During the Spring and Autumn Period (770 — 476 BC), there was a musician,     1     lived alone in a forest where he played the guqin, and his name was Yu Boya. One day, a passing woodcutter     2    (name) Zhong Ziqi was intrigued (陶醉于) by the sounds of the musical instrument, and Mr. Zhong Ziqi     3    (he) listened with full attention. Yu     4    (sincere) played the guqin, causing various pictures in Zhong’s imagination, such as flowing clouds and plunging waterfalls. Such was the     5    (connect) between performing and listening. They became bosom friends (挚友). After many years, when the woodcutter died, Yu decided     6    (smash) his instrument and never to play again since he was sure that he would never again have someone like Zhong to so intuitively understand his music.

Indeed, the guqin — the favored instrument of Confucius — was     7     essential musical instrument of ancient China’s educated elite (精英). It     8    (add) to the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in 2008.

In April, when President Xi Jinping     9    (meet) with French President Emmanuel Macron, a classic guqin piece, High Mountain and Flowing Water, was played to celebrate the friendship and mutual understanding     10     the two countries.

When she was just three years old, Alyssa Carson from the USA took an interest     1    the planet Mars. From that time on, her lifelong passion for and     2    (curious) about space began! Then, Alyssa     3    (start) to do all the things related to space!

Alyssa’s goal is to help others understand the potential for human life in outer space. She also wants to be one of the first humans     4    (walk) on the planet Mars. She even imagines     5    (live) on Mars! And while doing so, Alyssa wants to inspire lots of other kids to learn more about space and science.

She is studying astrobiology (天体生物学) at the Florida Institute of Technology. It is     6    only program in the USA focused on the potential for life on other planets. Whether you want to study the effects of space travel on humans, discover past or present life on Mars, or help develop     7    (way) to sustain (维持) life on the moon, you will be prepared at the Florida Institute of Technology.

Alyssa is a(n)     8    (impress) example of a young person     9    focuses on her passion and becomes the best version of     10    (she). Her example also inspires other kids to do the same.

For Ren Hongjuan, the meeting with her son was short but precious.

The 52-year-old is a sanitation worker (环卫工人) in Dingzhou city, Hebei province, and had not seen her son Ren Xunming for quite a long time a she boarded at school and had been busy    1    exam preparations. On June 8, the second day of the gaokao, she managed to arrive at her son’s test site after finishing a day of work. Wearing    2    orange uniform, she stood out from the crowd. As the English exam concluded, a wave of students walked out of the hall     3    , (look) for their parents. Ren Xuming didn’t expect his mother to meet him,    4    he ran to his mother when he spotted her Ren Hongjuan handed a bottle of water to her son    5    just finished his English exam in Dingzhou city, Hebei province, on June 8, 2023. Without saying a word, he gave her a big hug and they both cried    6    (quiet). Their meeting was fleeting (短暂) because Ren Xuming had to return to school    7    (continue) his exams the following day.

The heartwarming moment was recorded on video and has gone viral receiving many    8    (comment). One read, “Hardworking mother strongly supports her son. I hope he gets a good result.” Another read, “Now, I    9    (impress) by the mother’s love for her son and his gratitude to his mother.” And another netizen wrote, “She maybe the    10    (beautiful) parent in the gaokao.”

As a part of the 2023 Beijing Culture Forum (论坛), the     1    (eight) Beijing October Literature Festival recently kicked off.

Respected writers such as Wang Meng and Mo Yan will hold a     2    (discuss) on literature with readers across the country. Throughout the event, bookstores, museums and local communities will host a number of literature-related     3    (activity). There will also be a good time for writers to collect material for their literary works, all working     4    (build) a widespread reading culture.

Furthermore, on Wednesday, a dialogue between overseas translators     5     Chinese writers will take place. They will discuss how to advance contemporary (当代的) Chinese literature through translation and cross-cultural exchange.

On Saturday, another event will     6    (hold) for people from all walks of life who     7    (be)born in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, including writers, college teachers and media figures. They will discuss topics such as survival and life in the Internet era, as well as the     8    (amaze) power of literary expression.

To celebrate     9     festival, a closing event will take the form of a concert. The Beijing Symphony Orchestra will perform at the National Cultural Palace with background music of film and television productions     10     are adapted (改编) from literary classics.

Kites nowadays can be seen in parks throughout the world. But     1     is believed that the first kite was invented by the Chinese more than 2,000 years ago. In the beginning, the kites     2     (use) for military (军事的) purposes and defense. Since the Qing Dynasty, kites have been used mostly for     3     (entertain) and celebrations.

For a long time, kites were used only in China and nearby countries. Businessmen     4     visited China took kites to India, Korea and other parts of Asia. Marco Polo was the first person     5     (take) Chinese kites to Europe, after one of his famous trips to China in the 13th century. He was also one of the first     6     (author) who wrote about the kites,     7     (explain) to the Western audience how to use them. They spread from Europe to North and South America as well.

During the 20th century, kite flying festivals became very popular in China. Weifang, Shandong is considered the kite capital of the world and the Weifang International Kite Festival     8     (attract) many tourists from around the world.

Weifang is also home to     9     (famous) Kite Museum in the world. In the Weifang Kite Museum, it is possible to see     10     impressive collection of kites from all periods. Professionals are able to figure out the period just by examining the materials and decorations used.

Most polar bears could die out by the end of the century due to global warming,     1     (scientist) say. According to a study, most polar bear populations will be dropping markedly by 2080. The cause is melting (融化) sea ice. Polar bears feed     2     (main) on seals on the ice. Without ice, the bears have to walk to faraway places and spend more and more time away from     3     (they) main food source. That means the animals could die.

Lack of food leads to another problem: Mother bears may not be fat enough to produce milk for their babies. Some bears could stop     4     (have) babies, which results     5     a rapid decline (减少) in numbers.

Arctic sea ice usually melts in spring and summer, and then grows in winter. But now, the ice is taking     6     (long) to grow back. Weather statistics say the Arctic is warming twice as fast as the rest of the planet. Ice in the region     7     (drop) by 13% every 10 years since the 1970s.

But the study also notes that it is still possible     8     (slow) Arctic melting. The world can cut the burning of coal, oil, etc. and lower the greenhouse gas emissions (排放)     9     bring about climate change. It would have to be a big drop to make     10     difference.