Of all the t    1     festivals, the harvest festival can be found in almost every c    2    . This important agricultural festival t    3     place after all the crops have been gathered in. People celebrate to show that they are g    4     for the year’s s    5     of food. In ancient Egypt, the harvest festival was celebrated during the springtime- the Egyptian harvest s    6    . It featured a p    7     and a great feast with music, dancing, and s    8    . Today, in some European countries, people decorate churches and town halls with flowers and fruit, and get together to celebrate over a m    9    . During the Mid-Autumn Festival in China, f    10     gather to admire the shining moon and enjoy delicious mooncakes.

Much has been written about the wonders of the World Wide Web. There are countless articles     1    (告诉我们)how the Internet has made our lives more convenient. We no longer have to wait in line or carry cash around when we go shopping. We can get the most     2    (更新) information from large databases. We can     3    (下载)software, documents, and images whenever we need them. But the Internet has done much more for people than simply make life more convenient. People’s lives have been changed by online communities and social networks.

Jan has started     4     (参加网络课程) to learn more about how to use the Internet to make society better. She believes that it is highly important to bridge the digital divide and make sure that everyone     5    (能使用)to the Internet and knows how to use new technology. Her next goal is to start a     6    (慈善)website to     7    (筹款) for children in poor countries.

Jan’s life has been greatly improved by the Internet. “When you go through tough times, you meet others who are     8    (面临相似挑战) ,” Jan says.“Thinking about other people’s situations inspired me to offer help.”

Imagine having the opportunity to sing together with hundreds of other people while you are at home alone. You can do this in a virtual choir. Virtual choir members record themselves while they p    1     alone on video. These videos are uploaded onto the I    2    , and then they are put together into one video that you can seeo    3    —a virtual choir. Anyone can take part in a virtual choir from anywhere—all you need is a video camera and an Internet c    4    . You do not even need a s    5    . A virtual choir helps connect ordinary people together. Many people do not have close friends or contacts w    6     have the same interest in music. Many others do not have the chance to join a l    7     choir. A virtual choir e    8     them to add their voices to those of other individuals and become part of the global community. It has p    9     to be a positive influence on the lives of many people. As one virtual choir member said, “Music helps me to f    10     my problems. With music, I become someone else.”

Yuan Longping, known as the “father of hybrid rice ”, is one of China’s most f    1    scientists. Yet, he considers himself a farmer because he a    2     works the land in his research. Indeed, his s    3     but strong body is just like that of millions of Chinese farmers, to whom he has d    4     his life.

Yuan Longping was born in 1930 in Beijing. His parents wanted him to p    5     a career in science or medicine. However, what c    6     him most was that farmers often had poor h    7       and sometimes even had a serious s    8    of food to eat. To tackle this c    9    , he chose to study agriculture and received an e    10     at Southwest Agricultural College in Chongqing.

This year’s Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine     1     Tu Youyou, whose research led to the discovery of artemisinin,     2     for malaria. Artemisinin has saved hundreds of thousands of lives, and has     3     for millions of people.

These smart homes will keep us secure, save us energy, and     4     .

Many of these new innovations     5     in some homes.

Yuan Longping, known as the “father of hybrid rice”, considers himself a farmer. His slim but strong body is just like that of millions of Chinese farmers, to whom he has d    1     his life.

Yuan was born in 1930 in Beijing. His parents wanted him to pursue a career in science or medicine. However, what concerned him most was that farmers often had poor harvests and sometimes had a serious s    2     of food. To t    3     this crisis, he chose to study agriculture in a college.

After graduating in 1953, he worked as a researcher. Yuan realised that larger fields were not the solution. Instead, farmers needed to b    4     yields in their fields. How this could be done was a challenging question. Yuan was c    5     that the answer could be found in the creation of hybrid rice. One characteristic of hybrids is that they usually a    6     a higher yield than c    7     crops. Through i     8     effort, Yuan o    9     technical difficulties to develop the first hybrid rice. This hybrid enabled farmers to expand their o    10     greatly.

Yuan Longping, known     1     the “father of hybrid rice”, is one of China’s most famous scientists. Yet, he     2     himself a farmer because he continually works the     3     in his research. Indeed, his slim but    4     body is just like that of millions of Chinese farmers, to whom he has     5     his life.

Yuan Longping was born in 1930 in Beijing. His parents wanted him to pursue a career in science or medicine. However,     6     concerned him most was that farmers often had poor     7     and sometimes even had a serious     8     of food to eat. To     9     this crisis, he chose to study agriculture and received an     10     at Southwest Agricultural College in Chongqing.