Gift from a stranger

My local supermarket is always busy. The first parking space I found was convenient, but I'd noticed a woman in a blue car circling for a while. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} I was in a good mood, I let her have it. On the edge of the car park I backed into the next available spot—it was a tight fit.

Pretty soon I'd made my way through the supermarket and was back in the fresh air. Feeling good, I {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (empty) my purse change into the hands of a homeless man and helped a struggling woman reverse park（倒车）.

Just as I approached my car, 1 saw the woman I'd let have my car space earlier. She was giving me {#blank#}3{#/blank#} odd look—half puzzled, half intent (热切的). I smiled and wished her a pleasant day. As I squeezed back into my car, I spotted the same lady {#blank#}4{#/blank#}  (look) in at me. "Hello," she said, hesitantly. "This {#blank#}5{#/blank#}  sound crazy but I was on my way to drop some of my mother's things off at the charity bins.” You are just so much{#blank#}6{#/blank#} her.” You helped those people, I noticed, and you seemed so happy.” She looked at me meaningfully and passed a box in through the window. “I think she would like you to have it.”{#blank#}7{#/blank#}  (shock), I took it from her automatically. She smiled and walked away.

After a pause, I opened the box. Inside was a beautiful gold necklace with a large grey pearl. It was{#blank#}8{#/blank#}  (nice) gift I'd ever received, and it was from a complete stranger. The necklace was around my neck, a warm reminder of human kindness.

    Yuan Longping was born in 1930.Since he graduated from Southwest Agricultural College in 1953, he{#blank#}1{#/blank#}(devote)his life to finding ways{#blank#}2{#/blank#}(grow)more and more rice. As a young man, he saw the great need for increasing the rice output. At that time{#blank#}3{#/blank#}(hungry)was a serious problem in many parts of the countryside. Yuan searched {#blank#}4{#/blank#} a way to increase rice harvests without {#blank#}5{#/blank#}(expand) the areas of the fields. In 1950, Chinese farmers could produce about 56 million tons of rice. In{#blank#}6{#/blank#}recent harvest, however, nearly 200 million tons of rice were produced. These increased harvests mean that 22% of the world's people{#blank#}7{#/blank#}(feed)from just 7% of the farmland in the world. Yuan Long Ping is now circulating his knowledge in India and many other less{#blank#}8{#/blank#}(develop)countries to increase their rice harvests.{#blank#}9{#/blank#}(thank)to his research, the UN is trying to rid the world{#blank#}10{#/blank#}hunger. Using his hybrid rice, farmers are producing harvests twice as large as before.

    Chinese high-speed railways are a very. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} (comfort) way to travel. They are clean, quiet and efficient. China has led other developing countries and even some developed ones in this field since the first high-speed train {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (come) into use in 2008.

    The stations are {#blank#}3{#/blank#} (main) built outside the town center, but local transport has been lengthened {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (connect) the high-speed network. The facilities on the train are new and the staff are well trained. Even the second class {#blank#}5{#/blank#} (chair) provide plenty of space. The passages are so wide {#blank#}6{#/blank#} you can move without disturbing anyone. You can use your mobile phone, access {#blank#}7{#/blank#} Internet or work on your laptop. There is also a restaurant car, though the kinds of food {#blank#}8{#/blank#} (be) limited. The toilets arc large, clean and user-friendly too. The train almost doesn't rock. Even when the train brakes, you can hardly feel it shake.

    What's more, with a faster check-in, the high-speed train are also {#blank#}9{#/blank#} (little) affected by weather than planes. Seldom are {#blank#}10{#/blank#} delayed or cancelled for weather condition. Therefore, they have become the first choice for many passengers.

    Are you sometimes a little tired {#blank#}1{#/blank#} sleepy in the early afternoon? Many people feel this way after lunch. They may think that eating lunch is the cause of the sleepiness. Or, in summer, they may think it is the heat. However, the real reason lies inside their bodies. At that time——about eight hours after {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (wake) up——your body temperature goes down. This is what makes you slow down and feel sleepy. Scientists have tested sleep habits in experiments in {#blank#}3{#/blank#} there was no night or day. The people in these experiments almost always {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (follow) a similar sleeping pattern. They slept for one long period and then for one short period about eight hours {#blank#}5{#/blank#}.

    In many parts of the world, people take naps {#blank#}6{#/blank#} the middle of the day. This is {#blank#}7{#/blank#} (especial) true in warmer climates, where the heat makes it difficult {#blank#}8{#/blank#} (work) in the early afternoon. Researchers are now saying that naps are good for everyone in any climate. A {#blank#}9{#/blank#} (day) nap gives one a more rested body and mind and therefore is good for health in general. In countries where naps are traditional, people often suffer less from {#blank#}10{#/blank#} (problem) such as heart disease.

    We all know how good nature can make us feel. The sound of the ocean, the smell of a forest and the way sunlight dances through {#blank#}1{#/blank#} (leaf) help us to relax and think more clearly. The idea {#blank#}2{#/blank#} humans own a deep biological need to connect with nature has been called "Biophilia", {#blank#}3{#/blank#} (mean) "love of life and the living world". Yet, according to the United Nations Population Division, so far the number of us going to urban areas {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (grow) sharply. By 2050, it is estimated that a shocking sixty-eight percent of the world's inhabitants will live in cities. Cities are wonderful places — full of {#blank#}5{#/blank#} (excite), innovation and energy. {#blank#}6{#/blank#} living in a city can be stressful. And the more we live in them, {#blank#}7{#/blank#} more stress we have, leading to increases in mental illnesses {#blank#}8{#/blank#} depression and loneliness. The good news is that the global science community continues to explain the medical benefits of nature on the brain. Through conducting research and sharing information with different organizations, new ideas are being carried out that encourage us {#blank#}9{#/blank#} (step) out of the fast street and reconnect with nature in a {#blank#}10{#/blank#} (rapid) changing world.