On a recent Sunday afternoon, 15 young people lay comfortably on colorful carpets and throw pillows arranged in    1    circle. Their eyes were closed, some with their legs spread forward and    2    curled up, looking as if they were asleep.

Kong Yi sat cross-legged before them, using a special stick to hit lightly metal bowls in front of her, making a sound    3    reverberated(回荡)long inside the quiet room. Following Kong’s    4    (instruction), they went in for a two-hour sound treating and meditation(冥想)course. Listening to the slowly disappearing sounds of age-old musical instruments such as singing bowls and gongs, the members reached a deeper center and a semi-conscious(半意识)state.

After, they were guided into supposing that they    5    (talk) to a wise man dressed in white, during which they could ask questions and get answers from the wise man in half an hour. In the final part, they were pulled    6    (share) their heart conversations with other members. “In that class, many people asked the meaning of life in the end    7    everyone gave different answers from the wise man —     8    (actual) themselves, ” said Kong, who runs a work room offering treating courses connected with art forms    9    painting, music and dance.

Such spiritual, meditative experiences that can lower stress and worry have become the    10    (late) choice for the country’s stressed-out younger generation looking for relaxation and heart exploration.

Pumas are large, cat-like animals which are found in America. When reports came into London Zoo that a wild puma had been     1     (find) 45 miles south of London, they were not taken     2     (serious) by experts from the zoo until enough evidence     3     (be) collected. The     4     (describe) given by people claiming (声称) to have seen the puma were similar. A woman     5     (pick) blackberries said she saw “a large cat”. And a businessman     6     a fishing trip also said he saw the puma up a tree. The experts fully     7     (believe) that the animal was a puma     8     was probably owned by a private collector. The hunt went on for several     9     (week) but no one could catch it.     10     is disturbing to think that a dangerous wild animal is still at large in the quiet countryside.

Since Japan began releasing nuclear-contaminated(核污染) wastewater into the Pacific Ocean on last Thursday despite strong opposition and     1     (criticize) from the international community, Chinese netizens have expressed their anger and concern, with a large number of them     2     (say) that they would no longer go to Japanese restaurants.

According to the spokesperson, the actions of the Japanese government are     3     (contradict) to international conventions(公约) and experts say that the influence of Japan’s release of wastewater     4     the safety of people throughout the world is unpredictable. As a consequence, many domestic Japanese restaurants say that they will adjust their product lines, and seafood will be selected from domestic sources or     5     (import) from other coastal countries. Some even say that they will seek     6     (develop) other new cuisines(菜肴).

“The Chinese government will take necessary measures to firmly protect the marine environment     7     Japan is determined to go on with its discharge(排放) plan.” said a majority of Chinese, among     8     are those living and studying in Japan now. In a poll conducted on Sina Weibo, more than 200,000 netizens urge Japan to cancel its wrong decision and address the wastewater in     9     responsible manner. “We don’t want August 24, 2023 to be a disaster day for marine environment and we hope that the issue     10     (give) priority to and dealt with as soon as possible. If Japan does not change course, it must bear the historic responsibility for this decision.”

Have you heard of community fridges? These are spaces     1     locals can share food with one another and save fresh food     2     going to waste. The Community Fridge Network     3    (connect) 300 community fridges across the UK. It offers guidance to people     4     (look) to set up their own fridges, and support to groups running fridges. The fridges are open to everyone. Of course, there are some rules for what can and cannot     5    (share) in order to keep things safe. But otherwise, you’re welcome     6     (take) what you need, and leave anything that might otherwise end up in the waste bin.

According to     7     survey by the Food Foundation, in April 2022, 15. 5 percent of UK households were food insecure, meaning that they ate     8     (little) than normal or went a day without food because they could not access     9     afford food.

The benefit of community fridges has never been clearer. In difficult times, with pretty much all costs increasing greatly, it is reassuring to know that     10    (community) are coming together and helping each other as much as they can.

These days, people who do manual(手工的 体力的)work often receive far more money than people who work in offices. As often as not, people who work in offices     1     (refer) to as “white­collar workers”. Such is human nature. A great many people are often willing to sacrifice(牺牲、舍弃)     2     (high) pay for the privilege (殊荣) of becoming white­collar workers. This can cause     3     (curiosity) situations.

    4     Alfred Bloggs got married, he was too embarrassed（尴尬的） to say anything to his wife about his job. He simply told     5     that he worked for the corporation. Every morning, he left home dressed in a smart black suit. He then changed into overalls（工装） and spent the next eight hours     6     a dustman: Before returning home at night, he changed back into his suit. Alfred's wife has never discovered     7     she married a dustman and she never will, for Alfred has just found     8     job. He will soon be working in an office.     9     (earn) only half as much as he used to, he feels that his rise in status is well worth     10     loss of money. From now on, he will wear a suit all day and others will call him “Mr. Bloggs”， not “Alfred”