2 . Have you ever wondered why it feels so satisfying to sing in the shower? You are alone. You are warm. The air is moist, making your throat feel wet.     1     You’re at once relaxed and pleasantly energized by the water. Little can take you away from the simple tasks at hand. You control the speed and pitch. And the bathroom provides wonderful resonance (共鸣).

Now imagine singing while driving. You are sitting, stuck by a tight seat belt that limits airflow. Without any warm-up, you probably start right in with the first song you hear. The air is drier. And to stay awake, you may be drinking coffee, which can make you thirsty.     2     While singing along to the radio, your voice may get lost in the noise of the song and the car.

From my personal experience, I realize the importance of not only focusing but also setting the right conditions during practice.     3     This is why some argue against baseball players practising hitting before a game. They try hitting different types of throws, even slower ones that they wouldn’t see in a real game.

    4     To warm up, I practise deep breathing exercises and relax my tongue with “blah blah blahs.” Brightening my face helps make my sound more energetic. My voice becomes richer and stronger when I practise opening up my mouth by yawning, imagining the back of my mouth expanding like a frog’s. I also adjust the way I stand.     5    

Over a decade ago, Wu Kai, an enthusiast of ancient pagodas (塔), was looking for a book     1     comprehensively detailed the total number and locations of pagodas with quality introductions and images.

“I read extensively but found the books available had limited information and few good pictures,” he explains. Dissatisfied with the     2     (exist) options, Wu decided to create his own. Despite an estimated 10,000 ancient pagodas nationwide, many remain unaccounted for due to    3     (they) remote locations and poor conditions.

Visiting hilltop or cliff-top pagodas, or those hidden in deep forests,     4     (require) great determination, physical strength and even luck,     5     few people get to see them in person. For those who do, there’s the added challenge of taking good pictures, especially those suitable    6     print.

    7     (fortunate), Wu’s plan was applauded by like-minded enthusiasts, who generously contributed great     8     (photo). In 2019, Wu published a 500-page book introducing over 300 ancient pagodas in Beijing. He then continued to work with Wang Xuebin, one of the enthusiasts. In 2023, their weighty 960-page book     9     (release), entitled The l,001 Chinese Ancient Pagodas You Must See Before You Die.

“In each pagoda, I see the beauty of our heritage and the     10     (lose) values of simplicity, perfection, and respect for nature in modern life,” Wu writes in the introduction. “Across the vast land of China, no two pagodas are completely identical.”

4 . I have had no interest in football for as long as I can remember. While my classmates played, I _________ to stay in the library. I never _________ the passion for the game and would throw away the sports section of the newspaper, as if it _________ the rest of it. As I grew up, I proudly wore my _________ .

But occasionally, whether in a taxi or when meeting a friend's father, I found myself faced with a _________ opener like, “Terrible season we’re having, eh?” or simply, “Who do you support?” My heart sank, knowing my response would unavoidably _________ them, despite their good intentions.

I realized that my _________ had closed off many conversations, outings, and even potential friendships I might have _________ enjoyed. Although I couldn't change the fact that I found football boring, I began to regret being a(n) _________ .

Then I became a father. I didn’t want my boy to __________ this valuable social experience, so I took him to watch the Lions play. During those matches, we sat close to the field, surrounded by families who had a genuine __________ with the players. My kid’s questions kept me somewhat __________ in the game. Slowly, I started to__________ for the Lions.

During one victorious match, we even met David, the Captain, who happily __________ for a photo with my son. __________, I had an answer to the question,“Who do you support?”

5 . When it comes to cruise (游轮) travelling, there is truly something for everyone. See which one sounds right for you.

Wonder of the Seas

Cruise line: Royal Caribbean

Length: 1,188 feet

Width: 215 feet

Guest capacity: 7,084

A true wonder, the current biggest ship in the world delights guests every week with a feast of activities, shows, meals and memories. Royal Caribbean’s Wonder of the Seas has 16 guest decks, 2,204 crew members and 20 dining destinations — nine of which are free of charge. It features a dry slide that twists down 10 decks, surfing simulators and an ice skating rink.

The World Europa

Cruise line: MSC

Length: 1,093 feet

Width: 154 feet

Guest capacity: 6,762

The World Europa, which took to the sea for the first time in 2022, features some of the best rooms on a cruise ship, thanks to most cabins with a balcony. People looking for something a little less dramatic will enjoy six pools, five mini cinemas and three featured libraries at sea. You’ll never go hungry on this ship, given its 10 restaurants. including four main dining rooms and three buffets.

Arvia

Cruise line: P&O Cruses

Length: 1.130 feet

Width: 138 feet

Guest capacity: 6.685

Whether you want the sunshine of the Caribbean or the culture found in and around Mediterranean ports. Arvia is P&O’s largest cruise ship with 1,800 crew members, a three-screen cinema complex, a wide range of staterooms and four pools, including one with a swim-up bar, providing food and beverage. Whether you’re single or have children, serious rest and relaxation are definitely on the agenda.

Symphony of the Seas

Cruise line: Royal Caribbean

Length:1.188 feet

Width: 216 feet

Guest capacity: 6.680

Imagine you’re enjoying an all-inclusive experience on a big cruise ship. Symphony of the Seas offers many spectacular activities, including Broadway-style theater shows, surfing simulators and the 10-story dry slide. There’s also delicious food all over the ship. Guests rarely feel overcrowded because seven distinct areas carve up the ship into unique spaces to play, eat, wander, sleep and enjoy live entertainment.

More young people are trying their hand at farming the soil. Guo Lan, 29, works in a vegetable greenhouse on his organic farm     1     (locate) in the suburban district of Hefei, East China’s Anhui province. It is the eighth time this summer that Guo has failed to grow vegetables     2    using chemicals. Despite trying various homemade pest solutions, such as plant ash and mixtures of pepper and alcohol, the vegetable     3     (leaf) were still being eaten by insects. “I will not give up     4     (try),” the 29-year-old accountant-turned-farmer says. He is determined to turn his farm into     5     organic one, cultivating fruits and vegetables with the same flavors as those from his childhood memories.

“Growing tasty and healthy food     6     (be) my dream since I was a teenager. I know     7     challenging it can be, but if you take the soil     8     (serious), I believe it will pay off,” Guo says. He adds that farming is not a business that can make quick money, but for him, it has become an uplifting activity that brings back memories of spending time on the farm with     9     (he) parents as a child. Guo’s passion for organic farming and commitment to producing healthy food will surely inspire more young people to explore     10     (sustain) agriculture.

9 . I vividly remember the day when my husband and I set off on a new journey to Tanzania. He had been ______ a position there as a Civil Engineer. Accompanying him, my aim was to find a job shortly after. As you can imagine, I was very excited, even rather ______, as I’d never been abroad before. So, my first ______ was to get settled in this small town called Dodoma in the middle of Tanzania.

As we got off the train, however, at six in the morning, a lady came rushing along the ______ towards us. Completely out of breath, she said, “We’ve heard you’re from England and our school ______ needs an English teacher — please say you’ll help us.” I felt tired and ______ a shower after the journey. Though shocked by her ______, for some reason or other, I agreed to ______ it!

I washed, changed, had a quick bite to eat and was ______ to the two local teachers and my ______ at 8 o’clock. It felt like being thrown into the deep end, as my teaching timetable began ______ at 8:30! Although I’d hardly had time to get my breath, I never ______ my sudden decision.

Though my entry into this ______ was unexpected, I found joy in teaching those youngsters and gradually became part of the local community in the following years. I’ve been fortunate to ______ lifelong friendships, which has left a lasting ______ on both my students and myself.

10 . You are what you think. Whatever you are doing right now is determined by your thinking. All your emotions and desires are influenced by your thinking. The problem is that when you are not aware of your thinking, you have no chance of correcting it if it is poor. When thinking is subconscious, you are in no position to see any problems in it. And, if you don’t see any problems in it, you won’t be motivated to change it. What’s worse, few people realize the powerful role that thinking plays in their lives, so they don’t gain significant command of it. As a result, most people are in many ways victims of their thinking.

Consider your success as a student. The single most significant variable in determining your success as a student is the quality of your thinking. Your instructors will play a role in your learning, but even the best teachers cannot get into your head and learn for you. If you lack the intellectual skills necessary for thinking well through course content, you will not be successful in school.

Here is the key question we are putting to you in this book. If the quality of a person’s thinking is the single most significant determinant of both happiness and success, why not take the time to learn from the best thinkers?

This book will inform you of the tools that the best thinkers use and will illustrate the activities and practice you can use to begin to emulate them, and take control of your destiny as a thinker. Each chapter focuses on a different aspect of these thinking aids, helping you discover the power of your own mind and of your potential to think systematically about your thinking.

This book, as a whole, introduces you to the tools of mind that will help you reason well through various challenges you face. If you take these ideas seriously and practice using them, you can improve the quality of your thinking and ultimately, the quality of your life.