The French author Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin once     1    , “Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you what you are.” Put more     2    , this means “You are     3     you eat.” Most people today     4     this saying to healthy eating. However, Brillat-Savarin was actually referring     5     our personality, character, and culture.

No matter how exciting space exploration sounds, there’s an important point that needs to be considered: food supplies. Right now, astronauts typically       1     (依赖) dry food in airtight bags and cans, since there are strict weight limits on items taken into space. Foods that we     2     (认为是理所当然的), such as fresh fruit and vegetables, are out of the question for space explorers.

For those who     3     (有强烈的愿望) to grow food during space flights, they’ve faced many difficulties, including the absence of gravity, and a lack of soil, air and humidity (湿度). However, growing food to add and minimize the food that must be carried to space will be increasingly important on long-duration flights into space. Recently, a leading team has worked out how plants can absorb nutrients from human urine (尿). Human urine is 95 percent water, with the other 5 percent    4     (构成；组成) nutrients which are harmful to the human body but not to plants, and it could supply three to four out of the six nutrients that plants need. By recycling liquid waste and producing food, an efficient cycle will be created.

And most importantly, the duration of space flights will be greatly extended to “20 years of flight”, meaning we may be soon sending astronauts on flights to Mars, or even beyond.

The appeal of magic

Have you ever interacted with a magician or entertainer in the flesh who       1     (使惊讶) you with a show of magic? I once had such an unforgettable experience on a cruise.

It was ten years ago, after I renewed my       2     (签证) as a visiting scholar in a high school in West Virginia, the US. For the summer vacation, I w    3     from my little town in the eastern US accompanied by two colleagues and boarded a huge ship that reminded me of the Titanic, going from Miami across the sea b    4     to the Bahamas, an island country famous for its white sandy beaches and sky-blue water     5     (难得) seen in daily life.

While we were having dinner in the dining hall, an entertainer came over to our table and asked “Excuse me, would you like to see a little magic?” “Yes, of course,” we replied. How could we possibly r    6     the temptation of getting involved in a magic show? And so, the entertainer fished out       7     (迅速地) one rubber band from his pocket and asked me to hold out my hand. He put the band around my fingers, turning it in different ways to make a complex web. Then came something that seemed u    8    : slowly but surely, he     9         10         11     (去掉) the band from my fingers in one turn, as if the band had never been wound! A language teacher by p    12    , I failed to make any verbal       13     (反应), until the entertainer wished us to enjoy our dinner and went away.

Having seen many splendid magic shows on TV, I am still impressed with the one performed around my fingers. Magic can     14     ( 逗 乐 ) and amaze people whether they are       15     ( 成 熟 的 ) adults or children, easterners or westerners. The appeal of magic is u    16    .

Hearing that your local gallery is looking for volunteers for the coming Chinese painting     1    , I am more than delighted     2     to be a volunteer as a Chinese studying in London.

Not only do I have a passion for Chinese arts, but also I have     3     good command of spoken English, so that I can convey the spirits of arts perfectly to the visitors. What’s more, I have participated in many similar activities,     4     equips me with relevant experiences. If     5    , I firmly believe that I will be your perfect choice     6     my devotion.

I’d appreciate     7     if you could take my application into account. Looking forward to your early reply.

Yours,

Li Hua

It’s my great honor to have the opportunity to call on all of you to take part in volunteer activities     1    .

In my view, firstly, volunteering can     2     both mental and physical health for a volunteer. An individual who volunteers may see a rise in their     3     because helping others can provide a sense of achievement.     4    , no one can deny the fact the volunteering enables us to build     5     skills.

Volunteering can not only make us feel good but also makes our world more     6    . So, join us!

Thank you!