With there being so many different cultures to discover across the world, I often find myself contemplating (考虑) how I will ever begin to explore the traditions of such a large number of     1     (country). Finally, I have found an answer     2     this question, and that answer is food.

Food is     3     important aspect of any culture, and often     4     (become) the basis for cultural stereotypes (文化定势). England, for example, is renowned for its Sunday roasts, while snails and frog’s legs 60.     5     (associate) with France. Stereotypes aside,     6     (try) different cuisines can be a great way of exploring foreign culture in the comfort of your own home, providing a taste of culture while also avoiding the high costs of travel.

There is an abundance of cheap and simple recipes online these days, so you don’t need to be an expert chef if you want     7     (cook) some foreign food. Indeed, online websites provide a great opportunity for young people     8     want to learn to cook. This way, you can avoid the habit of ordering takeaways on a daily basis when you leave home. In     9     (add), most recipe websites now have different pages for different types of cuisine, so it is     10     (easy) than ever to discover popular foreign food.

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.

The Two Tree Coffee, located in the Liyukou Village of Huyi District in the city of Xi’an, quickly went viral (走红) on social media.

The popularity of the cafe is     1    (large) due to the boom (暴涨) in cultural and ecological tourism in recent years,     2    (combine) with the government’s efforts at environmental preservation.

In recent years, the Chinese government     3    (strengthen) the long-term protection project, and adopted     4    (measure) such as the establishment of the five-level forest chief system. More and more urban residents, especially those     5     Xi’an, are attracted to the mountain villages for slow-paced vacations.

Wang visited many places before     6    (decide) to build the cafe here. “Cafes are among the favorite businesses of young people, and they provide     7     strong sense of uniqueness when they appear in the countryside,” she said. “People come here not only to consume coffee,     8    to ‘pay’ for the green ecology and the pastoral (田园的) environment.”

In front of the cafe is a tourism highway,     9    connects the store with many artistic villages along the mountain range. Art helps the villages to become     10    (fashionable) and livable, while retaining their natural beauty, than before.

I, as a BBC food writer, traveled China last year. Then I fell in love with hairy crab (螃蟹), which is one of     1     most prized Chinese dishes. Hairy crabs are only available in the fall, starting     2     late September to early October, and     3     (end) around November. Supplies are limited and Chinese consumers spend a lot on good-quality crabs obtained from particular rivers.

Hairy crabs’ flesh is well-known for its     4     (sweet). Also of value is the crabs’ golden roe, which is creamy and delicious. Female crabs are more prized     5     male crabs because they contain much more roe and are believed     6     (taste) sweeter.

Traditionally, the recipe for hairy crabs     7     (be) simple—the crabs are steamed and then eaten with a sauce (调味汁). They pair     8     (excellent) with huangjiu, a Chinese liquor (酒) made from fermented (发酵) grains. There are eight different tools used to process the hairy crabs, each     9     (design) for specific parts. It is a mark of art, and in fact a show of skill to be able to eat crabs without cracking the bones.

Many restaurants are now offering to do the work for you, and will bring you the ready-processed ones. It’s surprising     10     great hairy crabs are after you’ve removed the obstacle (障碍物) when eating them.

Regular exercise can be     1     (benefit) to you both physically and mentally. First, it can lengthen your heart and lung     2     efficiency will be greatly increased, thus     3     (result) in better immune systems and lower risk of disease. Second, exercise can help reduce stress and even improve certain brain     4     (function).

Though regular exercise has so many strengths, there are several items     5     (consider) before and after exercise. To start with, you should consider     6     you expect to improve, for different kinds of activities have different functions for different parts of our bodies. Above all, we should take the kind of activity that     7     (interest) us most. Only in this way can you stick to it.

People diet is also efficient for your exercise. You should take in more foods that contain carbohydrates and rich     8     protein at the right time. And don’t forget to drink water during exercise to make up for water loss.

Last but not least, do wear proper clothes and equipment to avoid injuring     9     (you). At the beginning you should take small and slow exercise and     10     (gradual) take heavier exercise. Remember to warm up before exercise and stretch at the end of it

When I applied to join an expedition, Shackleton turned me     1    .But I secretly went aboard his ship, the Endurance.

The journey had not been easy. Endurance became     2     (stick) in the ice and we had to abandon the ship. Shackleton     3     (calm) called us together and told us to rescue our most essential     4     (supply).We were camped on the ice and we had been managing to survive, but spring     5     (come), and the ice would soon begin to melt. Things on Elephant Island were going from bad to     6    . Shackleton left us to find help on South Georgia Island, 1,320 kilometers away—the voyage was too dangerous and difficult for all of us     7     (make) it in our small boats. If Shackleton failed, would we have any hope of rescue? No.

Bless Frank Wild, the kindest man there was after our leader, Ernest Shackleton. Without Frank and Ernest, we’d all be     8     (die) by now. Their genuine concern for others, their     9     (persevere), and their resolve filled me     10     hope.

Perhaps there was a chance we would return home, after all.

“The real China that I saw with my own eyes was so different     1     what the Western media had been portraying for years,” says Wong, who studied in China. The Chinese government     2     (award) her a scholarship in 2013. Wong studied the Chinese language at Central China Normal University in Wuhan for a year,     3     then went to Shijiazhuang and completed her Bachelor’s in law at the Hebei University of Economics and Business in 2018.

“China was full of energy,” Wong recalls. She says she     4     (impress) by the culture, people and landscapes when she was in China. “I really have wonderful     5     (memory) of my visits,” Wong says.

Wong now works as a     6     (manage) at Dingjin Real Estate Development Co and oversees Nausori Plaza,     7     is one of its largest investments in Fiji.

China’s ambassador to Fiji, Zhou Jian, says Fijians are becoming more interested in     8     (learn) about China.     9     (recent), many young people and students have traveled to China.

“If you’ve never been to China, you should visit,” Wong says. “It’s the only way you will know what China     10     (true) is.”

Suodiu is an unusual type of Chinese street food that consists of small river stones stir-fried (被煸炒) with a mixture of ingredients (配料) . The practice involves sucking (吮吸) on the stones and then     1     (throw) them away.

Suodiu is believed to have been invented hundreds of years ago by boatmen     2     would prepare the dish when they became stranded in the middle of a river     3     any real food while delivering goods.     4     (comfort) their stomachs, they would stir-fry some river pebbles (鹅卵石) and then suck the flavor from them.

The traditional dish     5     (pass) down through several generations, and today, roadside cooking in China sometimes showcases Suodiu.

A series of videos showing the preparation of Suodiu has recently gone viral on Xiaohongshu, a social media platform, exciting the    6     (curious) of millions of people. It wasn’t just the uniqueness of the dish that interested viewers, but also the high price per serving, considering there is hardly any edible content in it. However, it’s important to note that river pebbles are used because they     7     (supposed) acquire the flavor of seafood over time. Thus, when sucking on them while eating Suodiu, one can experience the taste of fish     8     (combine) with various ingredients.

“Do I have to return the pebbles to you     9     I finish?” one person asked in one of the viral videos, to which the cook replied, “Take them home as     10     happy remembrance.”

Charlie saw a poster asking young people to join a new singing group.     1    (interest), he went to check if he was good enough. But, when he sang, his voice cracked(破裂), and he failed.

Feeling sad, Charlie went back home to his garden. He thought, “All my friends are good at something special. I wish I had a talent too.” During the school holidays, he kept     2     (try) to find his talent but always felt disappointed.

Towards     3     end of the holidays, Charlie met his friends Dingani and Jan again. He asked Dingani about the soccer match, and Dingani said they won. Charlie then asked Jan about the concert, and Jan     4     (say) it was the next day, and she was going to sing solo (独唱).

Hearing     5     they said, Charlie felt happy. He congratulated them but expressed his wish to have something to be proud     6     .Surprisingly, Jan said, “Are you joking? The vegetables in your garden     7     (be) huge and look delicious! Every time I try to grow something, it dies. I wish I had     8     (you) talent with plants.”

Charlie, surprised, said, “     9     (real)? I never thought gardening was something special.” He smiled and invited them over for dinner the next day     10     (celebrate) Dingani’s soccer victory. They could enjoy fresh vegetables from his garden and then go to Jan’s concert.

As a senior high student with     1     (curious), I found myself stepping onto the campus with     2     sense of anticipation. The facilities and the rich tradition of the university made a lasting     3     (impressive) on me. In that moment, I felt like an author who is ready     4     (explore) the vast collection of knowledge that lay before me. What’s more, I thought that     5     (organize) my thoughts and ideas was very much like the precise workings of an engine. Just as an insect     6     (careful) constructs its nest, I aimed to construct a solid foundation of education during my time here.     7     each new course and academic efforts, I added to my     8     (collect) of experiences, expanding my understanding of the world. This campus became a place of growth and self-discovery,     9     I learned to adapt and thrive in different environments.