Yours sincerely,

Li Hua

Chinese weddings(婚礼) are as much about the happy couple as they are about their respective(各自的)    1    (family) . The weddings are impressive affairs that focus on blessings of happiness.    2     date of the wedding ceremony(仪式)is chosen not by chance. Many couples carefully choose a favorable date     3     (bring)success to their marriage. The ceremony can last anywhere from four hours to three days,     4     depends on how many Chinese wedding traditions are observed（遵守).

The Chinese wedding invitation is     5     (typical) red with a golden Double Happiness symbol,     6     (include) dates for the wedding and names of the bride and bridegroom(新郎和新娘).

While Chinese wedding traditions have modernized(现代化)and no longer involve(涉及) a large procession, the journey to pick up the bride     7     (be) still a lively affair. It can involve the use of firecrackers(鞭炮), playing of drums and gongs,    8     even a lion dance.

Another vital(重要) tradition is called the Chinese tea ceremony(仪式). It     9     (perform) at Chinese weddings to show the new couple's respect, gratitude, and     10    (appreciate) for their parents’ love, support and effort in raising them. A red tea set with a Double Happiness symbol is used for the tea ceremony.

3 . “Look Mom, he paints like me!” Eight-year-old Alexandra Nechita had just discovered Pablo Picasso’s artwork for the first time. The art world _______ and began to call Alexandra the “Petite (小号的) Picasso”. This _______ artist has been turning heads in the art world ever since. 

Even at age two, Alexandra _______ nearly all her time on her coloring books. _______ their daughter spent too much time alone, Alexandra’s parents took her coloring books away. They hoped she’d start to jump rope or play with dolls. But taking away her _______ was like taking the air out of her life. Alexandra began to color on papers her mother _______ home from office. 

When Alexandra was four, her parents began to notice the portraits she drew. They were abstract and _______ Picasso’s work, with four eyes and two faces. She _______ painting with water colors and then with other paints. 

Alexandra’s classmates would sometimes _______ her paintings. But her ________ school teacher saw talent in her drawings. She helped eight-year-old Alexandra organize her first ________ at a local library. 

Within a year, Alexandra had several other exhibitions. Her exhibition at the famous Mary Paxon Gallery brought her to the ________ of national art critics (评论家). She began to ________ on television, in news and talk shows around America. 

Admirers have spent a large amount of money buying her paintings. But the ________ doesn’t seem to have affected her negatively (消极地). Through various charities, Alexandra shares her wealth with those ________ around the world.

4 . When we eat some popular kinds of shellfish (贝类海产), we leave behind large amounts of shells.     1     Several projects now aim to put them back into waterways.

In the U.S., shells cast aside in restaurants and other businesses are being collected, cleaned and thrown back into waterways.     2     One of the latest projects on oysters (牡蛎) takes place in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The shells were put into the state’s Mullica River and helped form new or expanded oyster groups. Free-floating baby oysters connect to the shells and grow on them.     3     It has also helped eateries (小餐馆) save money on dealing with their shells, according to Scott Stueber, a fisheries biologist with the Department of Environmental Protection. 

    4     In nature, oysters are cleaners. One adult oyster can remove pollutants from about 190 liters of water a day. So oysters can improve water quality. Oyster groups also are being planted along some coastlines to strengthen shores. Besides, oyster reefs can protect shorelines. Such reefs can also be homes for sea creatures and provide food for humans.

Communities, environmental groups and governments around the world have had oyster reefs recycled and replanted in recent years. It’s happening in many states of the United States.     5     Since 2009, the Harte Research Institute at Texas A&M University has collected about 800,000 kilograms of shells and rebuilt about 100,000 square meters of oyster reefs.

5 . In recent times, with the advent of electric cars, the idea to fuel them with solar energy has also gained momentum. Electric cars—even though they run on electricity and don’t use fossil fuels—are still NOT GREEN! People suffer from the misconception that not using fossil fuel means “green”, which is kind of absurd, considering that the electricity we use is generated by burning the very same fuels!

However, what if your car had solar panels that could charge it? Now that would indeed be a green machine! Basically, as much as we would like to incorporate this energy source into our car, the efficiency of currently used solar panels is subject to the fulfillment of different criteria.

Firstly, solar panels occupy a large amount of area. An average car has an area of 10—25 sq. ft. on the roof, which can generate between 50—150 W under ideal conditions. This is hardly enough power to illuminate a light bulb! Also, moderate (适中) temperatures need to be ideal, as extremely high temperatures can reduce the efficiency of the solar panels. Cars must work in all weather conditions, so if a solar panel limits the car’s functionality, it becomes practically useless. More importantly, the cost of the panels and development required to power the electronics using the sun’s energy outweighs (多过) the benefits that solar panels provide.

Most cars today that have solar roofs use the solar energy to power only a few basic functions of the car.While there is still time before we will be able to drive cars fully powered by solar energy, there are some alternatives, such as solar power stations, which are being designed to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels for electricity.

Solar-powered vehicles are surely the future, but not the near future. As the cost of solar panels continues to fall and their efficiency increases, things will begin to look much “brighter” for this alternative and sustainable option!

6 . If you have to describe yourself to someone else, what will you say? It can be difficult to see yourself from the outside, but knowing who you are, namely self-awareness, can help you understand feelings and make friendships closer.

Self-awareness means having a good understanding of our own character, that is, having the ability to see ourselves clearly. If you’re self-aware, you may know that you love playing an instrument because you do well in it and music makes you happy, or that you prefer watching TV on your own because it helps you relax.

Knowing what you like and dislike, what you do well in and what you find difficult allows you to make better decisions about friendships, schoolwork and so on. You learn to trust your own feelings more, which builds confidence. The World Health Organization says self-awareness is one of ten important life skills that help young people live happier, healthier lives. Being self-aware doesn’t mean only thinking of yourself. By understanding your own feelings, you will better understand other people too.

How do you learn to be self-aware? It’s a good way to ask questions. But ask yourself questions that start with “What” instead of “Why”. So if you don’t understand why you keep arguing with a friend, ask yourself what you disagree on instead of why you’re arguing.

Learning to be more self-aware is a skill, which means you learn it as you grow. So be bold and try out new things, like playing a new sport or listening to different kinds of music. Don’t be afraid to dislike something — discovering what you find difficult is a key part of learning more about yourself.

7 . Tu Youyou is a Chinese medical scientist, pharmaceutical (制药的) chemist, and educator best known for discovering artemisinin (also known as qinghao su). The discovery of artemisinin and its treatment of malaria are regarded as a significant breakthrough of tropical medicine in the 20th century and health improvement for people of tropical developing countries in South Asia, Africa, and South America.

For her work, Tu received the 2011 Lasker Award in Clinical Medicine and the 2015 Nobel Prize in Physiology (生理学) or Medicine. The Nobel Committee puts Tu’s work well by writing: “Malaria infects close to 200 million individuals yearly. Artemisinin is used in all malaria-ridden parts of the world. When used in combination treatment, it is estimated to reduce the death rate from malaria by more than 20% overall and by more than 30% in children. For Africa alone, this means that more than 100,000 lives are saved each year.”

In China, Tu is known as a “sanwu scientist”. Tu has spent no time studying abroad, no membership with the Chinese Academy of Sciences and no doctoral degree. The Xinhua News Agency has commented on the significance of Tu’s achievement, “Not only is Tu the first Chinese Nobel laureate (获奖者) in natural science, but also the first Nobel laureate who received all scientific training in China. The award she won made Chinese scientists gain tremendous confidence.”

As part of the programme charged with finding a treatment for malaria, Tu was inspired by an ancient Chinese text which said qinghao was used to tackle intermittent fevers (间歇热) around 400 AD. In the herb Tu discovered a compound, now known as artemisinin, which proved an effective treatment for the infection. Tu herself volunteered to be the first human recipient.

An article Tu Youyou published in Nature in 2011 ended up with an insightful sentence. “It is my dream that Chinese medicine will help us conquer life-threatening diseases worldwide, and people across the globe will enjoy its benefits for health promotion,” Tu wrote.

8 . Some of the Most Famous Modern Architectures

Barcelona Pavilion (Barcelona, Spain, 1929)

A cantilevered (悬臂式的) roof is the design of Barcelona Pavilion. Although it is quite small, the architect did his best to use luxurious materials. One of the famous pieces of furniture, specially created for the building, is the Barcelona chair.

Villa Dirickz (Brussels, Belgium, 1933)

Villa Dirickz has eye-catching blocky features, glass works and white concrete surrounded by greenery. The villa is equipped with advanced facilities like a cinema. It was ignored till a developer bought it in 2007 and devoted all possible resources to its repairs.

Isokon Building (London, UK, 1934)

The building, consisting of 32 apartments,is still in use today. It also includes staff rooms and a large garage. The apartments have a shared kitchen for people to prepare food freely. A shared gallery is built in the garage to tell people about the history of the building.

Neue National Galerie (Berlin, Germany, 1968)

The museum hosts an art collection that dates back to the early years of the 20th century. Its typical modernist design includes a cantilevered roof and flat appearances. The building is surrounded by a sculptured landscape.