When I was young, I loved a book     1     (call) Grandmother. It’s about a girl     2     grandmother went to heaven. At that time, I didn’t really know what the words meant, but I liked the sounds of them when they were being read.

One night, I asked my grandmother     3     (read) it to me. I smiled 59.     4     (sweet) while she read. When she finished, I asked, “Grandma, do all people die?” “Yes,” she answered, “soone r or later.” “Why?” I asked. “How could you enjoy every second of your life if you knew you could live forever? But, what if you die?” She explained in a calm and     5    (peace) state of mind.“You never know how much you enjoy something until you lose it. It takes losing something to know     6     (it) value.”

I gave my grandmother a kiss on her face and     7     (say) goodnight before    8     (fall) into sleep. I told her that I would love her forever. It was later     9     my life that I learned the meaning and the     10     (important) of her words.

Do you wear school uniforms at school? Nowadays students     1     (require) to wear school uniforms in many schools. Actually, there are many advantages of it.

A lot of research shows that wearing the same clothes will help to improve learning. Children don't have to think about     2     they're wearing, which can help to fix their attention on the tasks at hand. The classroom which is filled with students     3     (dress) in the same clothes takes on a more serious feel, too. Young people who regard learning as more of     4     honor than a burden tend to perform better in their studies, and some people argue that uniforms can help achieve this.

Wearing school uniforms may reduce teasing as well. When everyone is wearing the same clothes,     5     is not easy to pick people out for being different, at least not on the surface. Kids may also have less     6     (press) to wear certain types or brands of clothing.

One of the greatest benefits of wearing school uniforms is its ability     7     (create) a level playing field. Students come from     8     (vary) social backgrounds. If poor children are dressed the same as their wealthy counterparts (同龄人) at school, they     9     (focus) on what they have in common rather than their differences. This is     10     (particular) important in schools.

Have you ever paid close attention to a cloud and noticed its ever-changing forms? If not, you could be missing out on something quite     1     (wonder).

A pop science blogger Zheng, 25, known     2     the “Cloud Collector” on the lifestyle platform Xiaohongshu, first     3     (start) her account to share cloud photos in 2022.

Zheng,     4     enjoys finding delight in recording the beauty of daily life, considered it a way to spread lovely moments to more people. “Clouds have always served as     5    source of comfort for me.”

As a growing number of online users began to show interest     6     raise questions, Zheng realized that she could offer     7     (much) science content about cloud spotting than before. So she started to learn more by     8     (refer) to specialized books and consulting professionals.

Zheng has now shared nearly 200 pieces of popular science content. Looking ahead, she has plans to hold several gallery     9     (exhibition). By doing this, she hopes to inspire more people     10     (enjoy) the beauty in the sky.

Last Sunday was the official birthday of the world’s oldest land animal. Jonathan, a Seychelles giant tortoise(陆龟) living on the island of Saint Helena, turned 190 years old. The event     1    (celebrate) with a big party, which included a special “salad cake”.

Nobody knows for sure how old Jonathan is. But in 1882, he was brought     2     a gift to Sir William Grey-Wilson,     3     lived in Saint Helena. Pictures     4    (take) around that time show that Jonathan was already full-grown.

Since it takes about 50 years for Seychelles giant tortoises     5     (become) adults, animal experts say Jonathan must have been born around 1832. That’s earned him the Guinness World Record for the world’s oldest land animal. Joe Hollins, the veterinarian(兽医) who looks after Jonathan, says Jonathan is probably     6     (old) than 190, but there’s no way to know.

Mr. Hollins says the tortoise is     7    (general) pretty happy as long as he can sleep and eat. He likes to warm     8    (he) by sleeping in the sun.

Though Jonathan is still very active(for a tortoise), he does have some health problems. He’s blind,     9     he can no longer smell things, so he needs to be fed by hand. But he’s got a good appetite. His sense of hearing is also still strong. He     10    (recognize) Mr. Hollins’s voice and responds to it.

Goubuli baozi is a traditional Chinese steamed bun originating in Tianjin. The dough (生面团) is usually made with yeast (酵母) , sugar, flour, salt, oil, and baking powder. The dough is cut and formed into balls that     1     (stuff) with a mixture of ground pork, pork fat, soy sauce, sesame oil, scallions, ginger, salt, and cold water.

The pork has water slowly     2     (add) to it so that it plumps up the meat and creates a tasty broth (肉汤) as the buns steam. Once steamed and fully cooked, goubuli baozi are served hot.     3     (traditional) , these buns have eighteen folds on top — and although it’s     4     (impress) , this step is not absolutely necessary.

There are many explanations for the name goubali. The often-quoted one is related     5    poor village boy nicknamed Gouzhai. At 14, he became an apprentice at a food store, after     6     he set up his own shop     7     (specialize) in selling steamed baozi. His very delicious baozi soon gained great     8     (popular) in a short period of time. As a result, Gouzhai became too occupied with his business     9     (talk) with his customers; so they started to complain. “Gouzhai does not talk to people.” And thus,    10     name “goubuli”, which means “gouzhai does not speak to people” came into being.

Goubuli bans were among the 396 food items awarded the Famous Chinese Snack title by the China Cuisine Association in 1997.

This year marks the 700th anniversary of the    1     (dead) of Marco Polo(1254——1324),the great Venetian traveler    2     introduced Asia to the West.

Yet despite the fact that Marco Polo was     3    (high) recognized in China, there exists only one Chinese translation of The Travels of Marco Polo. Completed by Feng Chengjun and     4     (publish) by the Shanghai Commercial Press in 1936, this translation falls short of meeting modern standards of accuracy(准确), fluency and elegance. Feng summarized each chapter using classical Chinese,     5     (stick) to the literary style of that age. Furthermore, he depended on a modern French copy annotated(注解) by A. J. H. Charignon that was not always accurate.

In 2011, Rong Xinjiang, a history professor at Peking University and a leading scholar of Sino-foreign relations during the medieval(中世纪的) period,     6       (bring) together a study group to annotate The Travels of Marco Polo. There were many great scholars in the group, including     7       (expert) on Mongol history, Iranian studies,     8     Chinese relations with the Silk Road kingdoms. While their translation——based on a 1938 text annotated by A. C. Moule and Paul Pelliot——remains unfinished, their work has already resulted    9     many books on Marco Polo, the Silk Road, and medieval trading centers like the     10       (east) city of Yangzhou.

Quan Peng, a man in a wheelchair, set off from Beijing in August 2014, and     1    (visit) 43 cities and towns in five provinces so far. In the next six months, he hopes to make    2     to China’s southern tip — his final destination.

“I see it as a battle.” Quan said, “I’m not just battling against my disability,     3     also against discrimination (歧视).”

Quan has traveled on a tight budget. He has slept in a tent or in his chair, and camped out in hospitals, banks and public toilets. The few times he tried to stay in hotels, but he     4    (turn) away. “Restaurant owners would refuse     5    (take) me in because they see me as a beggar; I go to a hotel and they would tell me they are     6    (full) booked.”

Quan,     7     was housebound for eight years, wants to use his wheelchair trip to raise     8    (aware) of the need of disabled people around the country. Even in cities like Beijing and Shanghai, which are     9    (well) equipped for the disabled, Quan says he was not able to take a bus. “I would like to try my best to let people know that we are able to create value. We are not useless people    10    (stay) in bed all day long,” said Quan.

Beijing’s Baoguo Temple Old Book Market and the first Book Sunning Festival opened on Saturday, marking the recovery of an ancient literary (文学的) tradition in the heart of the city. Baoguo Temple     1     (host) the capital’s most famous book market during the late Ming (1368—1644) and early Qing (1644—1911) dynasties.

Last December, preparations began for the Baoguo Temple Old Book Market,     2     has gradually attracted a growing number of eager readers. Over the past two weekends alone, the number of visitors has reached more than 10,000, and it was     3     (excite).

Scheduled to run every weekend until October, the market promises to be a     4     (celebrate) of literary culture.

The market is divided     5     three main parts: a secondhand book area, a cultural heritage creative area, and a communicating experience area. Another area, the Public Sunning Book Zone, allows people     6     (bring) treasured books to exchange.

Visitors can also exchange books for flowers or coffee. They get     7     ticket for every three books, and it can     8     (change) into a coffee or flowers. Secondhand books that have been exchanged are put nearby to sell at low prices.

“There are unwanted books in many homes. Instead of     9     (let) them sit unread, why not exchange them and share them? This gives secondhan d books new readers, making others learn from them,” says a book lover.

In addition, the secondhan d book market also organizes cultural activities. These activities are designed to attract people,     10     (especial) the younger generation, to enjoy China’s rich cultural heritage.

2024 marks the 940th anniversary (周年纪念) of the birth of Li Qingzhao (1084-1155), one of the best-known female     1     (writer) in Chinese history.     2     (honor) the famous Song Dynasty (960—1279) poetess, the first International Qingzhao Poetry and Arts Festival will be held between June 20 and 27 at the poet’s birthplace, today’s Zhangqiu district of Jinan in Shandong province.

Themed on “What Springs Forth”, the week-long event will take place at the Zhangqiu Mingshui Ancient City, a     3     (new) opened tourist destination where Li’s former residence is located, with dozens of springs gushing (涌出) all year round.

During the festival, famous poets, artists, critics and translators from home     4     abroad will gather at the ancient city to join in a wide variety of activities. With a focus on     5     (fresh), experimentation and futurism, the festival’s organizing committee has designed     6     series of programs for young people. For example, two poetry awards for young poets and university students will     7     (present) after careful selection.

“Regarding the young poet awards, we should use our judging process to discover and reward those     8     have true breakthroughs in concepts, aesthetics, language, and even     9    terms of the relationship between poetry and society,” said the festival’s academic director Jiang Tao.

Meanwhile, international poets and translators will be invited to attend the festival, and translation workshops aimed at     10     (promote) translation between Chinese poetry and poetry of foreign languages will be held during the event.

Remains of an ancient battlefield     1     date back to the Southern and Northern Dynasties (386-589) have been discovered at the Yecheng ruins in North China’s Hebei Province, according to a report by the Xinhua News Agency.

    2     (locate) in the city of Handan, the site contains two interconnected ancient city ruins. It was once the capital of several ancient dynasties during the Southern and Northern Dynasties. Many ancient military artifacts, including weapons an armor (盔甲),     3     (dig) out during the excavation (挖掘) of the former moat (护城河) outside the Zhuming Gate from March to June 2023. It is these armor and weapons     4     have provided vital physical evidence to enrich the     5     (field) of weapon archaeology and iron research, said Shen Lihua, an associate researcher at the Institute of Archaeology, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), and the head of the archaeological team — consisting     6     members from the CASS and the Hebei provincial institute.

Among the notable findings     7     (be) a bridge, marked by a brick-built, load-bearing wall and evenly spaced pillar holes. However, further archaeological work is needed     8     (confirm) the specific shape of the bridge.

According to Shen, the moat runs     9     (rough) parallel to the city wall. At the central axis of the gate, the water channel of the moat is slightly narrower, and the riverbank steeper, “This excavation has provided     10     good understanding of the layout and structure of the moat and bridge while providing new materials for researching ceremonies and warfare,” Shen noted.