I enjoyed English, biology, and chemistry at school, but which one should choose {#blank#}1{#/blank#} (study) at university? I did not know the answer until one evening when I sat down at the computer to do some research on great women of China.

    By chance I came across an article about a doctor {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (call) Lin Qiaozhi, a specialist {#blank#}3{#/blank#} women's diseases. She lived from 1901 to 1983. It seemed {#blank#}4{#/blank#} she had been very busy in her chosen career, {#blank#}5{#/blank#} (travel) abroad to study as well as writing books and {#blank#}6{#/blank#} (article). One of them {#blank#}7{#/blank#} (catch) my eye. It was a small book explaining how to cut the death rate from having and caring for babies. She gave some simple rules to follow for keeping babies clean, healthy and free from {#blank#}8{#/blank#} (sick). Why did she write that? Who were the women that Lin Qiaozhi thought needed this advice? I looked {#blank#}9{#/blank#} (careful) at the text and realized that it was intended for women in {#blank#}10{#/blank#} countryside. Perhaps if they had an emergency they could not reach a doctor.

    When Joe was about to start school, all signs pointed to success. Yet things turned out  {#blank#}1{#/blank#}(be) quite disappointing. The fourth grade even found him at the bottom of the class. Joe struggled day and night, but  {#blank#}2{#/blank#}made him upset was that it did not work—until one stormy afternoon.

    On that afternoon, the math teacher was introducing difficult concepts  {#blank#}3{#/blank#}dark clouds covered the sky, and the storm set in. Although she tried to make the kids concentrate, the thunder won the battle for their attention. No one grasped the concepts. Except for Joe. He understood{#blank#}4{#/blank#} and answered all the questions correctly. The teacher patted him on the back and told him to go around to the others and explain how he had managed it. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}(encourage) by his newfound success, Joe moved quickly throughout the room. Soon math time  {#blank#}6{#/blank#}(follow) by the time for art. All children  {#blank#}7{#/blank#}(natural) drew dark pictures on such a day. Except for Joe.

    Since then, Joe started to work even  {#blank#}8{#/blank#}(hard) than before. His math teacher was always curious about the  {#blank#}9{#/blank#}(amaze) change: Why had that stormy day changed Joe?

    At the graduation ceremony, Joe presented the teacher with his most familiar  {#blank#}10{#/blank#}(possess) — the picture of bright yellow sun. On the picture Joe had written: This is the day I woke up to my brightness.

    Should naps(小睡) actually {#blank#}1{#/blank#} (take) during the day? Well, we certainly know from {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (evident) in the sleep center and that of many other scientists that naps can give you benefits for both your brain {#blank#}3{#/blank#} your body. But naps can actually be {#blank#}4{#/blank#} double-edged sword because while we're awake during the day, we're building up sleepiness or sleep pressure. So when you try to fall asleep at night, you'll fall asleep quickly and then you'll stay asleep. And when we sleep, we actually release that sleepiness so that we wake up the next morning feeling {#blank#}5{#/blank#} (refresh).

    So if you take a nap during the day, especially if you take it too late in the afternoon, you will actually release some of that sleepiness and it will make it much {#blank#}6{#/blank#} (hard) to fall asleep and stay asleep soundly throughout the night. So the advice would be if you don't struggle with your sleep and you can nap{#blank#}7{#/blank#} (regular), then naps are just fine.

    But if you do find it difficult {#blank#}8{#/blank#} (fall) asleep or stay asleep at night, then you should avoid naps and try to build up that healthy sleepiness in the evening.

    The ideal nap depends on {#blank#}9{#/blank#} you want from that nap. Different stages of sleep actually give you different types of brain and body  {#blank#}10{#/blank#} (benefit).

    Who built the first canal? Perhaps some people long ago, living in {#blank#}1{#/blank#} dry country, discovered that they could dig ditches (沟壑) {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (irrigate) their fields with the river water. And naturally in the days {#blank#}3{#/blank#} boats were the most important means of transport, canals were the easiest means of reaching a place. Furthermore, a ditch {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (join) two rivers proved efficient for boat travel.

    Today, most countries in the world have canals. Even in the 2lst century, goods can be moved more {#blank#}5{#/blank#} (convenient) by boat than by some other means of transport. Some canals, such as the Suez or the Panama, {#blank#}6{#/blank#} (save) ships weeks of time by making their voyage a thousand miles {#blank#}7{#/blank#} (short). Other canals permit boats to reach cities that {#blank#}8{#/blank#} (situate) inland. Still other canals drain lands where there is too much water. Help farmers irrigate fields without enough water, and provide water power for {#blank#}9{#/blank#} (factory) as well.

    Most of the canals have a long history. Canals existed in Egypt thousands of years ago. And the Grand Canal of China was begun about 2, 500 years ago and took centuries to finish. During the seventeenth century, France built many canals that are still {#blank#}10{#/blank#} use today.

    An Italian town will pay people hundreds of euros(欧元) per year if they cycle to work instead of{#blank#}1{#/blank#}(drive) their cars. The government will pay{#blank#}2{#/blank#}(cycle)25 cents per kilometre, up to a monthly limit of 50 euros. That means commuters(通勤者)who switch to two wheels could pocket up to 600 euros in a year. It is said to be the first such plan in Italy.

    Fifty workers will be included in a 12-month trial, which will use a smart phone app to record the{#blank#}3{#/blank#}(distant) travelled each day. The plan is being supported from fines{#blank#}4{#/blank#}(collect) from traffic tickets in the town,{#blank#}5{#/blank#}by law have to be spent on road safety.

    The plan will encourage citizens{#blank#}6{#/blank#}(make)sure the area becomes more liveable. It will {#blank#}7{#/blank#}(natural)mean less traffic on the streets and more health benefits. A bicycle organization which helped to develop the idea, says it hopes that other towns will now follow the lead.

    A similar plan{#blank#}8{#/blank#}(introduce)in France in 2014, with mixed results. A six-month trial found that paying people to cycle to work did increase the numbers doing so, but the{#blank#}9{#/blank#}(major) had been using public transport, rather than private vehicles.{#blank#}10{#/blank#}those making the move from cars to bicycles, most had already been carpooling (拼车). Private cars remained crowded in the Streets