Only a few weeks ago, China,     1     the coronavirus outbreak began, was the only country to suspend classes. But the virus has spread     2     quickly that by Wednesday, 22 countries on three continents had announced school closures of varying degrees.

The speed and scale of the     3     (education) chaos — which now affects 290.5 million students worldwide, the United Nations says — has little parallel in modern history,     4     (educate) and economists contend. The effect of closing them for days, weeks and sometimes even months could have untold consequences for children and societies at large.

In some countries, older students     5     (miss) crucial study sessions for college admissions exams, while younger ones have risked     6     (fall) behind in reading and math. Parents have lost wages, tried     7     (work) at home or scrambled (仓促) to find child care. Some have moved children to new schools in areas unaffected by the coronavirus.

School and government officials have sought to keep children learning — and     8     (occupy) — at home. The Italian government created a web page to give teachers access     9    videoconference tools and ready-made lesson plans. Iran’s government has made all children’s internet content free.

The offline reality, though, is challenging. Technological hurdles and unavoidable distractions pop up when children and teenagers     10     (leave) to their own devices — literally.

I took a short flight the other day．The passengers on the plane     1    (offer) an in­flight snack—a sandwich which contained dairy and meat．Since I     2    (feel) totally full at that time of the day, I put it in my bag．I hoped later that day, I may come across a homeless person, to     3    this sandwich may mean his only meal．

Well, I did come across a homeless man later that day．That man was with     4    (he) dog Bella．When I gave him     5    sandwich, I noticed his smile as he was opening the sandwich．He shared it     6    Bella．They started to eat quickly．    7    (see) how hungry he was, I emptied my bag of all treats and food I had．I also went and bought a large coffee for him．He     8    (sincere) thanked me and continued to have his “big” meal．

Kindness is such a simple thing for us to do．However, for     9    (receive), it can be life­changing．As a saying goes, “Ten men banded(聚集) together in love can do what ten thousand separately would fail in．” If each of us does one kind thing at a time, the strength     10    (build) up will be surprising．

The most unforgettable present I’ve ever got     1    ( be) a sentence. “I am sorry. Let's be reconciled(和解)”. It happened when I was in the     2     (six) grade. Because of a small problem,     3     (I) best friend quarreled with me, and then we became enemies with     4     other. During this time without my best friend, I felt     5     (help) and lonely. I tried to talk to her many times, but I always gave     6     at a critical point. When my birthday came, I received many gifts from my other friends. Then my best friend came to me     7     said, “I am sorry. Let's be reconciled.” At that time, my     8    (tear) dropped down. After that, we became closer and closer. Now, even though we are not in     9     same school, our     10    (friend) is still as close as before.

One summer it started to rain here and didn't stop for 14 hours. When people saw their homes, businesses, roads, and bridges    1    (destroy) over floods, they cried. Of course, many people    2     (lose) their lives. After it was over, people walked through the mud (泥) left behind    3     (find) as many things as they could. Some cried sadly over what they had lost. Others cried in joy when they found their loved ones alive.

When the water went down, though, a     4     (surprise) thing happened.People immediately started to help each other.Some     5     (willing) donated food, water, clothing, and cash to help those    6    had lost everything.Others went out in the deep mud,     7    (help) clean up the damage.Still others spent their days carrying some     8     (supply) to the people who needed them.

    9    is unbelievable how often the worst things in life bring out the best in us. The love, care and compassion (同情) that I saw in those days have touched my soul. It has made me realize how good people really are. May we always come together in both good and bad times. May we always do all we can to fill our life    10    love.

The Silk Road, with a history of more than 2,000 years, is a     1     (historical) important international business route     2     China and the Mediterranean (地中海). In ancient times silk was the most important goods along this road, so the road got     3     (it) name from it. However, it was not until 1877     4     the road formally got the name of “the Silk Road” by a German geographer.

The Silk Road starts from Chang’an, runs by way of the Hexi Corridor (河西走廊) and     5     (reach) Dun Huang. Then it divides into three routes, all of     6     extend as far as South Asia and even Rome.

The road     7     (link) the East to the West helped to develop and increase the trades among the     8     (country) along the road. Horses traded from other areas changed farming practices in China. Indian merchants traded salt and other     9     (value) goods while Chinese merchants traded paper. All these show us the Silk Road is a great way     10     (promote) exchange, cooperation, friendship and peace.

One act of kindness is leading to another. And as kindness     1     (pass) to another, new friendships are forming and existing ones are strengthening.

My elderly neighbor called my daughter and me     2     (pick) fruits from her tree as the fruits were high and it was required to step on a huge ladder to get them. After an hour spent     3     (chat) and picking the fruits, she treated us to a glass of fruit juice.     4     addition, she gave us plenty of fruits to hand out to     5     (we) friends.

I then gave them to three other senior friends of mine. One of them gave me a hot tomato soup. I tasted it. It was so delicious     6     I couldn't help asking her about it. She told me that her mom and grandma were both top     7     (cook) and she learned it from them when she was helping them in her youth.

This was     8     (total) unexpected and interesting to know. Besides, she invited me again and agreed that we would prepare the dish together,     9     was the best part of all. I feel very     10     (thank) for these friendships and connections. Kindness and friendship always go hand in hand.

It is sad but true that people die in earthquakes from falling furniture and bricks. Earthquake    1    (safe) is very important and there is more to it than just prevent buildings    2    falling down. So if your home is in    3    earthquake area, you should prepare carefully before the earthquake comes.

First, make sure you buy a house which is earthquake safe. All pipes should    4    (fix) to the wall and all walls should be especially thick and strong. You also have to make sure that there are bolts (螺栓) underneath your house. They are one of the most important ways of protecting a house.

Second, look at the objects in your house.     5    are most likely to hurt us are appliances in the living room, such as computers, televisions. They can be tied to tables or stuck to them so they won’t    6    (easy) move around. When    7    (decorate) the kitchen, you must ensure all the cupboards have strong doors. This is the place    8    many small things are stored that might fall down. Windows are a special problem. When they breaks glass can cause many accidents. It is better    9    (use) earthquake-safe glass if you can.

Remember, it is better to be safe    10    sorry.

China has successfully launched the Chang'e-5 lunar probe from the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site in the southern province of Hainan.

This is    1     first sample return mission, which has been one of China's most complicated and difficult space    2     (task) by far. Only two other countries, the U. S. and the former Soviet Union，have brought samples back     3     the moon.

It would also be the world's first unmanned sample return. The lunar probe, which weighs over eight tons,    4     ( consist ) of four parts: an orbiter, a returner, an ascender(上升器) and a lander. The samples will then be transferred to the returner. After separation, the returner re-enters the earth alone,    5     is expected to land in north China's Inner Mongolia in mid-December.

The mission will make China only the third nation to collect lunar samples,    6     (follow) the United States and the Soviet Union. The last such mission    7     (happen) in 1976, when an unmanned Soviet spacecraft collected 170 grams of moon materials. The ability    8     (collect) samples from space is increasingly important and    9     (value). Other countries may look to China's experience to help with their plans to collect materials from planets, or    10     (possible) even Mars.

Across the world, people     1    (expression) their love to tea in many ways. The handmade purple clay teapot (紫砂壶)is one of the most popular    2    (item) among tea lovers in Asia. But the skill of making that particular teapot faces a lot of challenges in modern times.

Chinese people have been drinking tea for thousands of years. And     3     (recent), these handmade teapots have become popular. As    4    old saying goes, "A thing    5    (value) if it is rare.”

Tea sets(茶具)have been a key part of Chinese culture. Gao Dezhi, 99,     6     (make) purple clay teapots since he was 3 years old. This kind of skill has been passed down from generation to generation or taught to those who are    7    (interest) in the craft. Gao said that his son and daughter don't care about such skills. They already earn a lot of money by     8     (work) in other jobs. People cannot make such things if they have no interest in learning the skill, he said.

In order to protect skills     9     disappearing, local people have built a special museum     10     masters can show their craft.

Some people think only children are selfish, lonely, or unhappy. They say       1     is difficult for an only child to play or work       2     others. But this is not true. Only children are often very responsible. They are better at       3     (communicate) well with people because they speak mostly with adults at home. They are more likely to make     4    (friend) outside the home. This is     5     (nature). They need to play with other kids.

Polly is     6     (I) next-door neighbor. We were also born on the same day. She is an only child. Polly     7     (say) that she is neither lonely     8    unhappy. She

can talk to people     9     (easy) and she is not afraid of anything.

In fact, there is no big     10     (different) between only children and people with siblings(兄弟姐妹).