Beethoven: a remarkable life

Symphony No. 9 was Beethoven’s last major piece of music in a vast body of works written throughout his remarkable life. As a     1     (gift) child, Beethoven was pushed by his father to study music day and night. Not long after, he began     2    (appreciate) for his piano performances. By the time he was a teenager, he had already enjoyed a reputation as     3     wonderful young musician. Many important figures in the music world, including the brilliant musician Mozart, started making     4     (predict) about Beethoven’s extraordinary future. However, life took a sharp turn. In his late twenties, Beethoven suffered one of the     5     (bad) possible twists for a musician: he started to lose his hearing.

The loss of his hearing deeply     6     (depress) Beethoven. He was so upset that, at first, he wanted to keep it a secret. Even in his darkest moments, however, Beethoven never abandoned hope.     7     his hearing loss, he was determined to find a way to continue living a life full of music. He used a variety of hearing aids to try to increase the amount of sound he could take in. When     8     (compose) music at the piano, he would put one end of a pencil in his mouth and place the other end against the instrument so that he could feel the notes.     9     Beethoven was able to continue composing music, it became     10     (increase) difficult for him to perform in public. When Beethoven presented Symphony No. 9 in Vienna in 1824, it was his first time on stage in over ten years.

Eating in China

The mouth-watering hot pots of Sichuan are as famous overseas as they are in China, and the hot flavour is enough to heat up a cold midwinter evening or to let loose rivers of sweat on a summer afternoon. I gave it my     1     (one) try last night, together with a few local friends! As the soup bubbled slowly over a gas burner in the middle of the table, its surface     2    (cover) with a beautiful layer of chillies, Sichuan peppers, spring onions and red oil.     3     (slow) at first, and then faster and faster, we tipped plates of fresh meat, fish and vegetables into the pot. The hot flavour quickened our     4     (laugh) and conversation, making the meal the perfect way to relax with friends.

Sichuan hot pots are perfect for the damp, foggy climate     5     which they were invented. They are believed     6    (start) off in the late Qing Dynasty as a way for boatmen on the Yangtze River to keep warm during the cold and wet winters. In the beginning, the delicious dish was made simply by     7     (boil) vegetables, chillies and Sichuan peppers in water. Over time, it     8    (expand) to include multiple options of soups, vegetables, meats and sauces, appealing to people of different tastes.     9     I love best about Sichuan hot pots is that they offer a great opportunity to socialize with friends since a meal can last for hours. I instantly became     10     big fan of Sichuan hot pots and I’ll soon be back for more!

Pan Shixue, a silversmith (银匠) in Maliao village in Guizhou Province, used to dream of people living     1     abundant life in his village, where nobody has to work far away from home and customers go there for beautiful silver jewellery. Now his dream has come true.

Maliao village is famous for its silver jewellery. In fact, Miao ethnic silversmith technique     2     (list) as China's national-level intangible cultural heritage in 2006. But with cheaper, machine-made trinkets (小首饰)     3     (rule) the market, they couldn't rely on the old technique to survive.

At that time, most people in the village lived under the poverty line,     4     means they could simply afford food and     5     (base) clothing, but seldom purchase things like bicycles or televisions. So many villagers left their hometown     6     (hopeless). But in 2018, the government allocated 580,000 yuan of poverty funds to set up the Silverware and Embroidery Workshop of Maliao Village, helping Maliao villagers fight poverty     7     their own crafts.

Since that year, most young craftsmen     8     (return) to their hometown and found a bright future. With the help of the government, they learned     9     (fashion) trends and how to meet clients' various     10     (request). Instead of holding on to old ideas and existing design, villagers enhanced their skills and made their products customized.