The historical drama Serenade of Peaceful Joy has been a trending topic since it     1     released on April 7. It has attracted almost 7.5 billion views and over 190,000 comments on Sina Weibo by May 5.

The show is an     2     (adapt) from the novel Held in the Lonely Castle written in 2014 by Milan Lady, with     3     (vary) editions published since 2018. The story follows Emperor Renzong,     4     (play) by Wang Kai, of the Song Dynasty as he struggles between maintaining his ideologies (理念) of governing the country and his love for his daughter, Princess Huirou.

The four-decade reign (在位时期) of Emperor Renzong, from 1022 to 1063,     5     (mark) the high point of Song Dynasty’s powers, has great influences     6     Chinese history. Many of the best-known     7     (writer) in Chinese history lived during this period, some of     8     are featured in the series, including Su Shi, Wang Anshi and Fan Zhongyan.

A few days after its premiere (首映),     9     show is highly praised for its outstanding props, costumes, make-up and writing, which     10     (accurate) described the features of the Song Dynasty.

3 . To the untrained eye, a ping-pong ball is just a ping-pong ball. To a Beverly Cleary fan, it's two motorcycle helmets（头盔）for mice. Just cut apart and add rubber band chin straps. Ever since I read Cleary's series about Ralph, the motorcycle-riding mouse, I've never looked at a ping-pong ball—or the world—the same way. And why shouldn't it be? It's perfect.

I wanted a mouse of my own to ride a toy motorcycle around my house! Thanks to Cleary's genius, a talking mouse friend seemed not only possible but probable.

Cleary, who passed away at 104, was one of the main reasons why I became a children's author. While much of children's literature attempted to explain the world from the point of view of a wise and gentle adult, Cleary created main characters who saw the world as only children can. I carefully read every title that bore Beverly Cleary's name. She seemed like a friend who understood me in ways I didn't yet understand myself.

I've written eight children's books and have always kept Beverly's sense of wonder in mind. I don't remember at exactly what age I decided I wanted to write books, but I know that in the second or third grade, my teacher assigned a project that allowed us to focus on whatever we wanted. My best friend picked dolphins while I chose children's authors. I told that story recently to a school group. One of the students said, "That's amazing! You did your project on children's authors and then you became one!" "Yes," I said.

And that perfectly sums up why I love writing for children: the lack of cynicism（愤世嫉俗）, the belief that fantastic, magical things can happen. Best friends can become dolphins. Mice can ride toy motorcycles and become our friends.

That's what Beverly Cleary taught me. In the hands of a gifted storyteller, anything is possible…and very funny.

5 . Perhaps you have heard a lot about the Internet, but what is it, do you know? The Internet is a network. It uses the telephone to join millions of computers together around the world.

Maybe that doesn’t sound very interesting. But when you’ve joined to the Internet, there are lots and lots of things you can do. You can send e­mails to your friends at no cost, and they can get them in a few seconds. You can also do with all kinds of information on the World Wide Web (WWW).

There are many different kinds of computers now. They all can be joined to the Internet. Most of them are small machines sitting on people’s desks at home. But there are still many others in schools, offices or large companies. These computers are owned by people and companies, but no one really owns the Internet itself.

There are lots of places for you to go into the Internet. For example, your school may have the Internet. You can use it during lessons or free time. Libraries often have computers joined to the Internet. You are welcome to use it at any time.

Thanks to the Internet, the world is becoming smaller and smaller. It is possible for you to work at home with a computer in front, getting and sending the information you need. You can buy or sell whatever you want by the Internet. But do you know 98% of the information on the Internet is in English? So what will English be like tomorrow?

6 . If Mars were the popular kid in school, Venus (金星) would be the unwelcome one sitting in the corner, largely ignored. Venus has nearly the same mass and size as Earth, but being closer to the sun, it gets nearly twice as much heat from the sun.

However, instead of having a climate that is just a warmer version of Earth’s, Venus’s surface and atmosphere are unbearable: clouds of sulphuric acid (硫酸) blanket the planet, while at ground level, it is hot enough to melt lead. Despite this, there is now a sign that Venus may harbour life. Jane Greaves at Cardiff University, UK, and her colleagues recently detected (发现) phosphine (磷化氢) in Venus’s atmosphere, with one potential explanation that it is the by-product of biology. That is because the only way this gas is made on Earth is in laboratories or by microbes (微生物). Though this doesn’t mean it was produced by life on Venus, attempts to find non-biological explanations for its presence have so far failed. Our best way of confirming or rejecting the possibility of life on Venus is to go and have a proper look. While Mars has been the focus of interplanetary (行星间的) exploration efforts lately, the phosphine discovery lets people look at Venus in a new light. As NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine tweeted: “It’s time to prioritize Venus.”

In the months and years to come, computer simulations(模拟) will be used to further study the possible chemistries of the atmosphere on Venus. More laboratory experiments will be conducted to try to identify other ways the phosphine there could be produced. However, there is no guarantee that these efforts will reveal the true nature of this substance on Venus. A newly-proposed strategy is to directly sample the atmosphere and surface of Venus. By doing so, we would be able to take direct measurements of phosphine.

The discovery of phosphine in Venus’s atmosphere is a great accomplishment. The scientific efforts may be just what we need to finally refocus on this neglected world. Possibly, the quiet kid in the corner may get the last laugh

Trade and curiosity have often formed the     1     (found)of mankind’s greatest achievements. In ancient times, silk from China found its way overland to India, the Middle East, and Rome, along     2     became known as the Silk Road. A trading route across the sea was also extended along the coasts of the Indian Ocean,     3     (center)around Ceylon.

Later, the Ming Dynasty further developed     4     (it)relations with regions to the west of China. Between 1405 and1433, seven large fleets sailed west     5     voyages of trade and exploration. These fleets were a sight     6     (behold). To reach out across the sea remains a strong desire today. Now the ancient sea routes that was once travelled by Zheng He     7     (revisit)with the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road,     8     is part of the Belt and Road Initiative. China has also joined her friends across the sea on other important projects. Also, there are still many other places left to explore     9     (extend).

Hundreds of years on, and with the     10     (late)technology in hand, the need to trade and the desire to enhance relationships will drive China to reach out across the sea far into the future.

9 . “Mother Serious.” said the express telegram, ________ our entire house into a mess. My mother began to sob, while my father started to ________ quickfire instructions to my two brothers and me to ________ up for the six-and-a-half-hour journey to our village in Rajoli, Andhra Pradesh.

At 12, 11 and 9 years old, we boys were too young to ________ the mood. After a long bus ride, we had to cross the river Tungabhadra to reach our destination. During summers, we would cross it by foot, but on this day it was full and there were no ________ there. And we had no way of crossing it.

Clearly we were ________, unable to move forward or go back home. The only structure in sight was an old inspection bungalow — a landmark in an otherwise ________ area. Its doors were locked. ________ and tiredness overtook us.

By dusk, our father was a worried man, with little clue about our next move. As the day grew darker, we ________ a man walking towards us, the bungalow watchman, Raju. As Father ________ our experience, he let us into the bungalow and asked us if we had anything to eat all day. We shook our heads, ________. Raju then set off to the ________ with a net, where he caught a couple of fish and soon returned to cook the catch.

It was a ________ meal by most standards, but Raju’s kindness and selfless ________ made it a feast I will never ________ in the following years of my life.

10 . Nobody likes waiting in long lines at amusement parks, especially when you are with babies. Disneyland or Disney World are known for their splendid rides, attractions and large crowds as well. The familiar result is that many guests have spent a lot of time just waiting on lines while visiting the theme parks, which annoys the majority.

Until recently, both parks have made use of the FastPass system to keep guests moving. On certain rides, park-goers could obtain a ticket that allowed them to come back within a specific time window. At that point, they would wait on a special line for seating. As explained in a recent YouTube share, the system worked similarly to a real queue. Instead of waiting in line, guests could continue to explore the park and, most importantly for Disney, spend more money at shops and restaurants.

While the FastPass system became popular, usage ended during the recent pandemic (流行病). With both the California and Florida theme parks operating at reduced visiting number, the space taken up by FastPass kiosks was instead used for socially distanced lines.

In its place, Disney has developed a new planning tool called Disney Genie. The online app, which became available in Disney World in October, allows guests to create a path for their visit. By using park data that’s updated throughout the day, the app will help guests plan out their visit so that they can hit the rides and attractions that they want in the most convenient way. Guests using the app pay an extra fee and get the option to book the next available time to ride select attractions.