these ancient treatment     9     (tradition) to younger generations while     10     (spread) TCM around the world

Do you want to be the most popular person in your class? You don’t need to change your character; you just need to improve your personality. In fact, the most popular people     1     (love) and trusted because they stay common but still have something that makes them different     2     the rest of us. Here are some pieces of advice about     3     (become) the most popular person in the class.

If you want to be a person     4     wins others’ respect, you have to start by liking and accepting yourself. Do not change yourself in order to please others.

Be helpful to everyone and do it     5     (happy). Being nice to people is almost like helping     6     (they) because by being nice you make others happy.

Be active and have     7     positive view towards life. Develop confidence in yourself.

Stay clean and wear fresh clothes. Do not try to follow fashion to be     8     (impress).

Respect cannot be brought with big     9     (word) and power. You have to get it by being honest. It also helps your personal     10     (grow). You must be a person that can be trusted to get respect.

In our class Mayank is the    1     (noisy)—of all boys. His voice is like that of a bull frog, but the volume is louder. In this noisy bunch is a girl who hardly ever opens her mouth and her name is Padma. The boy who    2     (sit) next to me is such a gentle and soft creature.

Then there is Disha, our class monitor. She sits right in front of the teacher’s table. She is such a model student    3    all the teachers love her. We all love her because she does not boss us around. All she does is to make sure that the    4     (teacher) have sufficient chalk to write on the board and that the classroom is clean.

Right at the back of the class sits our sleepy-head. Manish seems to need more sleep than others. He catches cat-naps    5    between lessons. The funny thing is that he can fall asleep almost    6     (instant).     7    moment the teacher leaves after a lesson, Manish’s snores (鼾声) start up and we know he is at it again.

Every class has a clown. Our class has Jimmy. He is always up to some prank or the other, putting tails on the boys’ pants, frogs in the girls’ desks and powdered chalk on the teacher’s chair. So when we hear a girl scream or see men-teachers    8     (walk) around with chalk on the seat of their pants, we know that Jimmy has     9     (strike)again.

The other classmates too have their own unique     10     (personal). All in all, we are a group of young children who perhaps are a bit noisy at times, but on the whole, are well-behaved and pleasant to be with.