The Dragon Boat Festival is one of the most significant traditional festivals. It{#blank#}1{#/blank#}(celebrate) on the fifth month according to the Chinese calendar.

    The festival is said to be{#blank#}2{#/blank#}honour of Qu Yuan, a great poet who tried all his best to help his own country but failed and committed suicide by drowning himself in Miluo River. The folks respected and loved him so much{#blank#}3{#/blank#}they threw zongzi into the river{#blank#}4{#/blank#}(prevent) fish from eating his body. Later it became a custom for people to eat zongzi and watch dragon boat races on that day.

    To advance and enrich the fine cultural heritage of the nation, the Dragon Boat Festival has been an{#blank#}5{#/blank#}(office) public holiday in our country since 2008.

Why Does Rain Smell So Good?

    Do you love the smell of rain? If so, you're not alone.

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#}(actual), some scientists believe that people got their love for the smell of rain from {#blank#}2{#/blank#}(ancestor), who relied on wet weather for their survival.

    But what makes rain smell so nice? There are several smells associated with rainfall that people find pleasing.

    One of these smells {#blank#}3{#/blank#}(call) “petrichor（尘土的味道）.” Petrichor, a term created in 1964 by two Australian scientists studying the smells of {#blank#}4{#/blank#}(rain) weather, comes from some chemical reactions.

    During dry periods some plants produce oils, and when it rains, these oils go into the air. Another reaction occurs when chemicals {#blank#}5{#/blank#}(produce) by some bacteria are sent out. All of these chemicals combine to create the pleasant particular smell when rain hits {#blank#}6{#/blank#} ground.

    Another smell associated with rain is ozone（臭氧）. During a thunderstorm, lightning can split oxygen and another gad and {#blank#}7{#/blank#}(it) in turn can combine into a new substance. This substance reacts with other chemicals to form ozone, {#blank#}8{#/blank#} has a sharp smell.

    When someone says he can smell rain coming, it may be that wind from an {#blank#}9{#/blank#}(approach) storm has carried ozone down from the clouds and {#blank#}10{#/blank#} the man's nose.

    Born on June 12, 1929, Anne Frank was a German-Jewish teenager {#blank#}1{#/blank#}was forced to go into hiding during the Holocaust (大屠杀). She and her family, along with four others,{#blank#}2{#/blank#}(spend ) over two years during World War Ⅱ{#blank#}3{#/blank#}( hide) in another part of rooms above her father's office in Amsterdam.

    Since it was first published in 1947 , Anne Frank's diary has become one of the{#blank#}4{#/blank#}(powerful) memoirs（回忆录）of the Holocaust.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}( it) message of courage and hope in the face of difficulty has reached millions. The diary has been translated into more than 60 languages with over 30 million copies{#blank#}6{#/blank#}(sell). Anne Frank's story is especially{#blank#}7{#/blank#}( meaning) to young people today. For many she is their first exposure(接触) to the history of the Holocaust.

    After being reported to the Nazis, Anne, her  family, and {#blank#}8{#/blank#}others living with them were arrested (逮捕) and sent to Nazi concentration camps. In March of 1945, several{#blank#}9{#/blank#}(month) after she was arrested, Anne Frank died. She was fifteen years old.

    Her courage and legacy live on, and she is frequently regarded {#blank#}10{#/blank#}a role model for today.

    The word Nushu literally means "women's writing" in Chinese: As the name suggests, Nushu is created and specially used by women.

    Often {#blank#}1{#/blank#}（call） "the world's only surviving characters for women", these slim words were developed from standard written Chinese. In the old days, Nushu {#blank#}2{#/blank#}（teach）by elderly women to girls at home because female children weren't allowed {#blank#}3{#/blank#}（attend）formal school. During gatherings in villages, women used the characters to write poems or song lyrics to express their emotions {#blank#}4{#/blank#} were hidden from men. The words were full {#blank#}5{#/blank#} encouragement and positive energy, and showed an uncommon open-mindedness among women at that time.

    Ji Xianlin once said that Nushu is a feminist（女权主义者）symbol. "It's {#blank#}6{#/blank#} unique writing system created by {#blank#}7{#/blank#}（talent）women who were deprived（剥夺）of the right to education," he wrote in an article. "It has significance in various {#blank#}8{#/blank#}（field）and represents Chinese people's strong spirit."

    Nushu was made as a national cultural heritage in 2006. However, it is not {#blank#}9{#/blank#}（wide）used in daily life today. In fact, it is a dying language. Now linguists are taking action to prevent this incredible cultural heritage from {#blank#}10{#/blank#}（disappear）.

    The information I {#blank#}1{#/blank#}(collect) over the last few years leads me to believe that speed reading may be less {#blank#}2{#/blank#}(use) than most people think. The claim that you can read and comprehend over 30,000 words per minute is overstated. One researcher proved this in a study where irrelevant and illogical sentences were added to a text. The “speed readers” {#blank#}3{#/blank#} were tested didn't notice the irrelevant lines — the non-speed readers spotted them immediately.

    I've interviewed people who have attended the introductory sessions {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (offer) by some speed reading courses. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} (them) stories indicate that improper methods are sometimes used to sell the courses. Here's how: First, you're asked to read a passage from a book {#blank#}6{#/blank#} which most persons would be unfamiliar. Your reading speed and comprehension are tested during this exercise. Then, after about half {#blank#}7{#/blank#} hour of instruction, another reading test is given. But this time the reading is one most educated Americans know well — such as Huckleberry Finn. Not {#blank#}8{#/blank#} (surprising), persons attending these introductory sessions find that their “exit” speed and comprehension are better than their “entry”{#blank#}9{#/blank#} (perform).

    I'm one of the fiction readers who appreciate the beauty in good writing. Occasionally I'll read a passage or sentence over and over just {#blank#}10{#/blank#} (let) the beauty of its construction soak(参透) in. Good writing must be read carefully and thoughtfully to be fully appreciated.