Africa has been called the “dark continent” for a long time because {#blank#}1{#/blank#} lacks technology, electricity and other {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (achieve) of the modem world. However, it is beginning to change. Africa is starting to catch up with {#blank#}3{#/blank#} (industry) countries and the driving force behind this new development is the Internet and the World Wide Web.

    Now Africa is the fastest {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (grow) place on the earth. So far, governments, businesses and individuals {#blank#}5{#/blank#} (realize) that in order to develop quickly, modem technology is needed.

    Only ten years ago a SIM card used to cost about $100 in Niger. Today you can buy one for under $2 and phone calls have become much {#blank#}6{#/blank#} (cheap), too. As a result, 23% of its population are now mobile phone users.{#blank#}7{#/blank#} (equip) with this new service, people can connect to the Internet easily. Many Nigerians have access {#blank#}8{#/blank#} the World Wide Web now.

    In Ethiopia farmers can now get the prices of their farming products in real time. Until recently, most of the small farmers of the country did not know {#blank#}9{#/blank#} the prices of their products were at {#blank#}10{#/blank#} certain time. Today, they can phone in and get an up-to-the-minute report on prices.

    Qiang Shuping was so busy making cloth shoes{#blank#}1{#/blank#} she didn't even rest during the Dragon Boat Festival holiday. The woman from Baipu County, Jiangsu Province, {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (make) shoes since she was 19 years old, and this year marks her 31^st year making cloth shoes.

    She spends the entire day in her tiny studio, which {#blank#}3{#/blank#}(measure) less than 10 square meters altogether, filled with cloth shoes in{#blank#}4{#/blank#}(variety) stages of completion.

    Nowadays, many stores make cloth shoes{#blank#}5{#/blank#} (use) machines, but Qiang sticks to the technique of making shoes entirely {#blank#}6{#/blank#} hand. She says the shoes {#blank#}7{#/blank#} (produce) by the machine are not of the same quality as handmade ones. The handmade cloth shoes are more durable and comfortable, {#blank#}8{#/blank#}(soft), and absorb sweat better.

    Some people buy cloth shoes out of nostalgia(怀旧), while others trust {#blank#}9{#/blank#}(they) quality. Making shoes isn't a profitable job, but Qiang still insists as she wants to preserve the craft and pass it down to the younger generation.

    Handmade cloth shoes are also called qiancengdi (shoes with a thousand layers), {#blank#}10{#/blank#} can date back to the ancient Zhou Dynasty. In 2009, the making technique of qiancengdi was listed as the national intangible cultural heritage.

    The State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, is {#blank#}1{#/blank#} second-largest art museum in the world after the Louvre, France, both of which are visited by millions of people {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (annual). Hermitage holds not only artistic treasures but also a collection of living history {#blank#}3{#/blank#} well.

    The Hermitage was built as part of the royal Russian family's Winter Palace. Empress Elizabeth had cats brought in {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (rid) the several palace buildings of mice. The cats did their job well and {#blank#}5{#/blank#} (give) homes in the basements of the buildings and the title of Hermitage cats.

    The 74 Hermitage cats live at the museum {#blank#}6{#/blank#} they now lead an extremely {#blank#}7{#/blank#} (comfort) life. A press secretary is in charge of the cats, with three full-time caretakers {#blank#}8{#/blank#} (attend) to their every need. There are even kitchens for preparing meals for the cats because every cat has its own {#blank#}9{#/blank#} (prefer). This may all seem over the top, but Russian and foreign {#blank#}10{#/blank#} (visit) alike love seeing the Hermitage cats while admiring some of the world's greatest artistic treasures.

    One morning, I was waiting at the bus stop, worried about {#blank#}1{#/blank#}(be) late for school. There were many people waiting at the bus stop, {#blank#}2{#/blank#}some of them looked very anxious and {#blank#}3{#/blank#}(disappoint). When the bus finally came, we all hurried on board. I got a place next {#blank#}4{#/blank#}the window, so I had a good view of the sidewalk. A boy on a bike {#blank#}5{#/blank#}(catch) my attention. He was riding beside the bus and waving his arms. I heard a passenger behind me shouting to the driver, but he refused {#blank#}6{#/blank#}(stop) until we reached the next stop. Still, the boy kept {#blank#}7{#/blank#}(ride). He was carrying something over his shoulder and shouting. Finally, when we came to the next stop, the boy ran up to the door of the bus. I heard an excited conversation. Then the driver stood up and asked," {#blank#}8{#/blank#}anyone lose a suitcase at the last stop?" A woman on the bus shouted, "Oh dear! It's {#blank#}9{#/blank#}(I)." She pushed her way to the driver and took the suitcase thankfully. Everyone on the bus began talking about what the boy had done, and the crowd of strangers {#blank#}10{#/blank#}(sudden) became friendly to one another.