In the wake of a 6. 2-magnitude (震级) earthquake,     1     is vital that lines of communication remain open, and the temporary post stations in Jishishan county, the epicenter (震中) of the earthquake that struck on Dec 18, have played     2     crucial role in ensuring packages get in and out.

Ma Hailong, 32-year-old resident from Dahejia town in Jishishan county,     3     (lose) his home in the quake, but despite this, he was excited that he was able to send and receive packages just three days     4     the tragedy struck. He initially thought that postal services, especially     5     (delivery), would be suspended after the earthquake, which occurred just seconds before midnight on Dec 18.

Temporary post offices were set up in nine quake-hit towns and are now open for all postal services. In addition, six postal routes in the county remain open, and 24 delivery routes have resurned     6     (operate). The Dahejia post office reopened in a tent on Dec 20,     7     (receive) more than 2, 300 pieces of mail in two days,     8     were all delivered to residents in the quake-affected area. The temporary post office has also opened a green channel     9     financial services, handling the delivery of mail from courier (货运) companies such as SF Express in the disaster area.

To facilitate donations from various sectors of society, Gansu branches of China Post and the Postal Savings Bank of China     10     (open) special pathways for the earthquake-stricken area in Jishishan.

The construction of the main structure of Xiongan railway station’s west section     1     (complete) last Friday, according to sources from the China Railway. It marks an important step in the construction of the intercity railroad     2     (link) Beijing and Xiongan New Area in North China’s Hebei Province,     3     is set to be operational by the end of this year.

With a total construction area of 475,000 square meters, the Xiongan railway station is the biggest one among the five     4     (station) along the 92.4-kilometre-long intercity railroad. The project of the railway station will make Xiongan well     5     (connect) with the central, southern, northwestern, southwestern and northeastern parts of China.

In a master development plan for Xiongan New Area published in 2018, the Chinese government described the new area     6     having national significance following the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone and Shanghai Pudong New Area. About 100 kilometers southwest of Beijing, Xiongan New Area, known as China’s “city of the future”, has been designed     7     (become) a zone for innovation, a digital city and an     8     (energy) and business-friendly area. According to the plan, by the middle of the century, Xiongan New Area, will become a significant part of the world-class Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei city group,     9     (effective) performing Beijing’s non-capital functions and providing     10     Chinese solution to big city malaise (不适).

The first underwater tunnel—Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Tunnel in South Asia, undertaken by China Communications Construction Company, opened in Bangladesh on Saturday.

    1     (locate) at the mouth of the Karnaphuli River, the tunnel connects the east and west banks of the river. It is 9. 3 kilometers long, has four lanes and is designed for speeds of 80 kilometers per hour. Major technical     2     (difficult) in construction had to be overcome, such as geological structures. To solve the problems, the project team applied the world’s     3     (large) steel casing (框架) , which allowed specialized machinery     4     (enter) and exit the tunnel.

The project, which was designed     5     Chinese standards, built using Chinese equipment and managed by Chinese enterprises,     6     (accomplish) as a successful exploration of China’s complete industrial chain for the construction of tunnels overseas, and will become     7     shining business card abroad.

As part of the Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar Economic Corridor, the tunnel is an important link in the Belt and Road Initiative. Not only will it     8     (great) improve transportation conditions in Chattogram     9     will drive economic development in Bangladesh. Moreover, it improves the Asian highway network, promotes connectivity between Bangladesh and     10     (neighbor) countries and will encourage the internationalization of Bangladesh’s development.

At the 10th anniversary of China’s Belt and Road initiative (BRI), the     1     (late) season of the travel reality show on Hunan TV    2     (attract) a newfound interest in the special bridge in Croatia among viewers.

China and Croatia are far apart,     3     they were connected by the ancient Silk Road more than 700 years ago. In 2022, the Pelješac Bridge,     4     (build) by the China Road and Bridge Corporation, was     5     (official) completed and opened to traffic. It connects the northern and southern lands of Croatia,    6     has become a symbol of friendship and cooperation between Croatia and China.

Hai Tao, the head of the company, talked about the changes it has brought to local people’s    7     (life). He mentioned that people spent three hours     8       traveling to Dubrovnik, yet now it takes only half an hour    9     (cross) the bridge. It saves residents time, promotes local tourism development and increases job opportunities.

The bridge realizes “the centuries-old dream of     10     (connect) the south with the rest of Croatia” and its completion “gave the cooperation between Croatia and China a completely new dimension,” Croatian Prime Minister told Xinhua.

    1     (sit) back in my seat, I can’t quite believe that I’m about to travel along the railway that many foreign experts     2     (claim) was ”impossible“. The train has been racing along     3     (steady) since it left Xining. All this time, the song ”Sky Railway” has been playing inside my head. The words “railways like     4     (mass) dragons are winding among the mountains” seem particularly vivid as I travel     5     the “roof of the world”.

I was one of the people     6     came from all parts of China to work on this railway. Taking years     7     (complete), the Qinghai-Tibet Railway is a record of all of our efforts to overcome     8     most difficult engineering challenges. How to protect the delicate ecosystem was among the top     9     (concern).

Now, thanks to so many workers’ efforts, the construction finished successfully. I am proud that we     10     (build) our “impossible” railway, and did so with the care that the environment deserves. It truly is an extraordinary “Sky Railway”.

Traffic School

Have you ever driven through a red traffic light? Have you ever parked in the wrong place or driven     1     (fast) than the speed limit (限制)? The answers are probably “yes”. Every year     2     (thousand) of drivers become “offenders”-they break the rules of the road. But do you know     3     the punishments for this offence are?

In most countries drivers have to pay a fine (罚款),     4     (usual) $100—$300. But in the USA, Australia and some     5     (Europe) countries offenders also get points on their driving license. After     6     (get) a certain number of points, they can’t drive.

Life is difficult when you can’t drive. So far, some states in the USA     7     (introduce) a new way to avoid this-Traffic School. Offenders have a choice: They can get points on their license     8     they can do a course at Traffic School.

Traffic Schools run “driver improvement courses”. They cost about $100 and take from four     9     twelve hours. Most people do the course in a classroom, but in some states drivers can do the course online. Drivers learn the rules of the road and they learn how     10     (be) better drivers. They don’t have to take a driving test, but at the end of the course they have to pass a written examination.

On Oct 14, 2023, Yongchuan District of Chongqing attracted professionals and academics from across the country to engage in discussions     1     green design and rural vitalization.

As an example of green design and development, Yongchuan District has been the first to offer a     2     (full) driverless robotaxi commercial service to the public. There are dozens of pickup stations across the district     3     (cover) commercial centers, schools and residential areas. Passengers place     4     order on an app and then move to the nearest pickup station.

In just a few minutes, a white vehicle attached a plate, declaring it “self-driving”, pulls over at the station. Passengers     5     (require) to enter the last four numbers of     6     (they) mobile phone number on the digital screen to access the vehicle. Once passengers take the seats, safety     7     (instruction) will be read and the car won’t start until passengers put the seat belts on.

While self-driving cars shuttle passengers back and forth through the district, giving off an atmosphere of science fiction, Songji ancient town, which has a history of more than 2,000 years,     8     (lie) just 40 kilometers away. In recent years, the local government has set up a tourism development management team to protect Songji’s history and culture, and prevent it from over commercialization.

Yongchuan,     9     modernity and heritage coexist, offers valuable insights for the development of other small towns. The city planners have demonstrated that it is possible     10     (preserve) cultural heritage while embracing technological advancement.

During the Tang Dynasty, poet Li Bai wrote a poem about the tough journey to Shu, comparing it to scaling the vast blue sky. The Shu Roads are named     1     the ancient state of Shu. The builders of the expressway     2    (link) Jigzhi County in Qinghai Province to Barkam County in Sichuan Province know how complex it is to build a road in the region.

Extending for 219 kilometers, the expressway lies at     3     height of over 3,300 metres. This means that the annual average temperature is just 1.4°C, and can drop as low as -36℃. Since the construction began in 2020, this extreme climate     4    (limit) work to roughly six months a year. The     5    (hard) section was the 5.5-km Shenzuo tunnel, running through weak and jointed rock masses and     6    (exceptional) complicated land conditions. Ma Kelin, the only female project manager, has learned a tough lesson since she joined the project. It took her over a month     7    (recover) from vomiting and breathlessness.

The expressway, with an     8    (invest) of 30.2 billion yuan, will open to traffic by the end of next year. Many of those     9     live along its length are waiting, expecting it to contribute to economic development. The local authority plans an area of 12 square kilometers for potential     10    (tourist) attracted by the new road.

China’s first home-grown large cruise (航行) ship, the Adora Magic City, completed its official     1     (deliver) this Saturday. The large cruise ship,     2     is 323.6 meters long and weighs 135,500 tons, has 2,125 guest rooms, 22 unique restaurants and bars and can accommodate 5,246 people. Tickets for its first voyage, beginning on Jan 1, 2024,     3     (sell) since Sept 20. For passengers, the Adora Magic City promises     4     variety of entertainment choices, from movies to music shows, and even a musical drama in its 1,000-seat theater.

    5     (build) such a large cruise ship is not an easy task.     6     addition, it requires advanced technology and an excellent approach to manufacturing. The Adora Magic City, with its delicate design and over 25 million     7     (part), is a fine example. More than 30 countries worked together     8     (create) the ship. Therefore, The Adora Magic City is more than just a ship.     9     (obvious), it is also a symbol of China’s technological advancement in shipbuilding, and shows China’s open attitude and willingness in international cooperation. This achievement in shipbuilding will     10     (strength) China’s role as a major player in the global cruise industry.

The Shanyang tunnel (杉阳隧道) of the Darui Railway has been completed recently. This project is good for the opening and     1     (develop) of Dali and Ruili in Yunnan province. With the tunnel     2     (finish), the Dali-Baoshan section of the railway is expected to open within this year,     3     (put) an end to the Baoshan’s status as a place with no rail links.

So far, the Dali-Baoshan section of the Darui Railway     4     (complete) all the bridge works and 95% of the station building construction.     5     our surprise, there are 21 tunnels in the Dali-Baoshan section in all.

With     6     length of 330 kilometers, the Darui Railway is a major project in the nation’s network construction plan. The Shanyang tunnel is the last part of the Darui Railway,     7     is the toughest part too. The 330-kilometer rail line     8     (cut) travel time to about three hours and thirty minutes from the current seven hours in the future.

Thanks to the efforts of engineers and workers, the project has been completed     9     (successful). It is believed that this project is key to the boom of     10     (west) regions of China.