Wandering sounds, irregular rhythms and a carrier of gentle emotions. This is the musical language of guqin, a plucked seven string instrument created in ancient China.

The earliest piece of guqin in China,     1    (unearth) in Hubei province in 2016, dates back to the Zhou Dynasty. The body of a guqin is made of lacquered wood and the strings of twisted silk.    2     its seemingly simple appearance, making a guqin is extremely demanding.     3     outstanding piece can take anywhere from two to several decades to craft. It is a crystallization of art and time.

The guqin was favored by the literati in ancient China. The most renowned guqin     4    (music) was Yu Boya in the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods.     5     he played his guqin in the mountains, a woodcutter named Zhong Ziqi heard the music and understood exactly     6     Yu wanted to express.

This deep understanding formed a strong bond between them,     7       they became close friends. This is the famous tale behind the guqin masterpiece, Flowing Water, High Mountains. The piece     8    (pass) down through generations and is considered one of the most famous and important     9    (compose) in Chinese guqin music. This graceful dialogue,     10    (flow) from brushed fingertips and travelling for thousands of years, is continuing to this day.

As of June, China had about 285 million Internet users living in rural areas,     1     (account) for over 30 percent of the country’s total, according to a recent report on China’s Internet development. The number of rural Internet users in China     2     (grow) by over 30 million in the last few months.

The report said the Internet is playing a     3     (great) role than ever in the country’s poverty (贫困) reduction efforts, with the public’s participation in and     4     (recognize) of relevant campaigns on the rise. It said as of June, online promotions of agricultural products from remote areas had reached more than half of the Chinese Internet users, and     5     more than one third of netizens had bought such products via online platforms.

Meanwhile, the report shows that e-commerce livestreaming (直播) grew     6     (increasing) active in the first half of the year. As of June, the number of e-commerce livestreaming users in China had hit 309 million, up 16.7 percent from March. China saw over 10 million livestreaming marketing     7     (activity) in the first half of this year, attracting over 50 billion views, the report noted.

The report said the Internet can contribute significantly     8     China’s anti-poverty goal by providing jobs, social security and medical service information for     9     poor and allowing children in poverty-stricken areas     10       (access) better education.

8 . Jan Tchamani, an English teacher in Birmingham, UK, suddenly developed a serious illness and had to quit her job. At age 50, she found herself out of work and stuck (被困住) at home with only her computer to keep her company. After a while, she discovered that surfing the Internet could help her feel less lonely and bored. She could listen to music, watch films, play games, and explore the world. She also joined an online group where she could talk about her problems and get support and advice from others. She realised that one of the greatest benefits of the Internet was its ability to remove the distance that usually exists between people.

She was so inspired by the people she met online that she decided to start an IT club to teach older people how to use computers and the Internet. She and her friends now organise events and collect money to pay for private teachers. Many people have been helped by the club. A 59-year-old man learnt how to apply for work online and found a great job. Now that he works and can take care of himself, his daughter has time to study at university. A 61-year-old woman who was living alone has started a small online company together with two friends. She no longer feels lonely, and her company has become quite successful.

Jan has started taking online classes to learn more about how to use the Internet to make society better. She believes that it is highly important to bridge the digital gap and make sure that everyone has access to the Internet and knows how to use new technology. Her next goal is to start a charity website to raise money for children in poor countries.

Jan’s life has been greatly improved by the Internet. “When you go through hard times, you meet others who are facing similar challenges,” Jan says. “Thinking about other people’s situations inspired me to offer help.”