Some     1     (consume) still tend to focus on labels, feeling proud that they have a product made in Italy without realizing that a growing number of Italian products come from factories that are Chinese owned and staffed. The products marked “Made in China” gave the buyers an impression of low price and low cost, low technology and development. The statement used to be true,     2    now it has changed because “Made in China” is becoming a leading part in the world market. Despite the wages and the cost of doing business in China     3    (rise) day by day, many luxury brands, such as Burberry, Armani and Prada have been producing things here so far, because they are still able to get good workmanship at a relatively low price.

China     1     (be) the largest producer and consumer of watermelons in the world since 2018. And Wu Mingzhu, 92 years old now, is the unsung hero who has helped make this possible. It’s no exaggeration to say that about 80 percent of the watermelons     2     (serve) at people’s dining tables every day are the result of painstaking efforts made by Wu and her team over more than 60 years.

Admitted to Southwest Agricultural College in Chongqing in the late 1940s, Wu is an alumnus (校友) of Yuan Longping, the “father of hybrid rice”. After two years of application setbacks, Wu succeeded in     3     (realize) her dream of starting her career in Xinjiang in 1955. Since then, she has devoted     4     (she) to breeding sweet melons.

Wu’s efforts to grow quality melons began paying off in 1973,     5    she set up an offseason breeding base in tropical Hainan. Shuttling between Xinjiang and Hainan     6     (annual) for many years , Wu cultivated more than 20,000 of China’s new seed     7     (variety) through offseason breeding.

Wu’s contribution has won her many praises. She became     8    academician with the Chinese Academy of Engineering in 1999 and an honorary citizen of Sanya in 2004. In addition, growers affectionately (亲切地) call her the “Queen of Melons”.

Now suffering from Alzheimer’s (阿兹海默) disease, Wu is often     9     (able) to recognize her former colleagues or even her family members. However, the memory of her melon work     10     (remain) in her mind.

Solar terms, which     1     (be) also called Jieqi in Chinese, are days marking one of the 24 time buckets or the solar year in traditional Chinese calendar, used to indicate the alternation of seasons and climate changes in ancient China.

As far back as the Spring and Autumn period, there were four solar terms: mid-spring, mid-summer, mid-autumn    2     mid-winter. After continuous improvement, by the Qin and Han dynasties, 24 solar terms have been     3     (full) established.

The Yellow River Basin in Northern China is believed to be the cradle of the solar terms system. China’s 24 solar terms are a knowledge system and     4     (society) practice formed through observations of the sun’s annual motion and cognition of the year’s changes in season, climate and phenology. Ancient Chinese divided the sun’s movement through the sky     5     24 segments, with each segment     6     (equal) one roughly two-week-long “solar term”.     7     (base) on the sun’s position in the zodiac, the 24 solar terms were created by farmers in ancient China     8     (guide) the agricultural affairs and farming activities. They serve as an instruction manual of sorts for farmers, allowing them to know     9     conditions to expect or what agricultural activities to carry out during certain periods of the year.

Solar terms are often called “the     10     (five) great invention” of China after paper making, printing, gunpowder and the compass.

Celadon(青瓷),    1     type of porcelain(陶瓷), is a traditional Chinese art. Mature celadon came into being in the Eastern Han Dynasty. In Tang Dynasty, celadon     2    (export) to lots of overseas countries, such as Pakistan, Iran, Egypt, Japan,    3    (play)a major part in the “Maritime Silk Road”. The celadon from the Guan Kiln of the Southern Song Dynasty is the peak of celadon producing,    4     is characterized by its bright and smooth lines, simple shapes and pure colors. It is considered     5     the treasure among ancient porcelain products. Nowadays many Chinese porcelain factories have     6    ( use) more advanced facilities and upgraded producing technology, making them green as jade and bright as a mirror.

The formation of each celadon is a process of life casting. Only after being burnt at around 1300℃ for 400 hours can it be made into an object. The     7     (difficult) of firing celadon is obvious, but at the same time, it     8    (make) each piece unique in the world. Because of the existence of celadon, many Chinese     9    (artist) have been constantly searching for the spirit of “the unity of man and nature” by appreciating the art of “mud and fire” and     10    (reflect) on the historical and cultural context in it.

My husband, our children and I     1     (have) wonderful camping experiences over the past ten years.

Some of our     2     (memory)are funny, especially from the early years when our children were little. Once, we camped along Chalk Creek (小溪). I was worried that our 15-month-old boy would fall     3    the creek. I tied a rope around his waist to keep him near to our spot,     4     he was uncomfortable, and his crying let the whole campground know it.So instead of     5     (tie) him up, I just kept a close eye on him. It worked —he didn’t end up in the creek. My three-year-old, however, did.

Another time, we rented a boat in Vallecito Lake. The sky was clear     6    we headed off, but storms moved in fast in the mountains, and this one quickly interrupted our peaceful morning trip. My husband stopped fishing     7     (start) the motor. Nothing. He tried again. Noluck. We were stuck in the middle of the lake with a dead motor. As we all sat there     8     (helpless), a fisherman pulled up, threw us a rope and towed (拖) us back by     9     (he). We were safe.

Now, every year when my husband pulls our camper out of the garage, we are filled with a sense of     10     (excite), wondering what camping fun and adventure we will experience next.