Yunnan has adopted artificial intelligence (AI) to carry out most routine inspections at 621 power substations (变电站), replacing the need for human workers. The AI inspection, powered by cameras, drones (无人机) and walking robots,     1     (be) capable of completing a task in     2     (little) than five minutes, down from the five hours     3     (require) by human workers.

Yunnan, a major     4     (produce) of hydropower and other forms of clean electricity, has 1, 937 power substations of 35 kilovolts (千伏) or above, many of     5     are located in mountainous areas. Access to nearly half of     6     substations requires travel of more than three hours by road.

AI-powered automatic inspections are expected     7     (free) human workers from lengthy road travels, greatly reducing costs. The China Southern Power Grid has planned to promote AI inspections from the experimental areas     8     the rest of the substations in the province over the next two years.

China is increasingly turning to artificial intelligence, especially robotic technologies to tackle the     9     (short) of technicians in remote mountainous areas. Last year, the mountainous province of Guizhou also started using robots to inspect the power substations that are     10     (easy) influenced by extreme weather conditions.

On November 14^th, 2022, the Paris 2024 Olympics and Paralympics presented their official mascots (吉祥物) — the Phryges. The cartoonish     1     (image) are small cone-shaped caps. Just like the     2     (nation) flag of France, Phryges are in red, white and blue colors. Plus, the golden Paris 2024 logo     3     (print) across their chests. The difference     4     the two mascots is that the Paralympic Phryge wears     5     artificial leg that goes to the knee. The Paralympic committee wants     6     (express) that with the help of man-made devices, disabled people can stand up from     7     (they) wheelchairs and run as fast as lightning.

The two mascots share a motto of “Alone we go faster, but together we go     8     (far).” The Olympic Phryge is described as   “skilled in using strategies and     9       (have) a calculating brain”, while the Paralympic one is “open, natural and full of energy and enthusiasm”.

The design of the Phryges was inspired by small Phrygian caps, an item of clothing     10     dates back to ancient times and has been part of French history for centuries. Nowadays, the Phrygian cap has become a French symbol of freedom.

The famous composer Ludwig van Beethoven did not inherit much musical talent from his ancestors, according to a new study. Researchers say the findings are a good example of how     1     (we) DNA doesn’t determine what talents will be developed in life.

The researchers examined Beethoven’s DNA using a hair sample     2     (collect) during a separate study last year. Their goal was to explore his genetic predisposition(倾向) for music,     3     is closely tied to musical ability.     4     (do) this, they compared Beethoven’s DNA with that of nearly 14,500 other individuals in database. With his genetic information, they calculated a polygenic(多基因的) score     5     a sign of his predisposition for musical talent.

“Interestingly, Beethoven, one of the     6     (well-known) musicians in history, had an unremarkable score for general musicality —     7     (rank) around the top 10% of people based on modern samples,” said Tara Henechowicz from the team.

The authors who published the study in Current Biology said it would be wrong to conclude that Beethoven had little talent, but it does highlight the problems in making predictions based     8     (pure) on DNA.

“The mismatch between the DNA-based forecast and Beethoven’s musical genius     9     (provide) a valuable teaching moment because it demonstrates that DNA tests cannot give us a final answer about     10     a given child will end up being musically gifted,” said Ms. Henechowicz.

As night falls, the sound of drums fills the air as an 8-meter fish-shaped lantern swims through the streets of Wangmantian village, Huangshan, in East China’s Anhui province.

Within the crowd, Wang Lijun — a 27-year-old villager who serves     1     the “head fish” — leads the procession, sometimes cheering on those behind her. Traditionally     2     (hold) by respected elders, the position of “head fish” has attracted younger participants to take on the role     3     (voluntary).

Every year between     4     13th and 16th of the first month of the Chinese lunar calendar, villagers hold fish-shaped lantern     5     (parade). In old times, the mountain village,     6     (consist) of a lot of wooden structures, faced the risk of frequent fires. Therefore, villagers used to gather to parade with fish-shaped lanterns,     7     symbolic meaning is “water overcoming fire”.

With a history of over 600 years, the fish-shaped lantern     8     (recognize) as a provincial-level intangible cultural heritage in 2022. Villagers in Wangmantian have established     9     (profession) fish lantern performance teams. These teams have gone to cities such as Shanghai and Nanjing, Jiangsu province     10     (give) performances.

As fish-shaped lanterns continue to benefit local tourism and related industries, the future looks brighter than ever.

“With your fingers crossed, inhale; then slowly lift your arms above your head.” Lu Jing, 66, is demonstrating a Ba Duan Jin exercise in a video she posted on the Douyin video app. As one of a handful of high-level professionals in China, Lu     1     (teach) Ba Duan Jin since 2005. Each morning from 7 to 8:30, she organizes offline exercise sessions, attracting many a     2     (participate) every day.

Ba Duan Jin is     3     easy-to-learn indoor exercise     4     (consist) of a sequence of eight qigong movements that strengthen the muscles, improve circulation and respiration, and boost the immune system. Such health benefits appeal     5     Lu’s followers aged 16 to 70. “Losing weight is difficult for women at my age, but my ‘love handles’ have gone!” one says. “I need to be     6     (high) concentrated on the coordination of my movements and breathing so I feel     7     (liberate) from anxiety,” says another.

Lu is keen     8     (collect) feedback from viewers and interact with experienced practitioners. In Lu’s opinion, Ba Duan Jin is not a rigid fitness regime. It’s important to listen to people’s responses, so that the traditional exercise can     9     (tailor) to meet modern people’s needs. That is     10     we truly inherit the treasure of Chinese culture.

Thirty Buddhist cultural relics have been returned to the Chinese mainland     1     Taiwan.

Most of the relics were believed to     2     (steal) from Shanxi province before being taken overseas. They were transferred to the National Cultural Heritage Administration on Monday,     3     (mark) the largest return of lost relics to the mainland from Taiwan in recent years.

Thirteen of the returned pieces, including the heads of broken Buddhist images and painted sculptures of Buddha,     4     (show) at the National Museum of China on Monday.

In March 2016, Hsing Yun, the     5     (found) of the United Association of Humanistic Buddhism association, and his followers escorted (护送) the lost head of a 6th-century Buddhist stat ue to Beijing and donated it back to the mainland. At the donation ceremony in 2016,     6     was also held at the National Museum of China, Hsing Yun promised     7     (bring)more lost items back.

He died about a year ago.

“Hsing Yun established     8     outstanding example for people to safeguard Chinese cultural relics,” Sun Yeli, minister of culture and tourism, said at the museum on Monday. “Again, we see his unfulfilled wish get realized.”

Sun said comprehensive studies of the relics will be soon launched. Related exhibitions will also be organized to allow people on     9     sides of the Strait to benefit from the fruits of the joint protection of cultural relics.

“Cultural communication has always played an     10     (extreme) crucial role in enhancing people-to-people connectivity across the Strait and strengthening our links,” Sun said.

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 has been working quietly to address air pollution. In addition to observing, I also communicated with locals and foreigners     1     (learn) about China’s efforts.

According to Cui Xiaoyi, a resident of Beijing, due to serious air pollution the local administration (行政部门) sometimes warned     2     elderly not to go out in the past . But Beijing     3     (see) a great improvement in air quality over the last few years. They no longer need such emergency measures.

Muhammad Asghar, a representative of the Associated Press of Pakistan in China     4     has been living in Beijing for the past few years, said that the green transportation and energy industries that China has developed over the years have largely replaced fuel-powered (燃料驱动的) cars,     5     that the Chinese people are willing to use electric cars and public transportation.

Asghar added that China has not only done good work to address air pollution, but has also made contributions     6     promoting greener practices. The living environment has been     7     (significant) improved with the greening coverage of urban built-up areas nationwide     8     (increase) from 39.22 percent to 42.06 percent between 2012 and 2021.

The ideas     9     (share) by China in international conferences are impressive. Chinese netizens (网民) believe that rather than just talking about it, it would be     10     (effect) if we put our efforts into planting trees.

Little Women is a classic novel by American author Louisa May Alcott, published in 1868. The story follows the     1     (life) of the four March sisters—Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy—as they grow up during the Civil War era in the United States.

The March family,     2     (consist) of their mother, Marmee, and their four daughters, lives     3     modest life in a small town. Each sister has her own unique personality and dreams: Meg wants to be a lady, Jo wishes to be a writer, Beth is content     4     her simple life and loves music, and Amy strives to become a painter and a socialite (社会名流).

Throughout the story, the sisters     5     (face) with various challenges and learn     6     (value) life lessons. They support each other, grow stronger and form strong bonds of sisterhood. Jo's writing career takes off, Meg finds love, Beth contracts a serious illness and passes away     7     (fortunate), and Amy gains     8     (recognise) and popularity for her paintings.

The novel captures the essence of family, love, dreams and the persistence of the human spirit. It highlights the importance of sisterhood and the support system within a family, and inspires readers     9     (pursue) their dreams with courage and determination. Little Women remains a timeless classic,     10     appeals to readers of all ages.

Sichuanese is China’s most thrilling regional cuisine. Although it’s most famous for     1     (it) electrifying use of chilies (辣椒) and lip-tingling Sichuan Peppercorns (花椒), the heart of the local style of cooking     2     (lie) in the artful mixing of flavors.

Sichuanese     3     (cook) specialize in combining hot, numbing, sweet, sour, savory and nutty seasonings     4     (create) an astonishing variety of flavors. Some of these are     5     (incredible) hot, some dishes are mildly spicy and some are not hot at all.

While Sichuan pepper is     6     ancient Chinese spice, the chili is a relatively recent import from the Americas. It wasn’t widely cultivated in Sichuan     7     the 19th century but went on to become one of its most indispensable local seasonings.

In Sichuanese dialect, chilies     8     (know) as “sea pepper” (hai jiao) too, a reference to their foreign origins. Locals explain their preference for chilies comes from traditional Chinese medicine,     9     people are advised to eat plenty of “heating foods” to counter the damp of the local climate. People     10     (visit) Sichuan are often asked, “ni pa bu pa la” — “Are you afraid of Chili heat?”