Nearly 610,000 Chinese students attended schools and colleges overseas in 2017. China remains the world's {#blank#}1{#/blank#} (large) supplier of international students. A majority{#blank#}2{#/blank#}the students went to European and North American countries. Countries{#blank#}3{#/blank#} (include) in the Belt and Road Initiative (B&R) became new destinations, with student numbers {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (rise) by 15.7 percent in 2017. At the same time, about 480,000 graduates returned to China. Since 1978, about 5.2 million Chinese{#blank#}5{#/blank#} (study) abroad and among those {#blank#}6{#/blank#} graduated about 83.7 percent returned to China.

    Meanwhile, a total of 490,000{#blank#}7{#/blank#} (foreign) from 204 countries and regions studied in China is 2017. Students from the Republic of Korea, Thailand and Pakistan were the most numerous, while the United States ranked {#blank#}8{#/blank#} (four). Students from B&R countries accounted for 64.9 percent of{#blank#}9{#/blank#} total. About 59,000 international students in China {#blank#}10{#/blank#}(support) by Chinese government scholarships.

    Rachel and her husband, Jason,{#blank#}1{#/blank#}were both experienced climbers, were on a climbing holiday in Switzerland. When they were 3，000 metres up in the mountains, there was{#blank#}2{#/blank#}storm.The wind was {#blank#}3{#/blank#} (extreme) strong and the snow was two metres deep.They couldn't move. Rachel had her mobile phone with her, so she sent a text message to five friends in the UK {#blank#}4{#/blank#}(get) their help.

    About four hours later, one of her friends, Martha, responded {#blank#}5{#/blank#}her with a text message.Martha said she had phoned the police in Switzerland and that they had got in touch with the mountain rescue team.

    But the weather was so bad{#blank#}6{#/blank#}the helicopter (直升飞机) couldn't get to the two climbers.The rescue team sent a message to Rachel, {#blank#}7{#/blank#}say：“So sorry Rachel. We tried. Wind is too strong. Have to wait till morning. Take care. Be strong.” Rachel  felt {#blank#}8{#/blank#}(hope) and thought they were going to die as it was freezing, －15 ℃. However, Jason encouraged her, telling her not to give up.

    Next morning the storm{#blank#}9{#/blank#}(pass) and the helicopter arrived to take them off the mountain. After the accident, they cared for each other with greater{#blank#}10{#/blank#}(devote)．

    As we all know, Columbus was a great explorer. He left Spain in September 1492,{#blank#}1{#/blank#} (look) for gold. Native Americans greeted him, offering gifts of corn. Columbus found little gold on that trip, but he collected many {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (plant), including corn, to bring back to Spain.

    Columbus didn't know it, but the corn was much {#blank#}3{#/blank#} (valuable) than gold. Farmers from Europe to Asia accepted it {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (immediate). They grew it on cold mountainsides and in rainforests. So it {#blank#}5{#/blank#} (feed) millions of people all over the world today.

    On his second trip, Columbus brought back a few chocolate beans to make chocolate. Europeans and Asians loved this new drink, and soon they were paying a great deal of money for the beans. Chocolate beans became so valuable in Central America {#blank#}6{#/blank#} they {#blank#}7{#/blank#} (use)as cash for 200 years.

    Tomatoes and potatoes took some time to become popular. Eventually, {#blank#}8{#/blank#}, they became the basis of a lot of popular foods. {#blank#}9{#/blank#} is hard to imagine life without fried potatoes or chocolate. Thanks{#blank#}10{#/blank#} native American culture, many people are able to enjoy lots of tasty food.

    This weekend I was delighted to show my parents around Seville, as they {#blank#}1{#/blank#}(come) for a short but sweet visit. Although the weather wasn't the best, we still made {#blank#}2{#/blank#} best of our time together.

    Being reunited with the people you love in a new place {#blank#}3{#/blank#}(bring)such excitement. Showing them around the new city makes you {#blank#}4{#/blank#}(extraordinary)happy. For example, as Seville is known for flamenco(弗拉门科舞), I took them to see a famous {#blank#}5{#/blank#}(perform)my friends recommended to me, which gave us such a wonderful visual feast. Furthermore, getting to show your visitors the places {#blank#}6{#/blank#}(appeal)to you is a pleasant feeling, because you are eager to let them know where you love to spend your time. You are letting them get involved {#blank#}7{#/blank#} your new life. Also you have the opportunity {#blank#}8{#/blank#}(show) your loved ones the new places that they may fall in love with.

    So, after a two-day trip, I feel pleased to have had the time to explore those {#blank#}9{#/blank#}(attraction) with my parents. I am already looking forward to their next visit {#blank#}10{#/blank#}I can show them more of what Seville offers and what I am still yet to discover.

    Once there lived a rich man{#blank#}1{#/blank#}wanted to do something for the people of his town.{#blank#}2{#/blank#} first he wanted to find out whether they deserved his help.

    In the centre of the main road into the town, he placed{#blank#}3{#/blank#}very large stone. Then he {#blank#}4{#/blank#}(hide) behind a tree and waited. Soon an old man came along with his cow.

    “Who put this stone in the centre of the road?” said the old man, but he did not try to remove the stone. Instead, with some difficulty he passed around the stone and continued on his way{#blank#}5{#/blank#}man came along and did the same thing; then another came, and another. All of them complained about the stone but not tried to remove {#blank#}6{#/blank#}. Late in the afternoon a young man came along. He saw the stone,{#blank#}7{#/blank#}(say) to himself: “The night{#blank#}8{#/blank#}(be) very dark. Some neighbors will come along later in the dark and will fall against the stone.”

    Then he began to move the stone. He pushed and pulled with all his {#blank#}9{#/blank#}(strong) to move it. How great was his surprise at last!{#blank#}10{#/blank#} the stone, he found a bag of money.

Dragon Heads­raising 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 awake, {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (raise) its 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) beside a river or a lake for the precious spring rain 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 heads.

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 a good harvest.