In much of Asia, especially the stalled “rice bowl” cultures of China, Japan, Korea,{#blank#}1{#/blank#} Vietnam, food is usually eaten with chopsticks.

    Chopsticks are usually two long, thin pieces of wood or bamboo. They can also be made of plastic, animal bone or metal. Sometimes chopsticks are quite artistic. Truly elegant chopsticks might{#blank#}2{#/blank#} (make) of gold and silver with Chinese characters. Skilled workers also combine (结合) various hardwoods and metal{#blank#}3{#/blank#}(create) special designs.

    The Chinese have used chopsticks for five thousand years. People probably cooked their food in large pots,{#blank#}4{#/blank#} (use) twigs (树枝) to remove it. Over time,{#blank#}5{#/blank#}the population grew, people began cutting food into small pieces so it would cook more quickly. Food in small pieces could be eaten easily with twigs which{#blank#}6{#/blank#}(gradual) turned into chopsticks.

    Some people think that the great Chinese scholar Confucius,{#blank#}7{#/blank#} lived from roughly 551 to 479 B.C., influenced the{#blank#}8{#/blank#}(develop) of chopsticks. Confucius believed knives would remind people of killings and {#blank#}9{#/blank#} (be) too violent for use at the table.

    Chopsticks are not used everywhere in Asia. In India, for example, most people traditionally eat{#blank#}10{#/blank#} their hands.

    What do you read when you travelling by train? What about other passengers? Perhaps a woman{#blank#}1{#/blank#}(sit) near you is reading a romantic novel. A man is reading a serious biography about a politician. And there's a student reading an English textbook.

    What do their{#blank#}2{#/blank#}(choice) say about them? Do you judge them by{#blank#}3{#/blank#}they reading? I have to tell you that your impressions of them may be{#blank#}4{#/blank#}(complete) wrong. The woman reading the romantic novel could be a {#blank#}5{#/blank#}(law). She just wants a light read to take her mind off work. The man reading the biography wants you{#blank#}6{#/blank#}(consider) him knowledgeable, and he is just {#blank#}7{#/blank#}(show)off. The student reading the textbook isn't a student at all. She's an English teacher.

    Publishers know people are {#blank#}8{#/blank#} (concern)about what they read on public transport and put out different versions (版本) of a cover For example, books about Harry Potter have an{#blank#}9{#/blank#} (interest)cover for young readers and then another more serious version for adults.

    So next time you see what other people are reading on a train don't jump to any conclusions.

    Here is a situation {#blank#}10{#/blank#} you could say, "Don't judge a book by its cover.”

    With the College Entrance Examination {#blank#}1{#/blank#}(draw) near, I am too nervous {#blank#}2{#/blank#}(fall)asleep. My mother told me to take{#blank#}3{#/blank#}easy and not to stay{#blank#}4{#/blank#}late at night. She is very sensitive {#blank#}5{#/blank#}other people's feelings. My mother has a {#blank#}6{#/blank#} (prefer) for cooking meals. She also told me it was bad to be particular{#blank#}7{#/blank#}food. What she said was{#blank#}8{#/blank#}(reason). I am always easily{#blank#}9{#/blank#} (persuade). I'll do some relaxing exercise{#blank#}10{#/blank#}may help me take the load off my mind. I'm sure I'll calm down to meet the challenge with confidence.

    The seventh day of the seventh lunar month, called the Chinese Valentine's Day, is the only Chinese festival {#blank#}1{#/blank#} (connect) with love in the lunar calendar. Valentine's Day in China usually{#blank#}2{#/blank#}(fall) in August.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}the evening of the 7th day of the 7th lunar month, Niulang and Zhinü meet on a bridge of magpies across the Milky Way. If it rains that night, the rain will be the tears of Niulang and Zhinü.

    Compared with love stories in western legends (传说){#blank#}4{#/blank#}story of Niulang and Zhinü seem not so romantic. They just wait patiently on the riverbank,{#blank#}5{#/blank#} (believe) that their love can be worth their not staying together. Unlike St. Valentine's Day in other{#blank#}6{#/blank#}(country), there is not so much importance on giving chocolates,

    {#blank#}7{#/blank#}(beauty) flowers and kisses. Instead, Chinese girls prepare fruits, melons and so on as offerings to Zhinü. They ask Zhinü to give them wisdom and high skills in making hand-made arts with needles in the hope of finding their satisfactory husbands. On that day, people in love like to go to the local temple and hope{#blank#}8{#/blank#}(get) their love and possible marriage.

    At night, people sit outdoors to observe the stars {#blank#}9{#/blank#}(happy). Some old people  say  that  if  you  stand  under  a  grapevine  ( 葡 萄 藤 ),  you  can  probably  overhear{#blank#}10{#/blank#} Niulang and Zhinü are talking about.

    A lot of films have tried to describe our memories of family members who have passed away. But few have done as{#blank#}1{#/blank#}(remark) as Coco, Disney-Pixar's latest animation, {#blank#}2{#/blank#} hit the big screen on Nov. 24 and won the Oscar in 2018.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}(inspire) by the Mexican holiday of Day of the Dead, the film's production team created a young boy, Miguel, who wants his family to understand his love of music. An accident takes him to the Land of the Dead. While there, Miguel has{#blank#}4{#/blank#}unforgettable and adventurous night.

    It's in this magical world{#blank#}5{#/blank#}Miguel gets to meet and discover the truth about his great-great-grandpa. To protect him from {#blank#}6{#/blank#} (disappear), Miguel has to bring his photo back to the living world as soon as possible.

    While told with a wild imagination, the story {#blank#}7{#/blank#}(convey) a clear and warm message. "In an era when young people are so easily attracted by {#blank#}8{#/blank#}(celebrity), Coco reveals the emptiness of such adulation (谄媚), teaching kids {#blank#}9{#/blank#}(preserve) and respect the memory of their elders while reminding them that the source of true creativity is so often {#blank#}10{#/blank#}(person)," wrote reporter Peter Debruge on Variety.