2 . There comes a time when the old must give way to the new, and it is not possible to preserve everything from our past as we move towards the future. Finding and keeping the right balance between progress and the protection of cultural sites can be a big challenge.

Big challenges, however, can sometimes lead to great solutions. In the 1950s, the Egyptian government wanted to build a new dam across the Nile in order to control floods, produce electricity, and supply water to more farmers in the area. But the proposal led to protests. Water from the dam would likely damage a number of temples and destroy cultural relics that were an important part of Egypt’s cultural heritage. After listening to different voices, the government turned to the United Nations for help in 1959.

A committee was established to limit damage to the Egyptian buildings and prevent the loss of cultural relics. The group asked for contributions from different departments and raised funds within the international community. Experts investigated the issue, conducted several tests, and then made a proposal for how the buildings could be saved. Finally, a document was signed, and the work began in 1960.

The project brought together governments and environmentalists from around the world. Temples and other cultural sites were taken down piece by piece, and then moved and put back together again in a place where they were safe from the water. In 1961, German engineers moved the first temple. Over the next 20 years, thousands of engineers and workers rescue d 22 temples and countless cultural relics. Fifty countries donated nearly $80 million to the project. When the project ended in 1980, it was considered a great success. Not only had the countries found a path to the future that did not run over the relics of the past, but they had also learnt that it was possible for countries to work together to build a better tomorrow.

The spirit of the Aswan Dam project is still alive today. If a problem seems too difficult for a single nation, the global community can sometimes provide a solution.

3 . Anger is the most destructive emotion. When in a temper, you make hasty ill-considered decisions that you will probably regret. You will also regret language spoken without thought. How to stop being angry?     1    

Change your attitude to the way the world works. You have to accept that sometimes things do go wrong and that people are not always lovely.     2     Also, you need to accept that not everyone has the same standards as you, nor will they behave in the same way that you would in a given situation. The answer is to be a bit more flexible and loosen your hold on life.

Don’t dismiss anger as a bad emotion. There are occasions when anger can be directed in such a way as to achieve great things. Martin Luther King was angry about the lack of civil rights in the USA. Gandhi was angry about British domination in India.     3     Use anger to help you not prevent you.

    4     Anger management used to be promoted as a way of dealing with anger, but all that happens is that the anger is held back. A much better way of facing up to anger is to identify the root cause. When trying to get to the root cause, be prepared to be honest with yourself. Once you know why you get mad, it is possible to deal with the cause. Take positive steps to help you overcome feelings of anger.

    5     Make changes to your lifestyle and attitudes, and you will stop being angry.

6 . Most birds, in particular, exhibit some degree of patterns and colours. Australia’s zebra finch (斑胸草雀), for example, was so named because of the zebra-like black and white bars on its tail. But it also has many other colours and patterns, from a bright orange bill to fine white spots along its reddish-brown sides. It’s not uncommon to spot the bird in the drier parts of Australia.

We tend to suppose all individuals of that species have their spots and bars in the same places. Look closer yet we’ll see that the quantity and design of these patterns vary between individuals. And somehow a bird exhibits a more obvious feather variation. Occasionally, we see one that has larger than usual pale areas of feathers or, more rarely, has lost its normal patterning altogether.

Colouration and patterning in all animals are caused by a range of pigments (色素). Melanin (黑色素) is responsible for blacks and browns, and a lack of this pigment can cause a partial or total loss of an individual’s dark patterning. The two main terms that describe these abnormalities are albinism and leucism. Both conditions are genetic and both can lead to a very similar physical appearance. Leucism, however, causes a lack of the pigment cells that produce melanin. But albinism causes the production of melanin to be reduced or absent.

Can we distinguish between the two conditions without the help of a cellular biologist? Yes. Albino animals have fully unpigmented red eyes. Leucistic animals, on the other hand, never completely lose pigment from the eye, although they can have blue eyes due to a partial loss of pigment.

Why don’t we see more albino or leucistic birds? Because the lack of melanin reduces the strength and lastingness of the affected birds’ feathers, making them more easily broken. Additionally, the birds’ vision and hearing are negatively affected, making them less able to hunt. The brighter feathers and lack of patterning also make them easier for attackers to see.

7 . If you wrestle with insomnia (失眠), you probably have been tempted to try anything that promises better sleep. One thing that might sound a little strange but that has been known to work: adding a weighted blanket to those bedcovers.     1     Alanna McGinn, founder and lead sleep expert at Good Night Sleep Site, says, “I’m an advocate of them because they can work so well.”

About 32% of Americans don’t get enough sleep, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the US.    2     But as many as 35% of adults have trouble sleeping from time to time, and 10% regularly have trouble falling and staying asleep.

Just as swaddling (用襁褓裹住) babies can send them to sleep, using a weighted blanket helps your heart and breathing slow and your body release feel-good hormones. The weight — usually between 5 and 30 pounds, which sounds like a lot but is spread out over the entire bed—comes usually from plastic or glass beads (珠子) surrounded by filling.    3    

A 2020 review looked at eight studies and concluded that weighted blankets helped reduce anxiety but not necessarily insomnia.    4     A randomized controlled study in Sweden in 2020 looked at 120 people with insomnia and also depression, anxiety or other metal disorders. Those who used a weighted blanket reported that they had better sleep and were less tired, anxious and depressed during the day.

    5     “If you’re someone with circulatory conditions such as diabetes or breathing issues, you should check with your doctor before using a weighted blanket,” adds McGinn.

Over 400 pieces or sets of Dehua white porcelain (德化白瓷) are     1     display in the National Museum of China in Beijing, with the exhibition running from Aug. 26 for three months.

Dehua white porcelain is famous for     2     (it) pure white color. Dehua white porcelain     3     (extraordinary) pure and white because the kaolin (高岭土) in Dehua county in Fujian has a low percentage of iron, making the porcelain stainless like white jade, earning it the French name “Blanc de Chine”, or “white from China”.

Sitting in Quanzhou city,     4     the ancient Maritime Silk Road started, Dehua white porcelain     5     (sell) like hotcakes at home and abroad since the Song Dynasty (960-1279). In 2006, Dehua white porcelain was listed as     6     national intangible cultural heritage.

Despite the past glories, Dehua craftsmen never stop improving their skills. One     7    (impress) skill is “the eggshell technique(薄胎技艺)”. The eggshell technique in Dehua     8    (date) back to the Ming Dynasty. With the technique     9     (improve) by generations of craftsmen, today’s eggshell porcelain can be made as thin as paper.

By combining traditional Chinese artistic skills with modern disciplines(学科) like material science and humanities, Blanc de Chine will continue to enhance the cultural confidence of the Chinese people as they create even more outstanding     10     (work).