Several studies in recent years have suggested that ride-sharing services like Uber can     1     (worse) traffic problems in cities,     2     continue to have high rates of private vehicle ownership.

The new study,     3     (conduct) by the not-for-profit group Union of Concerned Scientists, represents     4     attempt to center on how ride-sharing services affect pollution. The research examined the effects of ride-sharing services     5     the environment of seven American cities.

Overall, the researchers reported that ride-sharing trips now result in an estimate 69% more climate pollution on average than the     6     (replace) trips. The study explains that the same passengers could have chosen to travel by bus, train, bike or on foot.

One of the big reasons they give for this result is that usually ride-sharing vehicles     7     (drive) with no passengers in the car. This happens     8     drivers are either waiting for rider requests, are on the way to pick up passengers,     9     are driving in between pickups.

The study urges services like Uber     10     (work) to increase the number of pooled rides and electric vehicles on the road, and to improve connections to public transportation centers.

Each year on July 17th, the world comes together to celebrate World Emoji Day, an annual event     1     recognizes the global phenomenon of emojis and their impact on communication.

    2     (create) in Japan in the late 1990s, emojis quickly gained popularity worldwide and have since become a universal language. The     3     (significant) of emojis lies partly in their ability to convey emotion that might get lost in text-based conversations. They add humour and personality to our messages,     4     (make) them more appealing.

Besides, emojis now include     5     wide range of skin tones (肤色) and cultural symbols, allowing individuals to express their identities and values. What’s more, emojis have also found     6     (they) way into advertising and marketing strategies, with companies using their visual appeal     7     (connect) with audiences on a deeper level.

The popularity of emojis has even led     8     the creation of the World Emoji Awards, where the best and most creative uses of emojis     9     (recognize), ranging from “Best New Emoji” to “Emoji Art of the Year.”

All in all, whether you’re sending a heart emoji to express love     10     a laughing face to share joy, take a moment on this World Emoji Day to appreciate the impact of these colorful icons in our digital world.

During the May Day holiday, many Chinese people went out for travel,     1    (show) the potential of the country’s holiday economy. Guangzhou and Chongqing were among the top domestic (国内的) cities in terms of consumer    2     (popular). In the meantime, Thailand, Japan and South Korea became some of the     3     (hot) overseas destinations during the five-day holiday.

Aside from traditional popular destinations, county tourism has developed into a new fashion and brought in new vitality (活力) into the tourism market. The tourism growth rate of small counties and towns is higher. Data from Alipay showed that many young     4     (generation) chose to go to attractions in small towns. Yili in Xinjiang, Yanbian in Jilin, Diqing and Pu’er in Yunnan have seen the largest year-on-year increase in cross-regional payments.

Tourists’ continuous enthusiasm for domestic travel is also proved by other factors, such as the number of short videos     5     (publish). During the holiday,     6     total number of posts on WeChat video accounts increased. Among them, scenic spots like West Lake     7     (become) popular destinations for video account users recently. Concerts, art exhibitions and other cultural activities have also played a significant role     8     improving cultural and tourism consumption. Cities such as Changzhou, Hefei, Beijing, and Yantai received high attention during this time period,     9     drove growth in local hotel, transportation, and dining services.

Furthermore, the inbound (入境的) tourism market is further heating up as visa-free policies and easy payment services provide     10     (convenient) for foreigners traveling to China.

In today’s world, technology has become a necessary part of our lives. However, with the increasing     1     (present) of technology, we also face challenges     2     arise from its use.

One of the concerns that technology poses (造成)     3     (be) the use of persuasive design techniques. Today, many apps and platforms     4     (design) to keep us engaged for as long as possible, often leading to addictive behavior. To navigate this dilemma (窘境), we need to be aware     5     these techniques and take intentional steps     6     (limit) our usage. Setting time limits for app usage, disabling unnecessary notifications (通知), and     7     (practise) mindfulness when using technology can help us break free from the grip of persuasive design.

Another concern comes from balancing our virtual and real relationships. We can     8     (easy) get caught up in the virtual world while ignoring our face-to-face interactions. To address this, we must set aside time for real-life connections and prioritize (优先考虑)     9     (meaning) interactions with those around us.

Navigating responsible technology use is     10     ongoing journey in our ever-changing digital landscape. We should use technology for the greater good while looking out for its potential traps. Together, we can shape a more responsible technological future.

Born in 1946 in New York, Claudia Goldin, professor at Harvard University,     1     (award) the Nobel Prize in economics for her work on women in the labor market in October, 2023. She found that women generally receive a     2     (low) pay than men. She looked at over 200 years of US data,     3     showed that much of the gender pay gap could     4     (historic) be explained by differences in education and jobs.

Female participation in the labor market follows     5     U-shaped form over the whole period, and the participation of     6     (marry) women decreased when society changed from farming to industry in the early 19th century, but then started to increase with the     7     (grow) of the service industry in the early 20th century, her research has shown.

“It is obvious that understanding women’s role in the labor market is important for society. Thanks to Goldin’s research, we are now equipped     8     a deeper understanding of the factors contributing to the gender pay gap     9     which challenges may need     10     (address) in the future,” Jakob Svensson, chair of the Committee for the Prize in Economic Sciences, said in a statement.

When night falls, the hustle and bustle of the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou turns to the banks of the Pearl River in Liwan district. Hundreds of people and cars     1     (decorate) with colorful lights and eye-catching shop signs swarm (挤满) a local car boot sale bazaar (集市).

Liang Jinsheng, a local youth, sells lemon tea at the bazaar,     2     was opened to the public on July 15 last year. The almost one-square-meter car trunk is his space for tea making.

“I used     3     (work) in the catering industry. I saw on the Internet many people doing business at car boot sale bazaars. So I decided to give it     4     try, as doing business is low-cost and low-risk,” Liang says.

“Although my ‘shop’ is small, I have obtained the necessary business licenses     5     will stick with hygienic (卫生的) standards to ensure food     6     (safe),” Liang adds.

While     7     (make) the lemon tea, Liang also livestreams on short-video platforms to drive traffic.

“Recently, a lot of residents     8     (come) to my tea booth after watching my livestream. I make around 1,000 yuan ($148) at the bazaar every night,” he says.

    9     most cases, Guangzhou will support these new types of business activities, says the city’s commerce department, noting that many commercial plazas (露天广场) have offered     10     (much) space for car boot sales and introduced night-themed activities to stimulate consumption.

The Chinese character zhen(振), meaning “vitalize”, was named the nation’s most popular character related to domestic affairs in 2023, while the character wei(危), meaning “risk” or “crisis”, was chosen as     1     (hot) for international topics. The characters are     2     a list of popular words, as well as phrases, collected in an annual     3     (assess) organized by agencies including the Ministry of Education’s National Language Resources Monitoring and Research Center and the Commercial Press publishing house.

Organizers explained that “vitalize” represents a current situation in China     4     everyone is trying to make an effort, and that’s the spirit one should have, whether it’s a country or an individual, when     5     (face) challenges and obstacles.

Meanwhile, it pointed out that internationally, the world’s path has come to     6     crossroads amid wars and conflicts, sluggish economies, a widening gap of development and a worsening environment. Organizers called for looking for opportunities     7     (hide) in the crises, and using dialogue and cooperation to handle differences in order to build a fair, better world.

In addition to characters, “gaozhiliang fazhan”, or high-quality development,     8     (choose) as the key domestic phrase of the year,     9     ChatGPT was named the annual phrase in international topics.

This year marked the 18th time for such a list     10     (publish). Over the last month, the same organizers also revealed the top 10 popular phrases, online catchphrases and new words.

In recent years, China has been working hard to improve living conditions in rural areas through a program called the New Rural Development Initiative.    1     goal of this initiative is to improve infrastructure (基础设施), modernize farming practices, and enhance the overall quality of life for those     2     (live) in the countryside.

One important aspect of the initiative is the improvement of rural infrastructure    3       includes the construction of better roads, bridges, and watering systems     4     (improve) the efficiency of transportation and agricultural activities.

Another key focus is the promotion of modern agricultural    5     (technique). By introducing advanced farming methods and technologies, such as organic farming and the use of

machinery, farmers are able to increase their productivity and income     6       damaging the environment.

Furthermore, the initiative emphasizes the importance of preserving traditional culture and heritage in rural communities. Efforts    7     (make) to regenerate local traditions, which not only enriches the cultural     8     (diverse) of the countryside but also creates new opportunities for cultural tourism and sustainable development. The initiative also aims to enhance the living environment in rural areas through the restoration of traditional houses     9     the construction of public facilities.

Through the initiative, China is working hard to create a more prosperous (繁荣的) and     10     (harmony) countryside, providing its rural residents with better opportunities and an improved quality of life.