1 . A team from Newcastle University and Northumbria University in the UK has found that the thin, root-like threads produced by many fungi (真菌) can potentially be used as a biodegradable, wearable material that’s also able to repair itself.

In their tests, the researchers focused on the Ganoderma lucidum fungus, producing a skin from branching thin threads, which together weave into a structure called a mycelium (菌丝体). With a little more work, the fragile skins could serve as a substitute for leather, satisfying environmental and fashion tastes.

“The results suggest that mycelium materials can survive in dry and unfavourable environments, and self-repairing is possible with minimal intervention after a two-day recovery period, ” write the researchers in their published paper. However, the process used to produce these materials tends to kill off the fungal spores (孢子) that help the organism regenerate itself.

A new approach involving a mix of mycelia, proteins, and other nutrients in a liquid encouraged the growth of a skin. The results are currently too thin and delicate to be turned into a jacket. However, the researchers are confident that it’s possible that future innovations could turn it into a tougher skin, possibly by combining layers or plasticizing in glycerol. Crucially, the production process didn’t kill off the fungal spores. Tests on the material showed that it was indeed able to replace holes made in it. The material was as strong as before, though it was still possible to see where the holes had been.

“Due to their functional properties, the ability of this regenerative mycelium material to heal micro and macro defects opens interesting future prospects for unique product applications in leather-goods replacements such as furniture, automotive seals, and fashion wear,” write the researchers.

There’s a long way to go here before you’ll be wearing clothes made out of fungus. The growing and healing processes take several days to happen at the moment for example, something which could be sped up over time.

On March 21, an artist released a video     1     (title) “The Current Status of AI Utilization in Game Companies”, demonstrating the process of using AI in art. She said that her videos     2     (gain) only a few thousand views before. But this one swiftly got hundreds of thousands of views,     3     (cause) heated debate about the influence of AI on society.

AI painting,     4     involves coping human painting techniques, styles and thought processes via algorithms (算法) and models, enabling computers     5     (generate) artistic images, is a form of generative AI. The AI drawing software has achieved great popularity among users for its text-to-image method, which has     6     (dramatic) lowered the threshold (门槛) of artistic creation.

Despite the increased efficiency, people are becoming concerned about the possibility of losing their jobs. Not that long ago, painters     7     (think) to be immune to being replaced by AI. But now it appears     8     they are among the first professionals who might be out     9     a job because of the technology. For the time being, artists do not need to overly worry about being replaced by AI.     10     takes them years to perfect their ability to express their emotions, values and life experiences in unique ways, which is not attainable for AI-generated art at present.

3 . As my husband and I saw someone publicizing the benefits of spending time outdoors, we were lost in thought. Noticing my daughter had _________ a little homebody, we knew we had to _________ sport into our routine. We were determined to make skiing a family activity. But we needed our daughter’s _________.

When we persuaded my daughter to join us, we _________, two days at an all-inclusive family ski resort aiming to minimize the _________ of skiing with kids and maximize the fun that came on the slopes.

“Well done! You’ve arrived as scheduled,” said our ski instructor as we reached the resort. It was _________ nine degrees. It was freezing, but we got ready soon. I could _________ recognize my daughter because her face was wrapped in thick clothes like the others.

The resort took account of almost all the trouble we might have in skiing. Of the fifty-three runs, eight were greens labeled with _________reading. “Route For Beginners”. However, when our instructor _________ us to ski，our hopes of being a __________skiing family were dashed (使破灭). “Ahh!” escaped our lips. She was __________ and said, “Sorry, I thought you were ready.” Then she went on to lead us down a gentler way. We still __________ many times. Everyone slid down the slope, but not without falls.

While the experience frightened us, it also __________ our dinnertime conversation. My daughter told us, “Although I had a hard time skiing, there is no __________ of happiness” I responded, “Your father and I enjoyed ourselves, too.” The next day, we __________ there as beginner skiers, but we believed we would be certainly expert skiers.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) established 23 April     1     World Book and Copyright Day in 1995．However, it got its start long before that in Spain.

Setting aside a day to celebrate books traces its beginnings to Spanish writer Vicente Clavel Andrés. In 1922 he proposed     2     idea as a way to honour Miguel de Cervantes. It was four years later     3     the first celebration took place on 7 October, Cervantes’ birthday, but it was moved to 23 April, the date of his death, in 1930．

In 1995, the UNESCO     4     (decide) to pay homage to authors and books worldwide as a way of encouraging everyone     5     (access) books. Choosing 23 April seemed a logical     6     (choose); besides being the date of Cervante’s death, it also happens to be the date William Shakespeare and Inca Garcilaso de la Vega died. Additionally, several distinguished authors were born on 23 April,     7     (make) it a symbolic date in the world literature.

    8     (annual) since 2001, one city is chosen to be the UNESCO World Book Capital for a year. The selected city     9     (task) with carrying out activities over its year-long designation to encourage “a culture of reading and diffusing its values in all ages and population groups in and out of the national borders”.

The initiative was put forward by Spain in 2001, and Madrid was designated the first capital,     10     (follow) by Alexandria and then New Delhi.

5 . Eric Moussambani is the first swimmer from Equatorial Guinea to compete in the Olympics. He found his passion for swimming shortly after high school. At the time, he didn’t know how to ________, but he knew it was a sport he wanted to ________.

Unfortunately, there were no ________ swimming pools in his country. ________, he found a hotel pool where he could only swim three hours a week. When he couldn’t ________ the pool, he trained in rivers and the sea, with the local fishermen ________ him on how to use his legs and arms.

After about eight months of swimming, Eric gained ________ into the 2000 Summer Olympics through a programme designed to ________ sports development in developing countries.

In Sydney, Eric saw an Olympic-size swimming pool for the first time. It was so big that Eric said he was so ________ to compete in it. In ________ his event, Eric trained at the same time with the US team and took the opportunity to ________ their techniques closely.

On September 19, 2000, Eric stepped out for the men’s 100-metre freestyle competition. “I swam the first 50 metres really well,” said Eric. After turning for the second length, however, Eric found his legs stiffened (变僵硬). “It was then I heard the crowd shouting, encouraging me to go. It gave me the ________ to make it to the end.” Eric ________ the race with a time of 1:52.72, the ________ recorded time in Olympic history. But the audience did not care. They ________ him as if he had broken the world record.

Best wishes,

Li Hua