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 a miner for more than ten years. After {#blank#}3{#/blank#} mine closed down, Li turned{#blank#}4{#/blank#} housing decoration, until he {#blank#}5{#/blank#}(force) to give that up due to a finger injury. 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#}6{#/blank#}(he) through large quantities of videos and information on the Internet. Li loved painting when he was young, and he found it easy to learn the skill in sugar painting. He soon mastered the skill and could make a {#blank#}7{#/blank#}(vary) 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 art.

    According to a recent study, plants are able to make intelligent decisions. They are a lot{#blank#}1{#/blank#}(smart) than we thought. Scientists have discovered that the pea plant can make decisions on how{#blank#}2{#/blank#} (survive) best, even though it does not have a brain. Researchers grew several pea plants that had their roots {#blank#}3{#/blank#} (separate) between two pots. Each pot contained different amount of nutrients. One pot always had the same amount{#blank#}4{#/blank#}the other pot varied between a lot and a little. The plants turned out to be{#blank#}5{#/blank#} (amaze) consistent（一致的）at turning their roots to the pot with the most nutrients.

    Researcher Alex Kacelnik says the experiment raises a question, not about plants{#blank#}6{#/blank#} about animals and humans. He wonders whether the pea plant is more efficient in using its limited resources about {#blank#}7{#/blank#}(make) decisions than humans. He says, “We have a very wonderful brain, but maybe most of the time we're not using {#blank#}8{#/blank#}” Professor Kacelnik does not think that pea plants are intelligent in the human sense, but that they exhibit complex{#blank#}9{#/blank#} (behave) to efficiently take advantage of natural opportunities. It will be interesting to see how our lives would be different if we{#blank#}10{#/blank#} (adopt) similar strategies.

    Two brothers, Herbert and James, lived together with a cat named Edgar.

    James {#blank#}1{#/blank#} (be) particularly devoted to the cat, and when he had to leave town for several days, he left Herbert careful {#blank#}2{#/blank#}(instruct) about the cat's care.{#blank#}3{#/blank#} the end of his first day away, James telephoned his brother ,“How is Edgar ?”He asked.

    “Edgar is {#blank#}4{#/blank#}(die),” Herbert answered. Then James said, “Herbert, you're insensitive(漠不关心的). You know{#blank#}5{#/blank#} close I was to Edgar. You should have broken the news to me {#blank#}6{#/blank#}(slow). When I asked about Edgar tonight, you should have said, 'Edgar's on the roof, but I have called the first department {#blank#}7{#/blank#} (get) him down.' And tomorrow when I called, you could have said the firemen were having trouble{#blank#}8{#/blank#} (take) the pet down, but you were hopeful they would succeed. Then when I called the third time, you could have told me that the firemen have done their{#blank#}9{#/blank#} (good), but unfortunately Edgar had fallen off the roof and was at the vet's(兽医站). Then when I called the last time, you could have said that {#blank#}10{#/blank#} everything possible had been done for Edgar, he had died. That's the way you should have told me about Edgar.”

    The Han people have its own spoken and written language-Chinese. Chinese belongs to the Han-Tibetan language family. It is the {#blank#}1{#/blank#} (common) used language in China and among the largest languages in the world.

    Written Chinese came out in {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (it) earliest form approximately 6,000 years ago. The Chinese characters {#blank#}3{#/blank#} (use) today, also called “Hanzi”, developed from those used in bones and tortoise shells more than 3,000 years ago. There are about 56,000 characters, of which only about 3,000 are in common use.

    Mandarin is a category (种类) of Chinese {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (dialect) spoken across most of northern and {#blank#}5{#/blank#} (southwest) China. The term “Mandarin” can also refer to Standard Mandarin, which {#blank#}6{#/blank#} (base) on the Mandarin dialect spoken in Beijing. It is officially considered to be the standard for the People's Republic of China.

    Why do most non-Chinese speakers choose to learn standard Mandarin Chinese? Mandarin is understood by most Chinese people. As mentioned above, it is China's national language. {#blank#}7{#/blank#} you are interested in basic communication, scholarly research, or {#blank#}8{#/blank#} (pursue) a career in China, standard Mandarin is {#blank#}9{#/blank#} necessary tool for communication. And it often serves {#blank#}10{#/blank#} a bridge for communication.

    I believe doing good deeds can bring me happiness. I've been making breastpins (胸针) and gifting them to everyone possible and if you ask me why I do it, it's because {#blank#}1{#/blank#} the joy which just bursts forth from my inner heart. The smile that lights up at the sight of the breastpin is worth anything you'd wish for and it goes much {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (far). From that moment on, there's a {#blank#}3{#/blank#} (connect) between gifting breastpins and happiness.

    We exchange warm hugs, smiles and a million “thank you”. This hobby that has so at- traded me has opened my heart and brought me out of my cocoon (茧). Now, I don't mind {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (start) a conversation with a stranger, wishing him or her well and gifting a breastpin because I know that this little piece of art will do {#blank#}5{#/blank#} (it) magic of breaking all barriers. We unite and share many {#blank#}6{#/blank#} (story). And next time our paths cross, we greet {#blank#}7{#/blank#} smile, which is enough {#blank#}8{#/blank#} (brighten) the day.

    This morning, I received {#blank#}9{#/blank#} heart-warming post on Instagram (照片墙) from a friend who I {#blank#}10{#/blank#} (give) a blue and white spotted breastpin before. She shared it along with the shells collected from the beach. She loved sea shells and the colors blue and white. So, here's why I make breastpins.