Zhang Zeduan's Qingming Scroll is a masterwork of Chinese art    1     (consist) of three main sections, the    2     (combine) of which gives the viewer an idea of what life was like for the people of Bianjing.

Zhang used his    3     (amaze) precise brushwork to provide people with a comprehensive look at life during the Northern Song Dynasty in the painting, from    4     we can know about the 12th-century Chinese customs, clothing, transportation methods, business practices, and    5     wide range of buildings. However, some critics suggest that the painting    6     (actual) exposes serious political and social problems.

Zhang's timeless scroll is one of the examples of realism in the history of Chinese paintings, whose value is down    7     its representation of daily life as well as it great scale, artistic quality and attention to detail. With the Qingming Scroll, Zhang made great contributions to Chinese art and    8     (have) a great effect on generations of future artists. The last time it was on display, crowds waited for a long time just to see the famous painting with    9     (they) own eyes. People's enthusiasm about the Qingming Scroll clearly shows the power of this    10     (history) piece of art.

4 . Reading is often seen as an individual activity, but it definitely doesn’t have to be. If you join a book club, reading with others can be a positive social interaction.     1     And here are some of the ways that becoming part of a book club can better your life.

    2     If so, a book club can help you discover and explore new types, authors, and perspectives (观点). According to a recent survey, 57 percent of book clubbers said they wouldn’t otherwise have read some of the books selected by their book clubs.

In such a fast-paced world, sometimes it’s challenging to find the time and motivation to read. By joining a book club, you make a commitment to read the book of the month or the week and discuss your insights with others.     3    

Reading is one of the most important things you can do for your brain, but reading with other people can make it even better.     4     Being part of a book club can improve your learning skills, such as your memory, comprehension, vocabulary, and critical thinking skills. By discussing the book with others, you are exercising your brain and stimulating new neural (神经的) connections. Book clubs allow you to connect with other readers and learn from their perspectives.

Another plus is that at a book club you get together with your club members regularly, with whom you can share not only your thoughts about books but also other aspects of life.    5     Therefore, by reading with others, you are enriching your heart as well as your mind. So what are you waiting for? Join a book club now and enjoy the many benefits of reading with others!

6 . Robert Frost was born in 1874 in San Francisco, California. He spent his first 40 years in relative obscurity (默默无闻). He lived in England for a while and published his first works there.     1     He won four Pulitzer Prizes for his poetry and was considered by many to be the unofficial “poet laureate (桂冠诗人)”of the United States.

    2     In fact, experts consider it to be the most widely read and remembered American poem of the last century. Its iconic last lines have been repeated so often that some people think the title of the poem is actually “The Road Less Traveled.”

Poetry experts point out that it’s also likely the most misinterpreted poem of all time.     3     Frost describes one road as “just as fair” as the other and notes that travelers “Had worn them really about the same”.

The title also provides a clue that everything may not be as it seems with Frost’s poem. Readers tend to focus on the road less traveled, since Frost says it “has made all the difference”.     4     It might mean we should put our focus on the road that wasn’t taken.

Frost supposedly wrote the poem for British poet Edward Thomas as a gentle joke about Thomas’ tendency to regret whatever path they took on their walks through the English countryside.

Frost apparently didn’t believe in lamenting (感到遗憾) over what might have been. Perhaps his message to the reader is simply to focus on the path you choose and make the most of it.     5     If so, that’s good advice for any decision you might need to make!

7 . I recently received a statement regarding a credit card I never use. I opened the statement and noticed a charge for $1,175. As I have never had the pleasure of visiting Saskatchewan, Canada, I called the bank to report it.

“We are experiencing more calls than usual. Please stay on the line ...” What then followed was about an hour of repetitive music. I decided to call again from my mobile phone and chose the “lost or stolen card” department, while keeping my place for the fraud (欺诈) department open on my landline (座机). After half an hour, I got through to a customer service clerk (职员) called Marlene. She told me she had to ask me some verifying (验证性的) questions. My date of birth. I passed. Next, she asked how many accounts I had in this bank. I guessed one and passed. Then came the kicker, “When did you last use it?” I said, “Ages ago.” She replied, “The system does not accept this answer. You are locked out.”

I continued to wait on my other line for almost three hours until a clerk called John came on. I told him about the charge, and he asked whether anybody else had access to my credit card. I told him not to my knowledge. In addition to never having set foot in Saskatchewan, I was not even sure how to spell it. After a brief post- midnight chat, he noted the charge would be removed.

8 . NASA is planning to send a robot called MIRA to the International Space Station (ISS) by 2024. Its creators claim that MIRA is capable of performing operations on its own and if required, it can also be controlled remotely. Such a device could allow doctors on Earth to perform operations on astronauts in space while controlling the device remotely.

However, before performing surgical (外科的) operations on humans, MIRA will have to pass several tests on the ISS involving non-living objects. These tests will help MIRA learn to perform surgeries in low-gravity conditions, which can be quite a challenge. It is believed that in the future, MIRA could play an important role in helping out astronauts who face medical emergencies on the moon and Mars or during long-distance space travel.

The journey from the ISS to Earth can be completed in six hours. Considering the already available medicines and supplies on the ISS, this may sound like a manageable duration for many of the medical emergency cases occurring there. However, if an astronaut requires immediate medical support on a distant planet like Mars, he or she will probably die by the time help arrives.

Obviously, it is not practical to send all kinds of doctors with astronauts. Therefore, the best strategy to deal with medical emergencies is to have a robot surgeon that could perform all kinds of surgeries. MIRA could achieve this goal as it can be remotely controlled in outer space by a surgeon on Earth. For example, if an astronaut faces both nerve (神经) and bone injury on Mars, a neurosurgeon and an orthopedic surgeon on Earth can perform surgeries remotely on the injured astronaut using MIRA.

But the robot surgeon could be very useful here on Earth as well. After receiving safety approval from the Food and Drug Administration, in the coming years, we might see doctors using this robot to perform surgeries remotely on Earth. This remarkable device could make complicated (复杂的) surgeries practical in even remote and rural areas, where there could be a shortage of doctors.

9 . “Strange and yet very real, thousands and thousands of flip-flops (人字拖) are washed up onto the East African coast, creating an environmental disaster. Not only do they destroy the natural beauty of our beaches and oceans, but they also block baby turtles’ way back to the sea and are eaten by fish and other animals,” states Ocean Sole.

The company collects the flip-flops — including paying people who bring in what they’ve collected— and transforms (改造) them into art while providing working opportunities for local people. At Ocean Sole’s workshop, 40 Kenyans are now employed full-time. The company pays their medical bills and provides free lunches to workers. “I was not able to afford shoes and had to borrow some to come to Nairobi to find work. Having been working here for six years, I can now afford to send my two children to school,” says Eric Mwandola, an artist with Ocean Sole.

Not only has the company grown in size, but so has the reach of its message. Ocean Sole now has products displayed in the gift shops of more than 40 zoos and museums. With each piece sold, the message about plastic pollution finds its way to a broader audience. “We are continuing to call on organizations to offer environmentally friendly souvenirs (纪念品) rather than plastic decorations,” says Ocean Sole. The company is all about cleaning up pollution, and that further develops their zero-waste guidelines. The waste from the sculptures (雕塑) is collected and used as flooring for kids’ playgrounds, and they even collect rainwater to use in their production. Other materials needed for the sculptures are also recycled goods, and the packaging comes in different sizes for products of various shapes and sizes.

In 2013 alone, Ocean Sole transformed around 50 tons of flip-flops into artworks. The company’s goal is to recycle 400,000 flip-flops per year.

10 . If you’re a teen in high school then you’re probably eager to see more of the world. Well, good news — with these volunteer abroad programs for high school students, you don’t have to wait until you’ve finished school to travel overseas!

During your time volunteering, you’ll be based in Giannitsochori. This village is a nesting (筑巢) site for one of the world’s most endangered and oldest ocean species: the Loggerhead sea turtle. You’ll do daily morning and night surveys to record turtle nesting activity and act as a lookout to protect turtle nests.

In this exciting program, you’ll help with improving the safety standards of educational facilities in Pokhara. You could be building desks for classrooms or setting up water storage equipment for the local community.

Take a class trip to Thailand and get involved in (参与) hands-on preservation efforts. You’ll assist with long-term preservation projects. For instance, work with the traditional Karen community of Huay Pakoot to contribute to elephant protection, or work with local community members at turtle protection facilities in Phang Nga.

During this program, your group of teen volunteers will learn about the history of Cape Town. You’ll work with the communities near our base, offering support where needed. For example, previous volunteers assisted with projects like brightening up educational facilities with wall paintings or building a greenhouse for the local community.