When a person wakes up in the morning, seven items are necessary and unavoidable in his or her life: firewood, rice, oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar and tea.

The saying     1     (update) recently, and it is now widely accepted     2     the seven items have been integrated into one thing-a parcel.

The     3     (adjust) saying illustrates the importance of parcels in Chinese people’s lives nowadays.

Although the delivery industry has boomed in the past decade, and many people rely     4     (heavy) on parcels to maintain their normal lives, it is easy     5     (forget) the most important part of the network-the millions of couriers who transport the items to their recipients.

In China, these essential people usually have busy schedules     6     handle heavy workloads. For example, in big cities such as Beijing, each courier usually collects and delivers 200 to 300 parcels a day, even during off - peak     7     (period).

They often wear colorful uniforms and ride electric bikes through the streets and communities. People call them “busy bees” in honor of       8     (they) hard work.

Sometimes, they rush to meet their schedules and aim to deliver     9     large number of parcels, raising the risk of traffic accidents. Sometimes they work overtime to complete deliveries. Occasionally, they are subject     10     unreasonable complaints.

Public attention will often be focused on the collective stories of soldiers on the anniversary (纪念日), which     1     (fall) on July 27, marking the end of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea(1950—1953).

However, this year,     2     new documentary (纪录片), Searching Beyond Time and Space, tries to view history     3     (different)—to go beyond the collective and uncover the thoughts of individual soldiers, and find out if they have any regrets or unrealized     4     (wish) at the end of their lives. Moreover, the production unit, by using virtual reality technology, offers the old soldiers an opportunity to go back to moments in the past and address those regrets in the virtual world.

For instance, Tian Wei, a 90-year-old CPV soldier, returned to China in 1954 and learned that his comrade-in-arms (战友) Wei Jiamin,     5     he saved on the battlefield, had sent his family money to help him care for his parents. Tian had been sincerely desiring to express his gratitude to Wei face     6     face until Wei passed away.

    7     (use) a photo, the documentary team managed to recreate Wei’s     8     (appear). Then a “meeting” between Tian and Wei     9     (realize) in the virtual world as Tian wore VR equipment.

The purpose of the documentary is to encourage today’s younger generation     10     (get) closer to the inner world of their grandparents and older ancestors.

Hotpot is one of China’s favorite dishes. The recommended place in the country to enjoy the food is Chongqing in Southwest China. Hotpot is not a one-person meal. The atmosphere in hotpot restaurants is     1     (live). People chat while putting meat or vegetables into the pot and waiting for it     2     (boil).

Though the origin of hotpot     3     (be) hard to determine, the current “hotpot capital” is Chongqing. Eating hotpot is part of the city’s culture. The city has more than 20,000 hotpot restaurants     4     own 50,000 franchises around the country, according to the Chongqing Hotpot Association.

It is said that Chongqing hotpot     5     (invent) in the ports along the river by sailors and porters who sought     6     simple and cheap way to cook. This may explain     7     the typical raw ingredients for Chongqing hotpot are animal organs such as duck intestines, tripe and pork arteries—as they were leftovers coming     8     the markets near the ports. For first-timers, the ingredients may be a bit difficult to stomach. But there is no     9     (short) of choices— lamb, beef, seafood, potato, bamboo shoots, lettuce—for today’s diners.

There is a health consideration for eating hotpot in the summer from the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine. Chongqing is very humid which increases the dampness in the body, so     10     (eat) hotpot can burn off the excessive moisture.

The shelves in most supermarkets are full of family-size this and multi-buy that. However, if you’re shopping for one, buying extra     1     (benefit) from price reductions doesn’t make sense. Either your shopping is then too heavy to carry home     2     you can’t use what you’ve bought while it’s still fresh.

Of course, shops are not charities — they price goods in the way     3     will make them the most money. If most of their customers are happy to buy larger quantities, that’s     4     they’ll promote. But that leaves the solo (单独) customers out of pocket and disappointed.

Many supermarkets are no longer doing “buy one get one free” promotions because of the     5     (criticize) that they lead to waste. Consumers prefer money off individual items. However, though it’s nice to get a few cents off a pack of sausages, it would help even more if they could sometimes     6     (offer) in smaller packs. Even the biggest sausage fan doesn’t want to eat them every day.

If your supermarket sells loose produce, then buying smaller quantities is easier. Over the last two years, some supermarkets     7     (start) selling chicken or salad in packs     8     (design) with two halves containing separate portions (份). Then, when you use one section,     9     other stays fresh.

Who knows, perhaps some of the more forward-looking     10     (one) may yet come out with a whole range of “just for you” pack sizes with special offers as well.

Life is often not fair. Sometimes it deals you lemons. The Pursuit of Happyness is a movie about a man who goes     1     (exact) through such a situation. Life gives him a hard time, but the movie goes on to show how this man was able to make lemonade (柠檬汽水) from the lemons.

The story is based     2     the life of Chris Gardner, who struggled for nearly one year with homelessness. Will Smith     3     (star) as the main character,     4    life just get turned upside down by a mix of bad luck and good luck. As     5     result, the salesman Gardner finds     6     (he) out of luck and without a home. But no matter what it is that strikes him down, Chris Gardner keeps    7     (work) towards his goal to find a better life for his son.

Why is this such a     8     (move) movie? Even though Chris Gardner     9     (hit) by many blows that strike him to the ground, he never gives up and always gets back up. The movie shows what persistence (执着) really is. The true story of Chris Gardner tells us that we must fight hard for our dreams and that one should never ever allow anyone     10     (stand) in between oneself and one’s dreams.

Researchers and wetland protectors in Wuhan, Hubei Province, are stepping up efforts to allow more wildlife to survive and thrive in their natural habitat.     1     treasured species of ducks is one of the latest beneficiaries from the growing focus     2     the environment.

In 2012, Baer’s pochard, the blue-headed duck,     3     (list) as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature after its numbers declined due to a bad habitat. The ducks were     4     (rare) seen in Wuhan until bird-watchers observed     5     (they) living in the city in 2014, according to the Wuhan Bird Watching Society. Despite that, no proof showed that, so far, the ducks     6     (turn) from migratory birds to resident birds in the city because researchers would not attach tracers to the animals     7     (prevent) humans disturbing them.

In 2019, the Wuhan Bird Watching Society started researching and rescuing the breeding habitats of the duck. They found that the ducks feed on submerged     8     (plant), shrimp, snails and aquatic insects. The birds also like to rest at shoals(浅滩)     9     food is abundant. Based on the results, the team will create an area toward the restoration of the habitat in the city’s Qijiawan for the blue-headed duck, first     10     (discover) in the area.

World Computer Literacy Day is observed annually on December 2nd. It was     1     (original) launched in 2001 by an Indian company called N.I.I.T to celebrate its     2     (twenty) anniversary. NIIT is an abbreviation(缩写) for National Institute of Information Technology. The company     3     (establish) in 1981 by Rajendra Singh Pawar     4     Vijay K. Thadani, two alumni (校友) of the Indian Institute of Technology (I IT) in Delhi. World Computer     5     (form) the majority of computer users in the world. As a result, N.I.I.T took up the cause     6     (educate) more women and children by equipping them     7     computer literacy skills. Since its inception in 1981, the company has been spread to over 30 countries of the world. Through Computer Literacy Day, NIIT aims to address the digital divide     8     affects millions across the world and make computers more     9     (access) to everyone. Among its other goals are to celebrate computers and their role in people’s lives, improve IT education, and raise awareness of the importance of improving digital literacy in undeserved     10     (community) worldwide.

Nowruz, also known as the Iranian New Year or the Persian New Year, is a holiday     1     (wide) celebrated in Asian countries like Iran. The holiday is believed to have been celebrated since 555 BC. But it was not until 2010 that the United Nations General Assembly officially     2     (recognize) it as a holiday.

Being     3     holiday marking the first day of spring and the renewal of nature, Nowruz usually falls around March 20th on the Gregorian calendar. As with most     4     (holiday), it comes with its own set of traditions. They include the “Haft Sin” table,     5     is made up of seven symbolic items starting with the Farsi letter “S”, all representing a     6     (vary) of hopes for the new year, including health, wealth and prosperity. People also welcome the new year     7     sparkling (闪亮的) homes and new clothes. They visit friends and neighbors and share meals and host parties. Communities come together     8     (celebrate) the beginning of spring and do so in hopes they will be surrounded by healthy and clean surroundings in the new year.

Nowruz plays a significant role in     9     (strengthen) the ties among peoples. Its traditions reflect the ancient and     10     (culture) customs of the civilizations of the East and West, and they’ve influenced those civilizations through the interchange of human values for thousands of years.

The Cultural Landscape of Old Tea Forests of the Jingmai Mountain in Pu’er, Yunnan Province, gained World Heritage Site status on the 45th Session of the World Heritage Committee of UNESCO in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on September 17, 2023.

As UNESCO World Heritage Committee noted, “This land-use system,     1     (create) by ancestors of Blang and Dai peoples, permits the complementary (互补的) use of     2     (nature) resources in the mountainous environment of Jingmai Mountain     3     acts as an exceptional example of a human interaction in a challenging environment.”

Li Qun, head of the National Cultural Heritage Administration, said in Riyadh that China will strengthen efforts     4     (manage) the heritage site and guide local communities to join     5     the protection of the old tea forests. “We’ll also advance international exchange and     6     (cooperate), and take more responsibilities in the World Heritage circle,” he said.

Chen Yaohua, director of World Heritage Research Center of Peking University who     7     (lead)studies of the site in the past 12 years, said that the practice on Jingmai Mountain is quite unique in the environment     8     large-scaled terraced (梯田形的) tea plantations play     9     leading role in today’s world.

According to his research, about 10% of tea trees on the mountain are at least 100 years old, and the     10     (old) ones are over 300.

On October 18, world leaders came together in Beijing for an eye-catching forum (论坛) to celebrate     1     tenth anniversary (周年) of the Belt and Road Initiative (“一带一路”倡议). The forum was considered     2     (extreme) important in building the Belt and Road.

Chinese President Xi Jinping     3     (give) a speech at the opening. He said that over the past 10 years, plans of Belt and Road cooperation had been turned into real projects. He also said that China would take eight major steps     4     (support) high-quality Belt and Road cooperation,     5     (include) green development and the advance of science and technology.

So far, the Belt and Road Initiative has become the world’s     6     (large) platform (平台) for international cooperation. By June 2023, China had worked together with 152 countries and 32 international     7     (organisation) to build the Belt and Road. Over 3,000 cooperation projects have been started in the past 10 years, one of which is the China-Laos Railway.     8     was put into use in December 2021, helping Laos become a country with easy transport in Southeast Asia.

“Belt and Road cooperation was suggested by China,     9     its fruits are for the world to share,” President Xi Jinping said. There is no doubt     10     the Belt and Road Initiative will continue to make a great difference to the world in the future.