More than 2.5 million Americans have a chronic(慢性的) condition     1    (arise) in early childhood that can     2    (negative) influence their education, job performance, and employ ability well into adulthood.

There is no known cure, and existing treatments are rarely     3    (help). Yet for those with developmental stuttering(口吃), there is new hope, thanks to groundbreaking research led by scientists at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville     4    Wayne State University in Detroit.

In two papers, which     5    (publish) last week, Jennifer “Piper” Below and Shelly Jo Kraft describe a “genetic(遗传的) architecture” for developmental stuttering and report the discovery of new genetic variations associated     6    the condition. The researchers said that these findings and studies like them have the potential     7    (identify) treatment directions that could improve outcomes for people who stutter.

The new findings will have     8    huge impact on people who stutter and on the parents of children     9    (affect) by the condition, predicted Kraft, an associate professor at Wayne State University. “It’s a piece of themselves that they can then understand,” she said, “instead of living a lifetime of experiencing this     10    (differ) in their speech and never knowing why.”

The illustrators (插图画家) of Chinese children’s books remain among the most internationally     1     (award) artists thanks to their consistent use of unique and traditional styles of artistic expression, according to Zuzana Jarosova, general commissioner of the Biennial of Illustrations Bratislava (BIB).

Chinese illustrator Chen Xunru,     2     book Bull King Festival was very popular, received the Golden Apple award at the 29th edition of the BIB in Slovakia, which started on Oct. 4 and ran until Dec. 3. Chen is the seventh Chinese illustrator to have received such     3     award.

Jarosova says the jurors (评定人) are always looking for artists who are authentic and original while     4     (keep) their deep connect ion to culture, traditions and the mastery of old techniques.

“Illustrations in children’s books play a key role in their mental development, as a good illustrator can     5     (nice) improve the story and build additional floors of the architecture of     6     (imagine), thus kick-starting the small readers’ fantasy,” Jarosova notes.

An international tour exhibition of picture books from China     7     (hold) as an accompanying event at this year’s BIB from Sept. 28 to Oct. 14. The exhibition was well received and for the first time, people had the opportunity     8     (see) interesting illustrators from China     9     a great extent. “I will do everything I can for more cooperation to continue and improve     10     (far),” Jarosova says.

Books are the most valuable intellectual wealth of humanity. However, there are quantities of ancient Chinese     1     (classic) suffering from different degrees of damage due to various reasons. This led to the     2     (emerge) of the profession of ancient book restorers. “People call us the ‘ancient book doctors’,” said Yang Mingli,     3     ancient book restorer at the Wuhan Library in Hubei province.“I really like this name, and our     4     (young) ‘patient’ is at least 100 years old.”

Yang started off in the library     5     (work) in reader service and data entry for ancient books. In 2012, she     6     (voluntary) requested to further her studies in the ancient book restoration skills courses offered by the China National Centre for the Preservation and Conservation of Ancient Books. Since then, she     7     (go) on to become a full-time restorer for the next 10 years and has restored about 10,000 pages of ancient books.

The fragments (碎片) of the book range in size, with the smallest being only a few millimetre     8     length. “It could disappear with just one blow,” she joked. The primary causes of illness     9     (see) in damaged ancient books are aging, acidity (酸性), fire, and other factors,     10     may bring about easily broken pages as well as deterioration (变质) and yellowing of the paper. In some cases, the pages of the book could be completely stuck together as solid as a brick

Fashion is always a major indicator of popular trends. The new Chinese style has been selected as one of the Top 10 lifestyle trends in a compilation (汇编)    1     (release) by Xiaohongshu.

Besides adding value    2    design, the new Chinese style is enriching people’s eating and drinking habits. So far, the imported coffee business    3     (embrace) the Chinese style and culture to create a new image for coffee as a lifestyle beverage. For instance, Sexy Tea launched Chinese-style Yuenn & Yang Coffee,     4    struck an instant chord with young people.     5     (similar), a Moutai flavored latte by Luckin Coffee created a stir in the market. The integration of Eastern and Western drinks is not simply a    6     (combine), but a new flavor supported by new materials and processes.

“Amid all these market    7     (phenomenon) sparked by the new Chinese style, cultural consumption has also emerged. Scenes such as traditional Chinese style photography, Hanfu outings, ancient city cultural tourism, the popular new Chinese weddings and related fashion have all become    8     (act).” said Hua Hui, associate professor of the School of Media & Communication at Shanghai Jiao Tong University.

The inclusiveness of Chinese culture    9    the leading role of Chinese aesthetics (美学) have redefined the contemporary world,     10     (give) it a new dimension and a new status.

This year, a board game     1     (name) “Steam Up: A Feast of Dim Sum” is popular around the United States. It is a competitive Dim Sum collection board game for five players. The pieces of the game are vivid, including five popular Chinese dishes, like shrimp dumplings and barbecue buns. The rules are very simple: Players collect food     2     (token) and Fortune cards     3     (benefit) themselves or to play against others. Once a set of Steamers of five Chinese dishes are collected, the player will get the     4     (high) score and win the game. The game     5     (create) by Pauline Kong and came online last year. As she said, the game will provide     6     opportunity for people to play and learn about Chinese culture     7     a fun way. People like it because it’s a medium-light game,     8     is suitable for a family to play. Parents can enjoy their quality time with the kids. Many board game lovers recommend that “Steam Up” have all of the elements of a family classic. It looks great and has an     9     (attract) theme and simple rules that are easy to teach.     10    , that’s not to say that the game is easy to play — it is full of very difficult decisions. Come and have a try!

The Chinese New Year, beginning on Feb.10, 2024, will be the Year of the Dragon. In Chinese culture, the dragon is     1     mythological (神话的) animal. It represents beauty, good fortune, pride and     2     (honest).

China Philately, a well-known stamp company, always makes efforts     3     (promote) Chinese culture and share Chinese art and culture     4     (global) through stamps and souvenirs. So as usual, it     5     (launch) a series of postage stamps and souvenirs    6     (feature) a variety of dragon patterns on January 2, 2024 in Beijing to mark the coming of the new year. New issues include an album of all the albums of this year and an album of selected stamps over the past four decades.

Gold plates, silver coins, and bracelets,     7     (decorate) with color stones and fur toys and combining traditional and modern elements, are provided for collectors of varying ages. Pop culture themes     8    enjoy a large base of youngster fans have also been integrated into the design of this year’s     9     (collection), such as the Minions and Panghu, the cartoon tiger.

The launching ceremony ended     10     a fashion show presented by children wearing clothes designed with dragon themes and displaying new souvenirs.

Nanfan, the birthplace of “Chinese seeds”, breeds (培育) more than 70 percent of China’s new seed     1     (variety). Nanfan used to be a traditional breeding base in China. Every winter and spring, about 7, 000.     2     (agriculture) experts from over 800 scientific research institutes, universities     3     companies across the country bring summer crops to Hainan for research purposes. Nanfan     4     (transform) itself from a simple breeding base into a seed technological center so far. And     5     (it) industry has changed     6     simply breeding to now involving the entire seed industry chain.

Nanfan has also advanced the     7     (construct) of research facilities and key common platforms.     8     (found) two years ago, the Hainan Yazhou Bay Seed Laboratory has developed rapidly,     9     now has 172, 000 square meters of space, more than 7, 200 sets of scientific research equipment, and 12 open sharing platforms and scientific research facilities. Additionally, Nanfan is       10     (current) training 3, 299 master’s and doctoral students.

“Alone holding an oil-paper umbrella, I wander along a long lane in the rain.” is quoted (引用) from A Lane in the Rain by Dai Wangshu,     1     famous Chinese poet in the 20th century.

The oil-paper umbrella, with a history of over 1, 000 years in China, used to be a water-proof (防水的) tool for daily use. People used a kind of paper     2     is painted with oil to make the umbrella’s surface. The umbrella has been of     3     (important) in traditional Chinese culture, standing for romantic and faithful love. In the area where the Yao people live, it has been used     4     a gift when they express their love to a lover.

In the past, the shops making oil-paper umbrellas were everywhere around the country. However, in the 1980s, the handmade oil-paper umbrella     5     (replace) by the nylon umbrella. Nowadays not many people are involved in     6     (produce) it. What’s more, the production of traditional oil-paper umbrellas     7     (require) skilled and time-consuming labor, resulting in higher costs.     8     the oil-paper umbrella is no longer a common tool for rainy days, it has never disappeared from people’s lives. Many places around China still keep the tradition of gifting a red oil-paper umbrella     9     (celebrate) birthdays, newborns, and moving houses. It is also     10     (wide) used in ceremonies honoring ancestors.

Nowadays about one     1    (five) of the global population celebrate the Spring Festival, making it a worldwide festival. The Spring Festival, widely known as Lunar New Year,     2    (honor) as the United Nations Floating Holiday on December 22, 2023.

    3     is announced that the UN will try to avoid     4    (arrange) conference activities on the day. This resolution reflects the great influence of Chinese culture. It will promote Chinese tradition     5    (global) as well.

With a history of 4000 years, the Spring Festival has continued all the way to today and it has spread     6     many countries in the world. Therefore, it is     7     bond between China’s present and past. It is a strong connection between Chinese people at home     8     abroad. Why has this been possible? Featuring family reunion and well-being, the Spring Festival inherits the treasure of Chinese culture: harmonious coexistence. It also expresses a common goal     9     all countries should pursue: to create a world with a     10     (share) future of harmony and prosperity.

Under the influence of the recent EL Nino,     1     is reported that the average global temperature in 2023 has set the record, making it the warmest year since 1850. The temperatures in most     2     (region) of China from this winter to next spring will be above the long-term average. This winter the     3     (combine) of EL Nino and global warming raised the chances of natural disasters     4     (cause) by extreme weather. The EL Nino is predicted to cause the sea surface temperature to reach its     5     (high) point between November 2023 and January 2024. EL Nino is     6     naturally occurring climate phenomenon that starts with unusually warm surface water in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean, which then goes on to affect the weather worldwide. On average, it     7     (occur) every two to seven years, and one episode     8     (typical) lasts nine to twelve months. Since May, an EL Nino system has heated the atmosphere in the tropical Pacific,     9     (lead) to a rise in global temperatures. Research indicates that a mild EL Nino event can increase the global annual average surface temperature     10     about 0. 1℃, even 0. 22℃.