When I was a university student, I{#blank#}1{#/blank#}(attract) by the Chinese. So I got a job as a teacher in Wuhan three years ago.{#blank#}2{#/blank#} (think) back, I realize it was the students I. met in the first year and Chinese university life in general{#blank#}3{#/blank#}gave me the deepest impression.

    During my school days, I would rarely give up my spare time to any activity {#blank#}4{#/blank#}(connect) with study. Unless exams were approaching, my weekends were devoted to having fun or perhaps a part-time job. My Chinese students{#blank#}5{#/blank#}the other hand, seemed to spend their entire waking hours studying. I understand that competition in Chinese universities is extremely fierce. Nonetheless, their energy and motivation put{#blank#}6{#/blank#}(I) to shame.

    My first year in China was also my first year as a teacher. It was both challenging{#blank#}7{#/blank#}rewarding. One thing I know for certain is that my year in Wuhan changed me for the{#blank#}8{#/blank#}(good). Thanks to the{#blank#}9{#/blank#}(polite) and warmth of Chinese students, I overcame my fear of speaking in public and became more self-confident. Most{#blank#}10{#/blank#}(important), I met dozens of nice people and made many excellent friends.

    It's no surprise that smartwatches are so popular nowadays— {#blank#}1{#/blank#} seems that everyone wants to buy one! There's just one big problem: smartwatches are unprotected and can {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (damage) easily. Since you are wearing it on your wrist there's no room {#blank#}3{#/blank#} (place) a shatterproof protective case on your smartwatch like you would on your mobile phone. In the course of {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (live) your life and wearing a smartwatch it's only a matter of time before it gets bumped, cracked, or smashed. That means paying a high fee to get your smartwatch {#blank#}5{#/blank#} (repair).

    Owing {#blank#}6{#/blank#} the new breakthrough military technology, there's a new type of smartwatch that's super robust (nearly shatterproof) and yet very stylish!

The T-Watch Tactical Watch {#blank#}7{#/blank#} (be) ready for the "combat" of {#blank#}8{#/blank#} (day) life. Demanding physical job? Extreme workouts and outdoor sports? No problem, this smartwatch can get through without so many as nicks (刻痕) or {#blank#}9{#/blank#} (scratch). What's more, this smartwatch, {#blank#}10{#/blank#} can withstand the toughest situations with no problems at all, is also dust and waterproof.

    A computer program has beaten a human player at the ancient Chinese board game Go（围棋）. It marked an important advance for the {#blank#}1{#/blank#} (develop) of artificial intelligence. The program, {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (call) Alpha Go, had taught itself how to win. It beat the European player in all five games of a match in October. The developers say {#blank#}3{#/blank#} (it) learning ability may someday let computers help solve real world problems. Those could include making medical diagnoses and {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (explore) scientific research.

    Previous computers have beaten humans in other games. But among classic games, Go has long been viewed as the most challenging game for artificial intelligence to master. Therefore, many people find it {#blank#}5{#/blank#}(accept) when AlphaGo won the human player.

    Go involves two players who take turns putting markers on a checkerboard-like grid (格子).  Players obtain the opponent's pieces {#blank#}6{#/blank#} surrounding them. The rules are simple, {#blank#}7{#/blank#} playing it is not. It's {#blank#}8{#/blank#} (probable) the most complex game ever created by humans.

    Martin Mueller, a computing science professor, {#blank#}9{#/blank#} (work) on Go programs for 30 years. He once said, "The new program is really a big step up from everything else that we've seen. It's a very {#blank#}10{#/blank#} (amaze) piece of work."

    In the age of the smart phone, there seems no reason to ask questions about: the weather forecast, a business's phone number or directions, {#blank#}1{#/blank#} can be easily found on Google, but very often people {#blank#}2{#/blank#}(actual) ask these things by {#blank#}3{#/blank#}(make) a phone call. Your answer may be replied to with a thank­you e­mail. This isn't the first time that great changes {#blank#}4{#/blank#}(take) place in our manners due to technology. In {#blank#}5{#/blank#} late 1870s, when the telephone {#blank#}6{#/blank#}(invent), people didn't know how {#blank#}7{#/blank#}(greet) a caller. Often there is just {#blank#}8{#/blank#}(silent). Alexander Graham Bell, the inventor, suggested that people say "Ahoy", {#blank#}9{#/blank#} finally "Hello" went out. The greeting is now used in everyday face­to­face communications. Try to be respectful no matter who you communicate {#blank#}10{#/blank#}. Just keep it in mind that politeness never goes out of fashion.

    A phenomenon known as "in-need-of-praise" has taken Chinese social media by storm. Users can now join a chat group on WeChat or QQ, where they will{#blank#}1{#/blank#}(praise) and gain encouragement from others — for a price. The "in-need-of-praise" chat groups are a reflection of Chinese culture{#blank#}2{#/blank#}values modesty and humility (谦逊), leading many people to often cover their true emotions. In Chinese culture,{#blank#}3{#/blank#}(open) seeking and giving praise is uncommon. The trend seemed to have started with a chat group on the platform Douban four years ago. Since March many other chat groups{#blank#}4{#/blank#}(become) popular, especially among young people. For them, gaining recognition from peers is more important than getting approval from older generations. They can feel{#blank#}5{#/blank#}sense of belonging and gain praise in these chat groups, which is{#blank#}6{#/blank#}(benefit) to their mental health. It's also an outlet for users to show{#blank#}7{#/blank#}(kind) and support each other. Life pressure can be big enough, so we need to be surrounded by warm {#blank#}8{#/blank#} (word), or even some blind confidence. But anyone{#blank#}9{#/blank#}(receive) or giving praise in such groups should be cautious. The biggest risk is the constant focus on the "false self," which makes {#blank#}10{#/blank#}harder to see the "true self".

    A 23-year-old British woman has invented a product made {#blank#}1{#/blank#} combining fishing waste and algae(海藻).It could be used to replace plastic bags, {#blank#}2{#/blank#} people use once and throw away. Lucy Hughes created the material, called MarinaTex. On November 13, Hughes {#blank#}3{#/blank#} (award) the international winner of the 2019 James Dyson Award for design.

    MarinaTex is stronger, {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (safe) and much more sustainable than the plastic polyethylene(聚 乙烯).But unlike plastic, MarinaTex is also easier {#blank#}5{#/blank#} (break) down in four to six weeks in normal conditions and does not pollute the soil. Concerned about the growing amounts of plastics in ocean waters, she is investigating ways to reduce the amount of waste from the fishing industry, which produces {#blank#}6{#/blank#}(approximate) 50 million tons of waste worldwide each year.

    {#blank#}7{#/blank#} (examine) fish parts left over from processing helped to give her the idea for a material that was useful and did not harm the environment. After months of testing, Hughes {#blank#}8{#/blank#}(produce) a strong, flexible sheet that forms at temperatures below 100 degrees Celsius.

    Hughes will receive about $41,000 in prize money as the first place {#blank#}9{#/blank#} (win) of the James Dyson Award. She plans to use the money to further develop the product and ways to mass produce {#blank#}10{#/blank#}