A long time ago, a father was old and sick. He did not have much time to live, and he wanted     1     (give) his sons a good lesson before he died.

Recently, he noticed that his sons     2     (fight) among themselves and seemed unable to agree on anything. The old man feared what would happen after his     3     (die). He was afraid that his sons would begin to argue. “They will disagree about everything,” He thought. “Soon they     4     (be) enemies, each going his own direction.”

He called his sons together in his room. “Bring     5     (I) a bundle (束) of stick,” he asked his servant (仆人). Soon enough, a thick bundle of sticks arrived, tied     6     (close) together. One by one, he gave the bundle to each son, and asked him to break the bundle. One son after another pulled and twisted (拧) with all of his strength (力量),     7     the sticks would not break. The old man smiled and ordered his servant to untie the bundle of sticks. He handed one stick to each son and said, “Now break the stick.”

The old man smiled and ordered his servant to untie the bundle of sticks. He handed one stick to each son and said, “Now break the stick.” Of course, the single stick     8     (break) in two easily. The old father looked at his sons. “Do you understand this lesson?” he asked.

Each son, being intelligent,     9     (understand) the meaning at once. Alone, it is easy for one of them to be harmed. But together, they are strong and can’t be harmed even     10     great forces (势力). That’s the meaning of the sticking together. In unity, there is great strength.

A Californian woman has become a fitness influencer in her 50s after losing more than 40 pounds and taking up bodybuilding.

Denise Kirtley, 52, was inspired     1     (turn) her life around two months before her 50th birthday after finding that her wedding ring no longer fit on her finger.

“When I     2     (start) my transformation in 2020, I had been sedentary (惯于久坐不动的) for     3     long while,” Kirtley explained. She began lifting light weights in her spare bedroom, saying she was     4     unfit for the first two weeks that she quickly felt     5     (breath) and tired. But Kirtley said the secret to     6     (get) started on a body transformation is     7     (simple) to repeat workouts five times per week because action “often precedes (先于) motivation.”

“Action leads to more action. We can’t wait for motivation to kick in as it usually comes     8     (late),” she said. “If you can start taking action, any action, you will build momentum (推进力). That momentum will push you forward. It DOES get easier.”

The 52-year-old said she’s also transformed her attitude toward growing older. “We really do get to choose     9     we age. It’s all about your mindset,” she said. “Old and aging are very different — there’s nothing wrong     10     aging, and I embrace (欣然接受) my age. I’m aging, but I’m strong and spirited.”

Chinese calligraphy is called the art of lines. Practicing calligraphy helps a person to achieve relaxation and inner peace. In the past, children     1     (train) at an early age to practice writing. Great attention is paid     2     calligraphy today with exhibitions and competitions among both the young and the old.     3     (learn) calligraphy, one will need a brush, ink, paper, and ink stone, which     4     (be) commonly recognized as the Four Treasures of Study. As Chinese culture spreads throughout the world nowadays, calligraphy is enjoying     5     (great) popularity than ever before. Many foreigners are practising it now.     6     calligraphy uses Chinese characters (汉字) as a way of expression, one does not have to know Chinese to admire its beauty.

    1     (construct) from the 5th century BC, the Grand Canal was a means of communication for the Empire for the first time in the Sui Dynasty.

Before foundation of Sui Dynasty, China had     2     (continuous) evacuated several canals,     3     had been suspended due to natural environment. Some needed to be repaired but were still navigable, but were too separated from each other to form large-scale water transport nationwide.

The establishment of Sui Dynasty     4     (declare) the end of long-lasting split situation. In 605 AD, Emperor Yang Guang, the     5     (two) emperor of Sui Dynasty, ordered excavation of the Grand Canal to meet the political,     6     (economy) and military needs of unified nation.

The Grand Canal reached a new peak in the Yuan Dynasty (13th century), providing a unified inland navigation network consisting     7     more than 2,000 km of artificial waterways, linking five of the most important river basins in China,     8     (include) the Yellow River and the Yangtze.

As     9     major means of internal communication today, it has played an important role in ensuring the prosperity and     10     (stable) of China over the ages.

Bookstore brand targets isolated areas closer to cultural traditions, helping them open a prosperous new chapter, Yang Yang reports.

Five years ago, Qian Xiaohua, founder of Librairie Avant-Garde, a bookstore brand based in Nanjing, Jiangsu province,     1     (come) to Kaiping, a county-level city of Jiangmen, Guangdong province, to look for a site in the countryside     2     might be transformed into a modern bookstore. “We believe that Chinese culture     3     (root) in the rural areas.     4     (promote) Chinese culture, we first need to bring the rural areas to life. So, for us, opening bookstores in the countryside is more     5     (value) and meaningful than doing so in the cities,” says Qian.

Diaolou refers to the multi-story defensive village houses in Kaiping, combining Chinese and Western structural and decorative forms. In June 2007, UNESCO added Kaiping Diaolou and Villages to     6     (it) list of World Heritage sites. Five years ago, while traveling around to visit the Diaolou, Qian was impressed by the five giant white-walled Diaolou towers. Light and spacious, they     7     (full) satisfied Librairie Avant-Garde’s     8     (requirement) for a public space.

After a year and a half of design and construction, on November 11, Jiangmen Kaiping Avant-Garde Bookshop was opened, covering an area of 1,553 square meters.     9     total of 38,000 books are displayed throughout the five buildings. The opening day saw hundreds of people from nearby cities     10     (visit) the bookstore. This bookstore can enrich people’s cultural life and improve local tourism.

Highland barley (青稞) has been a main food of Xizang for thousands of years. Recently, it has helped Chinese bakers win international awards in Europe.

Lin Yeqiang and Feng Yingjie     1     (announce) as victors after a three-day baking     2     (compete) in Munich, Germany, last week known as the “iba. UIBC. CUP of Bakers 2023”. The Chinese team took first prize after     3     (defeat) the other bakers from 12 countries, including Japan, France, Germany and Italy, during the event,     4     ran from Oet. 22 to 24.

The event was held at the Baking Exhibition Center in Munich,     5     leading global meeting place since 1949. Most of the flour     6     (use) worldwide in the baking industry usually comes from developed Western countries. But this time,     7     was highland barley flour from Xizang that helped Lin and Feng beat their peers.

“This shows that highland barley has been recognized by the international baking industry, and that it provides a new alternative to high-end baking flour,” said Wang Zi, coach of the Chinese bakery team. Highland barley has     8     (gradual) gained more popularity overseas in recent years. It is considered a     9     (health) food, enriched with nutrients such as dietary fiber, beta-glucans, vitamins and other trace elements.

“Using highland barley to make fermented seeds integrates traditional Chinese cultural elements with their baking and gives the world a better understanding     10     the unique charm of Chinese baking,” Wang said.

Earthquakes are one of the most destructive natural disasters. They can happen just about anywhere. Earthquakes cannot be stopped,     1     your chances of survival are much better if you know what     2     (do) when an earthquake strikes.

If you are in     3     building, drop, cover, and hold on. This     4     (be) the national standard for earthquake safety in the United States. The advice is to get next     5     a strong piece of furniture (家具) so that if a wall falls, it will create something     6     (call) the “triangle of life” to help you survive. Use your     7     (hand) and arms to protect your vital areas like your head and neck. Do not move     8     (immediate) unless it is safe to do so.

Remember that aftershocks are possible at any time and are     9     (likely) after a bigger earthquake. Take good care of     10     (you) when you leave the building.

Anji, a small county in East China’s Zhejiang Province,     1     (receive) over 28 million tourists every year. There are more than 300 coffee shops there,     2     in terms of population density has surpassed that of Shanghai. “A cup of coffee bridges the gap between the big city and the small county,” said Han Jie, a Shanghai tourist who     3     (temporary) escaped the large city and came to Anji over the weekend. In Zhejiang,     4     increasing number of coffeehouse owners are venturing into rural areas to meet the demands of a growing population of young and adventurous coffee enthusiasts.

    5     (locate) in the bamboo forests of Penghu Village in Anji , a café called Waterfall Coffee has gained popularity     6     social media influencers. Visitors can not only taste coffee on the cliff halfway up the mountain, admiring waterfalls in the distance,     7     enjoy boating on the lake with an excellent view.

The outdoor café, the Deep Blue Coffeehouse, has received 350,000 tourists in less than a year, with the highest daily number of visitors     8     (reach) 8,000 people. By far, the small coffee shop has fueled the rural economy of Hongmiao Village in some way, causing university students     9     (cooperate) with the local government in organizing a start-up fair, with the aim of attracting more university     10     (graduate) to start business in the village.

Jiezi Ancient Town is located in Chongzhou, Sichuan Province. “Jiezi” means small street. In the Tang Dynasty and Five Dynasties, it was called “Hengqu”,     1     means across Weijiang River. Due to wars, the lively town turned into     2     street along the river in 1615 in the Ming Dynasty. The local people set this street a new name “Jiezi Chang” for marketing. Hence, it got “Jiezi”.

The town has a     3     (combine) of mountains and water, and travelers can enjoy elegant natural scenery and historical sites in the same visit. It is famous for its ancient bluest one roads, ancient houses and locals who have lived here for     4     (generation). The best way to explore it is    5     (simple) wandering around the old streets     6     (discover) the old shops with old books, handmade straw shoes, old furniture. Immerse (沉浸) yourselves in the old time and relax your eyes by     7     (overlook) the beautiful mountains.

Visitors can see a wealth of relic sites     8     (distribute) around Jiezi Old Town. It features Guangyan Buddhist Temple, Fengqishan Scenic Spot, Primitive Forest, Millennium gingko tree, well-preserved Qing-dynasty street and 32 temples. Jiezi Ancient Town also proudly serves     9     the birthplace of Tang Qiu, a famous poet in the Tang Dynasty, who     10     (adopt) the pen name “Gourd Ladle (瓢)”, the special container of his poems.

Besides water, tea is the most popular drink in the world. It is said that tea was invented accidentally by a Chinese ruler,     1     was called Shen Nong. Lu Yu, “the sage of tea (茶圣)”,     2    (write) the first book about tea. It is believed that tea     3     (send) to Korea and Japan during the 6th and 7th centuries. In the 17th century, tea was introduced to Europe. The tea trade from China     4     Western countries took place in the 19th century.

There are many     5     (type) of Chinese tea, such as green tea, white tea, oolong tea, yellow tea, dark tea and black tea, each of which has     6     (it) own different color, scent, and taste. Many provinces have their special types of tea,     7     (actual), such as the West Lake Longjing Tea in Zhejiang Province, the Wuyi Rock Tea in Fujian Province and the Pu’er Tea in Yunnan Province.

It is a     8     (tradition) etiquette (礼节) to serve guests with tea. The gongfu tea is perhaps the most representative tea ceremony in China. The preparation can involve over 10 different tools, containing more than 20 steps.

Do you enjoy     9    (drink) tea? Choose a type of Chinese tea     10     enjoy it with your friends.