In much of Asia, especially the so-called “rice bowl” cultures of China, Japan, Singapore, Korea, {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Vietnam, food is usually eaten with chopsticks.

    Chopsticks are usually two long, thin pieces of wood or bamboo. They can also be made of plastic, animal bone or metal. Sometimes chopsticks are quite artistic. Truly elegant chopsticks might {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (make) of gold and silver with Chinese characters. Skilled workers also combine（使……结合）different kinds of hardwoods and metal {#blank#}3{#/blank#} (create) special designs.

    The Chinese have used chopsticks for five thousand years. People probably cooked their food in large pots, {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (use) twigs（树枝）to remove it. Over time, {#blank#}5{#/blank#} the population grew, people began cutting food into small pieces so it would cook more quickly. Food in small pieces could be eaten easily with twigs which {#blank#}6{#/blank#} (gradual) turned into chopsticks.

    Some people think that the great Chinese scholar Confucius, {#blank#}7{#/blank#} lived from roughly 551 to 479 B.C., influenced（影响）the {#blank#}8{#/blank#} (develop) of chopsticks. Confucius believed knives would remind people of killing and {#blank#}9{#/blank#} (be) too violent for use at the table.

    Chopsticks are not used everywhere in Asia. In India, for example, most people traditionally eat {#blank#}10{#/blank#} their hands.

    I met this elderly lady in town, {#blank#}1{#/blank#} I suppose may be someone's grandmother. The city has grown and everybody is so busy {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (walk), and at times shoving(挤着) other people. I'm not sure what made look at her as she walked slowly by with her wooden walking stick. Maybe it's because I wondered if I would reach that age and what I would be doing then if I did.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} (sudden), her stick dropped. I was not so sure if someone had pushed her or it just dropped accidentally. She tried reaching for it, but I noticed that bending was becoming a challenge to her. I moved towards her, although I thought that someone would have helped her by the time I{#blank#}4{#/blank#} (reach) her. I was wrong. Nobody seemed {#blank#}5{#/blank#} (notice) or cared much. I picked{#blank#}6{#/blank#} her stick and positioned it in her hand. She gave me {#blank#}7{#/blank#} wide, honest smile and thanked me. She raised her {#blank#}8{#/blank#} (eye) and said something nice to me, still smiling.

    I felt happy too, and will remember that it is {#blank#}9{#/blank#} (meaning) to slow down and take notice of what is happening around {#blank#}10{#/blank#} (we) and outside our own selves.

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.

    When Sandra was a child, her family was very poor, but she wanted {#blank#}1{#/blank#} (bad) to believe that her poverty was just a temporary situation, so she looked toward stories {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (escape). Her favorite book {#blank#}3{#/blank#} (check) out of the library over and over again was called The little house. Throughout Sandra's life, she had to move between cities, never {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (allow) her much time to get settled in one place. Her {#blank#}5{#/blank#} (separate) from family drove her to burying herself in books. Though reading a lot, according to Sandra, she didn't really start writing {#blank#}6{#/blank#} she attended her first creative writing class in college. She then realized that she needed to write what she knew, and {#blank#}7{#/blank#} purpose she adopted a writing style opposite to that of her classmates. Admission to Loyola University {#blank#}8{#/blank#} she earned a BA in English was a turning point for her. Sandra's writing {#blank#}9{#/blank#} (shape) by her experiences since then. She doesn't just make up {#blank#}10{#/blank#} (character), but writes about real people that she has encountered.

    Looking out of the window of his Ford truck, Bob Fitzgerald sees large, undesirable plants growing in the fields.{#blank#}1{#/blank#} (visitor) to his neighborhood in Princess Anne, Maryland {#blank#}2{#/blank#}(main) see dying forests and empty farmland.

    Fitzgerald says the land{#blank#}3{#/blank#}(be) in his family for over 3 centuries. "I'd say in the next 20 years. You're going to lose{#blank#}4{#/blank#}very high percentage of that land."

    The land around the Chesapeake Bay has been sinking for hundreds of years. But climate change is making things{#blank#}5{#/blank#}(bad). As sea level rises, salt water is entering rivers and other waterways. As a result, the ground is becoming too salty for crops{#blank#}6{#/blank#}(grow) on.

    Maryland's Eastern Shore is home to some of the oldest farms in North America.

    Fitzgerald says he has seen big changes during his life.

    "You just can't believe{#blank#}7{#/blank#}it's been taking things over in the last 15 or 20 years. I can show you land around here that people raised tomatoes on when I was a little boy. And now it's gone."

    Around the world, scientists warn that coastal farms are under{#blank#}8{#/blank#}(threaten) from rising seas and salt water. A World Bank report estimates rice production in coastal areas of Bangladesh may fall{#blank#}9{#/blank#}15 percent by the year 2050. Another study found hundreds of millions of people will{#blank#}10{#/blank#}(force) to move inland because of rising waters.

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).