Trends popular among the youth such as “China chic” and the growing influence of young consumers have driven the development of hanfu industry in recent years. Among the various     1     (style), the horse face skirt has emerged as the most popular item.

    2    (combine) classical elegance with modern simplicity, the horse face skirt is said to perfectly suit the contemporary culture and lifestyle of young people, making     3     a fashion icon (标志). This trend has gained popularity in Luoyang city, Central China’s Henan province,    4     numerous performers recently showcased these beautiful skirts in their acts, with many visitors alike     5     (dress) in the elegant horse face skirts. In Caoxian county of Shandong province, one of the country’s hanfu production and sales centers, the sales     6     the horse face skirts during last Spring Festival holiday     7     (increase) dozens of times compared to usual volumes. Actually, the skirt has become a very popular     8     (choose) for gifts.

The current popularity of hanfu in the country is believed     9     (indicate) more than a fashion trend; it     10     (represent) a deeper connection to Chinese tradition and cultural identity.

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!

I had to wait for them to call number 63 before I could get my food.     1     (give) a plate by a lady, I felt ashamed, embarrassed. I wondered if she thought that I was worse than her.   However, before I knew it, I received my food: a little container with a meal and some pudding. I did not have to look at the woman any more.     2     feeling of shame slowly disappeared.

Ivon suggested that we walk to Bayside. When we arrived, Ivon told me     3     desperately had to use the bathroom. He began to take     4     from his pocket that he wanted to leave with me. I thought it was a phone,     5     it was a knife. “You never know when you have to use this,” he said.

After about twenty minutes, Ivon came back. He suggested     6     we move nearer to the Miami River where it was cooler. I walked down the street,     7     (hold) the plastic bag with my food. We settled down under some coconut trees. He pointed out some police officers     8     (stand) in an area where the     9     (home) used to sleep next to a hotel.

“I guess they didn’t want us next to the hotel. You can’t have people looking     10     of their windows and seeing us,” he said.

Walking into Wei Lamei's home in Xi'an, one can hardly imagine that the room belongs to a 74-year-old granny, with all kinds of dolls     1    (fill) every corner. She     2    (make) at least 700 large cartoon dolls and countless small ones over the past 26 years.

Wei developed a    3     (fascinate) for making dolls at the age of eight     4    she saw a Russian girl with a blond doll in her arms."After retirement, I began to think about following my childhood dream," said Wei.

    5    (drive) by the dream, in her late 50s, Wei headed to Beijing on her own     6    (seek) better opportunities. After 13 years of hard work in Beijing, she developed her unique design concept and     7    (remark) sewing(缝纫)skills.

In 2010, she returned to Xi'an and turned her home into a workshop.She has ten pairs of glasses and keeps them in different places in the house,so she can browse fashion applications on her smartphone anytime. At     8    same time, she often draws inspiration from Xi'an, the ancient city with a long history, and adds traditional cultural elements to her works. She also     9    (active) participates in live-streaming activities, sharing her daily work and attracting many young fans.

There is no certain way to live our lives. The most important thing is     10    we can do what we love.

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.

A cashless society is defined as one that doesn’t use cash in monetary transactions (交易). These societies favor alternative means of payment, such     1     credit cards, or contactless payment.

Of all the companies     2     (move) closer to becoming cashless, most people agree that Sweden is the closest. 85% of the country has access to online banking and only 2% of the country’s transactions consist of cash.

There     3     (be) a number of reasons for this cashless trend. Sweden has access to a popular payment app     4     (call) Swish, which more than 50% of the country uses. But the     5     (big ) catalyst (引发变化的因素) so far is that most Swedish merchants don’t access cash payment.

China also has a vast cashless market,    6     is mostly dominated by Tencent’s WeChat Pay or Alipay, which is owned by Alibaba. But unlike many other countries, China hasn’t embraced (欣然接受) credit card payment. Instead, most Chinese consumers make payment by scanning QR codes (二维码) on     7     (they) phones.

Most merchants request payment via QR codes and it’s not uncommon     8     (see) QR codes located all throughout China. And this trend is starting to spread to other countries that have a lot of Chinese     9     (travel).

The growing cashless trend has led many people to wonder     10     the U.S. will eventually go cashless. It is possible since U.S. consumers are increasingly moving away from cash and embracing other forms of payment.

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.

During COVID-19 lockdown, my husband, Peter and I needed something     1     (brighten) up our day. Peter found some flower pots,     2     (hope) flowers would attract some birds.

At a flower shop, I saw lavender flowers (薰衣草花) matched beautifully with some yellow flowers. The saleswoman said,” Hummingbirds (蜂鸟) love those flowers.” I liked the idea of small     3     (visitor) flying around flowers, so we brought both flowers home and put them on     4     balcony.

Every day, we’d look out onto the balcony and enjoy the vivid     5     (arrange). The best part was the hummingbirds’ showing up. They brought joy that we     6     (great) needed. Being apart     7     family, I was concerned about     8     would happen if we were infected with the virus.

One morning, I noticed that a hummingbird’s tiny head     9     (stick) between two boards and another was trying to free it by pulling its tail. I ran to fetch Peter, but when we returned, the birds were     10     (go)! I let out a sigh of relief, recalling the saying “He who endures (忍耐) to the end shall be saved.” Those hummingbirds didn’t give up. Why should I?

17-year-old Barron Prize Winners Annie and Shirley Zhu were shocked to find out nearly one-quarter of children in Houston lived in food deserts—areas without access     1     fresh food. They were also disappointed     2     (see) so many fresh food supermarkets had been closed over the years. So the twin sisters     3     (go) to work.

With the help of the Houston Health Department, the Zhu sisters set up monthly     4     (market) to give out fresh food at community centers. They have even developed a simple app called Fresh Hub,     5     tells people when and where fresh food is available.

Each month, the Zhu sisters and lots of volunteers, all     6     (dress) in green shirts, go to work providing fresh food for people. So far, the Zhu sisters and the green dream team     7     (give) out over 1,500 pounds of fresh food. And while families are collecting food, volunteers are entertaining kids with art projects that teach healthy eating.

The Zhu sisters are happy to be making     8     difference. “It is important that all the kids have the     9     (choose) to eat healthy food,” says Annie. “I know we are not alone on this journey to help the kids—and I know our journey has     10     (simple) just begun!”

Your food is at its best when it’s on your plate, ready     1     (enjoy). It’s perfect in your fridge, ready to be used, or stored in the freezer for another time. It’s at its     2     (bad) when it’s in your bin.

Saving food     3     (mean) saving money, but look at the bigger picture, too.     4     (reduce) food waste is good for the planet, as it helps slow down     5     (globe) warming. By using up every edible bit of your food, you’re doing your bit to look after the environment.

The average family of four can save just over £60 per month by reducing their food waste.     6     you’re doing the food shop or ordering a meal at a restaurant, every     7     (decide) is an opportunity to save food from the bin. If you don’t want a side salad, ask for your meal     8     it. If you won’t make good use of the extra portion, don’t be tempted by it. And if you can’t finish your main, ask for a doggy bag! Food is made to be loved, so that’s     9     we should do.

We believe that every person has a part     10     (play) in reducing food waste and looking after the planet. The time is now, and the answer is simple: love food, hate waste.