Three hundred years ago, merchants from Shanxi Province started a daring journey along the ancient tea road, spanning over 10,000 kilometers     1     (introduce) Chinese tea flavors to the world. Unknowingly, they also brought back foreign glassware craftsmanship,     2     developed successfully in Qixian county.

There     3     (be) 53 glassware production companies in Qixian at present, making over 8,000 product     4     (variety). Last year, they produced 250,000 metric tons of glassware products valued     5     an estimated 2.3 billion yuan. Its success results from skilled craftsmanship and automation.

The workers’ attention to detail and artistic talent make Qixian’s glassware stand out in a highly     6     (compete) global market. Yet, there is the twin challenge of limited output and high production expenses.

Qixian assigns high-end and personalized creations to skilled craftsmen and leaves     7     (simple) and standardization to the precision of machines. This approach maintains product quality, meets market needs, and preserves     8     unique core that sets them apart.

The jourmey to transform Qixian’ s glassware companies into time-honored brands may be a     9     (wind) path, but the persistence and innovation the businesses possess will help them get there     10     (eventual), said Li Jiansheng, chairman of Qixian Honghai Glass Co Ltd.

4 . The magic of baseball is its fluid connection between players, each in the right position at the right time, playing their part to perfection. When a team is on the site of competition, there is nothing more breathtaking than baseball. But it takes a lot of practice to look effortless.

That’s what was happening —practice —one afternoon when the Valley High School team was distracted by a scream for help. Coach Brett Sawyer heard the noise and saw the en-tire team rushing towards the parking lot, jumping over fences.

One of their schoolmates was stuck under a car that had accidentally backed over her. One of the players, Chas Roberts, remembered afterward, “You had to do what you had to do to save someone’s life.” The players quickly surrounded the car, each taking a hold, and lifted the car. An assistant coach was then able to pull the girl out from underneath the car. She is expected to make a full recovery.

Maybe it’s the connection human beings have with each other, rushing in to help when it’s needed. And maybe playing together as a team became natural because each knew what to do. Or maybe it’s both. Maybe, deep inside, we all know that we are on the same team.

The next day, the varsity team lost their last game of the year. But winning was a little less important to them that day. The coach was proud of them for what they accomplished and said, “To be honest, we might not have the best baseball team around, but we do have a great group of guys.”

The magic of life is the fluid connection between people: how they love, how they share, how they help. There is nothing more breathtaking than the game of life well played.

5 . Here are some favorite films and TV shows of 2023.

Better Things, Season 5

What Pamela Adlon and her special, Iovable, anxious, sensitive, humorous, weak, rude and brilliant colleagues managed to bring to these characters over five seasons was special. Few shows have made me feel emotions so deeply with every episode. Even fewer have felt truly aspirational, inviting me to dream of having a community as warm and welcoming as the one Sam has created and raised alongside her three children, her mother and the many friends who are basically family.

Genre: Comedy, Drama

Mo

Mo Amo’s half hour comedy is a heartfelt family story with an incredible flavor. The fictional Mo’s endless struggles have led him into a dilemma, which makes him easily to various economic risks and the potential risks that may arise from his decisions. The center of the program is Amir’s sharp and compassionate performance, which is in line with both the elements of comedy and the child’s love for his mother’s homemade olive oil.

Genre: Comedy, Drama

The Last Movie Stars

Directed by Ethan Hawke, this thorough and thoughtful look at the lives of Joanne Woodward and Paul Newman is not just biography; it perfectly illustrates the combination of heroes and art. Hawke’s assembly of contemporary actors to read from old interviews with Hollywood legends works brilliantly, and the result is impressive as well as deeply touching.

Genre: Biography, Documentary, Romance

6 . Problem-solving skills are increasingly valuable in the workplace and could help you achieve more in your personal life too. Mastering these skills involves adopting effective approaches that enhance your ability to face challenges and find solutions.     1    

Develop analytical thinking

Analytical thinking is a very important skill. It breaks down big issues into smaller, more manageable components.     2    Begin by clearly defining (定义) the problem at hand, finding out its key components and recognizing the interconnections between them. In the end, individuals can tum challenging problems into manageable insights.

    3    

Clear and simple communication is the key to effective problem-solving. Effective communication begins with clearly defining the problem statement. This involves choosing the right words, structuring information, and being mindful of the audience to ensure that your message is broad. Also, active listening is the skill of receiving information with focus. It involves not just hearing words but understanding the differences, emotions and ultimate messages.

Promote cooperation.

Effective problem solving often develops rapidly in a cooperative environment, where diverse opinions fuel innovation.     4    By acknowledging and valuing the differences, the team can create a cooperative environment. The whole s truly greater than the sum of its parts. Also, the atmosphere is powerful to effective problem-solving.

Stay informed.

    5    Staying informed about current events and relevant information equips individuals with a broader understanding of potential challenges. It requires a sharp eye for credible sources of information. And staying informed involves continuous learning and a devotion to keeping up with developments in your field.

No amount of begging (乞求) would change my father’s mind about getting a pet. No matter how desperately I begged, his answer was "No! " Finally, I accepted that he was not going to change his mind. I did the only thing that I could. I spent as much time as possible around other people’s pets and I often spent time at a place called Best Friends, an animal shelter near my house. Animals ended up there when their owners could no longer care for them.

Whenever I visited the shelter (收容所), I dreamed about taking one of the dogs home with me. One day after school, I stopped off at Best Friends like I usually did. Suddenly, I saw a large, shaggy, yellow dog standing in the corner, and when he saw me, he wagged his tail and began whining (哀鸣).

“That’s Fenway,” Renee, the woman at the desk, said. “He whines continuously. His owners brought him here when they moved overseas.”

“He must be lonely,” I suggested.

“Your parents won’t let you have a dog?” Renee asked. I didn’t answer, but my look must have said everything, because then she said, “That’s too bad. These dogs need good homes and good people to take care of them.” On my way home, I had an idea to assist shelter pets like Fenway. I wrote a touching story as if Fenway were writing it. I told all about his family and why he had no home, shedding light on (解释) his longing for a loving family. With the shelter director’s approval, I proposed sharing more stories in newspapers and online to attract potential adopters.

The next weekend, the shelter was flooded with families who wanted pets. They were all drawn by the heartfelt stories of animals like Fenway. Fenway’s tail wagged so fast that I was afraid it might fall off. I stood with Fenway as people admired him. His playful nature and hopeful eyes won over many visitors` hearts, leading to a rise in adoptions.

Suddenly, I saw my parents walking into the shelter towards Fenway.

I was confused why my father changed his mind.

8 . When you're a kid, theme days at school are a big deal. They're a chance to dress up in something special and   _____________from your regular routine. So when you can't participate in one, it is sad. That happened to a first-grade student named Levi recently. _____________his bus driver stepped in to _____________the day.

As the driver, Larry Farrish noticed the boy was   _____________. When Farrish asked what was wrong, the boy   _____________he didn't have pajamas (睡衣) for Pajama Day. Farrish knew he should do something. After   _____________his job, he headed over to a store. There, he   _____________a pair of pajamas that might _____________ the boy and drove back to the school.

He asked the office to call Levi down, and that's when their days took a major   _____________ "I can tell Mr Larry is   ________________" Levi said. "When he got me the pajamas, I did a   ________________ cry.”

As a driver, Farish feels that his   ________________allows him to connect with kids more and he takes the job seriously. Doing so can influence how kids ________________. Not only do kids learn by   ________________, but when they know they're   ________________, they do thrive (成长).

9 . A new study from a team at the University of Pittsburgh has discovered blood-based markers that can reveal someone’s biological age, which could help treat various health problems that can happen as our bodies get older.

We have our actual ages—the number of years we’ve been alive—and then we have biological ages, which is related to the wear and tear on cells and organs. Knowing this biological age can help us work out disease risk, tailor treatments, and better understand the different rates at which our bodies break down.

“Imagine two people aged 65,” says Aditi Gurkar, a scientist at the University of Pittsburgh. “One rides a bike to work and goes skiing on the weekends and the other can’t climb a flight of stairs.”

They have the same age, but different biological ages. Why do these two people age differently? To help answer this question, the researchers enlisted the help of 196 elderly adults, separated into two groups: one group of volunteers aged 75 or older who were classified as healthy agers, and the other group of volunteers aged 65-75 who were classified as rapid agers. The healthy agers were able to climb a flight of stairs or walk for 15 minutes without resting, while the rapid agers had to take breaks through each activity.

The distinction gave the study team the chance to look at differences between the groups in metabolites（代谢物）: small chemical substances left by biological processes in the body. They can be used as evidence for which processes are happening, and how well they’re running.

“We chose to look at metabolites because they are dynamic,” says Gurkar. “They change in real time to reflect our current health and how we feel, and we have the power to influence them through our lifestyle, diet and environment.”

With more research, it might be possible to develop a blood test for quick and easy biological age judgment. That test could then be run on people at earlier ages, when changes to molecular processes are easier to edit.