A
In the Sui Dynasty, a terrible flood happened on the Xiao River outside Zhaozhou County. The flood brought down a large stone bridge. People rebuilt (重建) the bridge many 1.
times
(time), but it was still 2.
washed
(wash) away over and over again. "What's wrong with it?" Li Chun, the most famous engineer at that time, asked 3.
himself
(he). He kept 4.
working
(work) day and night and found out that the stone supports (支柱) couldn't stand the force of the flood.
One day, an idea 5.
came
(come) into his mind! He thought of 6.
building
(build) bow-shaped arches (拱) instead of stone supports. When 7.
floods
(flood) came, the water would run through the small arches, having little influence on the bridge. He was 8.
excited
(excite) about the idea.
A new Zhaozhou Bridge was built. It was 9.
safe
(safely) and beautiful. Local people were glad that they could 10.
finally
(final) work out the problem. Now, this great stone bridge with a history of over 1,400 years becomes an example of China's arched bridges.
B
The Himalayan Mountains have the third 1.
largest
(large) glaciers (冰川) in the world. But now the first study of this place shows that it lost 2.
tons
(ton) of ice from 2000 to 2016. "This is the first overall look at what has exactly happened to glaciers in the Himalayas over a 40-year time," says the lead writer Joshua Maurer.
"Our study shows a huge glacier ice loss because of the 3.
rising
(rise) temperatures from climate change," Maurer says. "4.
Nearly
(near) a quarter of the area's ice has been lost over the last 40 years. Temperatures in the area have risen 1 ℃ 5.
higher
(high) than those from 1975 to 2000, and one degree is enough 6.
to produce
(produce) such a huge loss."
The ice and snow in the area are the head of Asia's great rivers. The study does not include the high mountains nearby, but other studies 7.
suggest
(suggest) that similar melting is going on there as well.
In May 2012, one such flood killed over 60 people in villages near Pokhara, Nepal. It also pulled down houses in these villages. Besides, around 800 million people depend on rivers from Himalayan glaciers for farming, drinking water and 8.
making
(make) electricity. The melting 9.
will increase
(increase) the river water during warm seasons, but scientists say that the river water will become much 10.
less
(little) in a few years as the glaciers lose rapidly.
C 核心素养 社会主义先进文化
March is the month to learn from Lei Feng in China, and the 1.
fifth
(five) day of March is set by our country as Learn From Lei Feng Day. Lei Feng is probably one of the 2.
most famous
(famous) soldiers in China. He always thought more about others than 3.
himself
(he). He often spent his spare time and money 4.
helping
(help) people in need. After he died in 1962, people found his diary and learned about him. He is regarded as a symbol of the giving spirit.
Today the "Lei Feng spirit" still 5.
encourages
(encourage) Chinese people to do volunteer work. The Youth Team is one of the volunteer 6.
groups
(group) that worked at the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou. These young volunteers worked for 16 days and offered selfless service to the players from all over Asia. It is not an easy job 7.
to work
(work) as a volunteer. Liu Jun, one of the volunteers, designed the routes (路线) to help people get in and out of the venue (场馆) more easily and 8.
safely
(safe). Other volunteers helped clear the stadiums. They needed to know all about the venues. They also kept in mind the history and stories behind them to better show the 9.
beauty
(beautiful) of Hangzhou to guests. "People say 10.
volunteering
(volunteer) is about giving, but in the past two weeks I have learned a lot through being a volunteer—the honour and the praise, as well as the growing personal skills," said a volunteer.
D
