There are several differences     1     which you need to be aware when it comes to British and American English. For example, while talking to an English person, it is better     2     (use) words such as excuse me, sorry, pardon me, and please whenever possible. Believe me, not using these words is considered rude     3     (behave) in the UK.

If you’re at work and get angry at your boss, don’t say “I’m pissed” to     4     British colleague (同事). In England, pissed     5     (actual) means drunk, so he might report your state to the boss. There is still hope for you, though: if your boss     6     (be) an American, he’ll understand that you’re just annoyed (恼火的) with him,     7     — let’s face it — is completely normal.

When nature calls, you’d better not use a     8     (confuse) word to find your way to the facilities. Here’s where the English help     9     (we) — they use the word toilet (both for the public and private one). Public toilet is also called the gents or the ladies. Americans, surprisingly, tend to be much     10     (careful) about the topic and use the word bathroom, and in the public building — a restroom or men’s room or ladies’ room.

Does music have the power to help us sleep better? According to a recent research, it does. Using an experiment in     1     62 young adults listened to five nights of happy music, five nights of sad music, and five nights of pink noise, researchers found that people reported sleeping better and feeling more positive    2     (little) negative, and more satisfied with life on mornings after listening to music while falling asleep.

These benefits    3     (find) when comparing listening to music with listening to pink noise. Given that pink noise is thought    4     (help) deepen sleep, the additional beneficial effects of music beyond pink noise are    5     (impress).

Does the type of music matter? There were no    6     (difference) in sleep quality and well-being when comparing happy and sad music.     7     (important), all of the music was selected with the goal of being calm and relaxing. And although this study focused    8     young adults, other research has found effects on older adults, suggesting music might be helpful across the lifespan.

Why would music have these beneficial effects? So far, little research     9     (test) the reasons why music improves sleep quality but suggested reasons include relaxation, a distraction from unwanted thoughts,     10     masking of unpleasant background noise.

“World record broken!” On Aug 12, 2022, 17-year-old Ma Jiajun from Jilin excitedly posted    1     (he) certificate (证书) on social media, with a picture of him from Guinness World Records.

He has set a new world record for “the most consecutive jump rope triples (连续三摇跳绳)” with 701 times. Ma is more than 180 centimeters tall, but he used to be short and thin in primary school.     2     (build) a stronger body, he took part     3     the school’s jump rope team. At 9, he competed in a national game and     4     (successful) broke a record. “My coach said I have a talent in this sport and suggested that I should keep doing it,” said Ma. So he joined a jump rope club and kept training for six     5     (year).

“The training was much     6     (hard). I needed to practice every day for at least four to fivehours,” Ma said. “The jump rope triple has a high standard for physical ability. Every night     7    I lay on my bed, my arm and back were in pain.” But     8     kind of strong wish to break the record keeps him going. “My favorite TV show is Guinness China Night (《吉尼斯中国之夜》). I always dreamed of     9     (get) a certificate of my own,” he said

After breaking the record, Ma     10     (catch) lots of attention from the public and said “I hope more people could enjoy jump rope, since it’s good for your health and full of fun.”

A 17 year old inventor from the US, Robert Sansone, could be     1     pioneer of a new way to power electric vehicles (EVs). He recently won an innovator award at a big science fair for his design of a synchronous reluctance motor (同步磁阻电动机).

Sansone has always been in love with inventing. Despite the fact that he is still a high school student, he     2     (make) various inventions including electronic hands and high speed running shoes in recent years. When Sansone saw a video illustrating the rare metals     3     (require) produce EV motors, he set out to find a more environmental and economical approach.

At present, most of the motors used in EVs need rare metals,     4     are not only expensive in price, but also cause great damage     5     the environment during the mining (开采) process Sansone turned to a synchronous reluctance motor design that doesn’t use rare-earth materials. This kind of motor is currently used for pumps and fans,     6     it isn’t powerful enough by itself to be used in an EV. So, Sansone started brainstorming ways he could to improve its       7     (perform)

    8     (win) the prize doesn’t mean that his exploration has come to an end. Sansone is now testing the 16th generation of the motor. This time, he plans to use     9     (strong) materials to support higher rotational speed.

If the test is successful this time, he intends to apply for a patent (专利) and seek cooperation with companies.   He hopes that one day his engine can become the     10     (choose) of EVs

The recent hit in China is all about Harbin, Helongjiang. Numerous netizens have expressed their longing for this northern ice city,     1     (enthusiastic) declaring, “Harbin, I’m coming!”

Among those highlights,     2     journey of 11 kids from Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region has melted hearts across the Internet. Chinese netizens have been eagerly following their adventures online.

Fondly (深情地)     3     (describe) as “Little Tangerines (柑橘)” for their orange-colored coats, the kids also visited China’s northernmost town,     4     they sang the national anthem. The firefighters there had prepared snow sculptures and snowmen, eagerly expecting the     5     (arrive) of the “Little Tangerines”. Mr. Liang, the leader of the group, confirmed their coming in Mohe.

This study tour, under the spotlight of the entire Internet,     6     (draw) a lot of attention. The parents are grateful for the concern shown by netizens and the care provided by friends in the Northeast China. They feel more     7     ease with everyone’s collective support.

    8     was reported that the residents organized a fleet of about 300 private vehicles,     9     (provide) free rides to tourists. Despite the city’s freezing climate, its residents work diligently     10     (create) a warm environment for their guests.

Due to the improvement of ecological and environmental     1     (protect) in recent years, the western part of Northeast China’s Jilin province has seen     2     (many) rare migratory birds than other places, searching for food in spring and autumn.

With     3     (it) favorable geographical location and wetlands, Jilin is     4     important stop for migratory waterfowl, including large numbers of rare species, such as white cranes (鹤), red-crowned cranes, white storks and Chinese merganser ducks (秋沙鸭).

Western Jilin     5     (focus) on water management and started major projects such as river and lake connectivity in the past decade to improve the ecological conditions.

    6     (locate) on the border of Jilin and Heilongjiang provinces and the Inner Mongolia (蒙古) autonomous region, the Momoge National Nature Reserve in Baicheng city has rich natural     7     (resource) and is a key habitat     8     migratory birds in China settle. It is one of the nine major global bird migration routes,     9     more than 5 million migratory birds passing through every year.

The number of white cranes     10     (stop) in the reserve in spring and autumn has risen to around 3,500, with a resting period of about 100 days every year.

One of the signature dishes of French cuisine in the Phenix in The PuLi Hotel and Spa, Shanghai, is Le Pigeon. As the name suggests, it has pigeon and foie gras (鹅肝). It is     1     (high) praised by customers and recommended by the chef.

The chef of Phenix, Ugo Rinaldo, says the pigeon from Guangdong province makes the dish a unique combination between     2     (tradition) French and Chinese recipes, which is also a feature of the restaurant that has been awarded one Michelin Star for the     3     (seven) year. “The pigeon is a local product     4     (cook) in a French style that is used for foie gras. Then we have a Chinese sweet plum sauce (梅子酱), very similar     5     a French sweet plum,” says Rinaldo,     6     joined the restaurant in 2021.

This commitment to the fine, fresh and good quality ingredients (原料) is not only the top task of the restaurant, which     7     (open) in 2016, but also at the foundation of Rinaldo’s cuisine philosophy, according to Rinaldo.

“We always go to the market to see the products in season. We try Chinese restaurants, and then we can understand     8     people like and how Chinese chefs are developing those products,” Rinaldo says,     9     (add) that he also goes to the markets at least once a week and enjoys talking with vendors (摊贩). To     10     (well) combine French dishes with local culture, about 70 percent of the ingredients in the restaurant are from local sources.

In recent years, various regions in China     1     (take) advantage of their unique resources and developed a diverse and dynamic rural tourism industry according to local conditions. They have created     2     (innovate) development models, giving rise to a number of desirable rural tourism destinations. They have paved the way for Chinese rural development     3     combines culture and tourism, promotes harmonious coexistence between man and nature, and fights     4     both material and cultural prosperity (繁荣).

With different types and rich forms, rural tourism is     5     (gradual) becoming a new hotspot in the Chinese tourism market. The annual reception and the tourism revenue (收入) have seen significant growth,     6     (boost) the world’s tourism development.

For foreign tourists, visiting rural areas in China is not just about sightseeing, but an opportunity     7     (get) a view of Chinese culture and customs. The beautiful countryside in China holds     8     strong appeal for foreign visitors.

Nowadays, some foreign tourists have shown a     9     (prefer) for immersive experiences in rural areas, such as enjoying tea and traditional opera performances in rural villages in Zhejiang, watching face-changing and fire-spiting shows of Sichuan Opera in rural parks in Sichuan,     10     listening to folk songs in ethnic villages of Guangxi.

Over the 5,000 years of Chinese history, the Chinese dragon used to be a totem (图腾) . Gradually, it has evolved into an image    1     (represent) the spirit of the Chinese nation. According to reports, long was first translated to “dragon”    2     The Travel of Marco Polo. And in China’s Qing Dynasty, westerners translated long as “draco”,       3    is Latin for “dragon”.

Legend goes that the Chinese dragon can fly and has the magical power to control wind and rain, so can spurt   (喷出) water from its mouth     4     (ensure) a good harvest with timely rainfall. To show their supreme power and dignity, emperors in ancient China always    5     (regard) themselves as “true dragons”.

Across    6    land of China, ordinary people worship the dragon, whose images and names can be found in architectural structures or    7     (decorate) , such as the Nine-dragon Wall and the Dragon Boat. There are many idioms     8     (relate)   to the Chinese dragon, such as Hua Long Dian Jing, meaning “Painting the dragon to life”

Of all the 12 Chinese zodiac animals (生肖动物) ,the dragon is one of people’s favorites. When people name newborn babies, long is a    9     (frequent) selected character, especially for boys born in the Year of the Dragon, as it is hoped    10    they will grow as strong and energetic as a dragon.

Art is a way to beautify lifeless urban spaces. We’ve seen examples of street artists working to improve urban scenery — by using new     1     (equip), or creating fantastic wall paintings.

But these are only the beginning. For Italian artist Peeta, blank walls are more than a flat surface; they can be transformed     2     mind-blowing three-dimensional artworks that invite us to step in different urban spaces.

Born in Venice, Peeta got his start as     3     graffiti writer after being “excited” by wall paintings spotted on his trip to Barcelona. Peeta set to work studying art and product design at university, as well as involving     4     (he) in different street art activities. Since then, Peeta — a name coming from his childhood nickname —    5     (develop) his characteristic style of three-dimensional lettering.

Part of     6     makes his works so breathtaking is that they integrate with the urban environment     7     (harmonious) and at the same time create an extraordinary experience. When     8     (see) from a particular angle, Peeta’s large artworks often achieve the impossible, with walls and windows seeming to disappear. “Art in public spaces creates an     9     (include) and enjoyable environment for the citizens there every day,” says Peeta. “My attempt is to make public spaces not just somewhere pleasant and lovely     10     somewhere inspirational and able to excite people’s feelings and imagination.”