Icebreaker to the North Pole is a new book {#blank#}1{#/blank#} the well-known Chinese writer Bi Shumin. It describes her special trip to the North Pole last year.

    Longing to go to the North Pole, she always heard about it when she was young. Bi, now in her 60s, has at last realized the dream to see it for {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (she).

    “This dream was hidden in my heart by myself in the past. It gradually became dusty, but it never disappeared.{#blank#}3{#/blank#} I dreamed has finally come true.” Up to now, Bi {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (travel) to 73 countries worldwide. Besides the North Pole, she made a trip to Easter Island, which is around 3,700 kilometres off the western coast of Chile. In the same year, she went to the South Pole. And she intends {#blank#}5{#/blank#} (go) to other places in the near future.

    As a writer {#blank#}6{#/blank#} (show) a great interest in travel, Bi thinks traveling {#blank#}7{#/blank#} (be) a part of our life. She also believes it is {#blank#}8{#/blank#} only way to see different cultures and histories.

    “If the view is the same every day, we will easily become {#blank#}9{#/blank#} (bore). But if we go to a strange place, we will soon enter a condition of experiencing and thinking about different cultures. Travelling gives me much {#blank#}10{#/blank#} (free).”

    Curiosity is part of human nature. Children are famous for wanting answers {#blank#}1{#/blank#} tons of questions. People keep reading or watching {#blank#}2{#/blank#} they want to find out what happens. But curiosity also provides many practical benefits.

Learning is easiest if you have a genuine desire for knowledge. Curiosity can create that desire when you have a question.

    Many of history greatest discoveries {#blank#}3{#/blank#}(make)by curious people. People wondered {#blank#}4{#/blank#} processes worked or how certain tasks could be done more effectively. Thanks to their curiosity, people now know far more about the world and have useful technology {#blank#}5{#/blank#}(help)them.

    Even if you don't plan to be an inventor of researcher, curiosity can still help you in the classroom. If you develop the joy of learning, classes will become more fun. And you'll excel because you will be fully engaged in the process of learning. Even if you're no longer a student, curiosity will make you better {#blank#}6{#/blank#}(inform)and thus a more capable worker.

    What do you do if you're not already curious? Fortunately, curiosity is a skill that can be improved. If you act like you're curious, you'll quickly start to actually feel curious. Often, the more you learn about a topic the {#blank#}7{#/blank#}(interesting)it becomes.

    As you learn about a topic, gather information from as many sources as possible. Read a variety of books, watch or listen to lectures and ask questions. Don't always get your information from the same source. Instead, learn to appreciate facts that different people know and the different opinions {#blank#}8{#/blank#} they express.

    Ask a lot of questions, Remember, everyone knows {#blank#}9{#/blank#} that you don't. Find out what that is, and ask about it. This lets you learn something and makes the other person happy by letting them show off their knowledge.

In the classroom or out of it, {#blank#}10{#/blank#}(develop)curiosity is sure to be worthwhile.

Smiling

    Smile is a universal language, which is widely used throughout the world. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}, the meaning of a smile in different cultures may be different. Depending on different cultures, smiling can express joy and {#blank#}2{#/blank#}(amuse), but it can also indicate embarrassment. The following examples show this point of view:

    In an attempt to be open and {#blank#}3{#/blank#}(friend), people in the United States smile a lot. Every one smiles at each other and this nonverbal communication shows being polite in the United States. But in China, smiling is not only {#blank#}4{#/blank#} expression of happiness, but also a way to avoid {#blank#}5{#/blank#}(be) embarrassed. Chinese people like smiling when they are embarrassed in order to avoid embarrassment. Smiling is a kind of good will but not sneer(嘲笑).For example, when a child {#blank#}6{#/blank#} (fall) from a bike, the adults in China may smile, {#blank#}7{#/blank#} is a kind of gentle encouragement and may not be a kind of impolite laugh.

    Related {#blank#}8{#/blank#} the smile is the laugh. Also, different cultures have different {#blank#}9{#/blank#} (meaning)about laugh. Americans can enjoy a very heartfelt belly laugh that comes from the deepest emotions while most Chinese may think {#blank#}10{#/blank#} silly to laugh that way.

    Many people living in cities see riding a bicycle as good exercise. But, a recent medical {#blank#}1{#/blank#} research warned that cyclists should think twice before cycling in the streets: it actually does more harm than good {#blank#}2{#/blank#} their bodies.

    Is cycling in cities really bad for your health? Probably yes. The main danger comes from the air around you. Breathing {#blank#}3{#/blank#} in air pollution from taxis and buses can damage blood vessels(血管).Scientists say the damage could outweigh the health benefits of cycling.

    David Newby, a British {#blank#}4{#/blank#} researcher at Edinburgh University broke the news. In his tests, 15 healthy men cycled {#blank#}5{#/blank#} on exercise bikes in a room with levels of air pollution similar to those found {#blank#}6{#/blank#} on a crowded city street. After an hour of cycling, the scientists found their blood vessels became less flexible and produced less of a protein(蛋白质){#blank#}7{#/blank#} the heart needs. The damage leads to the early stages of heart disease. What's worse, the faster a cyclist pedals (蹬车),{#blank#}8{#/blank#} more air they breathe in. So those who believe {#blank#}9{#/blank#} they are improving their fitness the most are storing up the biggest trouble for {#blank#}10{#/blank#}.

    One morning, I was waiting at the bus stop, worried about {#blank#}1{#/blank#} (be) late for school.

    There were many people waiting at the bus stop, {#blank#}2{#/blank#} some of them looked very anxious and {#blank#}3{#/blank#}(disappoint), when the bus finally came, we all hurried on board. I got a place next {#blank#}4{#/blank#} the window, so I had a good view of the sidewalk. A boy on a bike {#blank#}5{#/blank#} (catch) my attention. He was riding beside the bus and waving his arms. I heard a passenger behind me shouting to the driver, but he refused {#blank#}6{#/blank#}(stop) until we reached the next stop. Still, the boy kept {#blank#}7{#/blank#}(ride). He was carrying something over his shoulder and shouting. Finally, when we came to the next stop, the boy ran up the door of the bus. I heard an excited conversation. Then the driver stood up and asked,"{#blank#}8{#/blank#} anyone lose a suitcase at the last stop?" A woman on the bus shouted, "Oh, dear! It's {#blank#}9{#/blank#} (I)". She pushed her way to the driver and took the suitcase thankfully. Five others on the bus began talking about what the boy had done and the crowd of strangers {#blank#}10{#/blank#}(sudden) became friendly to one another.