Over the course of the recent global pandemic, humans grew familiar     1     the idea of social distancing. A research team wondered     2     oceanic species engage in a similar practice. To find out, they ventured to the shores of the Dutch Wadden Sea to study seal (海豹) behavior.

The researchers noted that two main     3     (type) of seals frequent the shores－harbor seals and gray seals. In surveys of the area, the team noted that gray seals tend     4     (stay) away from the shore, while harbor seals prefer to keep close to the water. They also found that harbor seals keep nearly twice as much distance between one another than gray seals do.

The researchers noted that harbor seals tend to fall victim to distemper (瘟热) outbreaks — they     5     (face) two major outbreaks over the past three decades, each of     6     led to major drops in their numbers. Gray seals have not been nearly as     7     (severe) impacted because they generally survive such infections.

The research team suggests that the reason why the harbor seals keep their distance     8     (be) that they are practicing a form of social distancing as     9     way to reduce the chances of infection during outbreaks. Their findings could have     10     (significant) for other animals that practice similar behavior in light of climate change.

The Mogao Grottoes, a world-renowned     1     (culture) heritage site in Dunhuang, contains 735 caves and more than 45,000 square meters of murals. Their preservation could not have been done     2     the dedication of countless guardians across     3     (generation). Among them, Fan Jinshi, former president of the Dunhuang Academy, is an illustrative one.

Fan first trekked all the way to Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes in July 1963 shortly after     4     (graduate) from college. She kept a dream to protect the national cultural heritage     5     remained there for more than 50 years. Over the past decades, she     6     (put) down roots in the desert, as if her life and Dunhuang’s have blended into one. Thus she has become known as “Daughter of Dunhuang”.

Fan has made outstanding contributions to the cause of “protecting, studying and carrying forward” Dunhuang Grottoes through her work. She was the first     7     (suggest) the “Digital Dunhuang” concept in the late 1980s to preserve the murals,     8     (paint) sculptures and historical data in Dunhuang Caves permanently. She also     9     (active) promoted the popularization of the Dunhuang culture.

Now, 85-year-old Fan Jinshi,     10     still works very hard to protect and manage the caves, is as busy as ever, “I’ve done all I could for Dunhuang,” she says.

China’s “ice city” Harbin in Northeast Heilongjiang Province has definitely become a tourism hotspot,     1    （attract） millions of tourists from home and abroad. Beyond the attraction of ice and snow tourism, the lesser-known     2    （diverse） and rich cultures of local ethnic（民族的） minority groups have also been brought under the spotlight.

At the tourist-packed Central Street, a street famous     3     its Western architecture during different times in downtown Harbin, a group of Aoluguya Ewenki（敖鲁古雅鄂温克民族） people     4    （dress） in their ethnic costumes with seven reindeer（驯鹿） are singing their     5    （tradition） songs while walking down the street. Tourists crowd around them,     6    （excited） taking photos and videos.

The Aoluguya Ewenki is the only ethnic group in China     7     raises reindeer. According to media reports, sometimes people confuse the Ewenki people with the Oroqen people, one of     8     smallest ethnic groups in China. The Aoluguya Ewenki decided to take advantage of the opportunity of Harbin’s booming tourism industry     9    （show） their unique culture and identity to visitors from all over the country.

Since the Aoluguya Ewenki people’s public appearance, more and more local ethnic minority groups     10    （do） the same, with some from other parts of the nation even journeying to Harbin. “If you want to see China’s rich multi-ethnic cultures, you should come to Harbin now,” netizens state encouragingly on social media.

Last year, I had the chance to study at a British secondary school as an exchange student. I stayed with     1     lovely host family and went to school with their son, Daniel. We were both     2     year ten and we got on well.

The British school day     3     (begin) at 9 a. m. and ends at 4 p. m. Students usually have to learn nine subjects at secondary school. Every student must study English, Maths and the Science     4     (subject): Biology, Chemistry and Physics. They can also choose     5     (study) other subjects, such as History, Art and Business.

The classes are different from those in China. Each teacher has their own classroom with the students     6     (move) around for every lesson. I enjoyed most of the classes, but some of them were quite challenging. With the teacher’s help, I made a clock in the Technology classes. I like it so much     7     I still use it as my alarm!

However, learning English was a great challenge for me. There were a lot of difficult English words,     8     (especial) in Geography and Biology. Class discussion is very important in the UK, but sometimes I wasn’t able to express     9     (me). Fortunately, my teachers and classmates were always     10     (friend) and helpful. My language skills improved over time.

What is the secret of the charm of Yunnan Province? Beautiful scenery, rare plants and flowers, local specialties? These are all part of the answer,     1    they are definitely not everything.

Yunnan boasts not only fabulous natural landscapes, but also fascinating ethnic customs. Among the 25 ethnic groups of Yunnan, the Yi people have    2    unique culture, which over thousands of years     3    (develop) into colourful customs with distinctive features.

The Yi people adore tigers, fire and the colour black. Many festivals have developed from the ceremonies for     4    (worship) these objects. The Torch Festival is the most widely celebrated, with a very strong    5    (religion) element.

The Yi people, who call    6    (they) the “fire nationality”, think fire possesses a superhuman power which can drive away evil and frighten off ghosts.

During the festival, at the entrance to the villages, a grand “torch tower”, made of pine branches and dry firewood and    7    (stand) more than 20 meters high, is decorated with fresh flowers and fruits.

After dinner, as darkness casts its shadow, young and old rush    8    (enthusiastic) to the “torch tower” square.     9    such a brilliant night, all the participants are intoxicated(陶醉的) by the grand spectacle and the atmosphere of celebration.     10     (dress) in splendid costumes, young men and women sing and dance hand in hand around the bonfire to express their gratitude for a life of plenty and good wishes for the coming year.

What is archaeology?

It’s more than just digging and putting things in museum cases.

Archaeology tells the full story of humanity. Archaeology is the study of the human past. What, then, separates it from history? The key is that     1     history primarily uses the written word, archaeologists study the human past through things. Archaeologists use the material     2     (remain) of human societies in order to reconstruct everything.

Archaeologists use every kind of material that has survived into the present day, not just the things that you might expect, such as pottery and stone tools,     3     items such as animal bones and shells and even the microscopic silica deposits (phytoliths 植物化石) that plants produce, which can survive for centuries after plants die. Every tiny piece of evidence gives us     4     insight into how the world used to be, and how people lived, ate,     5     (interact), and constructed their landscape.

Archaeology ranges     6    the splendor of well-known wonders such as Stonehenge, the Terracotta Army and Machu Picchu, to     7     (small) but no less wonderful discoveries.

Archaeology’s relevance is not only in the past, though, it is a fundamental way of understanding the current state of the world.

It takes a huge workforce     8     (understand) the ancient world, people from all backgrounds     9     (work) together in different ways to build up a     10     (comprehend) picture of our shared past. The most known are those who work as field archaeologists.