China's Tea Villages

    In most Chinese tea villages, March is the time of year in {#blank#}1{#/blank#} locals start to pick and process tea. The usually quiet villages suddenly become busy centers of activity, as people take out special tools and prepare {#blank#}2{#/blank#} tea processing. In some villages, local residents hold traditional ceremonies,{#blank#}3{#/blank#} (thank) heaven for its blessing. The price of tea {#blank#}4{#/blank#}(pick) in March is extremely high because {#blank#}5{#/blank#}is fresh, tender and contains multiple trace elements.

    China {#blank#}6{#/blank#}(be) famous for tea production since ancient times. Of the goods transported and traded along {#blank#}7{#/blank#}Old Silk Road linking China to the Middle East and Europe, the importance of tea was matched only by silk. China produces Oolong, black, green, white, yellow {#blank#}8{#/blank#}dark (aka post-fermented) tea. The Oolong, green and black {#blank#}9{#/blank#}(vary)are most notable for their high quality.

    Most of China's tea villages are found in remote mountainous areas in the country's south and southwest,{#blank#}10{#/blank#} the beautiful scenery is often hidden under clouds.

    The giant vending machine (自动售货机) is a new village shop

Villagers have long been used to facing a drive when they run out of basic supplies. However, help is now nearer at hand in form of the country's first automatic push-button shop. Now residents in the Derbyshire Village of Clifton can buy groceries around the clock after the huge vending was installed outside a pub in the village this week.

    Peter Fox, who is{#blank#}1{#/blank#}electrical engineer, spent two and a half years working on the project. The machine {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (equip) with securing cameras and alarms and looks like a mini shop with a brick front, a grey roof and a display window.

    Mr. Fox said he hoped his invention,{#blank#}3{#/blank#} is set to be installed in other villages in the area over the coming months, will mark a return to convenience shopping for rural communities.

He said:“ I had this idea a few years ago but I couldn't find a manufacture who could deliver what I wanted, so I did it by{#blank#}4{#/blank#} The result is what amounts to huge outdoor vending machine. Yet I think the term “automatic shop” is far {#blank#}5{#/blank#} (appropriate)

    In recent years, the commercial pressure from supermarket chains{#blank#}6{#/blank#} force village shops across the country to close. In 2010, it was estimated that about 400 village shops closed,{#blank#}7{#/blank#} (urge) the local government to give financial support to struggling shops or set-up new communities stores.

    Hundreds of communities have since stepped in and opened up their won volunteer-run shops, but Mr. Fox hopes his new invention will offer a solution{#blank#}8{#/blank#}these villages without a local shop.

    There has been a recent trend in the food service industry toward lower fat content and less salt．This trend，which was started by the medical community（医学界）{#blank#}1{#/blank#} a method of fighting heart disease，has had some unintended side{#blank#}2{#/blank#}（effect） such as overweight and heart disease---the very thing the medical community was trying to fight．

    Fat and salt are very important parts of a diet．They are required{#blank#}3{#/blank#}（process） the food that we eat，to recover from injury and for several other bodily functions．When fat and salt {#blank#}4{#/blank#}（remove） from food，the food tastes as if it is missing something．As{#blank#}5{#/blank#}result，people will eat more food to try to make up for that something missing．Even {#blank#}6{#/blank#}（bad），the amount of fast food that people eat goes up．Fast food{#blank#}7{#/blank#}（be） full of fat and salt； by {#blank#}8{#/blank#} （ eat） more fast food people will get more salt and fat than they need in their diet．

    Having enough fat and salt in your meals will reduce the urge to snack（吃点心） between meals and will improve the taste of your food．However，be {#blank#}9{#/blank#} （care） not to go to extremes．Like anything，it is possible to have too much of both，{#blank#}10{#/blank#} is not good for the health．