The history of air conditioners (空调) started in the early days with the need to preserve food. The food{#blank#}1{#/blank#}is kept at room temperature spoils easily due to the growth of bacteria. At temperature below 4℃, the growth of bacteria reduces{#blank#}2{#/blank#}(rapid). As a result of the development in food refrigeration, other following applications include air conditioning and manufacturing processes.

    The{#blank#}3{#/blank#}(discover) of the principles of the absorption type of refrigeration in 1824 showed that liquefied ammonia (液氨) could cool air. At first, the commercially available use of air conditioning applications was based on the need to cool air for industrial processes rather than {#blank#}4{#/blank#}(person) comfort. The first electrical air conditioning{#blank#}5{#/blank#}(invent) by Willis Haviland Carrier in 1902. He was also known{#blank#}6{#/blank#}the Father of Modern Air Conditioning.{#blank#}7{#/blank#} (he) invention was designed to improve the manufacturing process of a printing factory. By{#blank#}8{#/blank#}(control) the temperature, the process was made more efficient.

    The Carrier Air Conditioning Company of America was set up by him {#blank#}9{#/blank#}(meet) the demand of better productivity in the workplace. Today, Carrier Corporation is{#blank#}10{#/blank#}biggest air conditioner manufacturer and marketing corporation in the world in central air conditioning.

    David was a normal boy, but he had been born deaf. He was well known to everyone in town, and they were all very fond {#blank#}1{#/blank#} him. Unfortunately, he always seemed to be treated {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (different) from everyone else.

    David didn't like this very much. But the person {#blank#}3{#/blank#} disliked this the most was his friend Michael, Michael decided that things had to change. So he managed to persuade other people in town {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (choose) one day of the festival for deaf people this year. During that whole day everyone in town would have to wear earplugs (耳塞). The day {#blank#}5{#/blank#} (call) The Day of Silence, and when it arrived everyone stuck plugs in their ears. As the hours passed, people began to realize {#blank#}6{#/blank#} difficult life was for the deaf. Soon no one was thinking of David as a deaf person. {#blank#}7{#/blank#} (use) his usual gestures, David was the one who could communicate best with everyone. They were {#blank#}8{#/blank#} (surprise) at his ability to find solutions to almost any problem. They realized all David needed was a little {#blank#}9{#/blank#} (much) time than others to communicate. That was the only difference.

    It was on this day {#blank#}10{#/blank#} everyone realized they have to give people a chance to show how useful they are.

    The Amber Room was made of several tons of amber. The amber which{#blank#}1{#/blank#}(select) had a beautiful yellow-brown colour like honey. The design of the room was in the fancy style popular in those days. It was also a treasure decorated with gold and jewels, {#blank#}2{#/blank#}took the country's best artists about ten years {#blank#}3{#/blank#} (make).

    The Amber Room was designed for the palace of Frederick I. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}, the next King of Prussia Frederick William I, to whom the Amber Room belonged, decided not to keep it. In 1716 he gave {#blank#}5{#/blank#} to Peter the Great. {#blank#}6{#/blank#} return, the Czar sent him a troop of his best soldiers. So the Amber Room became part of the Czars winter palace in St Petersburg.

    Later, Catherine II had the Amber Room {#blank#}7{#/blank#}(move)to a palace outside St Petersburg where she spent her summers. She told her artists to add more details to it. In 1770 the room was completed the way she wanted. Almost six hundred candles lit the room and its mirrors and pictures shone like gold.{#blank#}8{#/blank#}(lucky), although the Amber Room was considered one of the{#blank#}9{#/blank#} (wonder)of the world, it is now{#blank#}10{#/blank#}(miss).

    The traditional Chinese lunar calendar divides the year into 24 solar terms. Awakening of Insects (惊蛰) {#blank#}1{#/blank#} (fall) on Mar 6 and ends on Mar 20 this year.

Awakening of Insects signals a rise in temperature and increased rain fall. As the {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (three) solar term in the lunar year, {#blank#}3{#/blank#} (it) name suggests the fact that animals sleeping in winter are awakened {#blank#}4{#/blank#} spring thunder and that the earth begins to come back to life. It is the key time for spring agricultural {#blank#}5{#/blank#} (activity). It is also a good time for people to enjoy fun outdoors, especially for people living in the city. {#blank#}6{#/blank#} (drive) to the suburbs, fishing in a lake or enjoying the singing bird will make for a perfect weekend in spring. The most popular fruit in this season is pears.

    Eating pears around the Awakening of Insects {#blank#}7{#/blank#} (be) a widely-practiced custom in China. As the weather gets {#blank#}8{#/blank#} (warm) and the air becomes drier, people tend to feel their mouths and tongues are dry, {#blank#}9{#/blank#} can cause colds or coughs. A pear is sweet, juicy and cold, moistening (湿润) the lungs to arrest a cough. {#blank#}10{#/blank#}, pears are highly recommended during the Awakening of Insects.

    April Fool's day is a day {#blank#}1{#/blank#} people can play jokes on others. No one knows for sure how this holiday began. Some English people hold the {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (believe) that it began on the day during the 1200s. At that time, King John of England was in {#blank#}3{#/blank#} habit of making a road out of nearly every path he walked regularly. The citizens of one farm village were aware of this. To protect their grass and farms from being destroyed, they built a fence that prevented the king from walking through their countryside. The king sent a group of soldiers to inform the villagers to remove the fence. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} hearing that, however, the villagers developed a plan of their own. When the soldiers arrived, the villagers ran around and shouted wildly with things {#blank#}5{#/blank#} (throw) away everywhere, behaving as if they {#blank#}6{#/blank#}(go) mad. The soldiers reported to the king that they were so mad as to be beyond punishment. The villagers saved their farmland {#blank#}7{#/blank#} (success) by tricking the king. Now April's day {#blank#}8{#/blank#} (remain) in fashion, {#blank#}9{#/blank#} the tradition only allows tricks from midnight to noon on April 1st. Those who try to play tricks in the afternoon act as {#blank#}10{#/blank#}(fool) themselves and are usually laughed at.