4 . Last August, I visited Melbourne Zoo and saw a baby Sumatran orangutan (苏门答腊猩猩). His birth was part of an international program to help the Sumatran orangutan survive as a species. At the moment these beautiful animals are in danger of disappearing in the next 10 to 20 years.

Melbourne Zoo is a modern zoo. Like most modern zoos, it cares very much about animals. It is not a cruel place. You could certainly argue that zoos were cruel places in the past, but I don't believe you can argue that they are cruel places today.

In the past, zoos were exhibition parks. Their only purpose was to give humans pleasure, by showing them wonderful animals that they would otherwise never see. Because animals were only there for the good of humans, no one took much care of them. They were transported thousands of miles around the world, then locked up in small, lonely cages (笼子). In those days, zoos were cruel.

These days, things are very different. The whole purpose of zoos has changed. Now zoos have three main purposes: education, conservation (保护) and research. They aim to make animals better off everywhere. Because of this, the way animals are cared for is also different.

Education is a big part of the activity at zoos. At Sydney's Taronga Park Zoo, for example, 130, 000 school children attend special programs every year to learn about how animals behave and what they need to live. The aim is to make children learn more about animals now so that they will care about them when they are adults.

Zoos play a major role in the protection and conservation of endangered species. The Sumatran orangutan is just one example of the many animals that are better off because of special programs.

Zoos carry out many important research programs which help animals in captivity (囚禁) and in the wild. Recent research, for example, has shown that many intelligent animals enjoy playing games while in captivity.

Modern zoos care about animals first, and people second. Zoos are not cruel places.

Paper lanterns are beautiful decorative lanterns     1    (original) made of rice or silk paper, covering a light source. They have been used     2    (decorate) rooms during festivals and other important     3    (occasion) for hundreds of years. Nowadays,    4    (hang) lanterns is still one of the traditional customs in many places.

Due     5    the thin covering of paper lanterns, the lanterns are very beautiful when they are lit. Different paintings and designs     6    (attach) to the thin covering that make the lantern more attractive. The only color not traditionally used in making paper lanterns is white; it is often used in memory of     7    dead in many Asian cultures. Paper lanterns have various shapes and sizes. A common design is the ball or globe design,     8    holds its shape by being stretched(伸展) over bamboo strips.

It is very unusual today to see paper lanterns that hold candles, unless the paper     9    (use) is fire resistant(耐火的). It's simply too easy for them to catch fire, otherwise. So in modern times, for     10    (safe), people often use a small electric light instead of a candle to avoid possible fires.

6 . The future is coming! All over the world there are many new ideas for new places to live and work in. Some of them will be in the sea! They will be very big and lots of people will live and work in them.

The Americans are planning to build a town called Atlantis City. It will be in the sea, about five miles away from the land. But the most exciting idea comes from Japan. It is Aeropolis. Aeropolis will be a huge sea city, with parks, schools, a hospital and an airport(飞机场). And it will move(移动)! It will travel slowly around the world. There are just two problems. Aeropolis will cost a lot of money to make. And for people who get seasick, it won’t be much fun.

9 . “The past is a different country; they do things differently there," L.P. Hartley wrote in one of his best-known novels, The Go-Between. To the British novelist, the past was irrelevant. And one of my Chinese students once told me "I have no interest in the past. I'm only interested in the present and the future." I have to disagree. The "past" is a very interesting country, and the more we know about it, the more we will be able to understand the present and thus, prepare ourselves for the future.

An ideal place, as I see it, that can allow us to look back on the past is the museum. I prefer to visit museums as if you are sitting in the same room with some of the greatest men in history. While no museums can claim to offer a complete picture of human history, the lessons we can learn from the events and wonders of the past are of great value.

Thanks to modern technology, museums are being transformed from places of looking and learning to spaces of participation and interaction. A large number of immersive (沉浸式) multi-media displays, which allow visitors to engage with its exhibits during their visit, play a big part at the Shanghai Natural History Museum.

The rise in technology has also made museums more accessible than ever. Since the outbreak of COVID-19, traditional museums have started to think outside of the box in order to create new ways for visitors to experience their collections online. It is definitely good news for those who are fascinated by museums but are struggling to actually go there. However, you shouldn't expect to get the same experience that an in-person visit would provide, at least, that is, for now.

International Museum Day is observed on May 18 every year. This is a quick reminder that you should always spare some time to visit museums and appreciate the "must-see 'em" things that are an important part of the cultural heritage of humankind.

My grandfather is a Party member. He often shares stories about the Communist Party of China     1     me. One day, he talked about his fight in the Anti-Japanese War. He admitted that he had been afraid, but his determination to defend the country helped him overcome his fear. I thought my grandfather was a hero. He often reminds me that our     2     (peace) and happy life today is because of revolutionary martyrs (烈士). Our generation should be grateful to our great Party.     3     (inspire) by these stories, I make up my mind to study hard and make our country more powerful.