Ski touring is exactly that—touring on skis. It combines {#blank#}1{#/blank#} best bits of skiing and mountaineering and provides the perfect way {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (explore) the mountain in winter. The {#blank#}3{#/blank#} (advantage) of ski touring are that you can really escape the crowds, enjoy the peace of the mountains and {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (reward) with breathtaking views and exciting descents.

    Ski touring involves both going up and down the mountain; both of {#blank#}5{#/blank#} (they) present challenges and new skills are to be acquired. There is much to learn about getting up the mountain that improves efficiency and saves energy. {#blank#}6{#/blank#} (similar) ，you want to be prepared to enjoy going down, which means learning to deal with the variety of snow conditions you will face. Because all ski touring is very demanding, you must be {#blank#}7{#/blank#} good physical condition. The fitter you are, the {#blank#}8{#/blank#} (much) fun you will have.

    Rapidly changing conditions and the human factors are the primary reasons for accidents. The human factors include stress, poor {#blank#}9{#/blank#} (communicate), over-confidence and tiredness. You should always ski within the limits of your ability, and make sure you know {#blank#}10{#/blank#} to navigate (导航) properly with map and compass.

    Dragon Head Raising Day,{#blank#}1{#/blank#} falls each year on the second day of the second lunar month, is one of the Chinese traditional festivals. As the proverb goes: “The dragon is awaked,{#blank#}2{#/blank#} (raise) his head”. On this day, dragons, a prominent totem (图腾) in Chinese culture raise {#blank#}3{#/blank#} (they) heads with the sound of thunder. Around this time, the earth {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (burst) with life. Grass and trees are beginning to shoot up. In ancient China, people {#blank#}5{#/blank#} (pray) the dragon god beside a river or a lake for the precious spring rains to breed their crops.

    {#blank#}6{#/blank#} (tradition), food eaten on this day was renamed after parts of the dragon. For instance, wontons were called “dragon's eyes.” The special {#blank#}7{#/blank#} (food) usually eaten on this day include dragon's scales, popcorn and pig's head.

    In Shanxi, people get their hair {#blank#}8{#/blank#} (cut) in a symbolic move to remove the old and embrace the new. In {#blank#}9{#/blank#} countryside in Hebei Province, people would fetch water from a well at dawn. It was believed {#blank#}10{#/blank#} on this day the well was full of dragon eggs which would bring the collector good harvest.

    The "selfie" is used to describe the self-taken photo, often from a smartphone. Someone takes about 10 selfies each time he does, and he only ends up {#blank#}1{#/blank#} (post) one or two of those. He picks the one that he feels make him look the {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (good). In that picture, he gains confidence. For that moment, everything bad or terrible that has happened to him {#blank#}3{#/blank#}(remove), because that smile is what gives him the {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (determine) to love himself.

    I read {#blank#}5{#/blank#} poem recently and the young man said, "If I ask you {#blank#}6{#/blank#} you love, the answers will most likely roll off your tongue. You love to read. You love to write. You love your mom, you daughter, or your friends. How long do you think you can go on and on before you say 'I love {#blank#}7{#/blank#}( I )' "

    That statement hit me like a ton of bricks. I've struggled with confidence all my life. I still do. And in {#blank#}8{#/blank#} way am I saying that taking a selfie is a gateway {#blank#}9{#/blank#} confidence. {#blank#}10{#/blank#}, the selfie does deserve some credit for allowing individuals to express themselves.

People eat rice all over the world

    Rice is believed to have been first grown in China or possibly somewhere else in eastern Asia around 10,000 years ago. The earliest evidence of rice farming comes from a 7,000-year-old site near the lower Yangtze River village of Hemudu in Zhejiang province in China.

    Rice is a kind of food which requires much labor. In developed countries, the planting and harvesting is done {#blank#}1{#/blank#} (most) with machines.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}, in much of the world, these things are still largely done by hand. It takes one farmer 1,000 to 2,000 working hours {#blank#}3{#/blank#} (raise) a rice crop on 2.5 acres of land. The fact that rice {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (need) so much labor means {#blank#}5{#/blank#} (keep) a lot of the population on the land.

    Rice is also a crop{#blank#}6{#/blank#} need of lots of water. The wet rice {#blank#}7{#/blank#} (grow) in most of Asia needs hot weather after a period of rain and conditions provided by the Asian {#blank#}8{#/blank#} (rain) seasons affect many places {#blank#}9{#/blank#} rice is grown.

    Rice straws (稻杆) {#blank#}10{#/blank#} (leave)in the fields add nutrients (营养物) to the soil after rice is harvested. For the next crop, rice farmers can often enjoy a good harvest by adding little or no fertilizer (肥料).

    The Dragon Boat Festival is a {#blank#}1{#/blank#}(tradition) holiday that commemorates the life and death of the famous Chinese scholar Qu Yuan.

    It is a day when many people eat zongzi and race dragon boats. In ancient  China,  the festival {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (celebrate) as "Poets' Day" in honor of Qu Yuan,  {#blank#}3{#/blank#} was known as China's first poet.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} is commonly believed that the local people began {#blank#}5{#/blank#} tradition of throwing sacrificial cooked rice into the river for Qu Yuan, while others hoped that the rice would prevent Qu Yuan's body from being eaten by the fishes in the river. At first, the locals decided {#blank#}6{#/blank#} (make) zongzi in hopes that it would sink into the river and reach Qu Yuan's body. However, the tradition of wrapping the rice in bamboo {#blank#}7{#/blank#} (leaf) to make zongzi began the following year.

    A dragon boat, usually made of wood to various designs and sizes, is a human-powered boat. They often have brightly decorated designs that range anywhere from 40 feet in length {#blank#}8{#/blank#} 100 feet, with the front end shaped like open-mouthed dragons, and the back end with a scaly tail. The boat can have up to 80 rowers to power the boat, {#blank#}9{#/blank#}depend) on the length. A sacred ceremony is performed before any competition in order to "bring the boat to life" by painting the eyes. The first team {#blank#}10{#/blank#} (gain) a flag at the end of the course wins the race.