1 . We never know when our paths with long-lost friends come together. It can happen anywhere and usually when most ________.

Last month, a friend’s mother ________, and I attended the memorial service. While consoling (安慰) her, I suddenly ________ my two friends with whom I was no longer in contact. They were ________ with one another on the other side. It didn’t take me more than an instant to know the ________ thing to do. So I walked to them and said hello.

I knew it could go either way. They might not be ________ talking. Or maybe one would and not the other. As it turned out, all three of us chatted for over a (n) ________. We shared news about the latest things that were happening in our lives. There was so much to let each other ________ wonderful things, ________ things, losses, lost loves, and even health issues.

We each showed an interest in the ________ of one another, asking questions and ________ full of attention. We were catching up, and most of all, we were _______ again.

Our mutual friend, whose mother died, overheard us stating our intentions to make an effort to rekindle (使恢复) the ________. Despite being in a state of grief, she was ________ to hear our discussion. She was the only one who had kept in contact with all of us lost souls.

I was glad to ________ have the opportunity to mend broken friendships. But I never imagined it would happen at a funeral.

2 . Brothers Mike and Nick Fiorito had a smooth life in the first 30 years. _________, they decided to quit their highly paid jobs since they realized that they often felt unfulfilled. At first they felt _________ about future without knowing what to do, but eventually they came up with an idea to help the homeless folks after _________ their poor situation on the street.

They _________ Blankets of Hope with their own efforts, which turned into a global nonprofit organization that also encourages kindness in schools. The brothers sent the blankets to schools. The kids would write the notes, and then _________ the brothers in delivering the blankets to homeless shelters in their local communities. They _________ students so that every blanket includes a note handwritten in classrooms to _________ homeless folks across the country.

Now, their organization is very _________ — reaching nearly 20,000 people in need across America, Canada and Mexico.

Adults can _________ as well. They can make efforts by donating on a GoFundMe page so that the brothers could have enough money to purchase the blankets. Thanks to people’s generous __________, the brothers aimed at __________ another 20,000 blankets this winter. And they expected these blankets would not only keep people warm, but provide a friendly __________ to another soul. The brothers tried to do what they could to make a __________ despite the sweat. They are __________ that more and more people can join them in __________ the kindness.

3 . Israel was accused of using white phosphorus bombs (白磷弹), a banned bomb, in the Palestine-Israel conflict in October. However, the Israeli military later claimed in a statement that it didn’t use such a weapon, reported Reuters.

White phosphorus is a highly free burning chemical that can create intense heat, light and smoke, reaching over 1,000°C when burned. The flame it produces is difficult to put out, leading to deadly burns on the human body.

The chemical is also poisonous. Those coming into contact with it may suffer heart, kidney or bone damage. And bomb-hit areas are likely to be polluted by white phosphorus, resulting in long-term environmental damage.

This news sparked public concern about destructive weapons. International humanitarian law (IHL) bans any weapon “of a nature to cause overmuch injury or unnecessary suffering”. Such a weapon can cause indiscriminate harm, injuring or killing soldiers as well as civilians.

The Geneva Conventions (《日内瓦公约》) and their Additional Protocols, which form the core of international humanitarian law, have set requirements for all countries to follow about how wars are carried out. For example, the use, production, stockpiling (储备) or selling of biological and chemical weapons are forbidden.

Chemical weapons, such as mustard gas, are poisonous. They can cause temporary or permanent damage to people and have various effects, such as severe eye pain, breathing difficulty, and blistering (起水泡) of the skin. Biological weapons, usually developed from viruses or bacteria, attack the human immune system, often with deadly consequences.

Other international conventions also have made related rules, which apply to the countries that have agreed to them. For example, according to the IHL database, any actions expected to result in widespread, long-lasting destruction of the environment are prohibited.

“During the Vietnam War, the US military employed a highly effective defoliant (落叶剂) called Agent Orange,” Zhang Gaosheng, are searcher at China Institute of International Studies, told CCTV News. “This resulted in the destruction of about 20 percent of Vietnam’s forests, leading to significant damage to the ecosystem.” The usage of the chemical was subsequently banned, he added.

4 . The contestant Jane Marczewski, whose stage name is Nightbirde, recently entered the TV reality show America’s Got Talent. Looking small on stage, but with an attractive smile that filled the auditorium, the 30-year-old woman introduced herself to the judges.

It was when she planned on devoting herself to music that the singer from Ohio found out she had cancer. On stage she said that she was battling cancer. Pretty casually she said that at her last check-up she had some cancer in her lungs and liver. While she professed (自称) to be okay, she explained that she wanted people to see her as being “so much more than the bad things that happen to me”. Getting out there on stage with her own song It’s OK, she was able to pass on this message.

The name “Nightbirde” itself is significant. She chose it after many night s dreaming of birds singing in the darkness. She woke one night to hear birds singing by her window as if it were the morning. For her this represents hope and her life at the moment. “I want to be that way, even when I am in the middle of a dark time and there are no signs that it will end. I want to be the bird that sings in anticipation of the good things that I trust are coming,” she shared with Liberty Journal.

Finally, her actual performance was quite triumphant. It wasn’t surprising that everybody was visibly amazed by it. And it didn’t take long for Simon Cowell, one of the judges to send Nightbirde directly through to the final. Nightbirde’s song has already stormed up the charts and is now number one on US iTunes.

5 . In the world of art and creativity, there are countless materials that artists use to express their ideas and emotions. One of the materials that have gained popularity in recent years is woven paper (编纸). It is a classic art form that involves the weaving of paper to create various objects and products.     1    

The origin of woven paper can date back to ancient civilizations and at first it was mainly used for practical purposes such as making baskets.     2     In the 20th century, woven paper gained significant recognition as an art form, with artists experimenting with different weaving patterns and technique to create various designs.

Creating a woven paper artwork requires time, accuracy, and a deep understanding of the textures (质地). Artists start by outlining their design, thinking about how the weaving pattern forms the final piece.     3     As they weave the paper strips (纸条) together, they pay close attention to detail, ensuring that the overall pattern is balanced and harmonious.

    4     They are lightweight, long-lasting, and eco-friendly since they can be made of recycled materials. Woven paper items can also easily suit individual preferences for the size, shape, and color. Besides, the process of weaving paper can be a creative and enjoyable craft activity for individuals of all ages.

Woven paper art not only shows the artistic skills of the creator but also carries deeper meanings and messages.     5     Woven paper art can be a powerful medium for storytelling, allowing artists to connect with viewers on a deep level.

6 . The idea behind the Internet of Things (IoT) is that the world would be a better place if all sorts of electronics would be computerized. Billions of tiny computers could monitor air quality and traffic patterns. It is estimated that there could be a trillion connected devices in the world by 2035 — more than 100 for every person..

With continued growth in the IoT, regularly replacing a trillion batteries would be inconvenient. Researchers have built chips that get energy from light or heat. But such sources producing only a small amount of power can’t be used to replace a battery, the maintenance of which can be difficult and costly, especially in places where a battery is hard to reach.

Aline Eid and her colleagues proposed a better idea. Using a piece of equipment called a Rotman lens, they have designed a small, flexible antenna (天线) to harvest electrical power from signals of 5G mobile phone towers. Rotman lenses, which were invented in 1963, focus and redirect electromagnetic (电磁的) radiation. “Most people use Rotman lenses in the transmission (发送) mode,” says Dr. Eid. “We decided to change that concept, and use them in the opposite mode.”

Her lens is able to collect electromagnetic radiation from all directions. Letting it work in urban environments in which waves spread unpredictably improves the amount of harvest able power greatly. And 5G also offers more power in the first place. The standard on which it is based covers communications on a wide range of frequencies. Furthermore, 5G’s frequencies ranging between 24GHz and 100 GHz are rarely used, so 5G networks are unlikely to suffer from the disturbance from a huge number of devices.

According to the team, their antenna can harvest useful quantities of power even at a long distance, Feeding their work into computer models suggests it should be able to harvest around six microwatts of power at a distance of 180 meters from a tower. That is enough to let the sort of simple, low-power chips that will make up the IoT do useful work. If more power is needed, a bigger antenna can be used.