For Greek photographer George Doupas, Beijing is home now. During the past decade, he has been photographing the city, capturing its beauty     1     sharing these photos online and in exhibitions.

“This     2     (true) represents Beijing — the old and the new, nicely mixing together,” Doupas said while showing his photograph of the Zhihua Temple, a delicate Ming Dynasty building. It     3     (locate) in front of a modern office building, Galaxy SOHO, which features weaving bridges and interlocking passageways.

With rich historical heritage, Beijing     4     (be) an important center of traditional Chinese culture since the Ming Dynasty. Doupas often gets     5     (lose) in the city’s splendid ancient architecture. Meanwhile, he is also amazed by the modern city     6    (combine) high-end businesses and various industries. “It is fascinating to see a rapidly-developing city that invests so much effort in preserving its past, which is     7     I decided to pursue my career here,” he said.

Doupas is determined to continue with his career in China, hoping to serve as     8     bridge between China and the West. The     9     (display) that show his photos about Beijing have attracted a large audience in Greece and the Czech Republic.

“I call Beijing my home now,” he said, “I’ll keep sharing photos of China     10     the rest of the world.”

Every year during the Spring Festival, a small village east of Beijing puts on a special show. It’s about-15°C, and a man dressed in a straw hat and sheepskin coat    1           (throw)spoon after spoon of heavy molten iron(铁水) at a massive，icy wall.The collision(碰撞)between the 1,600℃ liquid metal and the frozen brick creates a waterfall of sparks(火花)    2    (fall) over him, equally beautiful and dangerous.

This is a performance    3    requires extraordinary courage, skill and strength. Known as Da Shuhua, it has a history of 500 years in Nuanquan, a highly-developed steel town.Da Shuhua translates literally into “beating down the tree flowers,”    4    agricultural activity of hitting fruit trees to stimulate growth.

In ancient times, fireworks weren’t always    5    (wide) affordable. So people in Nuanquan made use of scrap iron and developed Da Shuhua as a way    6    (celebrate) festivals.As a result,they brought firework displays    7    a whole new level.

Today,Da Shuhua has become more popular than ever,due to    8    (ban)on fireworks to reduce air pollution in some parts of China. Every year, this unique firework display attracts tons of people in spite of the freezing cold weather    9    draws attention for its protection. Since 2021,it    10    (list) as an intangible cultural heritage of China.

Since people can’t always eat out or cook for     1     (they), they get takeout or order delivery. More takeout and more food delivery equal more waste, especially plastic waste. That includes cups, bottles, and bags, most of     2     are only good for one use. That’s a big problem and it is getting even     3     (bad). The use of those plastics     4     (increase) by 300% since 2019. The world won’t survive if this situation continues.

Why do humans prefer some smells over others? One theory, increasingly     1       (support) by experts, suggests that smell preferences are learned. It’s easy to explain how we determine     2     smells are dangerous or not: we learn. This has been adopted to ensure easier detection of gas leaks. Gas naturally     3     (have) no recognisable smell. However, a strong smell is added so that we can raise the alarm when we detect the smell associated with danger.