Dyson has become a byword (代名词) for high-performing products, technology, design, and invention. James Dyson, the inventor and entrepreneur who made it all happen, tells his remarkable and inspirational story in Invention: A Life.

Over a four-year period, James Dyson made 5,127 prototypes of the dual cyclonic vacuum cleaner (双气旋真空吸尘器) that would transform the way houses are cleaned around the world. In d    1     all his resources to developing the technology, he risked it all, but out of many failures and       2     (巨大的) efforts came success. His products — including vacuum cleaners, hairdryers and fans — are not only revolutionary technologies, but design classics.

This was an outcome of his time studying at the Royal College of Art in the 1960s, when he was inspired by some of the most famous and     3     (influence) artists, designers, and inventors of the era.

In Invention: A Life, Dyson reveals how he came to set up his own company and led it to become one of the most     4     (杰出的) technology companies in the world. Dyson has always looked to the future, even setting up his own university to help provide the next generation of engineers and designers, for, as he says, “Everything changes all the time, so experience is of little use.”

Whether you are someone who has an idea for a better product or a(n)     5    (ambition) entrepreneur, whether you appreciate great design or just need a page-turning read, Invention: A Life offers you inspiration, hope, and much more.

Arianna Huffington has been very vocal (直言的) about the importance of sleep since accidentally overworking herself to the point of exhaustion (筋疲力尽) in 2007.

Critics might point out that she managed to establish a(n)     1     (公认的) successful media company, the Huffington Post, after years of losing sleep. But Huffington said that was not the case.

Contrary to popular belief, she told CNBC Make It that she truly became successful when she quit working round-the-clock.

“Huffington Post was only a two-year-old baby when I       2     (突然倒下),” said Huffington.

After coming to realise the importance of sleep, Huffington started to see a difference in her work       3     (方式) and that’s when her business began to grow.

“I can tell you with authority that when I’m exhausted, I’m the worst version of myself,” said the entrepreneur (企业家). “I’m more reactive. I’m less creative. And all of us can testify to that.”

“I’m not c    4     you that people can’t succeed by burning out. But they can succeed much more effectively, and much more sustainably, and with much less damage to their health and their relationships,” said Huffington.

The online world is a big part of my life. I am     1    (数码族). I have been using computer since I was a kid. I do     2    (一系列) things online. Besides     3    (做我所有的功课), I     4    (和我的朋友聊天), watch films and read the daily news and other     5    (有趣的文章); I also shop for     6    (各种东西) online, such as books,     7    (电脑硬件) and     8         9    (其他必需品). It is so     10    (方便的)to be able to    11    (比较质量和价格)from     12    (不同网店)before I buy.

I also enjoy my life in school. Senior secondary school is a new start. I     13    (倾向于)     14    (给自己设定目标) at the beginning of each term.     15    (我的目标)is to do well in every subject this term. I like reading books of all kinds. Meanwhile, I’m    16    (积极成员)of my school’s    17    (长跑队) and    18    (志愿者俱乐部).     19    (做志愿工作) is    20    (肯定) a big part of my life. It always makes me    21    (感到兴奋) to work hard and    22    (一起实现团队目标). It is important to     23    (与朋友亲自见面)    24    (时不时), not just    25    (在社交媒体上).

New Year’s celebrations are a little bit different all around the world. They are celebrated with different c    1     and special foods.

In the United States, celebrations usually begin on December 31, or New Year’s E    2    , and continue into January 1, the first day of the new year. Black-eyed peas, ham (火腿), and cabbage (卷心菜) are traditional dishes to serve on New Year’s Day. They are s    3     of good luck. The Dutch often eat doughnuts (油炸圈饼) to welcome the New Year. Because doughnuts are shaped like a circle, they are thought to r    4     the completion of a cycle — the beginning of a new year and the ending of the previous year. In Japan, people eat long noodles for celebration. Eating these noodles without breaking them symbolizes long life. In Spain, there is the t    5     of eating 12 grapes at midnight. This marks successful grape harvests of the past and the hope for more in the future.

One of the most colorful New Year’s celebrations takes place in China. The Chinese New Year is determined by the l    6     calendar. The festival lasts about two weeks. During this time, towns are d    7     with colorful     8     (灯笼) and flowers. People     9    (彻底地) clean their homes to symbolize getting rid of (去除) the misfortunes of the previous year, and dumplings are eaten as a traditional food.

How are you getting on? I am writing to share with you my failure in the English exam last week, hoping that you can give me some advice on how to learn English.

It was the third time that I    1     (英语考试不及格) after the term started. If I     2    (注意老师的建议和完全投入到学习中), I would not have got such a poor grade. I lost many points in listening and reading. What’s worse, I couldn’t recall the words when I took the exam. Prior to taking the exam, I     3    (花大量的时间背单词). However, the result didn’t come out as I     4    (期待). Maybe it was my fault that I     5    (没有遵循老师的建议), but I also want to ask you for help.

Looking forward to your reply.

Best wishes.

Yours,

Leon

It is said that the     1     use of chemical pesticides and artificial fertilizers can sometimes     2    both the land and people’s health. For     3    , pesticides can do     4     to the land by killing not only bacteria and insects, but also     5     ones. In addition, these chemicals can stay in the soil and underground water sources for a long time,     6     affects the crops grown on the land, in turn, the animals and humans who digest them. What     7     people is that these chemicals may harm their health and even cause cancer.     8    , some pesticides like DDT have been prohibited in most countries because of the damage they cause to people and the     9    . Besides, crops     10     with chemical fertilisers usually grow too fast to be rich in nutrition.     11     from their     12    , they look beautiful but they have a     13     of essential minerals and flavor. So some people are considering an     14     to chemical farming like organic farming though there is still a long way to     15    .

As a     1     to farmers’ poor harvests and even a severe     2     of food, Yuan Longping was determined to devote his life to     3     this crisis. After     4    , he realised that what farmers needed most was to boost     5     in the fields. Yuan was     6     that the answer lay in the creation of hybrid rice, one     7     of which is that it usually achieves higher output than     8     crops. However, it was no easy job. The first difficulty he needed to overcome was scientists’ general     9     that this could not be done. Through intense effort, Yuan managed to     10     this incredible crop. It is     11     that about 60 percent of domestic rice     12     in China is comprised of crops generated from Yuan’s hybrid strains. His     13     has enabled Chinese farmers to considerably expand their output and helped feed the world. Unwilling to retire early to a life of     14     and unconcerned about celebrity or fortune, Yuan continued to turn one vision after another into     15    .

Wildlife     1     (开始存在) billions of years ago, which used to live happily in their own homes and live     2     (与……和谐相处) other animals and plants. However, in recent years, animals are     3     (灭绝) at an alarming rate, 75 species every day     4     (平均). In order to obtain their parts, organs, or the skin and fur, or to obtain high     5     (利润), human beings ignore animal protection laws, engaging in     6     (违法的) killing. Furthermore, human activities have direct or indirect     7     (消极影响) animals.     8     (一方面), the expansion of human activity space means the decrease of animal habitat, which directly disturbs their peaceful life.     9     (另一方面), human activities lead to the rise of global temperature, which threatens the survival of some animals, especially those species living in the polar regions. They live on ice, where they hunt the ocean creatures. But the rapid melting of ice makes it hard for them to     10     (适应) the changes, which puts them     11     (处于危险之中). If we do not     12     (足够关注) this, the situation will be worse and the process of extinction will be accelerated.

We and wildlife     13     (属于) a common life circle, where we depend on each other. The extinction of     14     (大量) animals is an alarm to us. Protecting animals is to protect ourselves, which is urgent. If we do not act     15     (立刻;马上), perhaps the next species to die out in the near future will be ourselves.

Heritage     1     (在……中起重要作用) promoting our understanding of the past history and culture.     2     (然而；但是), the current situation of cultural     3     (遗物；遗迹) is worrying. On (the) one hand, some of the damage is     4     (引起；导致) by humans, such as scribbling in scenic spots and littering. Worse still, with the development of society, some must     5     (让步；屈服) the economic development.     6     (另一方面), some are caused by the development of time. Having undergone historical changes for thousands of years, some cultural relics have begun to age or wear.

It is time to       7     (采取措施) to protect cultural relics to present them to our future generations. First, it is necessary to     8     (建立；设立) a special heritage protection committee to     9     (筹集资金) to ensure its proper function. In addition,     10     (专业的；职业的) instructors are arranged at the tourist attractions to explain the history and value of cultural relics, especially to the tourists from overseas. Furthermore, everyone should make efforts to     11     (阻止) the cultural relics from being destroyed. We should conduct ourselves well to     12     (确保) that our action will not have a bad effect on displaying our good image.

It is not enough to protest against the destruction of cultural relics. Strict laws are a good way to protect the relics from     13     (消失). In my opinion, no law can be too strict to protect the heritage     14     (永远；长久地).

Like many     1     (青少年), Li Hua, a freshman at senior high school got a little     2     (迷惑的) the first day he entered senior high school.

Firstly, living with others in a dormitory is really hard, for he     3     (较喜欢) to live alone and thinks one boy’s     4     (行为) annoying.     5     (事实上), he is quite     6     (满足的) to have his own room at home. Besides, as for     7     (合适的) courses to take, his teacher     8     (推荐) him to choose an     9     (高级的) language course as he could speak really     10     (流利的) English.

However, he finds maths a little     11     (难以理解的), and he is     12     (争论) whether he should take     13     (额外的) hours to learn it. He     14     (集中) the class and turns to a     15     (毕业生) for advice. Though it may seem to be a big     16     (挑战), he will not     17     (放弃) and will find a     18     (解决办法) to improving his maths.

Since he is     19     (喜爱) table tennis, he     20     (报名) the school table tennis club. As he is quite expert at it, he     21     (对……负责) the training of the club members. At the same time, he     22     (对……入迷) Chinese literature, so he is accepted as an editor, preparing for the coming     23     (活动) of the school paper. Besides, he volunteers to help     24     (打扫干净) plates in a greenhouse every Sunday afternoon.

    25     (显然), he now has a really tight     26     (日程安排) every day. He will become a responsible     27     (成年人) in his generation.