Niangao, a sweet rice cake, is a popular dessert eaten during the Spring Festival. It was originally used as an offering before it gradually became a Spring Festival food. The       1     (pronounce) of niangao sounds like “year high” in Chinese, symbolizing a much higher income, a much higher position, the growth of children, and the promise of a much     2     (good) year. It is considered good luck to eat it during the Spring Festival period. Niangao has a legend about its origin. In the Spring and Autumn Period of ancient China, the whole country     3    (divide) into different small kingdoms and people suffered a lot in wars. At that time, strong walls were built to protect the Wu Kingdom from repeated     4    (attack). Many people stopped worrying about wars, except for Wu Zixu. He told his entourages (随从), “Wars should not be viewed     5     (light). In case things go badly, remember to dig a hole under the wall.” After Wu Zixu passed away, a war broke out and many people died from lack     6    food. Some people did what Wu Zixu had told them before     7     found that the wall under the earth was built with special bricks     8    (make) from glutinous (黏的) rice flour. As a result, the bricks     9    (save) many people from hunger. After that, people made niangao every year in memory of Wu Zixu. As time passed, niangao became     10     we eat today.

3 . It’s unusual that you see the words “shyness” and “leader” in the same sentence. After all, the common viewpoint is that those outgoing and sociable guys make great public speakers and excellent networkers and that those shy people are not. A survey conducted by USA Today referred to 65 percent of executives who believed shyness to be a barrier to leadership. Interestingly, the same article stresses that roughly 40 percent of leaders actually are quite shy — they’re just better at adapting themselves to situational demands. Bill Gates, Warren Buffet and Charles Schwab are just a few “innies”.

Unlike their outgoing counterparts who are more sensitive to rewards and risk-taking, shy people take a cautious attitude to chance. Rather than talk loudly, shy people listen attentively to what others say and absorb it before they speak. They’re not thinking about what to say while the other person is still talking, but rather listening so they can learn what to say. Along the same lines, shy people share a common love of learning. They seek content without caring about an outside standard.

Being shy can also bring other benefits. Remember being in school and hearing the same kids discuss, until shy little Johnny, who almost never said a word, cut in? Then what happened? Everyone turned around to look with great respect at little Johnny actually talking. This is how shy people made good use of their power of presence: they “own” the moment by speaking calmly and purposefully, which translate to positive image.

Shyness is often related to modesty. Shy people tend to have an accurate sense of their abilities and achievements. As a result, they are able to acknowledge mistakes, imperfections, knowledge gaps and limitations.

Since shy people have a lower sensitivity to outside rewards than outgoing ones, they’re more comfortable working with little information and sticking to their inner desires. Shy people are also more likely to insist on finding solutions that aren’t obvious. Don’t believe me? Maybe you’ll believe Albert Einstein, who once said, “It’s not that I’m so smart, it’s that I stay with problems longer.” Obviously, finding certainty where uncertainty is typically popular is a huge plus for any successful person.

The myth that shy people are less effective leaders than their outgoing fellows is just a misunderstanding. Make wise use of your personality strengths to lead your business no matter what side of the range you fall on.

4 . You have not properly experienced Chengdu until you give up your sightseeing plans and prepare to do nothing. Settle into a slope-backed bamboo chair, stretch your feet out and let the afternoon drift away. Listen to the slosh of hot water being poured into teacups, the rustle of newspapers, the clack of Mahjong, and a murmur of conversation. Crack melon seeds or eat boiled peanuts. Let lethargy take over in a cloudy, humid summer day in Chengdu.

Fertile Sichuan has long been one of China’s major tea-producing regions. Chengdu had been noted for its teahouses by the Tang dynasty — as early as the ninth century. For centuries, teahouses were places for entertainment as well as tea, with performances of storytelling, music, and especially Sichuan opera. That’s a fading art these days, but Yuelai Teahouse beside Jinjiang Theater still hosts opera every Saturday afternoon.

You will find most of Chengdu’s old-school teahouses in parks. Heming Teahouse in Renmin Park buzzes with morning retirees, lunchtime office workers, and afternoon visitors. All of them sit under red lanterns by a lotus pond. When the hubbub (喧闹) gets too much, move on to Shaocheng Teahouse in the same park. Regulars are older and quieter. They bring songbirds on outings, hanging their cages in the branches of willow trees and play Mahjong in a pavilion (凉亭). In more recent years, however, increasingly elaborate teahouses have opened to appeal to the younger generation. They tend to have a taste for superior teas in a more modern style. The most famous one of them is Mi Xun Teahouse in Taikoo Li, which is right in the city’s most fashionable shopping area.

As in all teahouses, the tea comes in individual packets with a thermos of water. Maofeng green tea from Mount Emei, south of Chengdu, is the traditional favorite. Shake the loose leaves into your palm-sized cup. Don’t let the water level in your cup get too low, since any bitterness from the tea leaves is concentrated on the bottom. You can top up your tea all afternoon and buy nothing else.

In Chengdu teahouses, people refresh themselves by slipping sideways into a gentler time that ignores urban China’s fast-paced, never-ending hustle. The Sichuan capital is booming too, yet has managed to keep the provincial character and slower pace that has been lost in many other Chinese cities.

Yours sincerely,

Li Hua

Many people are     1     (confuse) about the meaning of the names: the United Kingdom, Great Britain, Britain and England.     2    (solve) this puzzle, it is necessary for people to know a little bit about British history.

In the 16^th century, the nearby country of Wales     3    (join) to the Kingdom of England, followed by the country Scotland in the 18th century. In the 19^th century, the Kingdom of Ireland was added to create the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. Finally, in the 20th century, the     4    (south) part of Ireland broke away     5     the UK, resulting in the full name we have today: “the United Kingdom” or “the UK”. People from the UK are called “British”,     6     means the UK is also often referred to as Britain or Great Britain.

Even though the four countries     7    (belong) to the United Kingdom work together in some areas, such as using the same flag, sharing the same currency and military     8    (defend), they also have some differences. Anyhow, the United Kingdom has     9     long and interesting history to explore, which can help you understand much more about the country and     10    (it) traditions.