China has seen new growth opportunities brought about by an aging population. Its latest decision to promote the “silver economy”     1     (add) new impetus(动力) into the economy in the future and will significantly address the needs of an aging population. The development of the “silver economy” is aimed at     2     (improve) the lives of older people through better services and products in various areas. This is a powerful measure     3     will not only promote older people's sense of happiness but also produce new business opportunities.

    4     official from China, who is in favor of this effort, believes that the move will not only help the elderly feel valued and contented but also open up areas for new     5     (explore). The government is encouraging companies to come up     6     new ways to serve older customers, such as fun trips and financial advice tailored to their needs. Besides, the government believes that it is     7     (great) important to reduce the digital gap for the elderly, and focuses on Internet healthcare, smart retirement homes, and communities     8     (equip) with the latest technology. This effort aims to ensure that older adults can spend     9     (they) golden years in comfort and convenience while contributing to the economy in new     10     (field) and ways.

This International Women’s Day, 8 March 2024, join the United Nations in celebrating under the theme “Invest in women: Accelerate progress”.

The world is facing many crises,     1     (range) from geopolitical conflicts to increasing poverty levels and the severe impacts of climate change. These challenges can only     2     (address) by solutions that empower women. By investing in women, we can spark change and speed the transition towards a     3     (health), safer, and more equal world for all.

If current trends continue, more than 342 million women will     4     (live) in extreme poverty by 2030．     5     (ensure) women’s needs and     6     (priority) are considered, governments must prioritize gender-responsive financing and increase public spending on essential services and social protection.

Policymakers must also value, recognize, and account for the vital contribution women make     7     economies worldwide through paid and unpaid care work. Women spend around three times more time on unpaid care work than men     8     if these activities were assigned a monetary value they would account for more than 40 per cent of GDP.

Investing in women and championing gender equality boosts a future     9     everyone in society can thrive, creating     10     world of boundless opportunity and empowerment for all.

Recently, there    1     (be) a notable surge in the sales of pre-packaged meals, with “braised pork with preserved mustard greens (梅菜)” emerging as a top favorite. Fuyang city in Anhui province has become a major production hub(中心) for this dish.

During the    2     (influence) annual 315 Gala held by China Central Television to mark World Consumer Rights Day on March 15, it    3     (report) that workers at a pork wholesale market in Fuyang had been using meat from pig neck— an area    4     (contain) glands (腺体), lipoma (脂肪瘤), and thyroid (甲状腺) — to make a traditional Chinese dish consisting of pork belly and preserved mustard greens, all in    5     effort to expand profit margins.

The report stated that the wholesale price for pork belly is about 24 yuan ($3.34) per kilogram,     6    is four times that of meat from pig neck.

CCTV added that the use of meat from a pig’s neck violates Chinese    7     (regulation), yet it is being discovered in Fuyang’s extensive semi-prepared food industry.

Footage    8     (display) at the gala showed that workers at a local food business stacked frozen pork in open air, some without packaging. Inside the workshop, workers put sliced pork    9    preserved mustard greens into cans to be sealed and shipped to market.

A person     10    charge said their business has flourished due to growing appetite for semi-marinated food, which is ready for consumption after simple cooking.

The Peasants (II)

At noon they hoe up weeds;

Their sweat drips on the soil.

Who knows the rice that feeds

Is the fruit of hard toil!

Food is a necessity for survival. But do you know how much work goes into producing it? The poem The Peasants (II),     1     (write) by Li Shen, a Tang Dynasty poet, shows     2     (we) the hardship of the peasants.

The first two lines describe a common scene     3     peasants are working their lands at noon with the sun     4     (hang) high in the sky, sweat dripping. In the last two lines, the poet     5     (direct) points out that the rice we eat is the fruit of peasants’ hard work.

Simple as the poem is in its language, it is profound in the theme, reminding people     6     the significance of treasuring food. According to the FAO, an estimated 1.3 billion tons of food, or one-third of     7     total food produced for human consumption, is wasted globally each year. Therefore, it’s highly suggested that every grain of rice     8     (value). In China, we have adopted a law on food waste     9     (offer) legal backing to the country’s efforts which not only safeguard food security     10     promote the traditional virtue of thrift (节俭) as well.

Next time you want to throw away food, please think twice.

One of China’s most popular live-streamers has offered a teary     1     (apologize) after getting into a viral online war of words in which he questioned whether a viewer had been working “hard enough” to make enough money     2     (afford) a product he was selling.

Li Jiaqi,     3     has 76 million followers on Taobao’s live-streaming platform, is one of the country’s biggest Internet celebrities. He once sold 15,000 lipstick in five minutes during a sales competition against Alibaba founder Jack Ma, winning     4     (he) the nickname “China’s lipstick king.”

“Expensive? The price has been the same for so many years. Don’t talk nonsense. It’s difficult for domestic brands to survive,” he said during the session, according to a video clip widely circulated online.

“Sometimes you should look     5     your own reasons, whether your salary has increased after so many years, and whether you have been working hard enough,” he added.

    6     (face) with the flood of criticism, Li apologize several times, saying on Monday morning that he had made some “inappropriate” comments that made everyone     7     (comfortable).

“I know that it’s not easy for everyone to work. What I said did not live up to     8     (netizen) expectations. I am really sorry,” he said.

On Monday night, Li apologized again during a live-stream session. “I should never forget     9     I come from and shouldn’t lose myself,” he said in     10     choked voice, with tears streaming. “I have been doing soul-searching these two days, and I am sorry to let everyone down.”