“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.

    The Chang'e 4 spacecraft landed on the so-called dark side of the moon at 10:26 am on Thursday, brought the country{#blank#}1{#/blank#}(close)to its goal of becoming a space power. Chang'e 4 sent a picture{#blank#}2{#/blank#}(take) at 11:40 am back to Earth. It shows that the moon's far side is not{#blank#}3{#/blank#}(absolute) dark. But it is often called the dark side because it faces away from Earth and little{#blank#}4{#/blank#}(know) about it. In fact, the far side of the moon is a rather quiet place that is free from disturbance from radio{#blank#}5{#/blank#}(signal) from the Earth.

    Hou Xiyun is a professor at Nanjing University's school of astronomy and space science, {#blank#}6{#/blank#}told the Associated Press, "{#blank#}7{#/blank#}the whole, China's space technology still lags behind the West, with the landing on the far side of the moon, we have raced to the front."

    He added, "The landing is{#blank#}8{#/blank#}example of China's growing desire{#blank#}9{#/blank#}(strengthen) its position as an international power. China plans to explore Mars, Jupiter and asteroids in the future."

    There's no doubt that our nation will go farther and farther.

    It's hoped {#blank#}10{#/blank#} our space dream to make China stronger will come true soon.

    "If you're talking to me in a noisy restaurant and my nerve system is good at locking onto the sound of your voice, I {#blank#}1{#/blank#} understand what you say better."

    The research at Northwestern University shows that {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (play) a musical instrument is good for your brain. And the brain remembers how to "lock onto" the important sounds, {#blank#}3{#/blank#}, our ears may not work as well as we age, and that helps us to hear better.

    A scientist, living in France twenty years ago, {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (write) about what he called the "Mozart Effect". He said that {#blank#}5{#/blank#} could be helpful to the brain when listening to the classical music of Mozart. Some researchers said that Mozart's music would make you much {#blank#}6{#/blank#} (smart), or even have some health disorders {#blank#}7{#/blank#} (cure). Others said that there was nothing special about Mozart's music. Any kind of high energy music would work. So if the cost of a musical instrument or music lessons is too costly, can we get {#blank#}8{#/blank#} same brain experience just by listening?

    Usually people have teachers, or they can teach themselves music. {#blank#}9{#/blank#}, the point is that they're actively playing a musical instrument and engaging in making music instead {#blank#}10{#/blank#} listening to music passively.

    Directions: After trading the passage below, fill in the blanks to make the passage coherent and grammatically correct. For the blanks with a given word, fill in each blank with the proper form of the given word: for the other blanks, use one word that best Jits each blank.

    Marian Bechtel sits at West Palm Beach's Bar Louie counter by herself, quietly reading her e-book as she waits for her salad. What is she reading? None of your business! Lunch is Bechtel's "me" time. And {#blank#}1{#/blank#} more Americans, she's not alone.

    A new report found 46 percent of meals are eaten alone in America. More than half (53%) have breakfast alone and nearly half (46%) have lunch by themselves. Only at dinnertime {#blank#}2{#/blank#} we eating together, 74%, according to statistics from the report.

    "I prefer to go out and be out. Alone, but together, you know?" Bechtel said, {#blank#}3{#/blank#} (look) up from her book. Bechtel, who works in downtown West Palm Beach, has lunch with coworkers sometimes, but like many of us, too often {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (work) through lunch at her desk. A lunchtime escape allows her to keep a boss from tapping her on {#blank#}5{#/blank#} shoulder. She returns to work feeling energized. "Today, I just wanted some time to myself,^" she said.

    Just two seats over, Andrew Mazoleny, a local videographer, is finishing his lunch at the bar. He likes that he can sit and check his phone in peace or chat up the barkeeper with whom he's on a first-name basis {#blank#}6{#/blank#} he wants to have a little interaction. "I reflect on {#blank#}7{#/blank#} my day's gone and think about the rest of the week," he said. "It's a chance for self-reflection. You return to work {#blank#}8{#/blank#} (refresh) and with a plan."

    That freedom {#blank#}9{#/blank#} (choose) is one reason more people like to eat alone. There was a time when people may have felt awkward about asking for a table for one, but those days are over. Now, we have our smartphones to keep us company at the table. "It doesn't feel as alone as it may have before all the advances in technology," said Laurie Demeritt, {#blank#}10{#/blank#} company provided the statistics for the report.

One question type that appears on SAT and ACT involves vocabulary. One of the{#blank#}1{#/blank#}(easy) and most natural ways to broaden your vocabulary is by{#blank#}2{#/blank#}(simple) reading more. If the test you are going to take{#blank#}3{#/blank#}(use) texts from literary works, the best way to prepare is to increase your familiarity with these kinds of works. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}(choose) a book from earlier times, such as The Great Gatsby and mark seemingly important words{#blank#}5{#/blank#}are unfamiliar to you. Also, mark any words that look familiar but do not quite fit{#blank#}6{#/blank#}context. Look{#blank#}7{#/blank#}these words in a dictionary and write down the sentence in which you encountered the word. You can then use that sentence when{#blank#}8{#/blank#}(study).

If you are not a greedy reader, there are still{#blank#}9{#/blank#}(technique) you can use to improve your vocabulary. Keep your ears open for new words you hear on the news, radio or in everyday conversation. Try to infer their meaning from context but always check with a dictionary. Then, try to use those words{#blank#}10{#/blank#}(you).