I     1     (become) interested in Tai Chi after reading about it in a magazine. At the time, I was looking for a way to balance     2    (I) job as a manager at an IT firm with my     3    (person) life. I didn’t want to go to the gym or sweat my way through the woods. I was looking for a less strenuous(费力的) way to exercise while also relaxing     4    (mental).

My path to Tai Chi took me through a number of teachers and courses. The first Tai Chi form, On     5     other hand, I learned from a textbook. This book was my first     6    (introduce) to Tai Chi. The book is very precise step-by-step instructions were very well explained to me. The Yang form was demonstrated,     7     is a very good and simple form for learning Tai Chi. I didn’t really know what needed to pay attention to at the time, so I just learned the movement sequence of the form, strictly     8    (follow)the instructions in the book.

I can only report positive results after     9     (year) of consistent training. I’ve gained mental stability and calm. My mindfulness has gotten better, and I am now more aware     10     the here and now in my everyday life.

A total of 29 provincial regions have started or made plans to reform the national college entrance exam or gaokao,     1     (offer) more options to students taking the critical test, the Ministry of Education said on September 15.

Wang Hui, director of the ministry’s Department of College Students Affairs, said 14 provincial regions have already implemented(实施) gaokao reforms. Seven regions will     2     (official) implement them in 2024, while eight others will do so in 2025.

Before the reforms, high school students     3     (divide) into liberal arts(文科) and sciences categories, in     4     the former needed to answer questions related to politics, history and geography in the gaokao while     5     latter concentrated on physics, chemistry and biology. Now, students can choose any three of these six subjects     6     (test) on.

High school and university officials said they think the changes encourage students to learn more about the different subjects and     7     education officials have made progress in testing students based on their abilities.

To ensure fairness in the national college entrance exam, the ministry has cancelled the bonus-point system(加分政策) considerably for students     8     exceptional ability in the sciences and sports.

Athletes, winners of academic Olympiads, including in math, physics, chemistry and biology, winners of science     9     (competition), provincial model students and students who     10     (undertake) exceptional moral deeds, are no longer being granted extra points in the gaokao.

One year ago, China rolled out the “double reduction” policy to ease the burden of excessive core-subjects homework and off-campus tutoring faced by middle and primary school students. The policy not only allows children more time to rest and play, but also allows them to obtain the nutrition     1    (need) for their all-around moral, intellectual and physical development.

Positive changes     2    (take) place. Compared with a year ago, students now have more independent, diversified     3    (choose) of extracurricular activities to explore, and can develop their interests and abilities,    4     opens up new horizons for them.                 

To Yue Xinyu,    5     third-grader in central China’s Wuhan City, a notable change is that her primary school classes now finish     6    (early) in the afternoon than before. “After class, we can opt for     7    (vary) interest-oriented classes and workshops,” the eight-year-old student said.

Football, basketball, opera classes and clay workshops, are available     8     lower graders, while senior primary students have more alternatives, including     9    (program) and dance.

A dance lover herself, Yue is eager to join the school’s club     10     she becomes old enough. She now takes off-campus Latin dance lessons in her spare time. Gliding on the dance floor makes her feel relaxed and confident, she said.