Learning Chinese calligraphy     1     (list) as one of the must-do things when I came to China. Now, I’m in the course of learning this unique art,     2     value is considered very high in China, even across East Asia today. It is not only     3     ancient artistic form of human language, but it also reflects Chinese traditions.

As someone who paints, draws, and loves all     4     (create) things, at first, I assumed I would be rather good at Chinese calligraphy. I was     5     (total ) wrong. Using thick brush tips to produce awkward brush strokes (笔画)     6     (be) very difficult for a beginner. I have no idea about the different types of calligraphy and the meanings     7     ( hide) behind each one. Also, I have to hold the paintbrush     8     a very specific way; unlike a pen or pencil, the paintbrush is held upright in the hand. I need to be extra careful when changing the angle or     9     (direct) of the brush, especially if I press too hard on the paper.

After taking the lesson, I now understand the difficulty of calligraphy and that it will take efforts and commitment     10     (master) this art form. Yet, I am grateful to learn such a special Chinese tradition.

Shijing, also The Book of Songs or Shih Ching, is the     1     (early) collection of Chinese poetry. It     2     (make) up of 311 poems dating from the early years of the Western Zhou Dynasty to the middle stage of the Spring and Autumn Period. Nowadays, Confucius is generally believed to be the     3     (edit) of the book.

Shijing is rich in content,     4     (describe) love and labour, war and slavery, customs and marriage, ancestor worship and special events. It is called a mirror of social life.

Poems included in Shijing fall into three sections-poems that come from villages belong to Feng; those written to persuade or praise the rulers belong to Ya; those used at religious     5     (ceremony) belong to Song. Ya and Song are flowery and serious in language.     6    , Feng is relatively inspiring and full of passion.

The opening poem of Shijing, “Cooing and Wooing” (《关雌》), is about love,     7     reads:

By riverside are cooing, a pair of turtledoves;

A good young man is wooing, a fair maiden he loves.

It is vivid that the man is longing     8     (win) over the girl.

Shijing enables people to have a better understanding of Chinese civilization and is also     9     beginning of ancient Chinese poetry. Additionally, it is also frequently quoted in other Chinese texts and has always been referred to     10     moral truth and lessons.

Working with elephants is one of the most popular volunteer     1     (activity) in Thailand. And for good reason, these amazing creatures are huge, cute, and very intelligent. Often elephants     2     (view) as gentle animals, but it’s good to remember that this isn’t always the case. In the last few years, many elephants     3     (find) themselves treated badly, and they are beaten into     4     (give) performances or forced to overwork at money-hungry tourist attractions. A terribly-treated elephant can become angry and kill if it feels     5     (threaten).

All that being said, volunteering for elephant     6     (protect) can be a very rewarding experience. The important thing is to find the right opportunity. There are a number of elephant reserves (动物保护区) and parks, especially in Thailand     7     you can do meaningful work     8     (improve) the lives of elephants. The key is to do your research and watch out for places that promise you more than     9     (simple) big money.

If the volunteer organization seems to be paying attention to elephant rides and the elephants giving performances, please keep     10     mind that it is probably not a place with the elephants’ best interests.

Some countries have a large number of earthquakes. Japan is one of them, while others do not have so many. For example, there are few earthquakes in Britain. But they are     1     (frighten) when they break out.

There is often a great noise during    2     earthquake. The ground shakes; houses fall down; railways are destroyed,     3     causes trains to stop off. Sometimes thousands of people     4     (injure) in different ways. Some people say that earthquakes often happen near volcanoes (火山),     5    this is not true. The centers of some earthquakes are under the sea. The bottom of the sea suddenly moves. The    6     (power) forces inside the earth break the rocks. The coast is shaken and great waves appear. These waves travel a long     7     (distant) and rush over the land,     8     (break) down houses and other buildings. Sometimes they damage more buildings than the earthquake     9     (it). What kind of building stays up best in an earthquake? The Americans studied carefully the results of the earthquake at San Francisco and believed it is best for buildings to be made with concrete (水泥) walls held together by steel frames (钢筋框架). Such buildings won’t burn or fall     10     (easy).