The 2020 Nobel Peace Prize went to the UN World Food Program (WFP) on Friday, 9th October, 2020. The agency was recognized for its efforts to fight hunger, for its contribution     1     improving conditions for peace in conflict-affected areas     2     for acting as a driving force to prevent the use of hunger as a weapon of war and conflict. The efforts of WFP focus on emergency     3    (assist), development aid and special operations, two thirds of which     4     (make) in conflict-affected countries. In those countries, people are three times more likely     5     (suffer) poor nutrition than those living in countries without conflict do.

David Beasley, WFP Executive Director, said the announcement made by the Norwegian Nobel Committee     6     (turn) the global spotlight on the 690 million people exposed (暴露) to severe levels of food insecurity. “Every one of them has the right to live     7     (peaceful) and without hunger.”

Mr. Beasley also noted that the Nobel Peace Prize was not simply WFP’s. He said, “WFP works closely with governments, organizations and individuals     8     love for helping hungry people equals ours. We could not possibly help     9    (someone) without them. And     10     daily work of our members is driven by our core values of integrity and humanity.”

2 . Midway through The Matrix, Cypher feasts on an enormous steak, well aware that his reality is not real, part of a digital program telling his brain that the steak is a construction and that it is “juicy and delicious”. Two decades after the movie made its first appearance, something unexpected arises: The future of reality will not only be virtual but also synthetic (合成的). Cypher’s future meal will be a physical one, synthesized from animal cells.

And the synthesis goes beyond dinner. Starting with components from the natural world, scientists are learning to engineer microorganisms and build biocomputing systems. However, biology has a tendency to evolve in unexpected ways.

Synthesized meat is one case in point. The driving forces behind the meat movement are practical. It has been estimated that cultured (培育的) meat would require 7 to 45 percent less energy and produce 78 to 96 percent less greenhouse gas than conventional animals farmed for consumption. But once we’re able to synthesize meat, theoretically, we’ll have the capability to culture meat from any animal, even those we’d never consider eating today, like dolphins or chimpanzees, which will pose a new regulatory challenge for us.

Using synthetic biology, we can even edit and rewrite life, the technology of which is already in use. In 2021, scientists in some countries announced they had grown monkey embryos injected with human stem cells. Here comes the situation worth considering: such a monkey-human hybrid will demonstrate qualities that are somewhere between humans, on which experimentation isn’t allowed, and animals, which are often raised specifically for research. How will we decide when an animal becomes too human?

Depending on where you stand, the synthetic realities land somewhere between “really exciting” and “critically concerning”. As individuals, we undertake a shared responsibility to make good choices about this coming synthetic technology.

3 . Throughout history, great cities have risen and fallen. Some of them are seemingly lost in time—until artifacts(古物) are discovered that bring them back to life.

Teotihuacán

Located outside of Mexico City, Teotihuacán is thought to have been settled around 400 BC. By 400 AD, it was the most influential, powerful city in its region. Teotihuacán’s real treasure is its massive step pyramids. Much of the city’s history is still a mystery, but some believe that its decline came from changing climate conditions like long-term droughts.

Petra

This ancient city in southern Jordan flourished from the 4th century BC to 106 AD. It was an important place for spice and silk trade routes. It also had a complicatedly-designed water management system. Petra was occupied by Rome in 106 AD, and the trade routes soon shifted(转换). Hundreds of years later, earthquakes damaged the water system and Petra was abandoned.

Pompeii

Endless tales have been told about the tragedy of Pompeii, which occurred on August 24, in the year 79 AD, when the volcano Vesuvius erupted. The entire town was swiftly covered in ash and soil. Everything was frozen in time. The site was unearthed in the 18th century, and the evidence found provided a great detail of insight into daily living in this ancient Italian city.

Ctesiphon

Located about 20 miles outside of Baghdad, Ctesiphon was one of the greatest cities in Western Asia in the 6th century. It was conquered(征服) by Rome, and then by the Byzantine Empire. In 637 AD, it was captured by the Muslims. Many believe that the ancient city was the inspiration for the city of Isbanir mentioned in the Thousand and One Nights folk tales.

6 . After university I decided to volunteer for the Special Olympic Games. In fact, I had no experience working with people with intellectual (智力的) ______, and little did I know that would ______ me so deeply.

When I arrived at the event, the director of the Special Olympic Games showed me to meet Vernon, a 24-year-old young man with Down syndrome (唐氏综合症). I introduced myself and ______ how much I enjoyed sports. But Vernon looked down most of the time and didn’t say much. I wondered if he was ______ or didn’t understand what I was saying. ______, I just tried to inspire him.

He started to make his way around the ______ one lap after another. I would cheer him on, yelling “Go. Vernon!” I never thought something remarkable would happen. He ______ toward the finishing line and then ran toward me with a big bear hug. While feeling his ______, I held him in my arms. He looked up at me with ______ eyes, yelling.

“Coach! Coach! You inspire me! I made it.” At that moment, all of my misconceptions about him suddenly ______. It seemed that Vernon was the one who ______ me.

That day, Vernon did not win any ______ in the competitions, but his ______ passion for life won over my heart as he demonstrated life is not about being the smartest, the strongest, or the best-looking. It’s about ______ who they are and not drawing conclusions about what they cannot do because, given the ______, people can surprise you in a good way.

7 . “It’s incredible. I never thought my dream would come true so soon,” Chinese ballet dancer Chun Wai Chan recalled the scene when he got the news that he was promoted to the principal dancer with New York City Ballet(NYCB), the company’s first Chinese and fourth Asian principal dancer in 74 years.

Born in Huizhou, Guangdong in 1992, Chan has become attached to dance since childhood. However, his parents preferred him to be a doctor or a lawyer in the future. The uncompromising boy then wrote a seven-page letter to his parents describing his resolution to study dance.

Thanks to the sincere letter, Chan finally gained the support of his family, and at the age of 12, he was admitted to Guangzhou Arts School, marking the start of his dream-seeking journey. Chan’s first turning point in life came at the age of 18, when he was a finalist in the 2010 Prix de Lausanne, which earned him a full scholarship to study with Houston Ballet II. Two years later, Chan joined Houston Ballet and became a principal in 2017. There, he gained a reputation as a confident and sensitive performer. In 2020, he appeared as a contestant on the Chinese television show Dance Smash, which gained him a large following.

Chan returned to New York last year, and was finally promoted to the principal dancer with the NYCB in May this year. He attributes his success to his passion, hard work, concentration, perseverance and the pursuit of excellence.

In China, Chan’s success has become a source of pride. News of his promotion to principal dancer was widely circulated, and he has been featured repeatedly in the Chinese media.

After performances, audience members sometimes tell Chan that they have never seen Asian dancers in leading roles. He has been moved to hear young dancers of color say his example has given them hope for their own careers. “I used to think I danced just for myself,” he said. “Now I’m dancing for my family, for the audience, for the whole dance community.”

9 . Sometimes, it is really difficult for a teacher during his first week writing classes. I’m unfamiliar _________ the students, most of whom trying to adapt to their new environment and _________ on their study. When Serlina _________ me with a question on the second day, I was _________ for the opportunity to connect at least one name with a face.

Although her writing wasn’t perfect, she still tried her best. She worked hard and pushed herself to achieve. She was excited to learn, _________ made me enjoy teaching her. I didn’t realize then how much she would also teach me at that time.

Serlina stopped by after class, one Thursday afternoon. She wasn’t asking a question about a paper I’d returned. _________, she said quietly: “I didn’t attend classes yesterday. I was at the health center the whole day.” I gave her a sideways look, _________. “It was just a virus. I’m fine now.” she _________ me. Then she was away.

However, three nights later, her father called to tell me that Serlina would be missing a few classes. She had been in hospital with meningitis (脑膜炎). I heard from him again a few days later, and again after that. Her condition grew _________. We made trips to the hospital room. I was __________ frightened when I saw the pale, thin and weak girl who, only ten days earlier, had showed life and warmth in my classroom.

A week later, Serlina herself called me to tell me she was on the road to __________. “I’ll be back to school one day,” she said. “You must have a/an __________ to be with us,” I told her, __________ tears. I remembered what her father had said in his first phone call: “school __________ everything to Serlina.”

Then four weeks later, I walked into my classroom to find Serlina in her seat, smiling. She __________ all of her missed homework, completed with thought and excellence. The strength of her will to overcome shone out of her pale, weak, eighteen-year-old face.