A British friend told me he couldn't understand why Chinese people love eating sunflower seeds as a snack so much. “I've met a lot of older Chinese and many have a crack in their front teeth; I believe that's from cracking the seeds, ” he said.

    I had never noticed the habit, but once he mentioned it, I suddenly became more aware. I realized that whenever I'm watching TV or typing a report, I always start mindlessly cracking sunflower seeds. My friend doesn't like sunflower seeds, and, to him, it seems unnecessary to work so much just to get one small seed.

    When we were young, the whole family would usually get together for Chinese New Year. Then, we all lived close to one another, usually in a small city, and sometimes even neighbors would go door-to-door on Chinese New Year's Eve to check out what every household was making.

    I remember my parents would be in the kitchen cooking. Out in the living room , a large table would already be laid out, complete with fancy tablecloth, ready-made dumpling fillings, and dishes full of candy, fruits and sunflower seeds. Some of the dishes were to be offered to our ancestors later, while others were for neighbors and children to eat before the evening feast. I must have learned how to crack sunflower seeds back then.

    I don't think it's right to criticize one's choice in food or eating habits, no matter how strange they may seem.

    It's not only in China. When I went abroad, I found people had all sorts of strange habits when it came to food. In Denmark, they put salted red fish on bread and eat it for dinner, no matter how much it ruins your breath. They think it's a delicacy, and it's connected to their culture. I think it's a wonderful tradition.

    Many cosplay activities are being organized in China, making the subculture popular among some youths. Cosplay means costume play, in which participants wear costumes and fashion accessories (配饰) to represent a specific character.

    What's the reason why youths are interested in cosplay? {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Cosplay participants often interact with each other to dress up as characters from animes (动漫), cartoons, comic books, films, TV programs and video games. Youths who love cosplay have their own sets of jokes, which “outsiders” rarely understand. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Cosplayers are almost always young, most of them under 25, and as they grow older, they tend to give up the practice. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Instead, they should treat such youngsters as normal youths, but at the same time warn them never to cross the social and moral boundaries.

    The cosplay subculture is a kind of performing arts. Cosplayers usually get the costumes in these ways. First, through some companies that make and sell packaged suits for cosplay. Second, through some individuals that make costumes and accessories. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    With capital flowing into the ACG (二次元) industry, more specific and mature business models help the industry develop further. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Since then the domestic animation and game industry has been developing healthily with a stronger sense of using legal products. China's ACG industry is likely to see higher growth in 2019.

A. Based on a research, 2015 proved to be a turning point.

B. The cosplay industry is expected to witness more success.

C. Therefore, there is no need for parents to overreact to cosplay.

D. So regulators should strictly monitor such events to prevent improper behaviors.

E. And besides, by making them themselves.

F. That's because it's a way for youths to express virtual love.

G. Perhaps that's why some people dislike them.

    Are you planning to drive over a long distance? These tips for long road trips can help you get there safely and comfortably.

    Store your sleep time.

    Think about extreme tiredness before you begin your journey, not after. Get at least seven hours of sleep for two non-stop nights before the road trip to build up your energy reserves. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}, when the body's temperature is slightly lower and people are naturally sleepy.

    Fuel up.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}. Carrying along a variety of vitamin-packed, healthy foods will allow you to get by on smaller snacks throughout the long drive, while the skipping the fast-food stops." To stay alert(警觉的）, carrots and almonds are my favourite," says travel expert Gretchen Breuner.

    Use food smells.

    During long distance driving, keep peppermint(薄荷）smell nearby. When you need a help, take a sniff. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}.

    Plan your stops.

    One of the most important tips for long road trips is to get out of your car and relaxed your legs every two hours or so. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}. It doesn't matter wheather they fall at mealtimes or can be timed to let you view interesting places.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}.

    Books on tapes help keep the brain active, without creating a dangerous distraction(干扰）. Breus recommends listening humorous books or even comedy CDs. Laughing will keep you awake.

A. Make full use of it every day

B. Treat yourself to some sounds

C. Buy as many CDs as possible to kill time

D. Plan these stops into your long distance drive

E. This time, we mean fuel for you, not your car

F. Also, try to avoid driving between 1:00 and 3:00 pm

G. It has been shown to reduce tiredness and increase alertness

注意：每个空格只填1个单词。

    The 17^th-century French tragedian Pierre Corneille wrote: The manner of giving is worth more than the gift”. He had a point, according to Charles Spence, head of Crossmodal Research Laboratory at the University of Oxford.

    The professor's work focuses on how our brains sense the world around us. His research has shown that high-frequency sounds and curved shapes seem to increase the sweetness wine tastes better if it is accompanied by the popping sound of a cork and drunk from all these created multisensory experiences.

    So, what's his advice if you want to impress this holiday season?

Bulk it up hide

    “We've just published research on eating a box of chocolates，” Mr Spence said. “If you are 30-gram weight in a box of chocolates, that weight translates to a significant increase perceived(感知)quality of the chocolate.”

    There are exceptions, but the association between weight and the perception of luxury(奢侈)applies to many items including tableware， perfume(香水)and wine， Mr. Spence said. “That's why in a restaurant， a waiter might artfully give you the bottle to weigh in your hand,” he added.

    Black is basic

    Black is the color most associated with luxury because, Mr. Spence said ，“it seems to be the color that we perceive to be the heaviest.”

    Such luxury indications are learned, rather than inborn, so they can change over time. I'm doing a lot of work on transparency(透明) at the moment; high-quality packaged goods should have a transparent window because it suggests freshness or quality,” he said.

    But the trend is recent， the professor added, because “traditionally luxury goods used to have nontransparent packaging. I think it has to do with the current desire for originality.”

    Layer it on

    Unnecessary wrapping(包裹)can be an ecological concern but, when it comes to luxury goods like wine in a presentation case, it does make an impression.

    “Tissue layers are really good,” Mr. Spence said， “because the crinkle adds an extra sense to the experience.”

    Consider a little perfume in the box or wrapping, and, if you want to involve other senses, work out some way for classical music to be playing when the gift is opened because we associate it with quality.

    Engaging several senses at once is beneficial.“ The brain combines the inputs from each sense, both to determine what something is, but also to determine a reward value,”Mr. Spence said. Also, the more stimuli(刺激)to the senses， the more activity is produced in the orbitofrontal cortex, a small part of brain situated just beside the eyes. And the more activity there, the more rewarding something is perceived to be.

    You can go too far

    “Engaging an extra sense is more effective, but you can potentially have a disagreement if that extra sense doesn't match the others.” the professor said.

    I use tea to refer to a snack(点心)taken in the late afternoon or early evening (ie after getting home from work but before the main meal, which I call dinner) and I don't think that's rare(罕见)at all. I think the difference is when you originally had your main meal and I would agree that it's a class thing, not a north/south thing(I've heard the midday meal referred to as both lunch and dinner by different people in all areas of England).

    Dinner was always the main meal. In the past, working class men worked near(or even at)home and came home for their main meal at midday, and so that was their dinner. Middle class men worked in offices far from their homes(often working in the city centre, and living outside the city) and so couldn't go home for a meal at midday. They therefore had a light meal at midday and had their main meal with their family in the evening after they go home from work, so dinner was in the evening. Because most children at state schools were working class, we still use dinner for school meals. For middle and upper class people, tea was a light snack served in the mid-afternoon at which ladies(who didn't, of course, go out to work)could entertain their friends. For working class people, however, tea was the light snack you had before going to bed. Supper, for all classes, was the light snack you had before going to bed.

    However, because work patterns changed and many working class people started eating their main meal in the evening too, dinner, tea and supper started to become interchangeable for them. Also many working class families have since become middle class, so the terms have become less of a current class thing(if class still exists at all) and more of a system of terminology inherited(家族术语)from grandparents etc, different from family to family. When I was a child(Southern English, middle class family, but with working class forebears(祖先)) we called the midday meal dinner and the evening meal tea, but when I was in my early teens I had a new stepfather(from a family that had always been middle class for generations)who used lunch and dinner, and that's what I've used ever since.

Recently, the box office darling in China, titled A Little Red Flower, {#blank#}1{#/blank#} （become） a hit.It is a love story about a young couple{#blank#}2{#/blank#} （suffer） from cancer and the stress it puts on their families. The movie star Jackson Yee, {#blank#}3{#/blank#} performance in Better Days（2019）was thought highly of, has impressed countless viewers.

Han Yan, the director and scriptwriter of A Little Red Flower, says that his new film is intended{#blank#}4{#/blank#} the audience who need a spiritual guide or support, "I don't want to{#blank#}5{#/blank#} （simple） show how much pain people are in after they fall ill or how they toss and turn in bed, unable to fall asleep. Movies, should be able to give viewers psychological consolation（安慰）, "he says.

By showing the steely{#blank#}6{#/blank#} （determine） of cancer patients and their families in facing one of life's biggest{#blank#}7{#/blank#} （challenge）, Han hopes viewers who comparatively have little{#blank#}8{#/blank#} （worry） about can realize that they should stop complaining and be grateful for being alive.

"I have watched many movies about the pursuit of dreams, but as I get older I feel the{#blank#}9{#/blank#} （difficult） thing in the world is to stay alive, " he says "Every day{#blank#}10{#/blank#} extreme version of staying alive. "