Canada is like a blooming flower,     1    (unfold) with breathtaking beauty and richness. It is a broad country,     2     stretches from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean. Rising to the east of the Pacific coast, the grand Rocky Mountains     3    (be) home to high peaks and deep valleys. Apart     4     its geographical diversity, Canada is also one of the most     5    (ethnic) diverse nations in the world. This ethnic variety in turn brings about cultural diversity. For example, in Vancouver,     6     dynamic city with the highest percentage of Chinese Canadians, you can participate in the celebrations of the Chinese New Year.     7     you are looking for something off the beaten track, you may visit Cape Breton Island     8    (enjoy) the cultures and traditions of Celtic settlers. Given these cultural differences,     9     comes as no surprise that Canada     10    (celebrate) Multiculturalism Day since 2002.

4 . The comedy genre has drawn laughs from audiences since the early 1900s and the birth of moving pictures. Comedy films lighten moods and allow audiences to escape from reality and lose themselves in humor. The format of the comedy genre is either comedian-led or a humorous description. A variety of subgenres exists within the comedy genre, all of which make people laugh, but each includes different characteristics slightly changing the overall tone of the film.

Slapstick’s (打闹剧) origins are firmly rooted in the silent movies of the early 20th century. This type of comedy relies heavily on overplayed visual action and uses harmless violence to raise laughter. Timing and polished performance skills are vital to effective slapstick. The name slapstick comes from the wooden sticks that clowns slapped together to draw laughter. Laure l and Hardy, Abbot and Costello and Harold Lloyd are famous actors of slapstick comedy.

The mid-1930s saw the coming of screwball comedies (怪诞剧). This subgenre typically features satirical (讽刺的) views of society combined with crazy, energetic action accurately timed. Screwball comedies make fun of society and use satirical ways to explore romantic conflicts whereby the usually upper class male suffers disorder and chaos in his life at the hands of a socially mismatched female. The film involves a happy settlement of differences between the male and female characters. Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn play their screwball comedy roles to perfection in Bringing Up Baby.

Romantic comedy (RomCom) remains ever popular at the box office. The American Film Institute describes romantic comedies as “a genre in which the development of romance leads to funny situations”. Romantic comedy tells of the problematic, joyful relationships between a man and a woman in love, and shows the audience in the most pleasant and humorous way that love can defeat all. There’s Something About Mary and Meet the Parents are the best examples of the RomCom.

Black comedy takes a dark subject such as death or war and presents it in a humorous way. Black comedies tell satirical stories about issues that usually make people feel uncomfortable. MASH and Kind Hearts and Coronets belong to dark humor.

A．	B．
C．	D．

5 . Art Contest — Technology &You!

Technology is everywhere these days. Automation has pioneered innovation. Your phone is probably in your pocket or your hands at all times, and now it’s easier than ever to communicate with anyone in the world. What are your thoughts on technology, social media or your phone? Do you feel excitement every time you get a notification message, or do you feel tied down by these digital “chains”?

However you feel, we want you to put that into artwork-paintings, digital art or photography. One winner and several honorable mentions will be featured in the December 2024 magazine, and the winner will receive a $25 gift card! You may even see your art work in future issues of Teen Ink magazine.

Deadline: Nov. 1, 2024

Details and requirements:

Entrants must have a Teen Ink account and be aged 13～19.

Inappropriate content will not be accepted.

Submissions must relate to the topic (technology).

Entries must be a piece of artwork created by the entrants themselves.

Entrants can submit as many pieces of art as they wish.

How to submit:

Entries can be submitted through the Teen Ink website. All entries submitted will be reviewed and considered for the contest. See our submission guidelines for more information.

Make sure to submit your art work to the appropriate art category(technology) on Teen Ink. You can do this by using the “additional tags (标签)” field in your submission form.

9 . I worked part-time at a school teaching some children English in my college years. After _______, I decided to find a full-time teaching position.

This past Friday I had my first official job interview. I was very _______ before going to it. What if I did not know how to answer a question or couldn’t answer it _______? The thought of being interviewed soon was scary.

To do well in the job interview, I _______ the frequently asked questions and the ways to best answer them online. _______, I was still afraid that I couldn’t do well. As a result, I went to visit my teacher to seek _________ about interviewing.

My teacher provided me with useful guidance that made me _______. He said, “Connect with the interviewer and just be yourself. You know what you know; don’t _______ that you know something you don’t.” I loved his suggestion because it was _______and realistic. So often, people __________ to pretend that they have had experience or known everything.

During the interview, I simply reflected on my previous __________, the lessons I was good at, the relationships I had with my students, colleagues, and parents, etc. This allowed me to not only __________my personal examples quickly and effectively, but also   __________   how my opinions and passions as an educator were translated into action.

The whole __________ went very well, with satisfying ____________ of course.

As the world’s largest energy consumer, China plays a vital role in shaping the global energy market, said Sobotka, who serves as the co-chair of the Global Battery Alliance. China’s rapid economic growth and urbanization have led to     1     increase in energy demands across various sectors     2     (include) industry, transportation, and residential use, he said. He added that China’s energy consumption affects not only market prices but the demand for different energy sources worldwide. Regarding coal, China is     3     (current) the world’s largest consumer and producer of coal, according to data from the International Energy Alliance. Despite     4     (consist) efforts on energy transition, coal is about     5     (dominate) China’s energy mix due to its abundant domestic reserves and     6     (affordable), he said, adding that this reliance contributes to a high level of greenhouse gas emissions. It is not only China’s energy policies, but its domestic production and imports that have a profound effect     7     global energy markets, he said. In recent years, China     8     (make) substantial investments in renewable energy such as wind, solar, and hydroelectric power.

Sobotka attended the China Development Forum 2024 in Beijing from Sunday to Monday, during     9     he shared his views with Chinese government officials and entrepreneurs from all over the world. The forum is hosted by the Development Research Center of the State Council     10     organized by the China Development Research Foundation.