The First World War postcard has{#blank#}1{#/blank#}(final) been sent after many years. It is a very old postcard. This postcard was from a 19-year old soldier, Alfred, during the First World War. He{#blank#}2{#/blank#}(write) this postcard and sent it to his lovely sister Nell{#blank#}3{#/blank#}January 1916. The postcard is dated 1916 and{#blank#}4{#/blank#}is a cartoon picture of a new solider on the front.

    Alfred has written to his sister, “Dear Nell, just{#blank#}5{#/blank#}postcard to let you know I have not forgotten you. On the other side you will see our orders for next week. I will need your pity. Write to me, your brother Alfred.” Sadly, Alfred{#blank#}6{#/blank#}(kill) in a flight in 1918 before the card arrived.{#blank#}7{#/blank#} (year) later, his sister died in 1964.

    The postcard is marked 1916 and again September 2010 when it was stamped to arrive. But the postman couldn't find the{#blank#}8{#/blank#}(receive) any more. The post office said it was out of the question that the card was with{#blank#}9{#/blank#}(they) all the time. They regularly cleaned out their offices and post boxes. The{#blank#}10{#/blank#}(postcard) history for the last 94 years is still a mystery.

    “Can I have a glass of hot water?” This is a very common question for Chinese customers in a restaurant. But {#blank#}1{#/blank#} you go abroad, you may find that meals in the West tend to come with tall glasses of ice water.

    For most Chinese people,{#blank#}2{#/blank#} (drink) hot water is part of everyday life. It is believed that water of a warm temperature (25-30 C) is good for people's health,{#blank#}3{#/blank#} (especial) for the stomach.

    But for many Western people, they drink cold water even in winter. One possible reason is {#blank#}4{#/blank#} in Western countries people can drink water directly from the tap, rather than having to boil {#blank#}5{#/blank#}. And it's also normal to jump into a cold shower after exercise,{#blank#}6{#/blank#} (bring) the heart rate down.

    However, there is one common thing {#blank#}7{#/blank#}(encourage) in both the East and the West: One {#blank#}8{#/blank#} cool down by drinking a hot drink in summer. Because sweating is a good way to cool off in summer, hot drinks make you hotter and you begin to sweat.

    Of course, it doesn't matter if you drink hot {#blank#}9{#/blank#} cold water. The more comfortable your body feels, the {#blank#}10{#/blank#}(good) it is.

    She is widely seen as example that good looks can last forever. At nearly 500 years of age, time is catching up with the Mona Lisa. The health of the famous picture, {#blank#}1{#/blank#} (paint) by Leonardo Da Vinci in 1505, is getting {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (bad) by the year, according to the Louvre Museum where it is housed.

    Nearly 6 million people go to see the Mona Lisa every year, many attracted by the mystery of her smile. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}, the actual history of the Mona Lisa is just as secret as the smile. Da Vinci {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (him) loved it so much that he always carried it with him, until it was {#blank#}5{#/blank#} (final) sold to France's King Francis I in 1519.

    In 1911, the painting was stolen from the Louvre by a former employee, {#blank#}6{#/blank#} took it out of the museum placed under his coat. He said he planned to return it to Italy. {#blank#}7{#/blank#} painting was sent back to France two years later.

    During World War II, French {#blank#}8{#/blank#} (hide) the painting in small towns to keep it out of the hands of German forces.

    Like many old {#blank#}9{#/blank#} (lady), the Mona Lisa has some interesting stories {#blank#}10{#/blank#} (tell).

    The traditional Chinese lunar calendar divides the year into 24 solar terms. Awakening of Insects (惊蛰) {#blank#}1{#/blank#} (fall) on Mar 6 and ends on Mar 20 this year.

Awakening of Insects signals a rise in temperature and increased rain fall. As the {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (three) solar term in the lunar year, {#blank#}3{#/blank#} (it) name suggests the fact that animals sleeping in winter are awakened {#blank#}4{#/blank#} spring thunder and that the earth begins to come back to life. It is the key time for spring agricultural {#blank#}5{#/blank#} (activity). It is also a good time for people to enjoy fun outdoors, especially for people living in the city. {#blank#}6{#/blank#} (drive) to the suburbs, fishing in a lake or enjoying the singing bird will make for a perfect weekend in spring. The most popular fruit in this season is pears.

    Eating pears around the Awakening of Insects {#blank#}7{#/blank#} (be) a widely-practiced custom in China. As the weather gets {#blank#}8{#/blank#} (warm) and the air becomes drier, people tend to feel their mouths and tongues are dry, {#blank#}9{#/blank#} can cause colds or coughs. A pear is sweet, juicy and cold, moistening (湿润) the lungs to arrest a cough. {#blank#}10{#/blank#}, pears are highly recommended during the Awakening of Insects.

    You may not have noticed it before, but many people often sit with a hunched (驼背的) back when they are in a difficult situation, such as trying hard {#blank#}1{#/blank#} (solve) a math problem. But there's a reason for this: this body position helps to reduce pressure.

     However, according to Erik Peper, a health professor at San Francisco State University, poor posture (姿势) may make our brains work not as well as they {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (normal) do.

    Peper and a team of researchers {#blank#}3{#/blank#} (study) 125 students' performance in a math test and their different postures. The team found that good posture—for example sitting up straight—could help people perform better {#blank#}4{#/blank#} bad posture when they feel stressed.

    Another professor Richard Harvey further explained in Science Daily that sitting with bad posture might make us feel more {#blank#}5{#/blank#} (comfort), but it actually increases our pressure levels.

    So the next time you have to take a test, try sitting upright and taking a deep {#blank#}6{#/blank#} (breathe). If Peper's study is correct, this small change may have {#blank#}7{#/blank#} great influence on you.

    There are many things {#blank#}8{#/blank#} lead to poor posture. The good news {#blank#}9{#/blank#} (be) that posture can be improved at any age by {#blank#}10{#/blank#} (make) just a few simple corrections in the way one stands, sits and moves.