The Amazon rainforest, known as the “lungs of the Earth”, is a vital ecosystem that is home to a variety of species of animals and plants. However, human activities such as agriculture and cattle farming pose a grave threat to its     1     (exist). Over the past 50 years, about 17 percent of the rainforest     2     (destroy), leaving the list of species in danger of extinction longer.     3     proper protection, some natural wonders may face permanent damage in the near future.

Pompeii is an alarming example.     4     (locate) near the foot of Mount Vesuvius Pompeii was a bustling Roman city     5     trading ships along with pleasure ships were crowded together in the port. In the year 79,     6     volcanic eruption buried the city entirely under a thick layer of ash in an instance for centuries. Natural disasters like this are reminders of the fragile planet and     7     (power) humans, which highlight the urgent need to protect our environment, soften risks, and prepare for the worst.

Dead Pompeii is hard to recreate, but the living Amazon is worth     8     (save). Policies and regulations that forbid logging and hunting, environmental awareness of residents, and international cooperation     9     (be) all key to protecting rainforests. The fortunes of our environment and our economy are inseparable. It’s our duty to leave a better, cleaner, and     10     (health) planet to our children.

Sichuan cuisine, one of the eight major cuisines in China, is now popular all over the world. In February 2010, Chengdu     1     (award) the honorary title of “City of Gastronomy” (美食之都) by UNESCO. To experience comprehensive Sichuan cuisine culture, you should definitely visit Sichuan Cuisine Museum (also Chuancais Museum), the first museum     2     (display) a regional cooking culture in the world.

    3     (cover) an area of more than 40 mu, the museum forms     4     unique cultural landscape of ancient Kingdom of Shu in Chinese history. In this AAA national museum, you can appreciate more than 6,000 pieces of antique and cultural relics related to Sichuan cuisine culture, as well as     5     (catch) a glimpse of new style classic garden scenery and traditional western Sichuan style folk houses. Sichuan Cuisine Museum is the only “EATABLE MUSEUM”,     6     you can not only learn Sichuan cuisine culture by using eyes and ears, but also enjoy it by using mouth and nose. Interesting, meaningful and featured activities are     7     (special) designed from the moment you stepped into the museum to the time you leave. The highlighted experience for your visit should be cooking the typical Sichuan dishes     8     the guidance of the professional chef. There is arguably no better way to know more about a cuisine     9     learning how to cook it yourself.

Start your     10     (explore) from Sichuan Cuisine Museum, enjoy different aspects of Sichuan cuisine, satisfy your curiosity and taste buds and experience all fun for “Playing with Chuancais”.

The English class on Thursday was     1     (forget). During the class, we     2     (ask) to give a short speech about the first day at senior high. I had never delivered     3     speech in English before, and worse still, I didn’t feel quite at ease speaking in public. I was secretly hoping that nobody would notice me when suddenly I heard my name     4     (call). I was very nervous and stood up with nothing     5     (come) out of my mouth. “Don’t be shy! Just think of your first day at senior high and say     6     you want to express in mind.” The teacher’s words made me relax a bit, and I began to say something. With my shaking voice, I gave my first ever public speech in English     7     (final). It was hard, but it didn’t feel bad.

After school that day, I     8     (decide) to practise my English more often. I believe that by practising more I can improve a lot. While I was trying to pick up the courage     9     (talk) to someone, I heard a kind voice behind me. “Hello, I’m Tom. Nice to meet you.” Sitting side-by-side, he shared with me some tips     10     how to improve my English. The first week of senior high has been quite exciting, and I’m looking forward to making the most of senior high!

The international federation (联合会) of pickleball, with 60 member countries and counting,    1     (work) to make sure that pickleball will be part of the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

If you haven’t played it    2     (you), you’ve probably at least heard of pickleball. Here’s    3       the game is played.

Pickleball takes elements from tennis, badminton and table tennis. It’s played on a badminton-sized court with a slightly lowered tennis net,     4     (use)square paddles (球拍) and a holey plastic ball that’s similar     5     size to a tennis ball, but much lighter. Since the lighter ball doesn’t bounce as much, it’s    6     (easy) to get a rally (back and forth hit) going.

Unlike tennis, you can score only when it’s your turn     7     (serve). The goal is to keep the ball in the air, and if your opponent (called the receiver) fails to return the ball over the net, either from the serve    8     in a rally, you get the point. Matches can be played in doubles or singles, and games are played to 11 points.

People who are really into the sport can join tournaments at    9     (vary)levels. The first World Pickleball Games    10         (hold) next summer at the Austin Pickle Ranch in Austin, Texas. By 2030, pickleball is expected to have as many as 40 million players worldwide.

Start of Winter

Start of Winter is one of the 24 solar     1     (term) in the Traditional Chinese Lunar Calender. As the first solar term of winter,     2     means winter is coming. The farmers will store up (储存) the crops harvested in autumn. In ancient times, the Chinese people thought of the Start of Winter     3     the beginning of winter. Actually, due to the     4     (change) climates and vast territory, the real starting time differs from place to place in China.

There are many traditions     5     are connected to this important solar term. On this day in history, the emperor would lead his officials to the suburbs and     6     (performance) the ceremony of “welcoming the winter”. Nowadays, people usually eat traditional food to memorize this day. In most places, the dumpling is the first choice. This is a food related to “Medical Saint” Zhang Zhongjing, who used this ear-like food filled with fillings of mutton and hot hepper to protect people from     7     (hurt) by coldness. In Southeast China, people tend to eat chicken, duck, beef, mutton and fish stewed with Chinese medicine     8     (prepare) for the oncoming cold winter. In Wuxi, people have a custom of eating Tuanzi,     9     kind of traditional Chinese food made with rice. Most citizens make this food by     10     (they), while some choose to buy ready-made ones.

What is the custom of your family on this day?

The technology of fifth-generation mobile networks or wireless, which is called 5G, has more distinct characteristics than previous generations of technology. It can transmit data at much greater speed than 4G technology and connect     1     host of devices at the same time. It also has low latency,     2     means a decrease in the response time a device and the network it is connected to.

These characteristics enable 5G to have various practical     3    (apply), such as in smart cities, self-driving vehicles and health care. The Internet of Things (IoT), which brings together billions of     4    (connect) smart devices, will get a major boost from 5G. As a result, civil management, like that of power and water,     5    (operate) much more efficiently, saving more energy. Self-driving vehicles will find it easy     6    (monitor) and respond to traffic situations more quickly and efficiently as they are connected with each other and with roadside infrastructure, thus     7    (ensure) safe driving. Also, using 5G technology, health care providers will be able to monitor patients and gather amounts of data more     8    (easy). It changes the focus from disease treatment     9     disease prevention.

Apparently, this new generation of wireless technology will transform people’s lives. In the hope of realizing its full potential, countries from around the world     10    (conduct) research on 5G technology. And China is one of the leading countries in this field.

The 19th Asian Games closed on 8 October, 2023 in Hangzhou. 45 countries and regions shared     1     (amaze) moments there, marking     2     third time that China has hosted the continental multi-sports event.

With break-dancing and esports making     3     (they) debuts (首次亮相) as official medal sports, the Hangzhou Asian Games featured 40 sports and 481 events. China     4     (win) 201 golds, 111 silvers and 71 bronzes, finishing atop the medal tally for the 11th consecutive edition. Behind China, Japan finished in second place with 52 gold, 67 silver and 69 bronze medals,     5     (follow) by South Korea on 42-59-89. 27 countries and regions won gold     6     (medal), while 41 delegations pocketed at least one medal.

China’s swimmers Zhang Yufei and Qin Haiyang     7     (award) Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the Asian Games. Zhang clinched (赢得) six titles and Qin pocketed five golds and a silver on his second Asiad     8     (appear).

Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) acting president Raja Randhir Singh declared the Games closed, praising China as the perfect host     9     the OCA will never forget. “I would like to thank the Chinese government, the Chinese Olympic Committee, the people of Hangzhou,     10     the Hangzhou organizing committee (HAGOC) for what you have done.” said Singh.

As we walk along “the path of life”, we are meant to come across some true friends, who encourage us and help us get through the hard time. To me Tim is the one who brings out the     1     (good) in me. He will always bring back the friendship between us.

It was my first day at high school. I     2     (walk) alone on the playground when a basketball rolled to my feet. A boy with a smile on his face came running to me, picked up the ball     3     asked if I could play basketball with him. I hesitated for a moment, then I said no and told him why. To my surprise he didn’t walk away. Instead, he encouraged me     4     (have) a try and I did. Over the next few weeks, we made it to the playground every day and     5     (stick) to practising together. He also helped me do my math     6     I struggled with and even taught me how to live     7     (independent) in a new school. Over time, the school life seemed no longer challenging and     8     (we) friendship grew rapidly as well.

I’ll never forget Tim. He really made a big     9     (different ) to my life. I would not be the person that I am today     10     him.

Tianwen-1, China’s first independent interplanetary mission (星际任务),    1    (reach) Mars within days of two other major missions: the United Arab Emirates’ Hope satellite and NASA’s Perseverance rover (探测器), after it had travelled 292 million miles from Earth. All three took advantage of a    2    (particular) suitable launch window when objects launched from Earth would have a    3    (short) and more efficient path to Mars. But all three missions will have plenty to do on the Red Planet.

Various space missions, the European Space Agency’s Mars Express and several of NASA’ s Mars lovers    4    (include), have found possible evidence of water on or under the    5    (planet) surface. But bothTianwen-1    6    the as-yet-unnamed rover will use radar devices to search for even better evidence of pockets of water on Mars.

That’s important, scientists say, because plenty of evidence points to Mars having an    7    (able) to support life at some point in its history: In some areas, it is likely to host liquid water. Tianwen-1’s intended landing site at the Utopia Planitia crater may still host an underground deposit (沉积层),    8    contains as much water as Lake Superior. On a broad scale, researchers around the globe hope    9    (use) information from any of the new Mars missions to look into how a planet with liquid water, organic maternal and an energy source can transform itself    10    a dry, dusty desert place.

According to research studies coming out of top US universities, having high emotional intelligence, or EQ, can help you to succeed,     1    (particular) at work.

The idea of emotional intelligence     2    (introduce) by psychologist John Mayer in the 90s and has gained popularity since.

During your career, you will need to work in a team. A 2020 Harvard study, investigated social skills and team players. They did this by grouping volunteers and giving them a variety of tricky problems. They then     3    (compare) the top individual performers. Results showed two main reasons     4     these individuals performed well, both linked     5     emotional intelligence. The first reason was that they were very good at recognizing the emotional state of their teammates. The second was that they helped to improve their team’s     6    (perform) through motivation.

When     7    (research) links between emotion-understanding ability and risk-taking, researchers found emotional intelligence important to deciding matters in a 2012 Yale study. They investigated the way that leaders come to a     8    (decide) when they are under pressure. The results showed that participants with a high awareness of why they felt under pressure managed to keep a clearer head and were     9    (like) to take risks. Being able to understand and manage emotions is a key part of EQ.

So, if you’re trying to succeed, work on your emotional intelligence     10     it may just make a difference!