The recent hit in China is all about Harbin, Helongjiang. Numerous netizens have expressed their longing for this northern ice city,     1     (enthusiastic) declaring, “Harbin, I’m coming!”

Among those highlights,     2     journey of 11 kids from Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region has melted hearts across the Internet. Chinese netizens have been eagerly following their adventures online.

Fondly (深情地)     3     (describe) as “Little Tangerines (柑橘)” for their orange-colored coats, the kids also visited China’s northernmost town,     4     they sang the national anthem. The firefighters there had prepared snow sculptures and snowmen, eagerly expecting the     5     (arrive) of the “Little Tangerines”. Mr. Liang, the leader of the group, confirmed their coming in Mohe.

This study tour, under the spotlight of the entire Internet,     6     (draw) a lot of attention. The parents are grateful for the concern shown by netizens and the care provided by friends in the Northeast China. They feel more     7     ease with everyone’s collective support.

    8     was reported that the residents organized a fleet of about 300 private vehicles,     9     (provide) free rides to tourists. Despite the city’s freezing climate, its residents work diligently     10     (create) a warm environment for their guests.

3 . When it comes to entrepreneurship (企业家), it seems like a lot of us are fond of the idea of NOT getting more education. Sure, we’ve all heard how Bill Gates and Steve Jobs dropped out of college to found Microsoft and Apple, respectively. A lot of would-be solopreneurs (独立创业者) think this means they should take the same course, putting education by the wayside to chase their business goals.

Now, I’m not saying that you need a college degree to be a successful entrepreneur. But all too often, people take these famous examples a step too far and decide they don’t need to further their education in any way.

The thing is, college isn’t the only place you can get an education. Bill Gates and Steve Jobs learned a lot outside their classroom settings to turn their companies into the global successes they are today. When it comes to entrepreneurship, the most successful people are generally the ones who develop a lifelong love of learning. It’s an feature worth imitating.

When we think of “exercise,” most of us think of sweaty people at the gym running on treadmills and lifting weights. We don’t think of hitting the books. But the brain is actually a muscle too. And just like you need those physical workouts so you don’t start getting saggy (松驰的) around the middle, you need to give your brain regular “workouts” that keep it active and healthy.

Contrary to popular belief, your brain doesn’t stop growing after adolescence. One recent study found that the brain continues to produce new neurons associated with learning, emotion and memory throughout adulthood. Of course, the outcomes of this ongoing development depend in part on your own efforts.

If you’re not feeling motivated to work out your brain, it might be helpful to consider the costs of not continuing to learn. Quite simply, the problems you have now-whether in business or other areas of your life—are going to continue to exist if you don’t find new ways to approach them. The things you learn will help you discover new solutions and think more creatively. When done right, training your brain can become a lifelong habit—just like going for a morning run or hitting the gym at the end of the work day.

7 . Culture shock is the experience that often accompanies moving to an unfamiliar place. It could be marked by feeling lost, anxious or hesitant.     1     You’ll become accustomed to the same things that initially “shocked” you! Read on for tips for overcoming culture shock in a short time.

When deciding to visit an entirely new place, don’t expect the traditions and cultures followed by your current home to be followed by the new land.     2     So keep your expectations low.

Even though it is an unfamiliar environment hosting different cultures and traditions from the one you’re used to, it’s vital to broaden your mind and be willing to try new things. Don’t be quick to form discriminatory judgments just because it is “odd”. Have a go at something different, like a food or clothing — different isn’t necessarily bad.     3    

Social psychologists claim that lack of information is the biggest contributor to prejudices. Talk to the local population and ask them about how their culture works instead of assuming the worst.     4     Plus, you’ll make some friends who can ease your transformation.

Keep yourself open-minded, await new experiences and familiarize yourself with the conduct of the people.     5     Go out there and have fun!

8 . Chicago winters are famous for their bitter cold. It is a ________ time to earn a living for the city’s street vendors (商贩). They have been hit hard by the pandemic (疫情) as the population of street shoppers has ________ by as much as half in the city. One Chicago based restaurant owner,Robert Magret,came up with a brilliant and quite ________ idea to help these vendors. He purchases their entire day’s food ________ as a clever way to get them out of the ________. Robert then distributes the food to the ________ for free,turning one good deed into a chain of ________.

Robert has been purchasing truckloads of ________ from Chicago vendors for weeks as the temperature began to fall into the single digits. After he ________ the vendors from the cold weather,he then ________ the delicious bread to the homeless. Robert also uses his purchases to ________ Love Fridges,which are fridges around his city where people can either donate or ________ fresh vegetables and cooked meals.

Robert’s creative idea won great ________ on social media and he immediately began receiving donations from the community. Robert plans to ________ buying out street vendors all winter with the help of donations from kind ________ who have joined him on his merciful mission.

9 . The big French pet care company AgroBiothers Laboratoire will no longer sell very small containers for raising fish.

The company has a 27 percent share of the French market for products used by people who raise animals at home. But it said it would no longer sell any fishbowls that hold less than 15 liters of water. They will only offer four-sided ones.

The company said it was animal abuse (虐待) to put fish in small bowls without added oxygen and filtration. Filtration is the process of removing small waste from the water with a device.

AgroBiothers chief Matthieu Lambeaux recently used the term “impulse”—meaning a sudden strong desire to do something—to describe why many adults buy goldfish. “People buy a goldfish for their kids on impulse, but if they knew what torture it is, they would not do it. Turning round and round in a small bowl drives fish crazy and kills them quickly,” Lambeaux added.

Goldfish can live up to 30 years and grow to about 25 cm in large aquariums (养鱼缸) or outdoor ponds. But in very small bowls they often die within weeks or months. Lambeaux said goldfish are social animals that need other fish, lots of space and clean water. He added that having an aquarium requires some special equipment and knowledge.

Germany and several other European countries have long banned (禁止) fishbowls, but France has no laws on the problem.

Lambeaux explained the company’s decision further by saying, “We cannot educate all our customers by explaining that keeping fish in a bowl is terrible. We consider that it is our responsibility to no longer give customers that choice.”

“There is demand for fishbowls,” he said, “but the reality is that what we offer children is the possibility of seeing goldfish die slowly.”

10 . The traditional Chinese solar calendar divides the year into 24 solar terms (节气). Start of Autumn, the 13th solar term of the year, begins this year on Aug 8 and ends on Aug. 22. Start of Autumn means the end of summer and the beginning of autumn.     1    . The following are four things you should know about Start of Autumn.

Gathering crops

    2    . It is time to gather crops. There is a saying: “If it rains on the day of the Start of Autumn, a good harvest is expected.”

Eating peaches

In Hangzhou, people eat peaches and pray health on the Start of Autumn day. The peach stones are kept until New Year’s Eve and thrown into the stove, burned into ash. People believed that in this way,     3    .

Eating dumplings

In Shandong province, people make dumplings during the Start of Autumn, and they call it “Eating the Autumn”. On the day of Start of Autumn, senior members of the family will stand in the middle of the hall, they worship (敬奉；信奉) a bowl of cereal, and     4    . Most of the families will eat dumplings together after Start of Autumn day and have the thirst for more crops.

Eating gourds (瓜)

Although Start of Autumn indicates the beginning of autumn, hot weather will not come to an end. During the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), people would put gourds outside for a day before the Start of Autumn, and     5    . Today people in Tianjin believe that eating melons such as towel gourd, white gourd and bitter gourd can prevent diarrhea (腹泻) in autumn and the coming winter and spring.