4 . In July 1915, severely tortured by his poor health, James Murray, one of the early editors of the Oxford English Dictionary (OED), defined one final word. After his 36 years’ dedication to the dictionary, his hard labour had taken a toll, knowing he would not see the project complete.

The poetic quality of Murray’s final days is one of the many memorable tales in The Dictionary People. Beginning in 1857, the OED was a huge crowdsourcing project - “the Wikipedia of the 19th century” - comprising 3, 000 people. The idea was to create a “descriptive” dictionary that tracked words’ use and meaning over time, unlike its “prescriptive”18th-century predecessor by Samuel Johnson, which told readers how to say and use words. Volunteers read widely, mailing in examples of how “rare, old-fashioned, new, strange” words were used. What is surprising about this fairly random method is that it worked.

The origin story of Sarah Ogilvie’s book is almost as improbable as that of the dictionary itself. Ms Ogilvie, a former scholar who served as an editor for the OED, went into the documents of Oxford University Press and came across an old notebook. It had belonged to Murray and contained the names and details of the dictionary volunteers, most of whom had previously been unknown. The Dictionary People is her work of detective scholarship, bringing the lives behind the names to readers.

Ms Ogilvie’s book is full of intriguing stories. The presentation of the book is unconventional, too, taking its structure from the work it describes. There are 26 alphabetical chapters, each celebrating a group of contributors ( memorably, “K” is for “kleptomaniac” people who desire to steal). This is a clever arrangement, though it sometimes means that broader issues emerge only in pieces.

Essentially, this is a story about ordinary people. It is concrete proof of those who, to cite dictionary-helper George Eliot, “lived faithfully a hidden life, and rest in unvisited tombs”.

5 . Many people who are learning English want to know how to improve their reading skills.     1     The effective way to improve your reading skills is to love reading and practice more.

Reading is one of the most important language skills because we use it to expand our vocabulary and improve the way we speak, write and listen.     2     Seeing new ways to say things can help your understanding of English and improve not only your reading, but also your other language skills.

    3     If we do not understand something, we can go over it again and even look up the words we do not know the meanings of. This means that we have a much greater chance of understanding information that we read than information that we hear.

So how do we practice reading so that our skill level improves? When we read a passage, we need to understand it. We must understand what the important words mean in each sentence. This does not mean that we need to know the meaning of every word. In many cases, we can find out what words mean from the words around them.     4     To do this, we must understand how words work together. In many cases, we must “see” part of the message that has not been written, or we must form an opinion ourselves.

Reading is an essential part of your study of the English language. It can help you understand and learn more. It can also become a satisfying hobby.     5    

The 13th United Nations Chinese Language Day under the theme of “Chinese Language: Together for a Bright Future” has taken place,    1    includes a series of events in celebration of the third International Chinese Language Day. Beijing Dance Academy     2    (launch) an online event to mark the day on April 20, featuring six original dance works of different    3    (style), such as ballet, contemporary dance and classic Chinese dance.

Six art schools from five countries joined in the online event with dance works     4     (specific) created for the special occasion. One of the highlights is     5    new dance piece, titled Tong, or Together, which was created and performed by Beijing Dance Academy and dancers from Brazil, South Africa, Kazakhstan and Poland. It was inspired by the classic Confucius philosophy of datong,     6     (refer) to great unity and grand harmony.

Language Days at the United Nations seek    7     (promote) equal use of all six official languages throughout the organization as well as to celebrate multilingualism and cultural     8    (diverse). Under the initiative, UN duty stations around the world celebrate six separate days, each devoted     9       one of the organizations’ six official languages. The date for the Chinese day     10     (select) from Grain Rain, which is the sixth of 24 solar terms in the traditional Chinese calendars.

8 . With offices slowly re-opening, we may soon be expected to go back to interviewing in the old-fashioned way—in person. During an interview, your main job is to sell yourself as a confident and capable asset. But how can you do that? One thing you should do is think about your body language.     1    

● Give a good handshake but not too good. We’ve all heard that a handshake should be firm because one that is too soft can make you appear weak or shy.     2     You should avoid that. Instead, conduct a proper one to make both the interviewers and you comfortable.

● Watch your posture(姿势)and maintain eye contact.     3     Nothing conveys disinterest and lack of confidence like a slouch (懒散的人). And remember that although it may feel uncomfortable at times, eye contact is also key—especially while the other person is talking.

●     4     If you keep putting your hands on or near your face, it can send the message that you’re not comfortable with what you’re saying. When you’re not gesturing, put your hands in your lap. And don’t forget to smile—a smile not only conveys warmth, receptivity and positivity, it also helps reduce stress.

● Listen actively and try using the mirroring technique. Active listening is a key part of any interview.     5     Mirroring or copying someone’s body language is also a powerful way to convey connection. Face your interviewers directly, sit in the same position and try to match the pace and volume of their talk.