1 . It’s unlikely that we’ll see a dodo, a flightless bird, walking this earth anytime again, according to Beth Shapiro, a evolutionary molecular biologist.

“When most people think about de-extinction, they’re imagining cloning,” Shapiro said. Cloning, the approach that created Dolly, the sheep in 1996 and Elizabeth Ann, the black-footed ferret in 2020, creates an identical genetic copy of an individual by putting DNA from a living adult cell into an egg cell from which the nucleus (细胞核) has been removed. Adult cells contain all the DNA needed to develop into a living animal. Egg cells then use that DNA as a blueprint to turn themselves into many kinds of cells——skin, organs, blood and bones——the animal needs.

“But no living cells from dodos exist. Instead,” Shapiro said, “you’d have to start with a closely related animal’s genome (基因组) and then change it into one similar to dodos.” For example， mammoths (猛犸) are also extinct，but they were very closely related to modern Asian elephants, so researchers are attempting to bring mammoths back from extinction by creating a hybrid mammoth with some mammoth genes replacing part of the elephant genome in an elephant egg cell. However, there are likely millions of genetic differences between the genome of an Asian elephant and that of a mammoth according to Shapiro.

As for the dodo, its closest living relative is the Nicobar pigeon. Mammoths and Asian elephants are pretty closely related, whereas it had been more than 20 million years since the dodo and the Nicobar pigeon had any common ancestors. Genetic differences between the two bird species are therefore much greater, making it a formidable task to create a successful hybrid in the lab, Shapiro said.

Even if scientists manage to bring dodos back, the island where they once lived is a very different place nowadays, which make it impossible to reintroduce dodos without major intervention.

Confucius was born into a middle class family in Lu State, an area with the modern city of Qufu, in China’s Shandong Province. Now, he     1     (remember) for his teachings, which, along with the works of his students，formed the rule of Confucianism (儒学) many     2     (year) after his passing away.

Confucius also lived     3     active political life. From his job as Minister of Crime, he took part in a campaign (运动) to distance Lu from the rule of the state instead of     4     (work) for the central government. However, the plan failed. After a short period of being sent to live in another country, Confucius could finally return to Lu state     5     (spend) the rest of his life as a teacher of philosophy.

Even up to the time of Confucius’s     6     (die), his teachings were not     7     (wide) accepted in China, and most of     8     (they) were lost when the emperor Qin ordered the burning of Confucius’s books.

Yet, his philosophical (哲学的) ideas survived during the later Han Dynasty. Emperor Han Wudi,    9     was inspired by the social and political wisdom of Confucius, accepted Confucianism and applied his systems of morality everywhere from classrooms     10     law courts. The teachings of Confucius still spread far across China and the Far East.

3 . Recycling is a great way of doing your bit for the environment and helping to protect the earth’s precious resources. However, a new study has revealed that our desire to be sustainable maybe doing more harm than good. According to waste company Biffa, this is because of “wish-cycling” — assuming that items such as disposable coffee cup sand pizza boxes will be recycled if put in the recycling bin. In fact, pollution from those items or other non-recyclables can result in recyclable items that have been put in the correct bin going to landfill. David Heaton, a business director at Biffa, said: “Pollution happens when items are disposed of in the wrong bins or haven’t been cleaned before being recycled.”

Experts at Biffa analyzed the amounts of non-target and non-recyclable materials that entered UK material recycling facilities between 2016 and 2020. It was found that, in 2016, the average pollution rate of recycling waste was 13.4 percent, rising over four years to 17 percent by the end of 2020. This shows that, even as people are becoming more eco-conscious, wish-cycling is increasing both in households and businesses.

The Biffa experts say that one of the best ways to prevent pollution of recycling is to clean recyclable waste before putting it in the bin. They suggest cutting off the top of old pizza boxes and only recycling that part to avoid pollution from the grease (油脂). Check the on-packaging recycling label to check it can actually be recycled When it comes to plastics, Biffa recommends checking the resin code, the number in the plastic triangle, to know whether it should go in the recycling bin. In general, resin codes 1, 2, 4 and 5 are recyclable, while 3, 6 and 7 are not. Larger items, like electronics, furniture and batteries, can also be recycled but often can not go in household recycling bins as they need specialist separating. These will need to be taken to recycling centers or sustainable waste management companies.

“It’s vital as a nation that we get better at effective ‘pre-cycling’— sorting waste correctly before collection to reduce pollution rates,” added Mr. Heaton.

5 . For decades, I was a hard drinker who could drink anyone under the table. This lasted from the age of 27 until after 50, a golden time during which I felt very sorry for ex-drinkers and people who couldn’t or wouldn’t drink. How did they make it through social situations, especially parties? What did they do at the end of a workday to celebrate and relax?     1    

When I first tried to quit drinking myself in my early 50s, I wasn’t sure at first how it would work for me. But I did it anyway.    2     I was getting older. I had to concede that I wasn’t as tough as I used to be. Nights of drinking too much showed in my face, and I could feel it in my bones. I wanted to take care of myself. So for the next few years, I bounced between not drinking at all for months at a time, then slowly starting again until I had to quit again.

During these years, I didn’t love not drinking. But I had to admit that when I was off booze, I looked and felt better physically: I slept more deeply, had more energy, exercised more. My mind was clearer. My moods were brighter. Parties were hard, and so was cooking at the end of a day of writing without a glass of wine at my elbow.    3    

I finally quit drinking for real almost four years ago, on 12 July 2019, when a writer friend stayed with my husband and me after his wife kicked him out. After my husband had gone upstairs to bed, my friend sat on our sofa drinking an entire bottle of gin, complaining about his fate, until he passed out next to our dog, whose bed that sofa was.    4     I didn’t have a drink the next night, or ever again since.

I’m not going to lie: being sober is not a hot-air balloon ride.    5     Having to feel my damn feelings without filters compels me to face and change the things in my life that keep me stuck. Hard work all around, but as my reward, I connect more deeply with the people I care about. I think of not drinking as a kindness I’ve given myself. And to my surprise, it’s rewarded me with true, hard-won happiness.

Zibo, the origin of Shandong cuisine and the hometown of Qi culture, keeps its taste of thousands of years ago intact (完整的). If Shandong cuisine is the profound foundation of Zibo culture, the barbecue is an    1    (extend) of cooking cultures, more back to nature of the soul. In the past few decades and on China’s vast barbecue landscape, Zibo    2    (establish) its own kingdom of eating. She integrates culture with her food,     3    is unique and outstanding. Simple to complex, the soul of Zibo Barbecue is half in the pie andhalf in the meat itself.

Once the mutton skewers begin to sizzle on the barbecue, people gather around, eyeing the fat, juicy,     4    (slight) burnt mutton to be slid onto their plates. Zibo barbecue is    5    essential aspect of the city’s cuisine with its unique flavoring techniques and the benefit of broadening people’s social circles. Chinese barbecue    6    (serve) inindividual portions, which we think is more healthy, compared with a majority of others placed on plates at the center of a table for people to share.    7    (afford), easy to prepare, safe to eat, and good for social interaction, the barbecue has emerged     8    a topchoice for dining during holidays ‘or any time. It’s fun when several friends and families gather around and chat while    9    (put) meat on the barbecue skewers. A recent report showed that in the whole country, the barbecue is    10    (two) only to hot pot amonglate-night dining options.