China     1     (have) over 1.09 billion netizens (网民) by the end of last year, 24.8 million more than the amount in 2022, a report released by the China Internet Network Information Center said on Friday. The report showed that 2,577 websites and mobile phone applications optimized (优化) functions     2     provided barrier-free services for old and disabled users last year so that     3     (them) could benefit more from the Internet.

Digital technologies have also been     4     (wide) applied in public services, such as travel and healthcare,     5     (make) more people live better lives. The number of netizens using online car-hailing and medical services increased significantly last year, up to 90.57 million and 51.39 million respectively from December 2022. In addition, the rapid growth of the Internet has stimulated     6     (consume) and promoted the sustainable development of the digital economy.

Wang Changqing,     7     official from the center, said while introducing the report that live streaming platforms have become major channels to advance cultural and     8     (economy) development. For instance, in March last year, a large number of Internet users watched basketball matches     9     (organize) by Guizhou province through live streaming platforms, attracting more people to visit the province and contributing a lot     10     local tourism, he added.

China Expected to Achieve 50% NEV Penetration Rate a Decade Ahead of Schedule

Miao Wei, former minister of industry and information technology, said “China’s new energy vehicle development has entered a brand-new stage of comprehensive market     1     (expand), which will drive the NEV penetration rate (占有率)     2     (reach) 50 percent as early as 2025.” In 2020, China set     3     (it) goal that NEVs will become mainstream and account for more than 50 percent of the total ·auto sales by 2035.

Miao     4     (add) that the battery, which is at the heart of NEV, has also made great progress and gained a lead     5     (globe), and highlighted the necessity of commercializing all-solid-state (全固态) batteries for China. The all-solid-state battery is widely accepted as a     6     (promise) solution to address the limitations of     7     (tradition) lithium-ion batteries of NEVs. Miao made the comments on Monday during the founding conference of China All-Solid-State Battery Collaborative Innovation Platform.

At the conference, Ouyang Minggao, an initiator of the platform and an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, expected that all-solid-state batteries are a key battleground for next-generation battery technology,     8     are expected to be industrialized by 2030. “    9    China has gained a global lead in lithium-ion battery, the country still has a long way to go in the commercialization of all-solid-state batteries,” Ouyang said. He appealed     10     more joint efforts to develop such batteries to maintain China’s advantage in batteries on the global stage.

    1     (sit) back in my seat, I can’t quite believe that I’m about to travel along the railway that many foreign experts     2     (claim) was ”impossible“. The train has been racing along     3     (steady) since it left Xining. All this time, the song ”Sky Railway” has been playing inside my head. The words “railways like     4     (mass) dragons are winding among the mountains” seem particularly vivid as I travel     5     the “roof of the world”.

I was one of the people     6     came from all parts of China to work on this railway. Taking years     7     (complete), the Qinghai-Tibet Railway is a record of all of our efforts to overcome     8     most difficult engineering challenges. How to protect the delicate ecosystem was among the top     9     (concern).

Now, thanks to so many workers’ efforts, the construction finished successfully. I am proud that we     10     (build) our “impossible” railway, and did so with the care that the environment deserves. It truly is an extraordinary “Sky Railway”.

In recent years, Ningjiangdu Park, located in Wushan county, Chongqing,     1     (change) from a deserted mudflat to an ecological park along the Yangtze River through ecological restoration (复原) . Its     2     (unique) has attracted many visitors     3     (admire) the beautiful scenery in Ningjiangdu Park.

Ningjiangdu Park     4     (locate) at the intersection (交汇处) of the Yangtze River, China’s     5     (long) waterway, and Daning River. The Ningjiangdu used to be     6     ancient ferry crossing (渡口). In November 2020, Wushan county carried out the Ningjiangdu ecological restoration project,     7     changed the once barren slope     8     six scenes: a village entrance, rural residence, boat crossing, river viewing, reading and overnight lodging. Efforts were made to restore the original mountain range, repair the mountain surface, create a     9     (health) forest vegetation system     10     improve the ecological management of the sinking zone. The ecological restoration area of Ningjiangdu has reached 26 hectares.

Placed among the busy streets of Washington, D. C. is a large public garden that many Americans have never heard of. The U. S. National Arboretum (植物园) includes     1     collection of flowering plants called azaleas, a field of native plants named ferns, and flowering trees in the dogwood tree area. The garden     2     (establish) by Congress in 1927. It plays a leading part in researching and developing plants like trees, shrubs, flowers, and grasses.

Government scientists are in charge of the 180-hectare area. Their main goal is     3    (strengthen) the U. S. economy by making sure an important kind of agriculture,     4     (call) the nursery industry, continues to perform well. The most recent numbers from the U. S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) show that the ornamental and landscape plant industry creates billions of founds in sales each year.

The arboretum is home to one of the     5     (large) collections of preserved seeds in the world. The National Arboretum Herbarium (植物标本)     6     (house) around 700,000 ex-ample seeds. They include seeds from plants that the USDA considers as     7    (economical) important. Scientists collect many genetically different seeds within a kind of plant from both native and non-native plants. The reason     8     collecting that data is that scientists protect plants from harmful situations like climate change, changed environments, or other new and possible risks.

While the scientists do their work, the public     9     (explore) plants is free to visit the arboretum. Though many people may not know it, the arboretum has had a hand in developing a number of plants     10     are part of American landscaping.

Few people expected that a new song     1       (write) by Chinese pop singer songwriter Daolang, who kept himself out of the spotlight for years, would go viral (爆火) on social media. However, the track Luocha Haishi, one of the 11 original songs from the 52-year-old artist's latest album titled Shan Ge Liaò Zai (Folk Songs Fading Away)     2       (become) one of the biggest hits of the year so far. The song, which     3     (release) on July 19, got 8 billion streams by 6 pm on July 30.

The curiosity surrounding the song seems to be driving its     4       (popular). Social media users are     5       (fierce) debating if the lyrics have hidden meanings. Reading between the lines, some online listeners said the song is ạ stinging sat ire (尖锐的讽刺) on the current “unhealthy and chaotic (混乱的) environment in show business”, while others see Luocha Haishi     6    Daolang’s “revenge” on people who once criticized     7     (he) music.

“As a researcher on classic Chinese literature, I appreciate Daolang whose new song is     8    (create) and gives Liaozhai Zhiyi a new interpretation. I don't know whether the song is targeted at a certain group of people     9     one person.     10     makes it meaningful is that it fuels discussions and makes people think,” said Miao Huaiming, a professor at Nanjing University's   School of Liberal Arts.

Have you heard the saying “Nature works in mysterious ways”? Nature in itself has a special system     1     helps it to deal with environmental changes. It can also provide us solutions to a lot of our everyday     2     (issue) such as product design, medicine, technology and architecture. A deep look at the elements and systems of nature can help us     3     our design and planning of architecture. This art of     4     (adapt) ideas of nature into buildings is known as biomimicry (仿生学) in architecture.

The word “Biomimicry” originates from the Greek term “bios” and “mimesis”, which means learning from nature     5     (achieve) sustainable (可持续的) solutions. With growing time and technology, we have realized that being close to nature is    6     (benefit) . Therefore, getting to know the potential of biomimicry is now important. Generally, the more nature-oriented we are, the     7     (good) our designs will be. Biomimicry     8     (add) a sense of sustainability and creativity to design.

Peter Niewiarowski, an expert in biomimicry once said, “The way biological systems solve problems is pretty different from the way of the engineered systems.” Therefore, we can say     9     inspirations from nature are more reasonable and reliable. Moreover, Biomimicry has helped to solve the design challenges in an environment-friendly way and raised our     10     (aware) of the well-being of all the lives on our planet.

Unearthed from the depths of time, cultural relics (文物) are more than just a historical record or an artistic treasure. If only they could speak, what     1    (attract)tales would they share?

As we stand before these ancient relics, a sense of connection envelops us,     2    (go)beyond the boundaries of time and culture. It’s as if they whisper their secrets, revealing not only their age and material, but a profound message     3     resonates (引起共鸣) with our souls.

In the     4    (recent)published book, The Shape of Ideas: Chinese Philosophy in Cultural Relics, Zhang Xi, professor at the Department of Philosophy, Xiamen University,     5    (deliver)the core ideas of Chinese philosophy from 72 historical artifacts before the Ming Dynasty(1368-1644)displayed in public museums.

Using the simplest modern language, he digs into 18 themes to reveal     6     the ancient sages faced the most crucial spiritual challenges of their times. Their quest sought to answer fundamental     7    (question)such as：What is a human being? What position do humans occupy in the universe? And how can a person attain happiness in their lifetime?

    8    (base)on the structure of ”Cosmology-Ontology-Theory of Mindfulness“ for ancient Chinese philosophy, Zhang explores the achievements of recent years, and portrays the Chinese world of thought for     9    (it)vivid transformation from pre-philosophical period     10     early modern period and from elitism (精英主义) to popularized orientation (导向).

Healthy relationships can be of great     1     (important) to our life. They help us to live a long, healthy, and happy life. The effects of being alone can be as harmful as smoking and other bad     2     (habit).

Research shows that healthy relationships benefit us in many ways. A review of 148 studies found that people with strong social relationships are 50% less likely     3     (die) early. Some research even found that living with a life partner can add 3 years     4     life expectancy (寿命).

Good relationships also help us deal with stress. The support     5     (offer) by a caring friend can provide a buffer (缓冲) against the effects of stress. In     6     study of over 100 people, researchers found that people who completed a     7     (stress) task experienced a faster recovery when they     8     (remind) of their caring friends or family members. However, those who had poor relationships, on the other hand, experienced even     9     (much) stress and higher blood pressure (血压).

Moreover, you may feel richer     10     you have better relationships with others. A survey by the National Bureau of Economic Research of 5,000 people found that doubling your group of friends has the same effect on your wellbeing as a 50% increase in income!

The Grand Canal remains     1     important way of cultural communication.     2     (make) up of three sections (Suitang Grand Canal, Beijing Hangzhou Grand Canal and Zhedong Grand Canal), the Grand Canal is a flowing river of transformation.

The man-made waterway runs more than 2,000 kilometers     3     north to south across the wide eastern parts of China. The Hangzhou section of the canal reaches a total of 39 kilometers,     4     is home to 11 of the canal’s total 58     5     (history) sites. It enters the city from Tangqi ancient town in Yuhang district, travels through Gongshu and Shangcheng districts, and finally flows into the Qiantang River from the Three Gorges Ship Lock.

In ancient times, the Grand Canal served as the main waterway for     6     (carry) grain and every kind of economic and cultural exchange. It also     7     (short) the time-consuming (耗时的) journeys of workers and     8     (material) for the building of the Forbidden City in Beijing.

Now, it has inspired the name of Chenchen, one of the three     9     (impress) mascots (吉祥物) of the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou. Chenchen, coming from the Gongchen Bridge, which covers the Hangzhou section of the Grand Canal,     10     (colour) blue to represent science and technology.