Many people are afraid of flying in airplanes, but they shouldn’t be. Over time airplanes     1     (improve) their safety measures. Flying has become one of the safest ways to travel. In fact, when measured per mile, flying is     2     (actual) far safer than driving, or travelling by train.

Not only is flying the safest mode of transport,     3     it is also the fastest. Just a hundred years ago if you wanted to travel from China to the United States, you would have to travel by boat     4     many weeks. Fortunately now, you can get there in less than 24 hours. Airplanes are also quite     5     (comfort), and often offer in-flight entertainment, such as movies. This helps explain     6     travelling by plane is now the first choice for long     7     (distant) journeys.

Of course, that doesn’t stop some people from being afraid of flying. People can be frightened,     8     (think) about flying through the atmosphere (大气层) at hundreds of miles per hour. One of the main reasons that people are afraid to fly is that     9     (passenger) lack any control over the airplane, and have to place their trust in the hands of the pilots. Many people intend     10     (remain) in control.

Chinese speakers tend to use “spear and shield”     1    (describe) anything that’s contradictory. Actually, now the Chinese phrase for “contradiction”     2    (call) Mao Dun or “spear and shield”.

Nearly 2, 000 years ago, there was a man living in the State of Chu. One day, he went to a market to sell spears and shields—two most common     3    (weapon) at that time. When a small crowd gathered around the seller to look at his goods, the man     4    (decide) to advertise his shields first. He said, “Please look at my shields. They are certainly the     5    (strong) ones you can ever find in the world.”

Then some of the potential buyers came closer to have a careful examination of the shields,     6     they couldn’t see anything special about them. The seller then moved on to brag about his spears. “Now please have a good look at my spears. They are the sharpest weapons     7    have ever been produced. So, no matter how firm a shield is, my spears will pierce (刺穿) through it     8    (easy).” After listening to the seller’s pitch, a man stepped forward and said, “You just told us that your shields are the strongest in the world and then you claim your spears are the sharpest. How about     9    (use)your spears on your shields?” The seller was unable to respond.

So today, instead of saying “you are contradicting yourself”, Chinese will say “you are attacking your shield     10     your own spear”.

Putian wood carving, one of the four well-known     1     (category) of the art of Chinese wood carving, originated in the Tang and Song Dynasties.     2     (serve) as a national intangible cultural heritage (非物质文化遗产) item in China, it is a traditional folk carving technique of southeast China’s Fujian Province.

Zheng Chunhui, Lin Jianjun and Chen Yushu are three     3     (exception) representatives of wood carving masters. Zheng is a provincial-level inheritor (继承人) of the wood carving art,     4     not only excels in traditional wood carving technique,     5     expresses his love for his family and nation through his works. To promote the art, Zheng opened a unique wood carving gallery, which is the     6     (one) in Putian run by an individual and free to the public. The delicately made wood carving works by Lin     7     (shine) at a BRICS summit (峰会) several years ago, and meanwhile, the Chinese-style antique furniture pieces that are made by Chen     8     (show) at many international exhibitions over the past few years.

Putian city is home     9     over 2,600 wood carving companies, and the wood carving works     10     (create) there were sold to more than 20 countries and regions around the world last year.

When I was 20 years old, I had a big dream in my mind. I wanted     1     (travel) around Africa with my backpack. So I left my hometown with confidence(信心) and arrived     2     Cape Town, not really sure what to do next.     3     (lucky), before my trip started, I met a kind; old Nigerian man. He gave me the     4     (good) travel advice I had ever received: “Be like a student on your way around the world.”

The advice sounded simple, but     5     really changed my idea about traveling. He helped me realize that travel is about     6     (learn) cultures. It’s far too easy to go into     7     new country and believe your ways are better.

“But if you. study, ask questions, and try to learn from the locals, you     8     (have) far richer experience,” he promised.

After seven     9     (month) of full backpacking in Africa from Cape Town to Cairo, I realized having a student-like mind helped me learn a lot, which     10     (satisfy) me more than any other trip that ever did to me.