In the Ming Dynasty, a Chinese man Wan Hu made the world’s first rocket (火箭), but     1     (lucky) he lost his life with it. It was not until April 24, 1970     2     China launched (发射) its first man-made satellite Dongfanghong-1 successfully.     3     (celebrate) the first big success in the country’s space     4     (develop), we now make April 24 China’s Space Day.

China also announces new plans to make a space station and go to Mars and further space. The space station will be finished     5     (build) around 2022. According to China’s top space scientist Zhou Jianping,     6     that time, becoming an astronaut will be     7    normal job. More astronauts are needed than ever before. They need to be able to finish difficult tasks.

By now, China     8     (choose) astronauts mainly from pilots like Yang Liwei. In the future,     9    (astronaut) will be picked from engineers, doctors and space technology experts. Another plan is about Mars. In order to explore Mars, China sent a spacecraft (航天器), named Tianwen-1, to Mars on July 23, 2020,     10     will land on Mars and even bring back things from Mars.

This is the first time that I     1     (spend) the Naadam Festival with my friend Burin in China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region this year. The festival,     2     (represent) by horse racing, wrestling and archery, falls on the fourth day of the sixth month of the lunar calendar,     3     usually lasts for three days.

Of the three events, two have left a deep impression     4     me: wrestling and horse racing. Mongolian wrestling is different from     5     in the Olympic Games. There are no     6     (round) and wrestlers are not separated by weight. The wrestler loses if any part of his body above his knee touches the ground. As for horse racing, it was     7     (amaze) to see that the riders were boys and girls. That is because children are much     8     (light) and the horses can run faster and farther. There is no need to worry about their safety, for they have been riding horses all their lives. It is no wonder that people say “Horses are at     9     heart of Mongolian culture”.

Though I am tired now, celebrating Naadam with my friend was     10     (total) worth it.

An expedition to the South Pole with the great Sir Ernest Shackleton — this is the adventure that I     1     (dream) of. However,     2     I applied to join the expedition, Shackleton turned me down because he thought I was too young and wasn’t     3     (qualify), so I secretly went aboard his ship, the Endurance. Later I     4     (discover) and Shackleton had to assign me to be     5     steward. The journey wasn’t very easy, for Endurance was stuck in the ice as we approached Antarctica. And when the ship sank, our hearts sank with it. Before we abandoned the ship, Shackleton     6     (calm) told us to rescue our most essential supplies and he     7     (he) threw away all his gold. He allowed Hussey to keep his banjo,     8     made us surprised. We had been struggling for days, but things were going from bad to worse. Soon after we arrived at Elephant Island, Shackleton left us to find help. Sometimes we were able to catch a seal or a penguin to eat. I tried to think of     9     (happy) things. I was grateful, for Frank and Ernest’s genuine concern for others, their perseverance, and their resolve filled me     10     hope.

Fusong County in northeast China’s Jilin Province was abuzz (热闹) with activities last winter, especially when the World Robot Contest Finals 2023     1     (hold) there. The finals attracted over 5, 000 youngsters from across the country     2     competed fiercely with their self-designed robots.

“We need to compete in assembling, programming and operation. I believe that maintaining a resilient mindset     3     (be) the key to winning out,” said Yu Yiyang , who is     4     fifth grader from Shanghai and has a profound passion for robots. Yu said that from robotics class, he acquired knowledge beyond conventional textbooks, refining his practical skills and     5     (encourage) innovative thinking.

Many of the contestants     6     (receive) robotics education before participating in the robot contests. Their skills, mental strength and the sense of team work improved a lot as a result of their     7     (expose) to such competitions.

The young contestants,     8     various places and with diverse backgrounds, offered a glimpse of the popularity of robotics education among Chinese students. For many, learning robot programming and participating in robot contests not only offer     9     (opportunity) to sharpen their cognitive abilities and their skills, but also serve as an effective means to boost     10     (they) spirit of teamwork.

A 63-year-old Chinese grandpa’s traditional carpentry skills are delighting tens of millions of viewers online as he creates woodwork     1     glue, screws or nails.

The Chinese master carpenter, Wang Dewen,     2     (know) as “Grandpa Amu” on YouTube, has been referred to as the modern day Lu Ban,     3     famous Chinese structural engineer during the Zhou Dynasty, thanks to his vast carpentry knowledge.

    4     (unexpected), the video of him making a fantastic wooden arch bridge went viral on the platform,     5     (gain) more than 42 million views. Grandpa Amu follows an ancient Chinese mortise and tenon technique,     6     means that no nails or glue     7     (involve) in the whole process of building the arch bridge. Grandpa Amu has also made several wooden     8     (toy) for his grandson using the same technique. Among all the items, a walking Peppa Pig and a bubble-blowing toy are his grandson’s favorites.

The master carpenter     9     (attract) over 1.19 million subscribers on YouTube so far. Grandpa Amu’s son and daughter-in-law, who work on his videos, hope to bring the rural culture to others and draw more people     10     (learn) about these ancient Chinese techniques.

With its charming attractions, Harbin, the picturesque ice city of Heilongjiang Province in Northeast China,     1     (become)a social media hit so far.

Among these fascinating sights were a group of 11 children from Nanning, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region in South China, who fearlessly took a “brave” camping trip to Harbin, instantly     2     (win) the hearts of online communities.

Wearing bright orange clothing, they are fondly nicknamed “the little tangerines”,     3     symbolizes both their cute orange outfits and Guangxi’s outstanding citrus (柑橘) production.

Wherever they went, they were     4     (warm) embraced and showered with affection by the locals. In Harbin, they tasted local cuisines and watched     5     fireworks display amid the snowy landscape. In Jilin, the children showed a lot of     6     (enthusiastic) for skiing. Some of them just lay down to feel and play with the snow.

At the northernmost police outpost of China, the children showed respect and admiration     7     the border guards and sang the national anthem, marking an important part of their     8     (education) trip. Moreover, the police officers at the station prepared snow sculptures and snowmen     9     (treat) the “little tangerines”.

To express gratitude for the hospitality     10     (receive) in Heilongjiang, a free batch of tangerines from Lipu of Guangxi was sent to the province. During the three-day New Year holiday, Harbin welcomed over 3 million visitors, receiving nearly 6 billion yuan tourism income.

The Yellow River No. 1 Tourist Highway was designed to string together scenic spots along the river. Visitors can both enjoy overnight accommodations in unique cave dwellings (窑洞), with a special chance to sleep on a “Kang”—a comfortable clay-and-brick bed     1     (heat) from within and taste delicious farm-to-table cuisine while     2     (experience) the beauty of the Yellow River.

Thanks to this initiative, Laoniuwan village, an intersection     3     the Great Wall meets the Yellow River,     4     (transform) into a popular tourist destination so far. Since     5     (it) opening in September last year, the Zhangjiawan recreational vehicle camp located along     6     highway has welcomed more than 10,000 vehicles. The villager Guo Jianhua’s hostel has witnessed a booming business, with over 100     7     (tourist ) staying and dining at his establishment, generating a daily income of approximately 3,000 yuan.

“Previously, I was registered     8     the local authority as financially disadvantaged. However, I was able     9     (establish) this hostel with the assistance of poverty alleviation loans. In just a few years, I have not only overcome poverty     10     got my quality of life significantly improved,” Guo said.