Recently I had an experience of eating dinner at a “dark restaurant”,     1     people eat in complete darkness. Diners ate     2     (they) whole meal in total blackness and had to rely on the waiters’ guidance if they needed to go to the bathroom. I wanted to understand the experience of being blind. Then I found out eating was a     3     (real) difficult activity.

Yesterday, we had great fun participating in a contest of     1     (recite)Tang poems at our school hall. It was held in an attempt to appreciate a variety of poems of different     2     (format) and greatly motivated our passion for Tang poetry. As there were some poems     3     our comprehension, we had to consult our teachers and exchanged opinions with each other. We were all in     4     good mood to deepen our knowledge of Tang poetry through the contest. It is worthwhile to participate in more     5     (contest) aimed at promoting traditional Chinese culture.

In my old school days, running     1    (consider) boring and painful for me. When I started to work, I realised exercise should be part of my lifestyle. Later, running became my career. Over the years, I     2    (coach) many running teams. Needless to say, running has its benefits. It is believed     3    running can decrease the risk of death. So are you currently not doing it? I encourage you to start now.

Being able to understand local jokes is often seen as a great icebreaker for a foreign language learner    1    tries to start friendships with native speakers. However,when     2     (study)a foreign language,a beginner always considers jokes hard to understand.Most of the time,jokes are only funny for people who share acultural background or understand humor in the same way.And there is    3     (much) to understanding a joke in a foreign language than understanding vocabulary and   grammar.

Anna Jones is a journalist,     1     first book, Divide-The Relationship Crisis Between Town and Country, was longlisted for the 2022 James Cropper Wainwright Prize.     2     (grow) up on a farm and working in the city have given Anna a rare insight into rural life. Anna started the non-profit communications project “Just Farmers” in 2018. She also runs a media education program to help farmers find confidence to share     3     they have experienced with the wider world.

I still remember last winter, when I     1     (wake) up in the morning, it     2     (stop) snowing. Looking outside of the window, the shiny white snow on our lawn     3     (clean) by my father. I closed the book that I     4     (borrow) from our local library and went downstairs for breakfast. Then my little brother came to tell me that he     5     (finish) all his homework and he     6     (have) a very nice dream the night before. During the breakfast, one of my best friends came to visit my family. She     7     (go) to Australia last year. Before that she     8     (prepare) for the examination of University of Sydney for half a year. During her study, she     9     (learn) the culture and     10     (profession) knowledge in her field.

There were two theories      1     (suggest) how cholera spread. John Snow got interested in the second one. With the help of the map he made, he finally confirmed that the water was      2     (blame). Thanks to the work of John Snow, the threat of cholera around the world decreased     3     this reason, Snow is considered the father of modern epidemiology.

Hu Siqin had a promising job in Shanghai in a large company. The high-paying job     1     (give) her a fairly comfortable life, but deep down she     2     (actual) felt that something was missing.

After many nights of     3     (think) about the purpose of her life, the 33-year-old decided to leave the city and return     4     her hometown. She gave up the lifestyle     5     only centers on working to become a professional     6     (farm).

Hu and several like-minded     7     (friend) rented (租用) a piece of land on an island in Chongming, on the outskirts of Shanghai, to grow crops (作物).

She now grows organic sweet potatoes, long beans     8     other crops on the rented piece of land.

For Hu, it’s about enjoying a(n)     9     (health) and peaceful life.

She is now trying to get a long-term lease (租约) on a farm of her own in rural Zhejiang Province near Shanghai.

She hopes     10     (plant) her first crop in the spring.

“I jumped out of my comfort zone and went to an uncertain place, and it has been very important,” she said.

Shakespeare’s birthplace was the childhood home of William Shakespeare. The house has been exactly furnished, and includes both original and copy items similar to those which would have been there in the house     1     Shakespeare was a child. Beautifully painted cloths hang on the walls, and brightly colored fabrics (织物) fill the rooms. At the back of the house is a beautiful garden     2    (contain) many trees, herbs and flowers     3    (mention) in Shakespeare’s plays.

Many people think that money brings happiness. However, according to Professor Michael Argyle, this is not true. In Britain, we are     1     (rich) but unhappier than fifty years   ago. The USA is the richest country in the world but Americans are not the happiest people in the world.

Professor Argyle has found that very poor people and very rich people are unhappier than those in between. For example, very poor people in     2    developing world live in overcrowded houses without any running water and     3    no electricity. However, there are many millionaires (百万富翁) with     4     (person) problems. A lot of young people     5    get rich very quickly are at risk.

Because of this, a few young millionaires are changing their life styles. Richard Cross, a multi-millionaire computer analyst ( 分 析 师 ) from California is an example. His house     6     (show) no signs of his wealth. There is a small garden   and there only two   cars     7     (park) outside the house. “I want my kids     8     (live) a normal life,” says Richard.

So what can make     9     (we) happy? According to Professor Argyle, you should have one close relationship and some close     10     (friend). You should do a little sport and have a lot of contact (联系) with other people. Other people make you happy, not money!