For thousands of years, people have told fables (寓言)     1     (teach) a lesson or to pass on wisdom. Fables were part of the oral tradition of many early cultures, and the well-known Aesop’s fables date to the     2     (six) century, B. C. Yet, the form of the fable still has values today,     3     Rachel Carson says in “A Fable for Tomorrow.”

Carson uses a simple, direct style common to fable. In fact, her style and tone (口吻) are seemingly directed at children. “There was once a town in the heart of America,     4     all life seemed to enjoy peaceful existence with its surroundings,” her fable begins,     5     (borrow) some familiar words from many age-old fables. Behind the simple style, however, is a serious message     6     (intend) for everyone.

    7     (difference) from traditional fables, Carson’s story ends with an accusation instead of a moral. She warns of the environmental dangers facing society, and she teaches that people must take responsibility     8     saving their environment.

The themes of traditional fables often deal with simple truths about everyday life. However, Carson’s theme is a more weighty     9     (warn) about environmental destruction. Carson proves that a simple literal form that has been passed down through the ages can still     10     (employ) today to draw attention to important truths.

The Xi’an City Wall is the most complete city wall that has survived China’s long history. It     1     (build) originally to protect the city     2     the Tang dynasty and has now been completely restored (修复). It is possible       3     (walk) or bike the entire 14 kilometers.

We accessed the wall through the South Gate. The wall is 12 meters high and from here you can see streams of people moving inside and outside the City Wall.

After     4     (spend) some time looking at all the defensive equipment at the wall, we decided it was time for some action and what     5     (good) than to ride on a piece of history!

We     6     (hire) our bikes from the rental place at the South Gate. My bike was old and shaky     7     did the job. It took us about 3 hours to go all     8     way around the Xi’an City Wall. Supposedly you can do it in two hours, but we stopped at the different gates and     9     (watchtower) to take pictures or just to watch the local people going about their     10     (day) routines.

Kim Cobb, a professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, is one of a small but growing minority of academics     1     are cutting back on their air travel because of climate change. Travelling to conferences, lectures, workshops, and the like frequently by plane       2    （view） as important for scientists to get together and exchange information. But Cobb and others     3     （be） now questioning that idea pushing conferences to provide more chances to participate remotely, and     4    （change） their personal behavior to do their part in dealing with the climate change crisis. On a website called No Fly Climate Sci, for example,     5    （rough） 200 academics - many of them climate scientists     6     （promise） to fly as little as possible since the effort started two years ago.

Cobb, for her part, started to ask conference organizers who invited her to speak     7     she could do so remotely; about three-quarters of     8     time, they agreed. When the answer, was no, she, declined the     9     （invite）. That approach brought Cobb's air travel last year down by 75%, and she plans     10    （continue） the practice. "It has been fairly rewarding. ", she says, "a really positive change."

Liu Ruying,     1     grandfather is a huge fan of Peking Opera, has been interested in Peking Opera for much of her young life. Her grandfather is a great influence     2     her. At the age of 8, she     3    (begin) to practice the classic art. It wasn’t easy for a little girl     4    (experience) the difficult training, as performances combine martial arts, dancing and acrobatics(杂技).

“Sometimes I was tired,“ she said. ”I had to balance my studies and other     5    (course) I was interested in, such as dance. But the great charm(魅力) of Peking Opera made me always practice it.”

When Liu got the news that her region would have a cultural exchange with other countries, she had the idea of     6    (introduce) Peking Opera to the world in English. With     7     help of her mother, she took part in the activity after several months of practice.

“I     8    (extreme) love traditional Chinese culture,” she said. “Peking Opera has a long history of about 200 years and     9    (consider) a treasure of our nation. We should let     10    (we) make great efforts to carry forward our culture and protect the cultural diversity of the world.”

Yang Jiang was a well-known Chinese playwright, translator, and author. She belonged to     1     unique and beautiful existence in Chinese literature. She was the first Chinese academic     2    (translate) Miguel de Cervantes’ Spanish novel Don Quixote to Chinese and at that time, her translation     3     (honor) as the recreation of the original work       4     the basis of loyalty.

Yang was born into a rich family in 1911,     5    (original)named Yang Jikang. After eventually     6     (graduate) from Soochow University, she enrolled at the graduate school of Tsinghua University. She met her husband there, Qian Zhongshu, another acclaimed writer in China.

Other than translations, Yang     7     (author) many plays, novels, and essays during her writing career. Her short novel Mr. Wang,     8    (write) in 1984, was selected as an article in the textbook. In 1986, she got the Civil Order of Alfonso X the Wise, a famous Spanish civil order, for her     9     (achieve) in Don Quixote. Her bestseller was We Three in 2003,     10     sales exceeded 180,000 copies in two months. Yang passed away in 2016, at the age of 105.

Chinese Loong is the fifth animal of the 12-year Chinese zodiac cycle,     1    (consider) to be mythical and symbolic of fortune. Recently, sales of things with dragon elements have witnessed explosive growth on e-commerce platforms.

Data from an e-commerce platform show that searches     2     dragon-related goods via its online marketplace have reached 23 million.    3     is said that since January, goods with dragon-themed elements, such as daily necessities, alcohol and gold jewelry,     4    (prefer) by consumers.The purchasing excitement is expected to     5    (huge) boost consumer confidence and improve the recovery of consumption．

Purchases by the post-1990s and post-2000s generations accounted for nearly 55%, while consumers in Guangdong province, Beijing, Jiangsu province in that order,     6    (be) the top three spenders on dragon-featured items.Because the dragon is an important symbol of Chinese traditional culture     7     good luck, Chinese consumers are expressing their hopes for     8     better life in the new year.

“Brands should capitalize on traditional Chinese culture to launch more innovative     9    (product),” a research fellow said,     10    (stress) that Spring Festival is the traditional festival Chinese people attach the most importance to, and it’s also a peak season for consumption.

In recent years, China has been working hard to improve living conditions in rural areas through a program called the New Rural Development Initiative.    1     goal of this initiative is to improve infrastructure (基础设施), modernize farming practices, and enhance the overall quality of life for those     2     (live) in the countryside.

One important aspect of the initiative is the improvement of rural infrastructure    3       includes the construction of better roads, bridges, and watering systems     4     (improve) the efficiency of transportation and agricultural activities.

Another key focus is the promotion of modern agricultural    5     (technique). By introducing advanced farming methods and technologies, such as organic farming and the use of

machinery, farmers are able to increase their productivity and income     6       damaging the environment.

Furthermore, the initiative emphasizes the importance of preserving traditional culture and heritage in rural communities. Efforts    7     (make) to regenerate local traditions, which not only enriches the cultural     8     (diverse) of the countryside but also creates new opportunities for cultural tourism and sustainable development. The initiative also aims to enhance the living environment in rural areas through the restoration of traditional houses     9     the construction of public facilities.

Through the initiative, China is working hard to create a more prosperous (繁荣的) and     10     (harmony) countryside, providing its rural residents with better opportunities and an improved quality of life.

The Chinese zodiac, also known as Sheng Xiao or Shu Xiang, is a     1     (repeat) circle of 12 years. Each year     2     (represent) by an animal. Chinese New Year 2024 is a year of the Loong.

Chinese Zodiac Loong is the     3     (five) of the 12 zodiac animals, following the Rot, Ox, Tiger and Rabbit. People born in the year of the Loong — an animal no one knows if it existed in real world—are enveloped in mystery, and very charming.

Back in the pre-Qin period over 2,200 years ago, there was already the Chinese zodiac signs theory. So it is     4     (reason) that Chinese Zodiac years are in agreement with the beginning of Chinese Lunar New Year. If you have an idea of Lunar Calendar, you will know     5     Chinese zodiac year often starts from late January and ends in middle February of the next year.

Therefore, to see what your Chinese zodiac animal is,     6     to confirm whether you are a Loong, you need to change your Gregorian calendar birthday to Lunar Calendar of the year you were born. For example, if you were born     7     February 16, 1988 (a year of the Loong), the Lunar New Year’s Eve, which was very close to Loong year, but you are a Rabbit.

    8     is also worth mentioning is that if two people were born in the different Loong years, they may have very different     9     (personality), and horoscope, due to the Five Elements, which are Gold, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth. Each element     10     (come) in a 60-year cycle.

World Olive (橄榄) Tree Day takes place     1     26th November every year. It was established     2     (official) at the 40th session of the UNESCO General Conference in 2019.The olive tree, especially the olive branch, holds an important place in people’s mind. Since ancient times, it     3     (symbolize) peace, harmony and     4     (wise) .It is important not just to the countries     5     these noble trees grow but also to people and communities worldwide.

Protecting and growing the olive tree is     6     increasingly urgent thing as the world fights against climate change. The conservation of cultural and natural heritage is one of UNESco’s     7     (center) goals, and marking World Olive Tree Day strengthens the efforts to achieve it.

World Olive Tree Day is set up     8     (encourage) the protection of the olive tree and stress the values it symbolizes,     9     (inspire) people to appreciate its important social, cultural, economic and environmental significance to humans.

There is much to learn, share and celebrate on World Olive Tree Day, and UNESCO encourages everyone to participate in     10     (activity) such as debates, conferences, cultural events and exhibitions organized worldwide.

Camping was so popular as to even become a fashion across China during the just-concluded National Day holiday, with some joking that “half of the friends     1     WeChat were camping. Outdoor camping sites were popular during the holiday and had to     2     (book) several days in advance.

According to research firm iiMedia Research, the core market size of China’s camping economy reached 74.75 billion yuan ($10.5 billion) in 2021,     3     was 62.5 percent up year-on-year.

More market-sensitive players are plowing into the industry. In 2021, more than 20,000 new camping-related enterprises sprang up in China,     4     over 5,000 have been set up this year, according to the information provider Tianyancha.

Huzhou,     5     popular tourist destination in East China’s Zhejiang province, hosted the first Camping Conference in the Yangtze River Delta in June. It also became one of the first to     6     (official) regulate the construction standards and     7     (safe) supervision (监管) of camping sites.     8     (follow) Huzhou, Beijing and Nanjing in Jiangsu province have also introduced related policies for the healthy development of the industry.

“Consumers’ demand for outdoor activities     9     (increase) in recent years. I believe     10     (many) people will join in camping and other outdoor activities in the long run,’’ said Liang Qidong, vice president of the Liaoning Academy of Social Sciences.