Seated by the Tonghui River that runs across southern Beijing, Banbidian village     1    (take) on a quite different look of quietness and is visited by few people. But     2    (actual) it is not far — about 15 minutes’ drive from the capital city’s central business district     3     high-rises are built everywhere.

A major reason is that Banbidian used to have factories which     4    (remove) later, leaving empty workshops and compounds, and also the village is where several railways run through.

Now, people in the village and from art universities are working together     5    (bring) dynamism back to Banbidian. The latest effort is to inaugurate (开创) Art BBD — Tonghui Riverside Public Art Season, which will start in late April and run through August.

In cooperation with famous art schools in and outside Beijing, the village committee recently sent out an     6    (invite) to artists around the world,     7    (hope) that they could contribute their creativity to enriching Banbidian’s new landscapes. Submissions — works and public art plans — began     8     March 20 and lasts till April 15, and finalists will join other works to be displayed at several outdoor spots.

Art BBD was a cultural brand jointly     9    (launch) by Banbidian and the Central Academy of Fine Arts in 2019 to explore projects and activities that help to turn the village into     10     new destination of creativity.

When Renee Butts was little, her dream was to become a volunteer firefighter because her father was one. Though her father’s work was hard and full of danger, he never made a     1     (complain) about it and fell in love     2     the job quickly. Sadly, at the age of 14, one afternoon Renee returned home, only     3     (tell) that her beloved father had passed     4     and she was never able to do volunteer work with him due to her dad’s death. However, Renee’s story didn’t end there. She was so determined and     5     (energy) a girl and never gave up, which made her dream a reality.

Now Renee, who used to be an astronomer, is a member of the Carme Fire Department now, where she is required to be an Emergency Medical Technician. Once a reporter asked her, “I wonder if all the skills necessary to act as a firefighter have been mastered by you so far.” She replied, “I seem to have. Now a summary     6     (write) last week about my training will be published tomorrow.” The reporter     7     (make) a response, “You must have trained hard and     8     (effective) in the past, haven’t you?” Renee should also be ready to deal with any emergency, like fighting a fire, dealing with a car accident or helping someone who is sick.

Asked what the best part of her job was, Renee replied, “Helping people and saving lives.” I think that shows signs of being a true hero. Renee says that to some extent, her job is frightening at times, but extremely exciting. “To tell you     9     truth, the worst part of my job is that I see deaths and serious injuries. Actually, sometimes people die in an accident and some fires and large amounts of property (财产) are lost, for     10     I am very sorry.”

Xiangsheng, or crosstalk, is arguably the most popular comic performance in China, appealing to people of all ages.

Xiangsheng first appeared in China during the Ming Dynasty. But it was not until the middle and late Qing Dynasty     1     xiangsheng, established itself as     2     unique and independent art form.

Performed mainly in Beijing or Tianjin dialect, xiangsheng is     3     (essential) known for its humorous and satirical (讽刺的) nature. It could be a comedic monologue, dialogue or multiplayer sketch.

As the     4     (early) form of xiangsheng, dankou, or monologue, is performed by an actor who mainly cracks jokes or simply narrates humorous stories. It’s known as qunkou when it is performed by three or more people.

But most of the time, xiangsheng is performed by two actors,     5     is called duikou. The two actors usually discuss or argue over a subject or a social phenomenon     6     a satirical and humorous manner. The main purpose is     7     (cause) laughter among the audience.

In the early years, xiangsheng performers typically came from a humble background,     8     (start) off as street performers. The most popular     9     (venue) of xiangsheng used to be Beijing Tianqiao, Tianjin Quanyechang and Nanjing Confucius Temple. Later, they began to perform in teahouses and theaters. With the     10     (arrive) of radio and television, xiangsheng began to reach audiences everywhere.

Every Lunar New Year, China introduces a zodiac(生肖) sign from a cycle of 12 lucky animals. This year, it’s the Year of the Dragon, or more     1     (accurate), ”the Year of the Loong”. Then what’s the difference?

The Western     2     (describe) of dragons as “fire-breathing winged creatures” was inspired by literature such as Beowulf - the Old English epic about a Scandinavian hero     3    contribution was killing monsters, including a dragon. Greek fairy tales also presented dragons    4    violent sea monsters or guards of valuable     5     (possession). By contrast, “loong”, a word    6     (create) in the 19th century, reminds people of strength and fortune, and should    7     (distinguish) from its Western cousin. In Shiji,     8    2, 000-year-old Chinese history book, the emperor’s mother dreamed of a dragon lying on her body,     9     (predict) the birth of a future emperor. Exactly for this reason, Chinese people proudly claim they are “descendants of the Loong” .

Therefore, some culture experts have been calling for a switch to ”loong”     10     (tell) the Chinese dragon from the frightening monsters of Western tales. The call is also in line with the push for cultural confidence to choose the preferred translation of the Mandarin word for a creature long respected in Chinese culture.

Patrick Sommier, a French theater director, is dovoted to passing on the true meaning of Chinese operas to the French public.

On the occasion of the     1     (celebrate) for the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and France in 2004, Sommier     2     (invite) to cooperate on a joint project to spread Peking Opera in France. Sommier says that when he arrived in China, like many other     3     (European), he showed great interest in Chinese operas. The beauty of Peking Opera     4    (immediate) caught his heart, he says.

Recalling his first cooperation with the Chinese team, Sommier says he was impressed by the actors’ makeups, costumes,     5     the characters of incredible strength. He was also touched by the Chinese professors’ effort     6     (pass) their acting skills to their students by acting with them. One professor explained, “In China, opera is     7     art requiring lifelong devotion and the effect of the performance largely     8     (depend) on the actors’ inner strength and acting skills.”

Sommier began exploring into different performance forms and suggested introducing Chinese operas     9     the French audience. The team then gave some     10     (origin) performances, some without makeups or costumes and some with students performing classics in a traditional way.

When you come back home     1     a hot summer night, you find that the air conditioner     2    (work) for 20 minutes to cool the room. This is     3     example of the convenience a smart home brings.

A smart home is a convenient home     4     users can remotely control appliances and devices from anywhere through the internet. There are    5    (count) kinds of smart home products, from heating to lighting to entertainment and security. Heating products equipped with temperature or humidity sensors can automatically turn on or off when     6    (require). Some appliances even have self-learning skills and can learn the homeowner’s schedules and make adjustments     7    (according).

    8    , there are still a few issues with smart products. Some are not as easy to stall by users as advertised. Apps associated with smart appliances are always badly designed and frustrating. What’s worse, every device has its own app, leading to an overwhelming number of apps for consumers    9    (deal) with.

Good news is that based on smart homes are smart communities whose goal is to improve the overall quality of the community,     10    (provide) convenient services, like applying for water delivery and reporting for repairs, and mutual assistance in daily life for its residents.

A red envelope is simply a long, narrow, red envelope.     1     (tradition)red envelopes are often decorated with gold Chinese characters, such as the characters for     2     (happy)and wealth.

During Chinese New Year, money     3     (put)inside red envelopes. Parents, grandparents, relatives, and even close neighbors and friends give them to younger generations. Red envelopes are also popular gifts     4     birthdays and weddings.

It depends on the situation as to how much money should be put into a red envelope. For     5     (young)children, the equivalent (等量) of about $7 is fine. More money is given to older children and teenagers. The amount (金额) is     6     (usual)enough for the child to buy a gift, like a T-shirt. If you go to     7     wedding, the money in the red envelope should be equivalent to a nice gift     8     would be given at a Western wedding.

For all occasions, certain amounts of money are     9     (avoid). Any amount with the number four in it is best avoided because four     10     (sound)similar to death in Chinese. Even (偶数的) numbers, except four, are better than odd ones-as good things are believed to come in pairs. For example, gifting $20 is better than $21.

Could the Moon Help Fuel the Earth?

Fossil fuels have been powering the earth for over 200 years, but reserves of coal, crude oil (原油) and natural gas may run out one day.

The long-term solution may lie nearly half of a million kilometers away on the moon. It contains large quantities of helium-3 (氦-3), a form of gas that could     1     (potential) be extracted (提炼), brought back to the earth and used as fuel without damaging the environment.

“The real     2     (attract) of helium-3 is that it is a nuclear process,     3     doesn’t release any greenhouse gases,” said     4     engineering professor. “That would be the     5     (big) advantage-nuclear power without nuclear waste, and it would be a goal for the earth.”

Present on the earth in small quantities, helium-3     6     (use) in medical diagnostics (医学诊断), but it is yet to be used as a source of energy. However, there are large enough quantities of helium-3 on the moon to power the earth for a thousand of years or so and provide the earth     7     all of the energy.

But     8     (bring) helium-3 back to the earth is a complex process. The gas,     9     (find) in the moon’s soil, would need to be heated to 600℃ before being extracted and transported back to be turned into fuel in nuclear power     10     (plant). Even so, the project is beginning to interest some of the world’s leading nations in the environmental and economic potential of helium-3.