The mayor has such a ______ schedule that it takes weeks to arrange an interview with her.

Jane started as an ______ art designer, but now she has a professional studio of her own.

The teaching ______ at the famous high school soon attracted more than a dozen well-qualified applicants.

Designed by a young engineer, the new product has created far more profit than ______ expected.

It has been confirmed that a balanced ______ of fruit and vegetables is a key element to good health.

As a shy boy afraid of making public appearances, Timmy ______ the thought of speaking before large audiences.

To the newly-crowned winner of the piano competition, music is his life’s ______, which he has devoted himself to whole-heartedly.

The drunk driver who shouted at passers-by and ______ them with glass bottles was quickly arrested by the police.

There were so many people at the bus station that I had to ______ my way through the crowd to board the bus in time.

Deadly shootings on US campuses have raised ______ concerns about how to prevent such tragic incidents from happening again.

From the campfire to the café, people have always gathered together to share the latest news. White rhinoceroses, 11, do the same thing—only their choice of meeting place is a giant pile of poop. A new study indicates that rhinos have a smelly way to 12. Scientists studying white rhinos in South Africa have found that these animals leave messages in their poop. In particular, they leave their poop in the same place for all the other members in the group to smell—just like humans leaving messages on social media. Furthermore, different rhinos leave different chemicals in their poop, which provide important 13 about the age, sex, general health, and reproductive conditions of each specific rhino. This is of great significance for the peace and harmony in the group. When all members in a group know what’s going on with each other, it is 14 that they will fight. The researchers have even made “fake poop” to see how different rhinos would react. They find that dominant males are particularly 15 the “fake poop” that carries chemicals from females ready to mate. The males sniff it for longer duration and come back to the same spot more frequently, a clear sign that they are gathering information about mating opportunities from the poop.

The history of dim sum stretches back to the early days of the Silk Road, an ancient network of trade routes connecting the East and the West. Those who traveled along the routes through China needed places to rest. Teahouses thus sprang up to 16 the weary travelers, offering them a cup of tea to help them regain energy. But the culinary art of dim sum 17, for it was considered inappropriate to pair tea with food. Centuries later, the ability of tea to aid in digestion finally became known. Teahouse owners therefore began providing bite-sized snacks as an accompaniment, and the tradition of these Cantonese delicacies was born. Dim sum is more than just an example of Chinese cuisine. It is 18 an enjoyable dining experience that can span hours. The small portions were designed to merely “touch the heart,” as the name literally means, and 19 were first enjoyed as snacks. The small size allows the customer to order a great variety of dishes, creating a banquet of different tastes and flavors. It is customary for big groups to enjoy simple dishes together as 20. Ultimately, dim sum—the food—is only a small part of the dim sum experience.

Are you feeling a little guilty about your daily mid-afternoon snooze? Well, you don’t need to. Taking a nap in the middle of the day is by no means 21. In fact, you are giving your brain and your body some time to recharge and turn up refreshed. Research has shown that napping is linked with brain size and 22; specifically, it can boost our cognition and memory. In our early 20s, our brain starts shrinking, which gradually slows cognition and increases dementia 23 in later life. The brain size of habitual nappers, however, is found to be better preserved. This suggests that napping may significantly 24 age-related brain shrinkage, and thus lower the possibility of developing dementia. Neurologists also confirm that naps can enhance memory and learning. For students cramming for college exams, napping will help 25 acquired knowledge and learned skills. Understanding how to perfect your nap is vital for reaping its benefits. To begin with, you need to find out the ideal length of a nap. Some studies recommend napping for 20 to 40 minutes, while others 26 shorter naps, such as 15 to 20 minutes. The best nap length, however, may 27 a person’s physical condition and fatigue level. For some people, even a five-minute nap can bring about surprisingly 28 benefits. Furthermore, the environment where naps are taken also plays an important role. A dark space with little distraction is ideal for napping. So, find yourself a quiet place with 29 light or with blackout curtains. If you can’t find a dark room, consider wearing a sleep mask. You can also add some soothing nature sounds to create a relaxing 30, which can make your naps more effective.

Smiling is a gesture that many people engage in dozens of times a day without thought. Most people believe that smiling is an expression of good feelings, a simple way to show happiness and friendliness. But does this hold true across time and cultures? 31 In the West, for example, portraits of men and women before the 1700s typically depicted them with a serious, unsmiling expression. The absence of smiles stemmed partly from the attempt to hide their decayed teeth caused by poor dental hygiene. More importantly, smiling and laughter had long been perceived in the society as manifestations of a lack of self-control and good manners. Paintings with white-toothed smiles emerged after the 1700s, with the gradual rise of a culture that valued perception and responsiveness. Recent studies also show that interpretations of smiling may vary from culture to culture. While in most cultures smiling is associated with positive emotions, in certain cultures the same person can be judged as less intelligent when smiling. 32 The amount people smile is culturally influenced as well. People smile more when they are from countries that are high in individualism and low in population. These are often places where the needs and rights of the individual take precedence over those of the group. 33 Newcomers from different parts of the world are found to smile more. Without a shared language, they often resort to smiling to get along with others. For them, smiling is a straightforward way to indicate that one is reliable and trustworthy. 34 As many psychologists now point out, this simple gesture is in fact far more complicated than it may appear.

In March 2022, the Endurance—the lost vessel of the famed polar explorer Ernest Shackleton—was found in Antarctica, 107 years after it sank. The news made headlines around the world, not only for the incredible achievement of the search team, but because the discovery marked the final chapter in a legendary story of extraordinary courage and perseverance. On August 4, 1914, Sir Ernest Shackleton, along with a skilled crew of 27, set sail on the Endurance toward the South Pole, hoping to make the first land crossing over Antarctica. From Plymouth, UK, the team arrived in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and on November 5 reached South Georgia Island, the last settlement of civilization en route to Antarctica. There, the real challenge began. Two days after leaving South Georgia in December, the Endurance encountered floating ice, and was soon completely trapped in pack ice. The worthy vessel held up for nine months, drifting down south slowly and then pushed northward by the ice. Gradually, the pressure from the ice buckled the planks. Freezing water rushed in and exacerbated the situation. On October 27, 1915, Shackleton ordered his crew to abandon the ship, pitching tents on the ice a mile and a half away. Weeks later, they watched the Endurance sink beneath the Weddell Sea. The next five months, the crew camped out on the pack ice as it drifted north, surviving on penguins, seals, and seaweed. Finally, the ice broke up enough for them to escape in lifeboats. For seven days, they sailed more than a hundred miles to the uninhabited Elephant Island. But the crew couldn’t survive long there. So, Shackleton made a dangerous attempt to get help: With five crew members, he sailed 800 miles over 16 days across freezing, stormy seas to South Georgia Island. Then the group hiked for 36 hours across the island to reach a whaling station. Help was almost at hand, but ice and bad weather hindered their return. On August 30, 1916, Shackleton finally got back to Elephant Island with a ship big enough to rescue the rest of his men. All the members of the expedition team survived, but the Endurance remained lost under the sea until its discovery in 2022.

In many old castles in Europe, visitors often find a fantastic spiral staircase, which provides a captivating focal point as it winds up the building. This prominent structure actually has a long and rich heritage. In the Old Testament, reference is made to spiral staircases in the Temple of Solomon, suggesting that they were already in use by around 1,000 BC. The oldest spiral staircase still standing today is at Trajan’s Column in Rome. The staircase was built in 113 AD, with a total of 185 steps carved in stone and marble. Around this time, spiral staircases began to find much wider use in Roman architecture and across Europe. Throughout the Middle Ages, winding staircases became a well-established feature of European castles, mainly for their advantages in helping to defend against attackers. To begin with, these staircases were quite narrow, so attackers would have to ascend one at a time, making it impossible to launch a mass attack. Also, the stairs were designed to turn clockwise upwards. This means that ascenders would have their right hand tight against the narrowest part of the staircases, close to the central pole, and as a result were unable to use their sword effectively. The attackers’ challenge was further complicated by the uneven steps of the staircase, often strategically designed by the castle owners. The defenders, living in the castles, were familiar with the stair pattern and could retreat up them very swiftly; while the attackers were much more likely to stumble and fall, particularly in the dimly lit confines of the staircase. Being associated with medieval castles and kings, spiral staircases gradually won popularity in European architecture, with new materials emerging to cope with customers’ needs. In Victorian times, cast iron spiral staircases were popular for public buildings and homes for the rich. In the latter half of the 20th century, steel frames became cost-effective, and thus affordable for a much wider staircase market. Then, steel spiral staircases as fire escape stairs appeared in many buildings. Today, spiral staircases come in a wide variety of materials: steel, wood, concrete, and recently even glass. The timeless appeal of their classical design makes spiral staircases a much-desired feature in luxury homes, offices, and public buildings nowadays.

Have you ever wondered why north comes at the top of a map? Well, north may seem a natural choice for the top spot today, but that wasn’t always the case. Documents from ancient times indicate that many maps in early ages were pointing to the east, where the sun rose. In ancient India, for example, maps were most likely oriented to the east. Though there is no physical evidence to support this, the word dakshina “south” in Indian languages also means “right,” suggesting that ancient Indians were oriented toward the east, and therefore south was on their right-hand side. Ample evidences from the Old Testament also suggest that east was at the top of maps in pre-Biblical and Biblical eras, a reason why east is still referred to as the “Orient” today. In the oldest surviving maps, south is at the top, and north points down. Early Egyptian maps showed south on top, most likely because the Nile, vital to Egyptian livelihood, originated in the south. As rivers were believed to flow downward, “up” was therefore south. Map makers in Arabia also drew maps with south on top since the earliest Muslims lived north of Mecca, and a south-oriented map would show the followers looking up toward their holy city. The preference for north arose during the European age of exploration. At the time, sailors relied on the North Star to find their way across the Mediterranean and later the Atlantic. By the 16th century, when Europe’s search for trading routes was at its peak, maps became Eurocentric, with north on top. The expansion of European imperialism in the following centuries further established the “north up” practice as the standard. Today, map orientation is taking on a new perspective. In perhaps our most common interaction with maps—the use of GPS systems on our phones and in our cars, directions have ceased to be as important. The layouts are dynamic, oriented toward our travel path. So, perhaps the north-on-top practice is less a rule and more a blip. After centuries of technological advancements, it seems we’ve ended up right where we began in ancient times: with ourselves in the middle, and our destinations at the top.

Located along the sparkling coastline of the Pacific Ocean, Wonder Village is a famous indigenous district in eastern Taiwan. The historic village exhibits the traditional way of life of the tribe there. However, it does not live in the past. As numerous new restaurants and shops have sprung up in recent years, it has become not only a cultural center but also a unique commercial zone. The following six shops are examples of some of the specialty stores there. A. Oh Eco Greatly concerned about the presence of fake “green” products on the market, Alice Bao decided to open this shop. She sells environmentally friendly items such as reusable bottles, bamboo toothbrushes, and soy candles. “Here everyone looks out for each other and the neighborhood,” she says. “There’s a sense of community in the area.” B. After Work Neighborhood beer lovers rejoiced when After Work moved in last summer. “We knew we were coming into a really cool neighborhood,” says co-owner Joey Ma. Aside from handcrafted beer, the menu boasts hand-made gourmet pizzas such as the Yummy Duck n’ Cheese, loaded with roast duck and, yes, creamy delicious cheese. A truly unique blend! C. Aroma Paradise The fragrances at this scent shop are largely customized to meet the individual shopper’s taste. Owner Joseph Tang says he knew the idea would work well in this unique district: “Each store is one of a kind in Wonder Village,” he states. “Aroma Paradise wants to create a paradise for those who are looking for fragrance made for their special preferences.” D. Something Different Looking for something unique? Yes, at this tiny antique store you can always find, as promised, something different. Open since 1996, the store features traditional-style home accessories, ranging from cabinets and chairs to picture frames and decorative mirrors. E. Beyond World Owner Foting Mayaw opened this boutique in what he calls “the most fascinating area in Taiwan.” The shop focuses on selling various “good goods” that showcase the skill and spirit of neighborhood artisans. From fashion items to rice snacks, it carries products only from local makers and small businesses owned by indigenous people. F. The Pinery This restaurant got its name from the pineapple farms that once populated the area. Indeed, the fruit appears in some innovative menu items (e.g., pineapple jam on the burger). “Wonder Village is much more than just a tourist destination,” says owner Carol Hon. “It is a place where the old meets the new: diverse, unique, and always full of surprises.”

中譯英：將以下中文句子譯成正確、通順、達意的英文。（4分） 現在越來越多高中英文老師已經增加在課堂上使用英文的百分比。

中譯英：將以下中文句子譯成正確、通順、達意的英文。（4分） 他們將學生依英語能力分成不同組別，進行多樣的聽、說活動。

依提示寫一篇英文作文，文長至少120個單詞（words）。 近年來養寵物的風氣在臺灣日漸普遍，而寵物在人們生活中的角色也與過去不同。請以此為主題，並參照下列圖片，寫一篇英文作文，文分兩段。第一段描述這些圖片中所呈現的現象；第二段則根據你自身的經驗或觀察，說明此現象的原因以及可能的影響。