New area to ease pressure

    On April 1,2017.China announced that it would build the Xiongan New Area in Hebei province. This will he {#blank#}1{#/blank#}the same importance as the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone and the Pudong New Area,according to the State Council.

    The area, about 100 kilometers southwest of downtown Beijing,will cover three counties{#blank#}2{#/blank#}sit at the center of the triangular area formed by Beijing,Tianjin,and Shijiazhuang.

    The Xiongan New Area has great potential for growth,{#blank#}3{#/blank#} (report) People's Daily. It has a broad space{#blank#}4{#/blank#}(develop) and will expand to cover 2,000 square kilometers.The transportation of the area is convenient, with only an {#blank#}5{#/blank#}(hour) drive to Beijing and Tianjin.

    The new area also has{#blank#}6{#/blank#}sound natural environment. It is home to Baiyangdian, one of the{#blank#}7{#/blank#}(large) freshwater wetlands in North China.{#blank#}8{#/blank#}more than 140 lakes, the wetland is known as the "pearl" of the North China Plain.

    Once{#blank#}9{#/blank#}(build),the area will reduce the heavy burdens on Beijing.For example,many companies,universities and scientific research centers will move from Beijing to the area.

    International experts and media also think highly of this new area, saying that it{#blank#}10{#/blank#}(set) an example to developing countries, noted Xinhua.

    Traditional Chinese wedding

    Traditional Chinese wedding customs are considered as the foundation of rites in traditional Chinese culture. Although varying from region to region and time to time，they have been holding an essential position in the lives of Chinese people，{#blank#}1{#/blank#}（cause） a far-reaching impact on the way the Chinese lead their lives．The traditional Chinese marriage usually {#blank#}2{#/blank#} （involve） some necessary procedures，such as match-making，engagement，meeting the bride，and three bows．{#blank#}3{#/blank#} addition，a typical Chinese wedding nowadays goes like this：when a new couple is engaged，{#blank#}4{#/blank#} follows is a {#blank#}5{#/blank#} （choose） of the date of their marriage．

    Most people would favor a bank holiday or special Chinese festival for their relatives and friends {#blank#}6{#/blank#} （attend） the wedding．However，quite a few others，especially{#blank#}7{#/blank#}are in the countryside，would fix a lucky date so that their marriage would have "Double Happiness"．The wedding ceremony is usually hosted {#blank#}8{#/blank#} （warm），and the wedding ceremony very often ends with {#blank#}9{#/blank#} unique banquet．Toasts are made to wish the new couple long life，everlasting love and happiness，early birth of a {#blank#}10{#/blank#}（health） baby and so on．

    Coco{#blank#}1{#/blank#}(become) a hit since it was released on Nov. 24, 2017 in China. The story takes place during the Day of the Dead, when the border controls between life and death, and the dead{#blank#}2{#/blank#}(allow) temporary passage to the land of the living according to Mexican tradition. A young boy{#blank#}3{#/blank#}(name) Miguel sticks to his musical dream and accidentally makes the trip to a fantastic world of ghosts and skeletons. Although there is{#blank#}4{#/blank#}murder and a fatal church-bell-related accident, the afterlife in Coco is a warm and exciting place, more funny{#blank#}5{#/blank#}sad, Coco is also one of those Pixar movies that{#blank#}6{#/blank#}(attempt) a conceptual breakthrough, an application of the bright colors and open emotionalism of modern, mainstream animation to an unlikely zone of experience. It{#blank#}7{#/blank#}(success) makes a family-friendly cartoon about death. The{#blank#}8{#/blank#}(important) of family is both specific and universal{#blank#}9{#/blank#}explains the particular beats of Miguel's story and connects him to viewers regardless of background. Last but not least, the touching music adds to great fun and tenderness. So personally speaking, Coco is really a great animation movie-well worth{#blank#}10{#/blank#}(see).

    Nearly 610,000 Chinese students attended schools and colleges overseas in 2017. China remains the world's {#blank#}1{#/blank#} (large) supplier of international students. A majority{#blank#}2{#/blank#}the students went to European and North American countries. Countries{#blank#}3{#/blank#} (include) in the Belt and Road Initiative (B&R) became new destinations, with student numbers {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (rise) by 15.7 percent in 2017. At the same time, about 480,000 graduates returned to China. Since 1978, about 5.2 million Chinese{#blank#}5{#/blank#} (study) abroad and among those {#blank#}6{#/blank#} graduated about 83.7 percent returned to China.

    Meanwhile, a total of 490,000{#blank#}7{#/blank#} (foreign) from 204 countries and regions studied in China is 2017. Students from the Republic of Korea, Thailand and Pakistan were the most numerous, while the United States ranked {#blank#}8{#/blank#} (four). Students from B&R countries accounted for 64.9 percent of{#blank#}9{#/blank#} total. About 59,000 international students in China {#blank#}10{#/blank#}(support) by Chinese government scholarships.

Brown: When are you the happiest?

Angelia: I think I'm the happiest when I'm singing. I love singing so much. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} I sing I feel free. How about you?

Brown: I'm the {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (happy) when I play basketball. When I'm playing basketball I'm not thinking about anything. When I {#blank#}3{#/blank#} (play) basketball, everything is simple. What else do you love?

Angelia: I love my family, especially my grandmother who is so kind and always wants to help others. When I'm {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (worry) she always tells me stories to make me laugh.

Brown: Yes, I also love my family very much. My parents make every {#blank#}5{#/blank#} to make me happy. {#blank#}6{#/blank#}, I will always love them and take care of them.

Angelia: What do you hate?

Brown: I hate wars and fighting. In history we learn about many wars, and {#blank#}7{#/blank#} make me angry. I think people {#blank#}8{#/blank#} be kind to each other and not fight with each other. What about you?

Angelia: I hate {#blank#}9{#/blank#} (feel) sick. When I'm sick I feel helpless, and I can't do {#blank#}10{#/blank#} activities I enjoy or spend time with my friends.

    When I left for the United States to study, I had butterflies in my stomach. I was nervous because I was going to {#blank#}1{#/blank#} new place with new people and new customs. I couldn't even understand {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (they) language. Everything was different {#blank#}3{#/blank#} my own country. There was nobody that I could talk to. I just had my husband, {#blank#}4{#/blank#} was a new person for me, too.

    It was a sad moment when I had to say goodbye to my family and friends. I didn't want {#blank#}5{#/blank#} (leave) my hometown because I grew up there and had wonderful {#blank#}6{#/blank#} (memory) of the place. So, {#blank#}7{#/blank#}(think) about all these changes made me nervous and I was {#blank#}8{#/blank#} (worry) about my new life. But studying abroad was a {#blank#}9{#/blank#}(decide) that I made myself. I had to continue and accept the challenge. I looked forward to {#blank#}10{#/blank#} (visit) my family in the summer vacation.