Before some of the greatest explorers in history were born, Vikings had already navigated (航海) their way around the world. But with no     1     (compass), satellites or radios, how did they manage     2     (map) the globe so impressively? The answer is     3     (simple) than you might expect — experience. Viking travelers studied the positions of the stars and the sun. Even the colour of the sea and movement of the waves would give them an     4     (indicate) of how close they were to land.

The Terracotta Army (兵马俑) was found in 1974 near Xi’an. It is formed of more than 8,000 sculptures, which     1     (bury) alongside the emperor Qin Shi Huang more than 2,200 years ago. Now, researchers have recreated the shoes of one soldier and analysis of them     2     (suggest) that shoes worn by the terracotta sculptures were surprisingly flexible and slip resistant. If the recreated shoes     3     (true) reflect the real ones, they can help build a better picture of     4     Qin dynasty soldiers wore and how this might have aided them in battles.

Harbin,    1     (know) for its ice and snow festivals, became very popular last winter. An increasing number of tourists rushed to the “Ice City of China” to experience the best of ice and snow culture. Besides the frosty delights, the city still has much more     2     (offer) all year around, including its traditional European-style architecture, unique cuisine and cultural events. The city’s individual attractions make     3     a must-see spot no matter the weather.

Zhao Chuang is a science artist working in Beijing,    1     job bridges science and art by painting and sculpturing ancient extinct species. Zhao reproduces each element described in papers on the history of life in an artistic way, and the     2     (blank) in scientific research are filled by his logic and imagination. His painting of a prehistoric flying animal became the cover of important scientific journal Nature in 2006, a highlight in his career     3     a science artist.

An exhibition of zodiac (生肖) sculptures,     1     (call) Peak Life and Water, opened in Chengdu, Southwest China’s Sichuan Province on Saturday.

The 12 zodiac signs are     2     (traditional) used in Chinese culture to mark each year. Each zodiac sign also corresponds to twelve hours in the day. In addition     3     the traditional calendar function, the 12 zodiac signs are also a kind of folk custom and culture,     4     reflects Chinese people’s understanding of the year.

Each sculpture     5     (base) on a single zodiac animal. For example, the tiny golden birds     6     (stand) on the head of an ox remind visitors of birds settling on an ox, chewing the worms they have just captured. In another, a monkey balances     7     golden peach on the head. For the dragon sculpture, a golden and glorious ball floats in front of the intimidating dragon.

The expressions of these zodiac sculptures are vivid but calm. Some of them seem to be resting, content in their mediation. Only the snake has     8     (it) eyes open. If you see a snake’s eyes are closed, that     9     (mean) it is in hibernation (冬眠). The elegant and exquisite modelling has delighted visitors so much that even before the opening ceremony of the exhibition, some collectors expressed a desire     10     (buy) the sculptures.

The underwater photography exhibition titled “Chasing Dreams in Dark Blue”is     1     (current) taking place at the National Art Museum of China in Beijing. The exhibition marks the museum’s first-ever ocean underwater photography display,     2     (feature) a collection of 60 attractive pieces by Yue Hongjun, a winner of the Golden Statue Award for China Photography,     3     highest award for photographers in the country. The showcased     4     (photo) vividly show the vibrancy (活力) of ocean species and convey the ecological concept of protecting the ocean.

As an enterpriser, Yue is deeply passionate about both the ocean     5     photography. His commitment extends beyond business, as he actively participates     6     public welfare activities. He has chosen photography as a powerful medium to call for more people to safeguard the ocean and its inhabitants. Over the course of a decade, he     7     (dive) over 700 times in these regions from South America to North America and from the Pacific Ocean to the Indian Ocean. One remarkable achievement of     8     (he) is the pioneering description of the flying image of Dunhuang in China at a     9     (deep) of 30 meters within a South American underwater cave. He is also the first photographer     10     (achieve)China’s Golden Statue Award as well as the fellowship of The Royal Photographic Society of Great Britain for his ocean-themed photographs.

Humankind’s growing need for food is running up against thousands of other species’ need for space. By 2050, humans may need to clear an additional 3.35 million square     1     (kilometer) of land for agriculture.     2     (transform) these largely natural habitats would squeeze more than 17,000 vertebrate species from some of their lands. But changing how and where food     3     (grow) can minimize the impacts. “We can feed the planet without messing it up too badly,” says conservation scientist David Williams.

ChatGPT is a chatbot. Some schools     1     (ban) it since its birth. They need time to make rules about     2     it’s to be used properly in class. Some teachers see it as a     3     (cheat) tool. But many principals believe it’s too late to keep AI out of classrooms. A growing number of     4     (educate) say the panic about AI is a lot like the panic caused by the Internet when it was new. One of them says, “ChatGPT is to English and to writing what the calculator is to math.”

When I lived in Boston, I taught English as a second language to adult students from around the world. On the last day, they threw a nice party. I was amazed they had learned enough English     1     (organize) such an event altogether. At the end of the party, they proudly handed me a gift box. After the box     2     (open), I gently lifted a beautiful coat from it. “We went shopping for a new coat!” they all shouted     3     wonderfully perfect English.

Early risers are people who naturally wake up early in the morning. Their body clock causes them to get up     1     most of us are still in deep sleep. Researchers at the University of California said early risers could have some     2     (share) DNA from Neanderthals — our ancestors who lived over 40,000 years ago. Neanderthals lived in the     3     (north) parts of Europe and Asia. They woke up earlier to hunt for or gather food as the sun rose. Researcher Dr. Tony Capra said, “At higher latitudes (纬度) it is     4    (benefit) to have a body clock that is better able to anticipate and adapt to the     5     (change) seasonal light levels.” He added, “Having a ‘faster’ body clock makes individuals more likely to rise early.”

Scientists have spent a long time looking at     6     some people are early birds, while others are night owls. They looked at     7     medical database with genetic information of hundreds of thousands of people. Their research found more examples of Neanderthal DNA existed in the early risers. However,     8     is likely that the Neanderthal gene is not so strong in many people. The effect of the Neanderthal DNA may     9     (weaken) over the past centuries. Our modern lifestyles mean many of us prefer sleeping in     10     leaving the comfort of our bed. Nevertheless, it may still be true that the early bird catches the worm.