Examinations are of great{#blank#}1{#/blank#}(important) in Chinese schools and universities,so millions of the students take part in them every year.Almost all the students{#blank#}2{#/blank#}(teach) from an early age to understand the nature of examinations.It is true that some students can pass an examination{#blank#}3{#/blank#}(easy) than others,although it doesn't mean they are better with their study.

    Quite a few students are afraid of examinations though they master{#blank#}4{#/blank#}they have learned very well.Sometimes the fear of examinations comes from pressure.

    People think pressure is good for students{#blank#}5{#/blank#}it can make the students{#blank#}6{#/blank#}(try) harder and make some school work more challenging.But too much pressure may even cause diseases{#blank#}7{#/blank#}will influence students' academic performance badly.

    No student succeeds{#blank#}8{#/blank#}hard work.If one spends  little{#blank#}9{#/blank#}(work) on their lessons every day,they can't expect{#blank#}10{#/blank#}good result at the end of the term.Developing study skills can get students to learn better and to pass examinations with ease if they understand the lessons and the work involved.

    Woodblock printing first appeared in the early Tang period. During the Song dynasty, the technique of block printing was very advanced. Books were {#blank#}1{#/blank#} (beautiful) printed. Even today the books{#blank#}2{#/blank#}(print) at the time are valuable and treasured by libraries and book collectors. 

    However, block printing {#blank#}3{#/blank#}(be) not very convenient. Every two pages of a book had to be carved on a woodblock, and a big book would require many blocks. Besides, there had to be large places for storing the books. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (overcome) these shortcomings, Bi Sheng invented the movable type during the years between 1041 and 1048. One word was carved on one piece of clay, {#blank#}5{#/blank#} was hardened with fire. Then clay characters were set on {#blank#}6{#/blank#} iron plate according to the text of a book. Then ink was applied to them and {#blank#}7{#/blank#}(sheet) of paper spread over them, and the printing was done. Bi Sheng's invention made printing faster and {#blank#}8{#/blank#}(easy) than before. Later, movable type of metal and wood was made and widely used.

    The technique of printing was gradually known to other Asian countries and Europe. The great influence printing had {#blank#}9{#/blank#}the advance of civilization is too clear to need any {#blank#}10{#/blank#}(explain).

The Truth about Whisky

    Whisky is probably {#blank#}1{#/blank#} most famous product of Scotland. Whisky making provides work {#blank#}2{#/blank#} several thousand people in the Scottish Highlands and islands, and whisky is Scotland's biggest goods {#blank#}3{#/blank#} (sell) to every corner of the world.

    The qualities of whisky come from the water which {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (use) to make it the rich "peaty"(多泥炭的) water of Scotland. When whisky is first made, it is {#blank#}5{#/blank#} (actual) clear, not brown in colour. The colour comes from the wooden {#blank#}6{#/blank#} (container) in which the whisky is stored for several years to allow it {#blank#}7{#/blank#} (mature) from a little added sugar.

    For many years, whisky has been one of the most popular drinks all over the world, and Scotland {#blank#}8{#/blank#} (produce) more and more of it so far. But whisky sales have not increased as fast, so there are now large reserves of whisky in Scotland, especially the better and {#blank#}9{#/blank#} (much) expensive whisky. So a lot of the whisky sold today was made several years ago when people thought that whisky would get more and more popular. That is {#blank#}10{#/blank#}, today, a lot of the whisky in the shops is marked with "Ten years old", or even "Fifteen years old".

    I was only in China for about 4 months last year. I stayed in Shanghai and visited some other cities {#blank#}1{#/blank#} (include) Beijing. While the price feels a bit too much for a high speed train, the Chinese infrastructure (基础建设) is {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (true) far ahead of any other developing country and even some developed ones in Europe. The train stations are as big {#blank#}3{#/blank#} airports: almost everything in {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (they) is like airports. They have all the high standards of airports but without the waiting time. The trains are just like those from Germany or France, {#blank#}5{#/blank#} are clean, modern and highly developed and run at very high speeds. It is about 1,200 kms from Shanghai to Beijing, and each high speed train {#blank#}6{#/blank#} (take) around 4 and a half hours to reach its destination and {#blank#}7{#/blank#} are more than 2 trains every hour, each day.

    I also had the experience of {#blank#}8{#/blank#} (sit) in Maglev (磁力悬浮列车) in Shanghai. There is a public maglev train that runs from Shanghai city to its international airport. The {#blank#}9{#/blank#} (distant) from the city to the airport is 40 kms and the speed of the train is 430 kms/hr. It took us just around 6 mins {#blank#}10{#/blank#} (cover) 40 kms and it felt rather smooth.

    There are all kinds of {#blank#}1{#/blank#}(festival)throughout the world，festivals to satisfy and please the ancestors，to honour some famous people {#blank#}2{#/blank#} important events，and to express people's gratitude to the God for bringing them a year of plenty. For example，Japanese observe Obon, when people go to clean graves and light incense in memory of their ancestors. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} India，October 2 is a national festival to honour Mohandas Gandhi，who helped India become an {#blank#}4{#/blank#}(depend) country. And in China the Spring Festival, {#blank#}5{#/blank#} is celebrated in January or February，is the {#blank#}6{#/blank#}(much)energetic and important because it is a festival that {#blank#}7{#/blank#}(look) forward to the coming of spring. Why are all these festivals everywhere？Because during the festivals，people can get together {#blank#}8{#/blank#}( eat), drink and have fun with each other, {#blank#}9{#/blank#}(forget) all the {#blank#}10{#/blank#}(day) struggles and demands for a while.

The custom of celebrating the Spring Festival with fireworks continued every lunar year in cities and villages. People took it for granted though they could {#blank#}1{#/blank#}(occasion) lead to deaths. In populated downtown areas, {#blank#}2{#/blank#}(dead) injuries and damage to properties(财物) {#blank#}3{#/blank#}(be) severe during the holiday season. In 1993, the government banned {#blank#}4{#/blank#}(they) inside the Fifth Ring Road. In 2005, with public opinion strongly calling for preserving the tradition of fireworks during the Spring Festival, the government gave the green light to fireworks downtown. This situation continued for several years. But from 2011, the public started to have more awareness {#blank#}5{#/blank#}air quality. The year 2017 saw a decisive result in the battle between fireworks and the public demand for blue skies. {#blank#}6{#/blank#}(tear) between traditional fun and clear air, the public voted for the latter. After 12 years of being allowed in the downtown areas, fireworks were once again banned.

How fireworks faded out of the festive life in Beijing is a {#blank#}7{#/blank#}(reflect) of what happened across the nation. {#blank#}8{#/blank#}China experiences rapid development and people enjoy better lives, tradition changes along with time. The 2019 Spring Festival ended on a note of peace and serenity. Fireworks have stopped being {#blank#}9{#/blank#}essential part of the celebration and become a fading memory, {#blank#}10{#/blank#}(give) way to safer streets, cleaner air and better sleep.