This weekend a marathon took place in Salzburg, the city in     1     I’m currently living. I’ve never run for more than half an hour so I’m     2     (amaze) that some people manage to keep going for over four hours!

Running is     3     (difficulty) because you have to motivate yourself to keep going—it’s more solitary than a team sport. I used to get really out of     4     (breathe) while running and it didn’t feel good at all! Now I     5     (actual) enjoy going for a jog along the river in Salzburg,     6     (feel) my muscles working and breathing in the fresh air.

    7     (challenge) exercise is always rewarding. Hiking is fun because all     8     hard work, walking uphill, comes at the beginning of the day. Then at the top of the mountain you can enjoy the view and some well-earned chocolate! At the end of the day, you feel like you     9     (achieve) something.

This just shows that perseverance pays off —     10     you work hard, you can succeed.

Rain is pouring down today, and it brings back sweet memories of our dog, Bambi.

Like all dogs, she was full     1     energy and wonder. Our boys described that she looked just like     2     young deer, Bambi, in the movie they had watched recently. The name     3     (fit) her perfectly at that time.

Bambi also had all the fine physical characteristics of the German Shepherd. She was strong, yet gentle and shy. She wouldn’t stop     4     (play) with my boys until they were completely tired.

When Bambi was almost two years old, a full-grown dog, she became quite protective of us, never failing to watch my     5     (child). She would sit in front of the front door, and managed     6     (drive) away many welcome and unwelcome guests.

Once, our washing machine was broken and a repairman     7     (call) to come to fix it. As he went close to our front door, Bambi jumped up     8     barked loudly to him.     9     (lucky), the babysitter and boys returned from their walk at that time and rescued the poor     10     (scare) repairman from our guard dog.

Insect numbers have decreased by half in some parts of the world due     1     climate change and intensive agriculture (集约型农业), a study has found.

Lead researcher, Dr. Charlie Outhwaite of University College London, said     2     (lose) insect populations could be harmful not only to the natural environment, but also to human health and food security,     3     (particular) with losses of pollinators (传粉昆虫).

However, scientific data gives     4     mixed picture, with some types of insects showing sharp declines, while others are staying steady. In the latest study, the researchers pulled together data on the range and number of nearly, 20, 000 insect species, including bees, ants, etc, at 6,000 different     5     (place).

In areas with intensive agriculture and severe warming, insect numbers     6     (reduce) by 49% so far and the number of different species by 27%, compared with untouched areas       7     have avoided the most severe effects of climate change, according to the research     8     (publish) in Nature. But the researchers said there was some cause for hope in that setting aside areas of land for nature created a shelter for insects, which need shade     9     (survive) in hot weather.

“Some     10     (care) management of agricultural areas such as preserving natural habitats near farmland, may help ensure vital insects can still grow well,” said Dr. Charlie Outhwaite.

An old man called Li Yubao living in a remote rural area asked his grandson on the phone what gifts he wanted for     1     Spring Festival. His grandson said a word. He     2     (hear) the word “Pegga” for the first time, when he talked with his grandson through the cellphone. He didn’t know what Pegga was. So grandpa Li began an interesting journey     3     (discover) what Pegga was.

Grandpa Li asked his neighbors,     4     nobody around knew the answer. Grandpa Li didn’t give up. He continued     5     (ask) more people in the village     6     (patient). He got a brief answer from a local woman,     7     used to work in the city. She explained to him that “Pegga” was a pink pig in the cartoon. With     8     (imagine), he created a pink “Pegga” model made     9     irons and steels. It amazed his grandson. Although the Pegga made by grandpa Li was not the exact one, his family     10     (member) were moved deeply. They all loved the gift “Pegga”.

After several decades of development, Chinese cultural industries, such as online literature and video games, have created products     1     enrich global culture with creativity, imagination and local elements, appealing to both domestic consumers and those from overseas.

China’s video game industry, after three decades of development,     2     (evolve) into a competitive player in the international market, especially in the section of mobile games, driven by the Internet and     3     (technology) advancements.

According to CNG, overseas revenue from games independently developed in China had risen from $11.6 billion in 2019     4     $16.4 billion in 2023, achieving a four-year CAGR of 9.04percent. This growth is primarily attributed to the advantages of Chinese companies in mobile game development and operations.

With the widespread adoption of smartphones     5     the development of mobile Internet technologies, mobile games have become a major part of the global gaming market.     6     (depend) on the leading technology and extensive     7     (experienced) in this area, Chinese gaming companies have     8     (successful) launched a series of popular game products in both domestic and overseas markets.

In 2023, Genshin Impact became the     9     (popular) Chinese game in overseas markets. By the end of last year, it had garnered about $5 billion, and players from overseas contributed more than 60 percent of the total, according to data from analytics company Sensor Tower and App Magic.

Since     10     (it) launch in 2020, Genshin Impact has won the best mobile game award in 2021and the player’s voice award in 2022 at the annual The Game Awards — often dubbed as the “Oscars” of the global gaming industry, while being nominated for the best ongoing award four times.

In the 1950s, a plastic surgeon(整形外科医生)by the name of Maxwell Maltz began to notice that many of his patients took about 21 days    1    they got used to seeing their new face after an    2    (operate)—like a nose of job, for example.

    3     (promote) by the observation of this unusual pattern, Maltz looked inward, into his own life, and noticed that it also took about 21 days    4    (adjust) to a new house someone just moved into. These experiences    5    (eventual) led Maltz to publish his famous 1960s book Psycho-cybernetics, in    6    he states that “it requires a minimum of about 21 days for an old mental image to disappear and a new one to form.” The book sold more than 30 million copies and is still    7    print today. This “21 days” figure    8    (repeat) countless times ever since. It has been republished and adapted in thousands of self-help books and TV shows. There’s a problem though. The “21 days” time window for cementing(巩固) changes in habit is    9    (little) a statistical fact and more like a myth. Maltz never performed a careful and thorough study using the    10    (science) method. His statistics are not accurate. But that doesn’t mean that there aren’t scientists who have made a genuine inquiry.

For many centuries, tea     1     (be) an essential part of Chinese culture, with the country being one of the world’s largest producers and     2     (consume) of tea. However, in recent years, a new trend has emerged—the rise of the coffee culture. China has become one of the fastest-growing coffee markets globally,     3     an increasing number of coffee shops and cafes opening up in major cities.

When I first came to Shanghai in 2019,I had no idea that Shanghai has the title of the “capital of coffee” in China,     4     was a pleasant surprise for me. Moreover, Shanghai has the potential to become the global capital for coffee admirers, boasting over 8000 coffee shops. People in Shanghai visit coffee shops to     5     (genuine) enjoy a cup of coffee, even when they are having business meetings, dates or work sessions. You can see     6     (they) savoring their brew, creating a small moment, which is     7     personal treat that you can enjoy even during a hectic (繁忙的) day in Shanghai. Coffee unites us as we greet newcomers and get acquainted with other local students. I feel this is     8     the coffee culture works here—to make people a little bit happier and to warm you up when you feel cold or lonely. People come to coffee shops     9     (share) their own happy moments or to get cheered up. You can always see them smiling in a relaxed mood or peacefully scrolling (滚屏) on their phones while     10     (sip) their coffee. Even with coffee-to-go, you take that little piece of the warm atmosphere with you.

French-Iranian artist Marjane Satrapi has introduced a nearly 30-foot long tapestry (挂毯)     1     (mark) the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.     2     (know) best for her graphic novel Persepolis, Satrapi displayed the finished tapestry at the Mobilier National, a public organization that preserves France’s state furniture and textile collections, on March 12. The     3     (impression) work of art is a triptych (三联画) crafted from wool yarn,     4     weighs about 130 pounds.

The tapestry     5     (feature) brightly colored outlines of athletes competing in various sports around the Eiffel Tower. On the left, a woman participates in the traditional javelin (标枪) throw. On the right, a skateboarder performs a trick in the air above a break dancer, implying two of     6     newest sports in the Olympics’ lineup. The central part shows a man and a woman.     7     (graceful) running toward each other, their hands ready to meet     8     front of the Olympic flame.

The tapestry took Satrapi three years to create.     9     (craftsman) at the Gobelins Manufactory, a French tapestry factory wove it. The tapestry will be exhibited at the Hôtel de la Marine in Paris     10     (begin) on June 21. After the Olympic and Paralympic Games end in September, the tapestry will travel to Nice.

Ma Mian Qun, also     1     (know) as “Ma Mian Zhe Qun (horse face pleats (褶) skirt) ”, is a kind of traditional Chinese dress. The question of why the dress     2     (name) Ma Mian Qun has always been puzzling. What’s the relationship between the animal’s name and the skirt? In fact, “Ma Mian” is a kind of structure used for defense in the city wall system.

But     3     its name is really related to the city wall is still a question to be confirmed. All the books about Ma Mian Qun, whether they are related to costumes, operas     4     cultural relics, only show that the smooth surface without pleats in the middle is called “Ma Mian”, but there is no     5     (far) explanation for the source of “Ma Mian”.

The Chinese Horse Face Skirt shows     6     unique structural design that pairs practicality with elegance. Its form-fitting waistband transforms into an A-line shape, characterized by a series of pleats that expand outward,     7     (offer) a glimpse of the wearer’s grace with every step.

The Horse Face Skirt, with its deep historical roots, has successfully transitioned into modern fashion, where it serves     8     a bridge between the past and present. In today’s fashion landscape,     9     (design) frequently draw inspiration from the Horse Face Skirt,     10     (skillful) weaving its traditional elements with a modern twist, which thereby broadens its appeal to a contemporary audience.

Nanjing is a city that has played an important role in Chinese history for thousands of years. Nanjing     1     (name) the capital city first in 229 AD during the Three Kingdoms period. It has been a capital city many times. It’s a place that is relatively unknown     2     foreigners yet very popular with local tourists.

When Dave and I got the chance     3     (travel) to it, we jumped at it. We hadn’t known anything about Nanjing before going, but hearing that it was a popular destination from Shanghai, we were excited to explore it. It turns out that Nanjing is one of our favourite     4     (place) to visit in China.

We first went to Nanjing Niushoushan Cultural Park. A trolley (电车) took us to the top of the mountain     5     we could view the immaculate(圣洁的) Buddhist Palace that was built into the side of the mountain.     6     (open) in 2015, it is an example that proves the traditional and the modern can co-exist.

But soon we     7     (realize) that a real treat was inside the palace when we took the escalator (自动扶梯) 6 stories underground to see the Thousand-Buddha Hall. With a height of 28 metres, the golden hall is     8     (impress).

We highly recommend     9     (take) a full day to explore the Niushoushan Cultural Park to visit all the sites on the mountains. And do remember visiting the Usnisa Palace is     10    must.