We were high in the mountains of Xishuangbanna, as far south as you can get in Yunnan, skirting the borders of Myanmar and Laos. The drive was typical, textbook beauty: mountains thick with rubber tree forests, pu'er tea plantations and banana palms and tiny Dai villages. Hidden among the fields of green, I spotted an odd collection of wooden boxes near a tent on the side of the road{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    We had run into the current home of Wei Dajing, a 17-year-old apprentice (学徒) beekeeper who was manning his hives. Wei was fresh to the beekeeping life, and had been on the job for just two months and was here to learn from a master beekeeper. Their tent and hive set-up is always temporary{#blank#}2{#/blank#}This particular spot was stationed at a sunny patch of yellow flowers. Once these flowers die, the rubber trees will be flowering, so we will move toward them,” he told Sam.

    Like thieves in the night, the beekeepers will stealthily pack up their hives in the dark once the bees go to sleep. “They are most active around midday when they are collecting their nectar (花蜜){#blank#}3{#/blank#}Wei explained.

    The hives were humming, and bees were invasively buzzing around Wei as he spoke to us. Pieces of fruit lay drying among the hives, used to feed the bees and give them an extra boost of energy once Wei bottles up their hard-earned honey. Sam, who also has a couple of his own small hives in his backyard, tells us you must always leave a little bit of honey in the hive{#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    We waved goodbye to Wei. Back at Sam's house, he gave us a bowlful of local honey{#blank#}5{#/blank#}Lacking the usual sweetness of honey but instead rich with a more savory, spiced flavor, it tasted just like China.

A. It was smooth, thin and runny.

B. Wei skillfully collected honey from the hives.

C. Otherwise the bees get fed up and abandon you.

D. Maybe it is the flowers that give such unique taste to the honey.

E. By 10 pm they are asleep in their hives, which is when we move.

F. I asked our excellent guide and new best friend, Sam, to pull over.

G. Wei and his master move their camp as the flowers bloom and die.

    On many websites, experts share advice on how to achieve your life goals. Most of the experts agree on one thing. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Here are some ideas on how to start your day on the right foot.

    Get up an hour early.

    People who get up early in the morning get a jump on the day. In American English, we like to say, “The early bird gets the worm.” Here, if you were a bird, the worm would be the reward. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Therefore, they are more likely to succeed.

    Exercise!

    Some people may disagree with this one. Exercising in the morning may not be for everyone. Some people like to exercise after work or at night. However, at the end of the day, you may not have the tune or energy to exercise. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}.

    Think about your day at night.

    Take time at the end of the day to think back on all the things that have happened. And spend a little time thinking about tomorrow. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} But it may help you to prepare if you take a few minutes to think about what you need to do next day. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} You probably won't have time to do everything you've planned. But that's fine. If you have done one thing, that means you are one step closer to your goal.

A. This is not the best way to start your day.

B. Starting your day in a right way is most important.

C. Also, know that your day will probably change.

D. You've already gotten your exercise!

E. Exercising in the morning prevents that from happening.

F. So this expression means that people who rise early have an advantage.

G. Some people who talk about “living in the present” may disagree with this.

    People who are confident really seem to be naturally outstanding(优秀的) and just seem to do everything with more grace(优雅的)than others. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}It is a habit that everyone can develop in life. Try these simple tips to drill and build up your confidence.

    Admit your shortcomings calmly.

    Do not try to escape from them or cover them. Face them bravely.{#blank#}2{#/blank#} Fight against them every day until the day when you could break away and conquer them.

    Dress for self-confidence.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}And therefore pay attention to your dress, display your unique physical advantages and exhibit your best image. In addition, on formal occasions such as a business meeting or a wedding ceremony, elegant dressing contributes to building your confidence.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    You should break your routine that deals with the work passively (被动地). Focus your efforts immediately on overcoming it, because it will make your restless mind at ease and build your self-confidence.

    Be positive.

    Feeling pity neither on yourself nor on others. If you are used to hating and accusing(指责) yourself, others would tend to do that and believe it. Instead, you should speak positively about yourself, your progress, and your bright future.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. Your appearance could put you into embarrassment(尴尬)or increase your confidence.

B. Then talk about them to a reliable mate, a friend or a family member.

C. As a matter of fact, true self-confidence is neither born nor got overnight.

D. Build your confident vocabulary.

E. By doing so, you would encourage your growth in a positive direction.

F. Don't put off what you eventually have to do.

G. Don't judge a person by appearance.

    The word “diary” comes from the Latin word “diarium”, which means “daily allowance”. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}And it is used for business notes, planning activities, keeping track of scheduled appointments, or documenting what has already happened. Some doctors suggest that writing in a diary is a good form of self-study.

    In America, from the 1940s through the 1980s, a diary was thought of mostly as a way to privately express one's deepest thoughts while keeping notations about the day.  {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Many times, movies would show a teenage girl beginning to write in her diary while she said aloud, “Dear diary”

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} A diary kept by a young German Jewish girl by the name of Anne Frank provides us with invaluable lessons about history, for she documented her experiences while she hid from the Nazis during their occupation of the Netherlands in World War II. Her diary became one of the world's most widely read books and is the basis for many films.

    Samuel Pepys, who lived during the 17th century, is the earliest diary keeper that is famous today. His diary is also an important documentation of history, for it gives personal insight （洞察力） into London's Great Plague and the Great Fire. His diary is being published on the Internet, and it's interesting to note that there has been a new entry every day since January of 2003. It will continue over the course of several years to come. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    Today's electronic version of the diary, the web log or “blog” has once again stretched the diary to be much more than a personal account of the day's events. There are blogs to document recipes, traveling, movies, independent news, product announcements, photos, and anything else that needs to be recorded over time. Search engines like Technorati.com have been created to keep track of the more than 112 million blogs that are currently public.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. It refers to a book for writings by date.

B. In its newest form, the diary has become more popular than ever.

C. Reading his diary is fascinating, and it makes his life all the more real to us.

D. People love to write diaries, so whenever they are free, they will write a few lines.

E. Those private reflections may have historical significance long after the author's death.

F. Nowadays, the blog has taken the place of the diary and becomes more and more popular.

G. In those times, and even continuing on today, writing in a diary was like writing to a special friend.

How to Find Something You Like to Do

    Finding something you enjoy doing can improve the quality of your life and reduce your stress levels.{#blank#}1{#/blank#} It can also help you make friends or even provide a purpose in your life. Then how can you find something you like to do?

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}Some hobbies, such as albums and gardening, can take up a lot of time. Other hobbies, such as video games or reading, can be done at your own pace and do not require any extended time.

    Research the hobby or activity you would like to get involved in. Find out how much time and money you will need to devote to starting and continuing the activity. For example, some sports—related interests might require special equipment. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}Your local library or phone book should also have information on hobbies and activities in your area.

    Talk with other people who are involved in some of the activities you are interested in.{#blank#}4{#/blank#} Ask if you could tag along (跟随) to a meeting or spend some time with this person while he is involved in his hobby to see if it is something you would enjoy.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}Challenge yourself to try a new activity you are interested in for a week or so. Allow yourself to learn about the hobby and determine whether you will enjoy the activity or not.

A. Think about how a hobby benefits you.

B. A hobby can connect you with other people.

C. Take a chance on a hobby and see how it turns out.

D. Think about how much free time you can devote to a hobby.

E. You can find information about hobbies and interests on Find My Hobby's website.

F. You can get first—hand knowledge by interviewing someone about a particular hobby.

G. It takes a long time and energy to decide whether a particular hobby is right for you.

    A new law came into use in Shanghai on Monday, requiring every individual, families and companies to sort (分类) their trash into different trash cans. Locals are now required to separate trash into four kinds: food waste, residual waste, harmful waste and recyclable waste. According to the new law, a 200-yuan fine can be given to individuals or families who do not follow it. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    On the first day of practice of the rules, it was found that 38.1 percent of hotels and 33.2 percent of companies didn't meet the requirements. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} The success in residential (居民的) neighborhoods was a result of early practice in pilot（试点的） neighborhoods around the city, which had caused mixed feelings among the public since June.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Some people praised Shanghai for being a role model and taking active steps to solve the trash problem in big cities, while others complained about the inconvenience the rule has brought to their daily lives, and made jokes about sorting their garbage.

    The final goal of the trash sorting program is to reduce waste and increase recycling. Shanghai's 24 million residents produce 56, 000 tons of trash every day. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Actually, Shanghai is not fighting alone in the battle against trash disposal, as trash sorting has been popular nationwide. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Those cities will set up a basic system to classify and dispose of their household garbage by 2020, and by 2050, cities at the prefecture level (地级) and above should have the system in place.

A. Only 7.4 percent of the residential neighborhoods needed to be corrected.

B. Sales of trash cans on Taobao also increased before the regulation took effect.

C. On Sina Weibo, the topic of trash sorting has caused a heated discussion.

D. People in different cities have different attitudes towards sorting their trash.

E. Most of the trash ends up being buried, which wastes precious land and can pollute water and soil if not solved properly.

F. The country plans to have 46 major Chinese cities to join in it, including Beijing and Guangzhou.

G. And for companies, the fine can hit 5, 000 to 50, 000 yuan.