Chinese writing uses symbols called characters.     1    (like) an alphabet, in which each letter usually presents a sound, characters are a     2    (combine) of pictures and sounds. Some characters, like ma, “horse,” look a little like     3     they represent.

Most characters combine meaning symbols and sound symbols. For example, the character for “lamp,” (灯),    4    (consist) of two parts. The part on the left comes from the character for “fire.” The part on the right gives a clue to how the character is supposed     5    (be) pronounced.

In the 1950s and 1960s, scholars in China wanted to make Chinese characters     6    (simple) by using fewer strokes. Today, 6000 of these characters are     7    (regular) used in China today.

Chinese characters are the oldest form of writing     8     use. They first appeared on Oracle Bones over 3000 years ago,     9     ancient kings used to predict the future.     10     wrote a question on a bone and then broke it. The way it cracked gave the answer.

Over time, people in Vietnam, Korea, and Japan learned to write Chinese. They incorporated the characters into their own language. In this way, Chinese characters become one of the many ways China has changed the world.

3 . Twenty years ago, Eric Moussambani became a global star. He swam a 100-metre freestyle in the Sydney Olympic pool so _______ that it appeared he might drown.

Eric was the first swimmer from Equatorial Guinea to _______ in the Sydney Olympics, because of a programme designed to encourage sport _______ in poor regions. In the 100 meters, three swimmers from the programme competed with each other. The two other competitors were disqualified for false starts, leaving Eric to swim _______. He started well but in the second lap, his freestyle became a crawl. The 17,000 crowd in the Aquatic Centre _______ him home in 1’52”. On that day, Dutch swimmer Pieter set a world record of 47.84 seconds. Yet ‘Eric the Eel’ became the _______of the world.

Eric learned swimming from a fisherman. When he heard the country was _______ swimmers for the Olympics, he went along. There wasn’t even a _______. Eric can only train himself in an irregular-shaped hotel pool for one hour every day.

When Eric first saw the Olympic pool, he thought it was so _______that he could never finish one lap. “During my training in Sydney, I took the ________ to watch how other swimmers moved their feet.” He said. He also lacked ________until his first race. A coach from South Africa saw him wearing Bermuda shorts and gave him a swimming costume and goggles. And that swim ________ Eric’s life.

It made him a symbol for swimming in Equatorial Guinea, where there are now two ________ Olympic- size pools. Being a national swimming coach, Eric tells the young swimmers the ________ he took from his lonely swim in Sydney. “When you have goals, you have to ________ to achieve them.”

4 . The way people work has changed. The increasing use of technology presents new and continual challenges to small and large businesses, employees and managers, teachers and students.     1     University professors, for example, must learn to adapt their teaching skills in order to lead distance learning courses.

In today’s world, training and learning do not stop when we finish school.     2     For many managers and professionals the biggest challenge, as well as change, in the workplace, was the increased use of computers and computerized equipment. Between 1998 and 2000, the need for experienced employees who could use this kind of equipment rose dramatically. Many of those in the workplace at this time experienced changes in job requirements and had to attend job-related training or re-training courses.

    3     In Finland, with the increased use of technology and the growth of distance learning, the teacher has become more of a tutor who guides a student, rather than lectures. In turn, the student has to take more responsibility for his or her learning in the absence of direct teacher contact. This requires that students should learn computer skills in order to cope with the demand of the future workplace.     4    It is also suggested that the salaries and job descriptions of teachers be reviewed because of future demands expected in their jobs. Previously, the professors may have held lectures between weekday hours in large halls. Now they may spend part of their day lecturing large groups of students in campus, and then conduct afternoon or evening classes online, with students in five different countries.

As technologies grow and develop, ongoing training will continue to be necessary.     5     Lifelong learning will become a way of life.

6 . Travel enthusiasts fifty years ago talked about travelling to fascinating places around the world. Today the talk is about going beyond the world and the Earth. The thirst is creating a demand for space travel, giving rise to space tourism.

The space fights are not cheap - each flight into outer space costs about U.S. $20 million. Up till now, it has solely been enjoyed by a few adventurous super-ich men. To reduce the high cost of space travel for the mass market, space travel agencies now have a creative plan to offer suborbital flights, which cost much less. These joyrides will enable the tourists to reach the edge of space, which is more than 62 miles above the Earth, and allow them the experience of a few minutes of weighlessness as they gaze at the Earth below, before they return down to Earth again.

Space tourism is, however, not an environmentally friendly adventure. The black carbon emitted by the spacecraft could either raise temperatures at the poles, causing a melting of the ice or lead to rising temperatures, contributing to global warming. The emission of black carbon also causes the ozone molecules to break apart, contributing to several kilotons of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere.

Looking beyond Earth, an increase in space travel would mean that Man would not only leave his footprint in space but also his waste—space tourism can contribute to pollution of the environment of the outer space. With no current plans for waste disposal, one can only imagine clumps of litter floating around the planets.

Without doubt, space tourism opens up new exciting possibilities. With time, the price of the flights to space would become more reasonable. Increasing commercialization of space travel would also mean that a structure would be put in place for the disposal of space waste. However, with no immediate solution to counter the possible impact on climate changes and the thinning of the ozone layer, space tourism would probably prove to be yet another controversial (有争议的) venture of mankind.

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Best Reviews for This Summer

Chinese high school principal Zhang Guimei has been honored     1     the title “Role Model of the Times” in recognition of her dedication to education for girls.

With the support of the Party and the government, she helped establish the country’s first senior high school to offer free education for girls from poor families. Since it opened in 2008, it     2    (see) more than 1,800 students progress to universities and colleges.

About 20 years ago, while on the way to visit a student’s house, Zhang Guimei, then a rural teacher in Huaping county, Lijiang, Yunnan province, noticed a girl     3    (sit) on the hillside. She was staring     4    (blank) into space. The girl, 13, told Zhang she was about to get married and it was arranged by her parents.

That fateful encounter(邂逅) persuaded Zhang     5    (build) a free high school for girls, aiming to help break the spell (魔咒)     6     women drop out of education, marry early and spend     7    (they) whole life in the remote mountain.

After years of trying to raise funds, in 2008, Huaping High School for Girls, a free public high school,     8    (found) at the foot of the Shizi Mountain in Huaping, where Zhang is the principal. Over the decades, More than 1,800     9    (graduate) have been admitted to college,     10     is regarded a “miracle” in the remote area, as most students didn’t perform well in academic study before the school was established.