When I was an international student in China, I was lucky to experience Chinese New Year. The build-up was exciting as everywhere {#blank#}1{#/blank#}(decorate) with red.

Some fellow students and I decided to travel from Xi'an to Guilin for the festival. Travel during that time is quite{#blank#}2{#/blank#} adventure—many people journey home {#blank#}3{#/blank#} (see) their families and everywhere is very busy. On the eve of New Year, we watched the CCTV New Year's Gala. Although we didn't really understand everything, it was good to be lost {#blank#}4{#/blank#}the atmosphere(气氛) of the occasion! At New Year, families make{#blank#}5{#/blank#}(taste) dumplings together as part of the celebrations. On New Year's Day, and for several weeks afterwards, you can hear firecrackers and fireworks everywhere, and the air{#blank#}6{#/blank#}(smell) strongly of dynamite(火药) and smoke. This was adventurous for us!

    Being in China during New Year somewhat meant{#blank#}7{#/blank#}(lonely) though it was a great experience. I can{#blank#}8{#/blank#}(absolute) explain it with how international students in the UK might feel at Christmas if{#blank#}9{#/blank#}(have) no loved ones around them. Overall, my first Chinese New Year was an amazing experience{#blank#}10{#/blank#}I will never forget.

    Electric bicycles have made life a lot {#blank#}1{#/blank#}(easy) for food delivery workers here in China. More than 10,000 kilometers away, there was a familiar sight in New York City. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}, owing to a new policy, e-bikes can no longer be{#blank#}3{#/blank#}(common) seen on the street over there.

    City officials in New York are promising a crackdown(严厉打击) on e-bikes  The pollution-free vehicles are loved by environmentalists and the often poor workforce {#blank#}4{#/blank#}. relies on them. But there are also frequent complaints{#blank#}5{#/blank#} the bicycles from drivers and pedestrians(行人) who consider them{#blank#}6{#/blank#} public danger.

    Now it is legal to own and sell the bicycles, but{#blank#}7{#/blank#}(ride) them on the street could lead to a fine of up to $500. Businesses that equip their{#blank#}8{#/blank#}(employ) with the bicycles will also be heavily fined.

    The bicycles, which look just like regular bicycles, can reach speeds of 30 km/h and are sometimes operated recklessly (鲁莽的). Lots of people have stories about dangerous situations where they{#blank#}9{#/blank#}(step) out into the street, only to be nearly hit by a quick-moving e-bike.

    Police enforcement (强制执行) against the bicycles has already been tightened. Almost 1,000 of them{#blank#}10{#/blank#} (take) away by police since last year, an increase of several hundred from the year before.

Time to Learn How to Sort

Whatever we don't want —- no matter whether it's eggshells, newspapers, soda cans or old socks —- it's all garbage. And garbage goes to the garbage bin. There seems to be {#blank#}1{#/blank#}wrong with that. But do you really know how to throw away garbage properly?

    China {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (promote) garbage sorting for over a decade, but for the majority of the public the concept hasn't sunk in. Shenzhen issued a new regulation. It says residents will be fined up to 100 yuan and organizations 1,000 yuan for not sorting rubbish {#blank#}3{#/blank#}specific groups.

    "It's evident that the government is determined to push this forward," said Zhang Ning, a program officer {#blank#}4{#/blank#}(serve) in a Beijing-based public welfare organization. "But I'm afraid the regulation will prove to be counter-productive because garbage sorting has never been achieved by merely imposing severe punishments."

    A recent survey found that 49.5 percent of the respondents said they still don't know how to sort garbage, {#blank#}5{#/blank#}45.5percent just can't be bothered to do it. "Lots of citizens {#blank#}6{#/blank#}(confuse)about what's recyclable and what's general waste. For example, it's scarcely known that tissue is non-recyclable because it's too moisture-prone and usually too polluted {#blank#}7{#/blank#} (recycle)." said Zhang, a representative.

    According to Zhang, 70 percent of garbage is a " {#blank#}8{#/blank#}(misplace)resource". For instance, a ton of waste steel can be refined into 0.9 tons of usable steel, and a ton of kitchen waste is able to produce 0.3 tons of organic fertilizer.

But all of this is based on the condition {#blank#}9{#/blank#}the garbage is categorized properly. And the behavior of households {#blank#}10{#/blank#}the sorting process initially starts —- is the key. Garbage sorting is a chain effect. Misconduct at the very beginning will make all the following efforts go in vain.

    Garbage sorting is a complex issue and takes patience. So next time when you throw away what is called "garbage", do it in the right way.

Invented {#blank#}1{#/blank#} early twentieth-century America by Richard Drew, Scotch tape can be used to fix almost anything. However, there is more to this fix-it-all than just that. Sticky yet easily removed, Scotch tape was designed for use in painting cars—to mask off areas that should not {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (paint). The tape soon found other uses. During the 1930s, people didn't have much money, so they couldn't throw away damaged things; they had to repair them. Drew's painting tape became a popular, money-saving fix for everything from torn clothing to broken eggs. Since then, people {#blank#}3{#/blank#} (find) all sorts of creative ways to use the sticky tape.