The artists of Dafen can paint like Van Gogh

The village of Dafen was once thought     1     (produce) the most oil paintings in the world every year.     2     (recognize) as the “world’s art factory”, Dafen impressed visitors with its many workshops, in which painters created mock masterpieces by Van Gogh, Monet and Warhol. But the village was always seen more as a production line     3     a place of culture. Today the future of Dafen may depend on     4     it is able to earn respect of the art world.

Things started to change for Dafen in 2008,     5     the global financial crisis cut down overseas orders. With more demand     6     (come) from domestic market, artists began painting different subjects. New customers preferred Chinese styles, says     7     painter in Dafen. He learnt the art of Shan Shui which involves representing natural landscapes. In some ways Dafen reflected the broader economy. As exports start to decline as a share of GDP, domestic     8     (consume) plays a larger role in driving growth.

China is the world’s second-largest art market.     9     it is not clear where Dafen fits in. Li Jinghu, an artist from nearby Dongguan, often visits the village hoping to discover new talent. But locals say the demand for their paintings     10     (decline) in the past two pandemic-struck years. “Most people would probably be surprised that Dafen still exists. It does and it will,”says Lisa Movius, a writer in Shanghai who covers art.

8 . Misty Copeland spends most days twisting, spinning and _______. She practices and _______ the graceful movements of her art. When she isn’t performing she is practicing. When she isn’t practicing, she is stretching. She takes classes almost every day. She takes care of her body so she doesn’t _______ it when she goes to work in a ballet theatre.

“I treat my body with the respect that any musician would to their _______.” says Misty. “I love my body,” she adds.

Was she _______ confident? Actually, she was a _______ girl and avoided the spotlight. But Misty loved music and movement. When she was thirteen, Misty’s teacher suggested she _______ a free ballet class at the Boys&Girls Club. For two weeks, Misty sat on the gym bench watching the class, afraid to _______. Finally, she gave it a _______. At first, she felt ________in the class. She didn’t know anything about ballet, and she was ________ than most of the students. Over time, ________, she began to enjoy the lessons. She discovered that her body — especially her long legs and flexible muscles — was just ________ for ballet. After the class season ended, Misty received a scholarship to a nearby dance studio. Most ballerinas (女舞者) start their training much younger than thirteen. But Misty’s natural abilities and hard work made her improve quickly.

Over the next five years, ballet was Misty’s ________. She practiced, performed, competed and attended ballet programs. “Performing was my favourite part because I felt ________ and open onstage,” she says. “For the first time in my life, I felt like I belonged.”

9 . It is easy to be doubtful about announcements of drugs that claim to slow the progress of Alzheimers, the most common form of dementia (痴呆). A new drug called Lecanemab, however, may be the real deal. Results of a clinical trial, conducted by its makers, Eisai, of Tokyo, and Biogen, of Cambridge Massachusetts, have just been announced in the New England Journal of Medicine(November; 2022). After18 months, it had slowed the progress of symptoms by a quarter.

The trial involved 1795 participants who were in the early stages of the illness. Half received the drug. The others, a placebo(安慰剂). It showed two things. One was the modest but measurable slowing of progression. The other was that an explanation of Alzheimers called the Amyloid Hypothesis(淀粉样蛋白假说) seems correct.

Amyloid is a protein which accumulates in parts of the brains of those with Alzheimers, which is an established sign of the illness. Lecanemab, containing a special antibody, is found to be able to attach itself to amyloid and then attracts immune-system cells to clear the protein away (and measurably did so in those receiving the drug).That suggests amyloid does indeed directly create problems associated with dementia and that Lecanemab can slow down the development of the disease.

This is a small first step. Some experts question whether the test used to show an improvement in symptoms is clinically meaningful because amyloid can be detected only with the help of a piece of expensive equipment, which is not something that can easily be turned into a routine program. Moreover, Lecanemab also caused swelling and bleeding of the brain in a number of participants. Now that the new drug has been shown to work, it can be followed up with further tests. Hope for more good news soon.

10 . Jonathan the tortoise, the world’s oldest land animal, turned 190 over the weekend on the island of St. Helena, where he enjoyed a “cake” of seasonal fruits, leafy greens and vegetables, including carrots carved into the number “190”.

Jonathan was brought to St.Helena from the Seychelles in 1882 as a gift. According to Guinness World Records, Jonathan surpassed the previous record holder, Tu’i Malila, who lived in the 1770s until 1965and could be even older. He arrived in St.Helena as a fully mature tortoise, meaning he was at least 50 in 1882.

“The vet is still feeding him by hand once a week to boost his calories, vitamins, minerals and trace elements, as he is blind and has no sense of smell. His hearing though is excellent and he loves the company of humans, and responds well to his vet Joe Hollins’ voice as he associates him with a feast, Guinness World Records said.

“The tortoise enjoys the sun but on very hot days takes to the shade. On mild days, he will sunbathe his long neck and legs stretched fully out of his shell to absorb heat and transfer it to his core,” according to Hollins. When it’s cold, Jonathan has been known to “dig himself into leaf mold or grass cuttings and remain there all day.”

In most cases, the lifespan of a tortoise or turtle depends on the species and level of care they receive. They generally live much longer in captivity than in the wild, because in the wild, they must find their own food in addition to evading predators while not getting medical treatment. Larger turtle and tortoise species also tend to live longer than their smaller counterparts. For more information about animal record holders, click here.