In ancient China lived an artist    1     paintings were almost lifelike. The artist’s reputation had made him proud. One day the emperor wanted to get his portrait (画像) done so he called all great artists to come and present their     2     (fine) work, so that he could choose the best. The artist was sure he would    3    (choose), but when he presented his masterpiece to the emperor’s chief minister, the old man laughed. The wise old man told him to travel to the Li River～perhaps he could learn a little from the greatest artist in the world.

Filled with     4     (curious), the artist packed his bags and left.     5     he asked the villagers on the banks of the river where he could find the legendary (传奇的) artist, they smiled and     6     (point) down the river. The next morning he hired a boat and set out     7     (find) the well-known painter. As the small boat moved,     8     (gentle) along the river he was left speechless by the mountains being silently reflected in the water. He passed milky white waterfalls and mountains in many shades of blue. And when he saw the mists rising from the river and the soft clouds    9     (surround) the mountain tops, he was reduced to tears. The artist was finally humbled (谦卑) by the greatest artist     10     earth, Mother Nature.

In a study of 33 years of trends in Body Mass Index (体重指数) across 200 countries, the scientists found that people worldwide are getting heavier     1     that most of the rise is due to gains in BMI in rural areas.

BMI is an internationally recognized measurement tool     2     gives an indication of whether someone is a healthy weight. It is calculated by dividing a     3     (person) weight in kg by their height in meters squared. and a BMI of between 19 and 25     4     (consider) healthy.

The study found that between 1985 and 2017, average rural BMI increased     5     2. 1 in women and men. In cities, however, the gain     6     (be) 1. 3 in women and 1. 6 in men. The researchers described “striking changes” in the geography of BMI. Tn 1985，urban men and women in more than three quarters of the countries     7     (study) had higher BMIs than men and women in rural areas. But 30 years later, the BMI difference between urban and rural people in many countries had narrowed     8    (sharp).

This may be due to some disadvantages for people     9     (live) in the countryside, including     10     (low) levels of income and education, higher costs of healthy foods, and fewer sports facilities.

The polar bear is found in the Arctic Circle and some big land masses as far south as Newfoundland. While they are rare north of 88°, there is evidence     1     they range all the way across the Arctic, and as far south as James Bay in Canada. It is difficult to figure out a global population of polar bears as much of the range has been     2    (poor) studied; however, biologists calculate that there are about 20,000-25,000 polar bears worldwide.

Modern methods     3     tracking polar bear populations have been employed only since the mid-1980s, and are expensive     4    (perform) consistently over a large area. In recent years some Inuit people in Nunavut     5    (report) increases in bear sightings around human settlements, leading to a     6    (believe) that populations are increasing. Scientists have responded by     7    (note) that hungry bears may be congregating(聚集) around human settlements, leading to the illusion(错觉) that populations are     8    (high) than they actually are. Of     9     nineteen recognized polar bear subpopulations, three are declining, six     10    (be) stable, one is increasing, and nine lack enough data.

Many people have the hobby of collecting things, e.g. stamps, postcards or antiques. In the 18th and 19th centuries,     1     (wealth) people travelled and collected plants, historical objects and works of art. They kept their collection at home until it got too big     2     until they died, and then it was given to a museum. The 80,000 objects collected by Sir Hans Sloane, for example,     3     (form) the core collection of the British Museum     4     opened in 1759.

The parts of a museum open to the public     5     (call) galleries or rooms. Often, only a small part of a museum’s collection     6     (be) on display. Most of it is stored away or used for research.

Many museums are lively places and they attract a lot of visitors. As well as looking at exhibits, visitors can play with computer simulations (模拟) and imagine     7     (they) living at a different time in history or     8    (walk)through a rainforest. At the Jorvik Centre in York, the city’s Viking settlement is recreated, and people experience the sights, sounds and smells of the old town. Historical     9     (accurate) is important but so is entertainment. Museums must compete     10    people’s spare time and money with other amusements. Most museums also welcome school groups and arrange special activities for children.

A 90-year-old has been awarded “Woman Of The Year” for     1    (be) Britain’s oldest full-time employee—still working 40 hours a week. Now Irene Astbury works from 9am to 5pm daily at the pet shop in Macclesfield,     2     she opened with her late husband Les. Her years of hard work have     3    (final) been acknowledged after a customer nominated(提名) her to be Cheshire’s Woman Of The Year.

Picking up her “Lifetime Achievement” award, proud Irene     4    (declare) she had no plans     5    (retire) from her 36-year-old business. Irene said, “I don’t see any reason to give up work. I love coming here and seeing my family and all the friends I     6    (make) over the years. I work not because I have to,     7     because I want to.”

Granddaughter Gayle Parks, 31—who works alongside her in the family business—said it remained unknown as to who nominated Irene for the award. She said, “We don’t have any idea who put grandma forward. When we got a call     8    (say) she was short-listed, we thought it was     9     joke. But then we got an official letter and we were blown away. We are so proud of her. It’s     10    (wonder).”

On our way to the house, it was raining     1     hard that we couldn’t help wondering how long it would take     2    (get) there. It was in the middle of Pearl City.

We were first greeted with the barking by a pack     3     dogs, seven to be exact. They were well trained by their masters     4     had great experience with caring for these animals. Our hosts shared many of their experiences and     5    (recommend) wonderful places to eat, shop, and visit. For breakfast, we were able to eat papaya(木瓜) and other fruits from their trees in the backyard.

When they were free from work, they invited us to local events and let us know of an interesting     6    (compete) to watch, together with the story behind it. They also shared with us many     7    (tradition) stories about Hawaii that were     8    (huge) popular with tourists. On the last day of our week-long stay, we     9    (invite) to attend a private concert on a beautiful farm on the North Shore under the stars,     10    (listen) to musicians and meeting interesting locals.

According to a review of evidence in a medical journal, runners live three years     1    (long) than non-runners. You don't have to run fast or for long    2    (see)the benefit. You may drink, smoke, be overweight and still reduce your risk of     3     (die) early by running. While running regularly can't make you live forever, the review says it     4     (be) more effective at lengthening life    5     walking, cycling or swimming. Two of the authors of the review also made a study published in 2014    6    showed a mere five to 10 minutes A day of running reduced the risk of heart disease and early deaths from all     7    (cause).

The best exercise is one that you enjoy and will do. But otherwise…   it's probably running. To avoid knee pain, you can run on soft surfaces, do exercises to    8    (strength)your leg muscles(肌肉),avoid hills and get good running shoes. Running is cheap, easy and it's always    9    (energy).If you are time poor, you need run for only half the time to get the same benefits as other sports, so perhaps we should all give    10    a try.

Diets have changed in China — and so too has its top crop. Since 2011, the country     1    （grow）more corn than rice. Corn production has jumped nearly 125 percent over     2     past 25 years, while rice has increased only 7 percent.

A taste for meat is     3     (actual) behind the change: An important part of its corn is used to feed chickens, pigs, and cattle. Another reason for corn's rise: The government encourages farmers to grow corn instead of rice     4     (improve) water quality. Corn uses less water     5     rice and creates less fertilizer(化肥) runoff. This switch has decreased     6     (pollute) in the country's major lakes and reservoirs and made drinking water safer for people.

According to the World Bank, China accounts for about 30 percent of total     7     (globe)fertilizer consumption. The Chinese Ministry of Agriculture finds that between 2005—when the government     8     (start) a soil-testing program     9     gives specific fertilizer recommendations to farmers - and 2011, fertilizer use dropped by 7.7 million tons. That prevented the emission(排放) of 51.8 million tons of carbon dioxide. China's approach to protecting its environment while     10     (feed) its citizens "offers useful lessons for agriculture and food policymakers worldwide." says the bank's Juergen Voegele.