As I write this, I'm sitting on a bus back to Santiago in Chile where I am currently working{#blank#}1{#/blank#}a language assistant. I've just spent the weekend in a city called La Serena north of Santiago. I was lucky enough to see the flowering desert, a natural phenomenon that {#blank#}2{#/blank#}(occur) around every five years here in the Atacama Desert.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}(follow) a particularly large amount of rainfall earlier, a{#blank#}4{#/blank#}(vary) of flowers come into blossom. Bright purple flowers create {#blank#}5{#/blank#} unbelievably beautiful scene at the base of the surrounding mountains.

    {#blank#}6{#/blank#}(catch) a glimpse of this magnificent treasure of nature, we took a bus from La Serena to a nearby town and then rented a car to go to the desert.{#blank#}7{#/blank#} we saw did not disappoint us, and as expected it was even more fascinating than the pictures we had seen online. The bloom was particularly {#blank#}8{#/blank#}(impress) this year due to the strong presence of El Niño (a band of warm water in the Pacific Ocean that changes the temperatures and increases the rainfall in certain areas). The vast carpet of colour {#blank#}9{#/blank#} spread into the distance towards the contrasting green hills was {#blank#}10{#/blank#}(simple) breathtaking and deserved a large amount of photos! A real reminder of the beauty our planet can provide.

    The Laba Festival which is celebrated on the eighth day of the {#blank#}1{#/blank#}(twelve) month of the lunar Chinese calendar is a traditional Chinese holiday. “La” is the name of the month and “ba” has the same {#blank#}2{#/blank#}(pronounce) as that of 8 in Chinese.

    There are several {#blank#}3{#/blank#}(story) about the origin of this festival and it's difficult for us to tell which one is true. But today {#blank#}4{#/blank#}we do know is that this festival began as a way to honour ancestors. It was also {#blank#}5{#/blank#} time for the ancient Chinese to pray for a good harvest.

    The majority of Chinese have long followed the tradition of {#blank#}6{#/blank#}(eat) Laba porridge during the Laba Festival. {#blank#}7{#/blank#} general, the porridge contains eight ingredients, including some beans and rice. {#blank#}8{#/blank#}(traditional), Laba porridge is the most important part of the festival. Also, it is important that family members eat the porridge together.

    {#blank#}9{#/blank#} custom is soaking Laba garlic(蒜），{#blank#}10{#/blank#} is the best seasoning for the dumpling feast at the Spring Festival.

    Wolf Warriors II is putting China in the global spotlight. It's also the first film {#blank#}1{#/blank#}(taste) success both in terms of box office earnings and promoting Chinese values.

    Since its release on July 27, it {#blank#}2{#/blank#}(earn) an unimaginable 4.5 billion yuan, {#blank#}3{#/blank#} (set) a record for domestic movies at the box office. The film focuses on a rescue operation in Africa, {#blank#}4{#/blank#}(lead) by former special forces soldier Leng Feng—played by Wu Jing —who helps Chinese workers and local African {#blank#}5{#/blank#}(flee) a war-torn and plague-ravaged(瘟疫肆虐的) country.

    Wolf Warriors II links art to reality, and reminds people of the massive evacuation(撤离) of Chinese people from Libya {#blank#}6{#/blank#} civil war broke out there in 2011, and from Yemen in 2015, as well as the challenges the Ebola virus created in West Africa from 2013 to 2016.

    The film describes {#blank#}7{#/blank#} the Chinese government aims to protect overseas Chinese citizens. Just{#blank#}8{#/blank#} the message at the end of the film reads, "Citizens of the People's Republic of China, when you encounter danger in a foreign land, do not give up! People remember! At your back {#blank#}9{#/blank#}(stand) a strong motherland."

    Thanks to China's increasing participation in global affairs, the president could be considered as modern Chinese hero. {#blank#}10{#/blank#}(hold)up a banner(旗帜) of peace, friendship and responsibility, Wolf Warriors II should be seen as a brave effort to promote Chinese values around the world.