The traditional Chinese solar calendar divides the year into 24 solar terms. Grain Rain , as the last term in spring, starts on April 20 and ends on May 4. Grain Rain originates from the old saying, “Rain brings up the     1     (grow) of hundreds of grains,” which shows that this period of rainfall is     2     (extreme) important for crops. The Grain Rain signals the end of cold weather and a rapid rise in temperature.

Grain Rain brings     3     marked increase in temperature and rainfall and the grains grow     4     (fast) than before. It’s a key time to protect the crops from insect pests.

Grain Rain falls between the end of spring and the beginning of summer, with infrequent cold air     5     (move) to the south and lingering cold air in the north. From the end of April to the beginning of May, the temperature rises much higher than it     6     (do) in March. With dry soil, an unsteady atmosphere and heavy winds, gales and sandstorms become more frequent.

There is an old custom in southern China that people drink tea on the day of Grain Rain. Spring tea during Grain Rain is rich in vitamins and amino acids,     7     can help to remove heat from the body and is good for the eyes. On this day drinking tea is also said     8    (prevent) bad luck.

The Grain Rain festival is celebrated by fishing villages in the coastal areas of northern China. Grain Rain marks the start of the fishermen’s first voyage of the year. The custom    9     (date) back to more than 2,000 years ago, when people believed they owed a good harvest     10     the gods, who protected them from the stormy seas. People would worship the sea and stage sacrifice rites on the Grain Rain festival, praying for a bountiful harvest and a safe voyage for their loved ones.

National Tree-Planting Day

March 12th is China’s annual National Tree-Planting Day. On this day, millions of Chinese, from all     1     (walk) of life, will put their work at hand aside for a moment, take shovels and buckets as well as saplings, and go out     2     (green) up their hometowns.

First     3     (create) by the US agriculturist Sterling Morton in 1872, Tree-Planting Day was

set in order to inspire people’s passions     4     planting and protecting trees, and to protect and improve the natural environment on     5     people depend for their living.

China’s Tree-Planting Day could date back to a     6     (propose) made by Sun Yat-sen (1866-1925), a great China revolution leader, to Beiyang Government (1915-1927) in 1915 and then a regulation was publicized that Tomb-Sweeping Festival (April 5th)     7     (adopt) as Tree-Planting Day. However, April 5th was a late time for tree-planting in Southern China and so it was     8     (formal) changed to March 12th by the Nanjing National Government(1927-1949) in order to memorize Sun Yat-sen, who passed away on March 12th.

In February 1979, the 5th National People’s Congress of People’s Republic of China made     9     resolution that March 12th would be taken as Chinese Tree-Planting Day,     10     (require) the whole country to carry out tree-planting activities on this day and support the construction of forestry.

Ollivier Jean-Baptiste, 25, a vlogger (视频博主) from France living in China, delivered a speech titled “Bridging Cultures: A Personal Journey from France to China”. He spoke about his initial impressions of China     1     saw China as a distant and mysterious place with a culture entirely different from Western countries.

The idea of visiting China first     2     (come) to him when his uncle, who worked in China, returned     3     endless praise for the Chinese lifestyle. “Everything, from the food to the scenery, was     4     (incredible) appealing to me,” he recalled.

Later, a Chinese woman introduced him personally to the everyday life of Chinese people. He learned to use WeChat, Alipay, and Chinese social media,     5     exposed him to a different way of living. “She took me to see the flag-raising ceremony. Witnessing     6     (count) young people rushing toward the flag, I was deeply moved. It’s a country of     7     (strong), unity, and love,” he said.

Apart from his personal experiences in China, Jean-Baptiste noticed that friendly interactions between the two countries are increasing. After learning about the 15-day visa-free travel from France to China, his family and friends couldn’t wait     8     (book) their trip to China.

“I’m overjoyed to host them during the 60th anniversary of China-France diplomatic (外交的) relations,     9     (show) China’s modern development and rich history,” he said. “I may be just     10     ordinary person with limited influence, but everyone can be a cultural ambassador (使者).”

New research says nuts could be a     1     (value), tasty and nutritious slimming food. Researchers from Harvard University suggested that people     2     (replace) a daily unhealthy snack with a small handful of nuts to slow down weight gain. This is     3     (especial) helpful for people as they get older. The     4     (researcher) found that people who ate just 14g of nuts every day gained less weight than those     5     ate another snack. The people that ate the nuts were unlikely to become obese (肥胖的).

A long-term study     6     (conduct) by the researchers observed the lifestyle of nearly 190,000 people for over twenty years. The people in the research were divided     7     three groups. They included professors     8     nurses aged 35 to 55. They ask questions every four years about     9     (they) weight, how often they ate nuts, and how often they exercised.     10     researcher said replacing less healthy foods with nuts might help reduce the weight gain, and might lower the chances of becoming obese.

Bethany Hamilton was born on the island of Kauai and raised on a surfboard. One of her dreams     1     (be) to become a professional surfer. Her life was perfect until one day in October 2003     2     she was attacked by a shark. The shark bit off part of her board along with her left arm, almost     3     (kill) her. Luckily, her friends, though almost     4     (scare) to death, managed to save her. At only 13 years old, her dream seemed to disappear.

After the accident, her fears of sharks     5     (great) increased. Hamilton was urged     6     (stay) away from the waves, but she wouldn’t abandon her dream. Instead, Hamilton, though quite aware of the risk of another shark attack, showed her     7     (brave) by jumping back into the ocean not long after the accident.

“I hardly ever get worried,” says Hamilton. “and I have ways of calming     8     (I) down. I leave my fears behind once I dive into the water.” Her devotion     9     surfing helps her become what she is. Now, Hamilton is surfing in     10     (compete) once again and is among the best surfers in the world.