As is known to us, the year 2016 has one extra day in it — February 29th. This is because it's {#blank#}1{#/blank#} we call “a leap year”. Every four years, the year has 366 days in {#blank#}2{#/blank#}  instead of 365.

    It is called a leap year because hundreds of years ago in England, the extra day wasn't{#blank#}3{#/blank#} (legal) recognized. There is a well-known tradition in the UK{#blank#}4{#/blank#} (associate) with February 29th, introduced many centuries ago. Women are allowed to break with tradition and propose(求婚) to their boyfriends on this day. This all started back in the{#blank#}5{#/blank#} (five) century, when a famous Irish saint made a{#blank#}6{#/blank#} (complain) that women had to wait too long for men to propose. According to the legend, Saint Patrick said any female dreaming of a proposal could ask her boyfriend to marry her on this additional day in February. This so-called tradition{#blank#}7{#/blank#} (write) in law in the thirteenth century. Scotland passed a law allowing women to propose to men in a leap year. It was said that if the men refused, they had to pay a fine!

    Now in 2016, there are calls{#blank#}8{#/blank#} February 29th to become a public holiday. Some people believe that it should be an{#blank#}9{#/blank#} (office) day off, because no one gets{#blank#}10{#/blank#} (many) payments for working an extra day in a leap year. For the moment though, the British still have to go to work on this day.

    Some poems tell a story or describe something in a way that will give the reader {#blank#}1{#/blank#} strong impression. Others try to express certain emotions. Poets use different forms of poetry to express {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (they). For example，the language of nursery rhymes is concrete but {#blank#}3{#/blank#} (imagine), and they delight small children because they have strong rhyme and a lot of {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (repeat). And list poems have a flexible line {#blank#}5{#/blank#} (long) and a rhythm to the poem. Another simple form of poem is the cinquain, {#blank#}6{#/blank#} is made up of five lines and can convey strong {#blank#}7{#/blank#} (feel) in just a few words. Haiku is a Japanese form of poetry that is made up of 17 syllables. And of course there are Tang poems from China which you may enjoy {#blank#}8{#/blank#} particular. With so many different {#blank#}9{#/blank#} (form) of poetry to choose from, students may {#blank#}10{#/blank#} (eventual) want to write poems of their own.

    China has once again proved its {#blank#}1{#/blank#} (able)to change the world with the “new four great inventions”: high-speed railways, electronic payments, shared bicycles and online shopping.

    They're related to China's high-tech innovation(创新),{#blank#}2{#/blank#} has improved the quality of people's lives, according to a survey{#blank#}3{#/blank#}(make)by the Belt and Road Research Institute of Beijing Foreign Studies University.

    “My wallet is no longer in use. I can buy and eat whatever I want simply with a fingertip on my phone,” said{#blank#}4{#/blank#} university student, adding that “even pancake sellers are using mobile payment.”

    The bikes {#blank#}5{#/blank#}(them)are not new, but the operating model of bike-sharing {#blank#}6{#/blank#}(base)on satellite navigation system, mobile payment, big data and other high technologies.

    China has entered a new innovative era, thanks to the large amounts of capital China has invested in {#blank#}7{#/blank#}(encourage)innovation, said Bernhard Schwartlander, WHO Representative in China.

    {#blank#}8{#/blank#}is increasingly clear that China is innovating and no longer copying western ideas. This is {#blank#}9{#/blank#}(especial)true in mobile, where China is leading in many ways such as…social messaging app WeChat, she said. This is partly because China skipped over the PC era and went directly to mobile. China has the {#blank#}10{#/blank#}(large)mobile use in the world.

    According to an announcement by Sergey Kravtsov, Russian vice minister of education and science, Sputnik news reported, Russia's national college entrance exam will include Mandarin as {#blank#}1{#/blank#}elective foreign language starting from 2019. Chinese will become the {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (five) elective test item for the Unified State Exam in addition to English, German, French and Spanish.

    The number of Chinese learners in Russia {#blank#}3{#/blank#} (rise) quickly in the past decade, according to a survey {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (carry) out by a linguistic research center in Russia. Approaches {#blank#}5{#/blank#}learning Chinese vary from person to person, with more and more people {#blank#}6{#/blank#}(choose) university courses in Russia.

    The three-hour-long Chinese test will quiz students on {#blank#}7{#/blank#} (they) listening, reading, and writing abilities and a fourth section will examine students on grammar, vocabulary and Chinese {#blank#}8{#/blank#} (character). Some parts in the exam are even a little bit difficult for native Chinese speakers. Insiders from the Russia education industry confirmed those {#blank#}9{#/blank#}are with relevant professional background and Mandarin proficiency(精通) are more competitive in job application.

    According to the Office of Chinese Language Council International, some 100 million people, excluding native speakers, use Chinese {#blank#}10{#/blank#} (global).