The year of 2023 marks the 20th anniversary of China’s first manned space mission, with Yang Liwei     1     (become) the first Chinese astronaut to go to space in 2003. Since then, another 19 astronauts     2     (reach) for the stars. Experts revealed how tough the training is before astronauts soaring (高飞) to space.

The human body is not designed for space life. Astronauts are faced with multiple challenges. The changes in gravity can have an impact     3     their bodies. The confinement (封闭) in a small spacecraft can damage their mental health.     4     (emergency) challenge their knowledge and ability. So astronauts have to meet     5     (extreme) high standards and go through a tough training program.

To make sure astronauts complete their missions and return to Earth safely, eight types, including over 200 subjects of training, were set. Apart from physical fitness training, it also contains     6     (base) scientific theories, psychological health, and mock (模拟) missions.

    7     makes the training the most tiring is underwater training. This training is designed for astronauts     8     (adapt) to the microgravity environment. Astronauts stay underwater in suits weighing over 100 kilograms for six hours at     9     time. Water resistance and the heavy suit make astronauts     10     (exhaust).

Each astronaut receives training for at least three and a half years before having the chance to go to space.

Videos of 77-year-old Xu Xiuzhen, who speaks different languages with foreigners while working at a scenic spot selling water, postcards and headdress flowers, have brought her instant fame.

Xu’s village     1     (locate) at the base of Moon Hill, a popular tourist destination famed for a moon-shaped hole at the summit. She has been working as a tour guide and vendor (小贩) in Yangshuo,     2     county and resort town in southern China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region since 1998,     3     the area became famous for foreign backpackers and organized tours.

Xu, who dropped out of junior school in the third grade, began to learn different languages to attract more foreign customers. Xu said she would convert words in any language into Chinese characters     4     (base) on their pronunciation and then memorize them. Repeating the words in her head before going to bed and     5     (immediate) after waking up has given her fluency in basic conversations with foreigners.

Over the past two decades, Xu     6     (teach) herself 11 foreign languages, including English, Spanish, Japanese and Korean. In addition to     7     (make) her incredibly popular, her excellent linguistic ability has made it easier for her to communicate with foreign tourists. Xu has also become one of the busiest tour     8     (guide) in Yangshuo. Her reputation draws a large crowd of tourists every day, especially foreign visitors, who come to meet the multilingual guide out of     9     (admire).

“More and more foreign tourists are coming to Yangshuo, and I hope they will feel     10     home here with my help,” she said.

From London’s Trafalgar Square to major cities across Britain, tens of thousands of British people have joined Chinese communities    1     (welcome) the arrival of the Chinese New Year.

In Manchester there was a Dragon Parade,    2     (lead) by a very breathtaking 54-meter long dragon, ending in Chinatown    3    people could enjoy a wide range of Chinese food and enjoy a spectacular fireworks show.    4     (celebrate) also took place in Liverpool, Birmingham, Lake District, Durham, Edinburgh, Leeds and Newcastle.

Academic Dr. Wu Kegang said, “ The Chinese New Year event in Britain is now     5    (impress) than ever and it is growing every year”.

On arrival in Britain 26 years ago from Guangdong, south China,    6     first thing Wu noticed was that Chinese New Year was celebrated    7    (main) in towns and cities with big Chinese communities. “You would go to London Chinatown and join your countrymen to celebrate,    8     to Chinatowns in places like Liverpool and Manchester for events almost only held for Chinese people,” Wu recalled.

“    9     is different now, is that we are seeing local communities all over the country taking part alongside their own Chinese populations,” he said. “ It is clear to me that the event will continue to grow in Britain where Chinese New Year    10    (earn) its place in the calendar of events so far.”

The Lunar New Year, or Spring Festival, has been     1     (official) listed as a UN floating holiday in its calendar of conferences and meetings as from 2024.

The UN General Assembly (大会), in a resolution, acknowledges the significance of the Lunar New Year, which is observed in many UN member states,     2     invites the UN bodies at headquarters and other duty stations,     3     observed, to avoid holding meetings on the Lunar New Year.

    4     resolution, adopted on Friday without a vote, encourages this arrangement     5     (take) into account when drafting future calendars of conferences and meetings.

Dai Bing, China’s deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, said after the     6     (adopt) of the resolution that the Spring Festival, as a traditional Chinese holiday     7     (feature) family reunion and good wishes for the coming year, not only bears the ideas of the Chinese civilization of peace and harmony but also     8     (carry) the common values of humanity such as     9     (harmony) family, social inclusion (包容) and sound relationship between man and nature.

Dai said China’s efforts to promote the Spring Festival     10     a UN holiday are a pragmatic (务实的) step toward realizing its Global Civilization Initiative and advocating for diversity in civilizations.

8 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

Seagrass meadows (海草床) are wonder plants growing beneath the sea. Thanks to the assistance of tiger sharks,     1     huge seagrass meadow in the Bahamas Banks was recently discovered, offering the world a tool     2     (fight) climate change.

In this study, tiger sharks were selected as research tools due to their     3     (high) consistent associations with seagrass ecosystems. They spend 70% of their time in seagrass meadows. The team equipped eight tiger sharks     4     satellite tags, and used a 360-degree camera on a shark for the first time ever.

So far, the world’s largest seagrass ecosystem, measuring at least 66,900 square kilometers,     5     (discover). This reflects a 41% increase from previous estimates of global seagrass. In terms of climate change, seagrass is 35 times     6     (fast) at removing carbon than tropical rainforests. Yet seagrass meadows are rapidly disappearing, with over 92% of meadows in the UK     7     (go). Scientists are collecting seeds and trying to grow new seagrass meadows through restoration     8     (project). This new discovery offers optimism and proves the importance of the ocean for healing.

The sharks led us to the seagrass ecosystem in the Bahamas,     9     is likely to be the most significant blue carbon sink on the planet. The discovery shows us that ocean exploration and research play an important role in solving     10     (globe) issues like climate change.

Zhoukoudian is a small village lying about 50 kilometers to the southwest of Beijing City. In the 1920s, archaeologists discovered some prehistoric human bones there,     1     changed people’s view of China’s history. They     2     (come) from an unknown species of man, and were the first evidence of human life in China thousands of years ago. The remains were three teeth!

In 1929, a complete skull (颅骨)    3     (dig) out. Eventually, archaeologists found almost 200 items, including 6 skulls and more than 150 teeth. These discoveries proved the existence of a human species who lived in the area between 700, 000 and 200, 000 years ago. Four sites where Peking Man and their     4     (relative)lived were discovered on the northern face of Longgushan.

Zhoukoudian was listed     5    a World Heritage Site in December 1987. It has not only given     6     (we) important information about prehistoric Asian societies, but also provided amazing evidence about the process of evolution. Today, parts of the caves have been     7     (bad) destroyed by rain. Some areas are almost completely covered in weeds, causing serious damage. Also, pollution     8     (cause) by the nearby factories has contributed to the problem. This is     9     very serious matter. The Chinese Academy of Sciences is doing all it can     10    (raise) public awareness of it.

On Dec 17, 2020, China’s taijiquan, or tai chi, was added to UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.    1     more than two years have passed, Chen Bing is still excited about it.  

Chen Bing was the first     2       (show) the classic moves of tai chi in the introduction film that was submitted to UNESCO. “It proves to me    3       the cause I’ve engaged in is world-class and for all humanity,” Chen said. 

Taijiquan was influenced by Taoism, Confucianism and the theories of    4     (tradition) Chinese medicine. It has developed into many schools or styles, usually    5     (name) after a clan (宗派) or a master, such as Chen-style and Yang-style.  

Chen Bing is one of the inheritors (传承人) of the Chen-style taijiquan. He    6     (practise) it since he was six years old under the guidance of his uncles, Chen Xiaowang and Chen Xiaoxing,    7       are two iconic figures of Chen-style taijiquan in Henan Province. “Chen-style taijiquan has the longest history, and other styles directly or indirectly branched out from it,” Chen added.  

Public     8     (enthusiastic) has grown greatly in China in recent years. Chen and 100 other masters have been livestreaming on video-sharing mobile apps like Douyin. The livestreaming has drawn in more than 400,000 viewers. 

To make taijiquan    9     (increase) popular, Chen also developed a simplified version of some of the moves to help people relax at the office. Chen said taijiquan has taught him to stay calm during life’s ups and downs and face the world with an open mind. He has nurtured more than 400 disciples (弟子) who,    10     turn, have passed the knowledge on to their students.