Although parks of all sizes and types exist at any level, the national parks, in particular, tend     1     (catch) our attention because of their large size and variety. They are     2     (treasure) of American heritage (遗产). How did the national park system come about? On a cool, starry night in mid-September 1870, four men relaxed before a campfire along the Firehole River in     3     is now northwestern Wyoming. They     4    (be) part of a 15-member exploring party that had spent almost five awesome weeks in witness of the natural beauties there.

What should     5    (do) with such a beautiful place? They wondered out loud. This area, with     6     (it) unique and breathtaking natural beauty, must be well preserved     7     all people of the nation to enjoy — as a national park. They all agreed and vowed (承诺) to promote the idea at the     8     (complete) of their journey. Their promotional work paid off. Two years later, 18 years before Wyoming became a state, Yellowstone became the first national park in the United States and the world. Yellowstone was the     9     (large) United States national park — 2.2 million acres — until Wrangell-Saint Elias in southern Alaska,     10     became a national monument in 1978, took the honors as a national park in 1980 with 12.3 million acres.

Heatherwick Studio recently built a greenhouse at the edge of the National Trust’s Woolbeding Gardens. This beautiful structure, named Glasshouse, is at the centre of a new garden that shows how the Silk Road influences English gardens even in modern times.

The latest     1     (engineer) techniques are applied to create this protective     2     (function) structure that is also beautiful. The design features ten steel “sepals (萼片)” made of glass and aluminium (铝). These sepals open on warm days     3     (give) the inside plants sunshine and fresh air. In cold weather, the structure stays     4     (close) to protect the plants.

Further, the Silk Route Garden around the greenhouse     5     (walk) visitors through a journey influenced by the ancient Silk Road, by which silk as well as many plant species came to Britain for     6     first time. These plants included modern Western     7     (favourite) such as rosemary, lavender and fennel. The garden also contains a winding path that guides visitors through the twelve regions of the Silk Road. The path offers over 300 plant species for visitors to see, too.

The Glasshouse stands     8     a great achievement in contemporary design, to house the plants of the southwestern part of China at the end of a path retracing (追溯) the steps along the Silk Route     9     brought the plants from their native habitat in Asia to come to define much of the     10     (rich) of gardening in England.

The Year of the Dragon comes with inspiration for creativity and the power to bring big ideas     1    life.

Designer Wang Zijian’s Dragon Out of Water, a creative tea infuser (泡茶器),shines on the wall at the exhibition of the winning works of the 2024 Global Zodiac Design Competition at the Beijing Overseas Cultural Exchange Center.     2     (it) cute dragon design and special function are bound to appeal to young consumers. “It’s     3    unique product, and we expect a positive response from young customers,” Wang told Beijing Review.

The item belongs to China Chic, or guochao, also     4     (know) as “national wave”,    5    refers to products of all sorts including traditional Chinese cultural elements. These products    6     (embrace) by the country’s younger generations in recent years. According to a report by Xinhua News Agency, Gen Z    7     (account) for 74 percent of consumers of China Chic goods in 2022, and the search volume of China Chic products has increased five times over the past decade.

As a young designer, Wang hopes     8     (capture) young consumers with his creative interpretation of dragons. “I’ve been    9    (thorough) studying the dragon’s historical connotations (言外之意) and the     10     (psychology) characteristics of Gen Z consumers,” the 34-year-old designer told Beijing Review.

A group of Chinese researchers issued a data map of the soil organic carbon (SOC) content for global black soil areas,     1     (reveal) the quantification of agroecosystems and global food security, according to the recent issue of the journal Remote Sensing of Environment.

Research has shown that carbon cycle is     2     (significant) influenced by agricultural soils. The accuracy mapping of SOC content can help to clarify the carbon sequestration capacity (碳汇能力), quantify agroecosystem and contribute     3    global food security. But it is still challenging to acquire     4     (rely) SOC content databasets.

The study     5     (publish) in the journal was done by researchers from the Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology under the Chinese Academy of Sciences. According to the journal, the researchers     6     (collect) more than 191,000 scenes of remote sensing images and elevation model data, and used meta-learning convolutional neural network model     7     (generate) high-resolution data map for global black soil regions.

The data in the study indicates that the SOC content in the global black soil regions shows a decreasung trend, which can be divided into the significant decrease phase from 1984 to 2000,     8     the moderate decrease phase from 2001 to 2021.

The result from the study also shows that the four major black soil     9     (region) in the world have different rates of SOC decline. The SOC decline rates of the Russian-Ukrainian Plain and the Pampas Plain of South America are higher than     10     of the northeast China and the Mississippi River Basin in North America.

We entered the Year of the Dragon. Or should that be the Year of the Loong? That is a question that has been     1     subject for debate in China, as some say there is a difference between the two in Chinese and Western mythology.

They point to dragons in the West being usually thought of as evil creatures. Dragons, they say, are     2     (typical) seen as symbols of chaos,     3     (describe) as enemies in Western mythology and literature. In Chinese culture, Loong are seen as symbols of power,     4     (excellent), and good luck. The Loong     5     (be) a central concept in Chinese culture for thousands of years, and its origins can be traced back to early Chinese civilization through mythology and religious beliefs.    6     Loong were believed     7     (have) control over natural phenomena such as rain, and water, and were associated with the productivity of the land, Loong became symbols of strength and good fortune.

The differences     8     the belief of the mythical creatures in China and the West     9     (root) in their different cultural values. Thus the answer to the question at the beginning is clear: Whether or not to use Loong instead of dragon is not important. What is important is     10     as we enter a new lunar year people globally appreciate the cultural values embodied in such Chinese symbols as Loong.

The much-anticipated stage version of Nobel laureate Mo Yan’s first drama, Crocodile, premiered at the Suzhou Bay Grand Theatre in Suzhou, Jiangsu province,     1     May 3.

Crocodile is the first original drama script     2     (pen) by Mo Yan, which was published in June 2023. The plot of Crocodile     3     (revolve) around the hero, Shan Wudan, and a crocodile he received as a gift for his birthday. Through an     4     (infinite) growing crocodile, the story dives into the complexity of human nature and explores the theme of “desire”. The three-hour drama featured     5     star-studded cast, including Taiwan movie star Winston Chao playing the role of Shan Wudan, actress Zhang Kaili and veteran Hong Kong actress Sheren Tang.

    6     (address) the audience at the curtain call, Mo said, “I am very excited and feel so familiar with multiple     7     (scene) in it, yet so unfamiliar,     8     suggests that the production team have made new adaptions indeed based on my script.” “I think a good play is like a mirror of life, allowing everyone to see ourselves—our purity, as well as weaknesses similar to the characters in the play. Such observations are not merely about appreciating art,     9     serve as reminders for us to reflect on our own lives,” he continued. After     10     (it) premiere in Suzhou, Crocodile will tour around China through September, stopping in cities including Nanjing, Fuzhou, Guangzhou, Shanghai and Beijing.

A “White Box” Digital Transition Model for Education

Liu Xinsheng, a student in a rural school in Zibo, Shandong province,     1     the English teaching resources are limited, has been learning English through a small terminal (终端机) on a     2     (day) basis.     3     textbook-sized smart terminal, nicknamed “white box”, has become the most important tool for improving Liu’s English-speaking skills.

Technology enhances education and     4     (bridge) the gap effectively in educational resources between rural and urban areas. Students in the school can not only correct their     5     (pronounce) but also receive real-time feedback. Additionally, after submitting assignments through the device, they immediately receive corrections for certain tasks.

The AI-enabled rural education in Linzi district is just an example of how Zibo is     6     (true) promoting a digital transition in its education sector. By the end of last year, 97 percent of primary and secondary schools in Zibo     7     (complete) the digital transformation, with 295 schools establishing smart campuses     8     (equip) with multimedia classrooms.

Sun Yingtao, head of the Zibo Bureau of Education, said that     9     (ensure) that children enjoy high-quality education is the original intention of promoting digital education. “Digital education in Zibo has just begun and there are still many new situations, problems and challenges to deal     10    . In the future, we will accelerate the innovation of digital education application prospects and make every effort to strengthen the city’s digital education ecosystem,” Sun said.