“Multiple measures have been taken to stop the illegal use of farmland,” an official of the Ministry of Natural Resources     1    (tell) a news conference on Monday. 

Together with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, the ministry released two notices in July. One banned the illegal use of farmland     2     real estate (房地产) projects and the other sought     3    (ensure) reasonable land use for housing construction in rural areas. 

Since the release of the two notices, several regions     4    (raise)public awareness of the legal use of farmland through short television     5    (program) or online films in local dialects. 

Inspections and law enforcement (执行) have also been strengthened in recent months,with satellite remote sensing being introduced.

“The central government has attached great     6    (important) to farmland protection,” the ministry said. Those involved in the illegal use,sale and transfer of permanent farmland covering more than 0.33 hectares or ordinary farmland covering more than 0.66 hectares will be sued. Farmland in China     7    (classify) as permanent when its use for nonagricultural purposes is banned. Ordinary farmland can be used for other purposes in certain circumstances. 

China established     8     national territorial (领土的) planning system by the end of 2020. It is guided by three “red lines”, one of     9     includes about 103 million hectares of permanent farmland with the aim of boosting safety, improving quality and     10    (prevent) nonagricultural use.

The Lantern Festival, falling in the first Chinese lunar month, is an important and traditional festival     1     (celebrate) by people nationwide. It is the first time that people     2    (see) the full moon in the lunar year. In ancient China, night is called Xiao and the first lunar month is called Yuan month, so this festival is also called the Yuanxiao Festival in China. It marks the end of the celebration of the Spring Festival and is also the first major festival for people     3    (observe) after Chinese New Year. 

Like the Spring Festival, on the Lantern Festival, all the family members go home     4     a reunion. In the evening, people usually watch beautiful lanterns, guess interesting and     5    (challenge) lantern riddles and perform wonderful dragon dances. In     6    (add), it is a custom for people to eat yuanxiao, a kind of sweet dumpling,     7     is round balls made of glutinous rice flour with     8    (vary) of fillings inside. In some places people sometimes put a coin into a certain one when making sweet dumplings. It is believed that the one who     9     (happen) to find and eat the sweet dumpling with a coin in     10     will have good luck for the whole year.

Learning how to choose a career is important not only to adults but also to students at college. People decide to have their careers    1    (change) simply because they dislike the job they     2    (current) have. They take on the jobs not because they like them but because they need to make a living. In this case,     3    (get) career guidance is very important. The first step in choosing a career     4    (be) understanding yourself. This will help you realize what you enjoy doing. 

The best way to do this is take a personality test,     5     it is available on the Internet for free. It is also important to understand your values and know what you are willing to do. Next, visit career guidance centers or career     6    (website). If possible, apply for a volunteer that benefits you. You can get professional help and decide whether the career path is     7    (suit) for you or not. Finally, you should learn universal (广泛适用的) skills,     8     will help you get opportunities to change your career in the future. All in all, choosing a career is important because most of the time in our lives     9    (spend) on work.  

Therefore, putting interests and hobbies into careers can always lead    10     the best jobs.

Human activity is changing the surface and temperature of the planet. New research shows it is also changing the sound of the Earth’s seas. According to a study     1     (publish) in the magazine Science, the changes in the sounds of our seas and other waterways affect many sea animals.  

For fish, sound is probably a     2     (good) way to sense their environment than light. Sounds help fish and other sea animals survive. They depend on sounds to communicate. Sounds also help some sea animals find food and avoid their hunters.     3     addition, many sea animals use sounds to find good places to mate(交配). However, increasing noise from humans now     4     (make) it harder for these sea animals to hear each other. The noise comes from shipping traffic, motorized fishing ships, underwater oil and gas exploration, offshore     5    (construct), and other noisy human activities.  

For many sea species, their attempts     6     (communicate) are being masked by sounds     7     have been introduced by humans. Also, the general number of sea animals     8     (decrease) by about half since 1970.  

Effects of noise on animals    9     (live) in the sea aren’t well understood. However, some studies suggest that noise may bring about hearing loss. The stress from human noise might also affect the immune system—an animal’s     10     (nature) defence system.

When people sit together and enjoy the glorious moon    1     the night of the Mid⁃Autumn Festival, an ancient poem, Prelude to Water Melody (《水调歌头》),     2     (read) for this occasion now and then. In     3     poem, Su Shi, a celebrated poet of the Song Dynasty(960-1279),talks to the moon and discusses the changes     4     (happen) in nature and man’s fortunes. He realizes the moon may not always be bright and that the imperfections, or the unsatisfactory things in life     5    (go) on since the beginning of time.  

However, should we get bogged (妨碍) down in the suffering which we can’t change? Su Shi gives his answer, a very     6     (optimism)one: change your attitude and stay positive. He hopes that people will appreciate the fact that     7     they are, as long as the ones they love and miss are healthy and happy, they can all admire the same moon high in the sky and share     8     (it) beauty.  

To this day, people still use this poem     9     (express) their good wishes to family members and friends who can’t be with them,     10     (especial) during major festivals.

Valentine’s Day in China

It is really difficult to know the exact time    1     Western Valentine’s Day was introduced into China. However, Western Valentine’s Day is     2     (wide) celebrated in urban areas where there are a lot of commercial events, especially in big cities like Shanghai, Beijing, Hong Kong and Guangzhou. Valentine’s Day is not so popular in small towns, small     3     (city) and the countryside.  

So far, Chinese people    4     (accept) the tradition of Westerners’ celebrating Valentine’s Day, such as     5     (exchange) gifts, having a romantic dinner, watching a movie in the evening or even registering a marriage if Valentine’s Day falls on a workday.  

On this day, larger amounts of chocolate will be on sale in supermarkets,    6     compared with the case in the ordinary days, cinemas will be much     7     (busy) and the price of flowers can also be a lot higher. Many restaurants will have special menus, especially those in Hong Kong, Beijing and Shanghai. If you want to have a smooth     8     (celebrate) on Valentine’s Day, remember     9     (make) reservations as far in advance as you can.  

Chinese people have also made some changes to the Western way of celebrating Valentine’s Day. For some couples, the husband may prepare a hearty dinner or buy a fancy gift     10     his wife on this day to show his gratitude.

A small town in England is teaching the world that it is important     1    (grow) your own food. Any open space     2    (use) to grow fruit and vegetables. There are apples, pears, peaches, strawberries, cabbages and carrots, here and there. Everyone can pick them     3     free. Eight years ago, a woman named Pam in Todmorden dug up her rose garden. She planted vegetables, knocked down the garden walls and put up a sign     4    (say), “Help yourself.” Today, Pam has     5    (complete) changed the town. A new town has been born,     6     is called “Incredible Edible Todmorden”. Pam explained why she thought the idea was popular. “It’s possible and positive. Many people know we have to change,     7     how we do that is a question.” So one day, she gathered all the     8    (villager) together. They decided to do something     9    (differ) at once. They didn’t write reports. They didn’t ask for permission. They just did it. Only a short time later, Todmorden　    10    (become) a big garden of fruit and vegetables. In Todmorden, there is a motto: If you eat, you are in. But that’s not all. There are more than 700 edible towns popping up around the world, from Canada to Mali. People there think about food and protect the environment at the same time.

Does the Internet help or harm friendships? Different people have different opinions. Robert thinks talking online is no replacement for face⁃to⁃face contact. Communicating through a screen makes     1     more difficult for children to concentrate or show kindness to others. Social skills enable children     2       (develop)lifelong friendships. What’s more, the Internet     3     (make) people self⁃centred. They are only concerned with their online popularity. He also thinks friendships are built on the basis of trust. Going online can be particularly dangerous for people who are easily     4     (influence) by others.  

But Cathy holds the opposite opinion. She thinks the Internet makes communication more     5     (convenience) and more fun. People can keep in touch     6     friends wherever they are or whatever they are doing. There are also so many online tools people can use to be creative. In     7     (add), online communication can     8     (actual) bring people closer to each other. Whoever needs help can immediately get some useful     9     (suggestion) or information from all over the world,     10     makes friends feel loved and cared for.

Every     1     (artist) wish is to create something     2     expresses an idea. But who or what     3     (inspire) them? Here are three artists and their sources of inspiration.

Florentjin Hofman is     4     visual artist. Rubber Duck and Floating Fish are his famous     5     (work). The sources of his inspiration are his children’s toys, Chinese folk tales     6     the experience in Wuzhen.

Tan Dun, a composer, who is known for     7     (compose) music for the film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and the 2008 Beijing Olympics. The sources of his inspiration come from a mix of Chinese     8    (music) traditions and Western influences.

Yang Liping is a dancer known     9     the “Peacock Princess” because of her Spirit of the Peacock dance. As for     10     (she), the sources of inspiration are the life in Xishuangbana, the dance style of the Dai people and the Dai people's traditional belief.

I     1     (be) always full of confidence about Hamlet before I saw The Revenge of Prince Zidan — the Peking Opera version of Hamlet. First, the opera brought a     2     (complete) new sound to my Western ears, beginning with an orchestra playing traditional Chinese instruments, one of     3     was an instrument with two strings     4     (call) jinghu. Then, I was surprised when the main characters came on stage. The costumes and masks were     5     (amaze). Although the     6     (perform) sang in Chinese, the music, exaggerated movements and mime helped get the meanings     7     the audience. The voices sounded really unique. So high were some of the female voices     8     I was sure they could break glass! And the stage was really simple.     9     (use) some special techniques, the opera had transformed a small stage into the whole universe. What I liked most was how the characters moved on stage. It was so dazzling and energetic that I wasn’t sure if the characters were performers     10     athletes! Feeling the strong emotions of love, anger, fear and grief in the performance. I could easily recognise the theme of Hamlet.