“What would you do if you{#blank#}1{#/blank#}(know) this was the last night of the world?” The two small girls{#blank#}2{#/blank#}(play) blocks on the rug when Mr. Johnson asked{#blank#}3{#/blank#}wife the question. There was{#blank#}4{#/blank#}easy, clean smell of fresh coffee in the evening air.

     He put forward that question, stirring his coffee slowly and{#blank#}5{#/blank#}(stare) into its{#blank#}6{#/blank#}(deep). “It's just a feeling; sometimes it{#blank#}7{#/blank#}(fright) me; sometimes I'm not{#blank#}8{#/blank#}(scare){#blank#}9{#/blank#} you. It first happened about four{#blank#}10{#/blank#}(night) ago.”

    As less people choose to make sugar paintings, the traditional Chinese folk craft might have become a {#blank#}1{#/blank#}(distance) memory in some ways. However, a 38-year-old craftsman, Li Jiangzhong, is committed to {#blank#}2{#/blank#}(keep) the art of sugar painting alive.

    Li worked as {#blank#}3{#/blank#}miner for more than ten years. After the mine closed down, Li turned {#blank#}4{#/blank#}housing decoration, until he {#blank#}5{#/blank#}(force) to give that up due to a finger {#blank#}6{#/blank#}(injure). Earlier this year, he discovered sugar painting, something he really had an interest in.

    Since there was no sugar painting craftsman in his village, he studied by {#blank#}7{#/blank#}(he) through large quantities of videos and information on the Internet. He soon mastered the skill and could make a variety of sugar paintings. A sugar painting is made with {#blank#}8{#/blank#}(melt) brown or white sugar. Craftsman {#blank#}9{#/blank#}(normal) paint animals and flowers on a stone board with the syrup（糖浆）. When the sugar cools down,{#blank#}10{#/blank#}appears is a piece of sugar craft.

    As a stranger in Atlantic City, I often used to go walking outside. One afternoon, I found a little boy{#blank#}1{#/blank#} (stand) alone, and he looked very lost. I tried to get his trust, so I{#blank#}2{#/blank#}(buy) him an ice-cream cone and decided to call the police to take him home. I told{#blank#}3{#/blank#} to stay there when I went to the phone booth(电话亭), {#blank#}4{#/blank#} after I returned, he was missing. A few minutes later, {#blank#}5{#/blank#} patrol car arrived. The policeman asked me {#blank#}6{#/blank#} the child was. I felt stupid; {#blank#}7{#/blank#} was embarrassing (难堪的) to say that I had lost a lost child. I told the policeman {#blank#}8{#/blank#} had happened and gave him a {#blank#}9{#/blank#}(describe) of the boy. "What did you treat him with?" he asked. "An ice-cream cone. Why?" "That kid lives only a few blocks {#blank#}10{#/blank#} here, and you're about the fifth stranger he's conned (欺骗) for a treat!"

    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.