As a child growing up 【小题1】 England, James Reynolds was always excited by thunderstorms. Now, he runs straight towards them as a “storm chaser”. Specialising in hurricanes and volcanoes, Reynolds travels the world to shoot pictures of Earth’s most extreme weather events. The pictures are used by TV news channels around the world. It’s a 【小题2】(danger) job though. He has almost been hit by flying window frames twice in the past 18 【小题3】(month). However, he says the chase is always worth it for the places he has been to and the brilliant people he has met along the way.

Sixteen-year-old Jena Yue has been busy this summer organizing and holding painting workshops for seniors, with the help 【小题1】 some of her high school friends.

The West Vancouver teen came up with the workshops to help seniors and youth connect through art.

“I 【小题2】 (begin) painting a lot more when COVID-19 hit, because when you can’t go outside, what else can you do? So I thought we could bring that to other people,” said Yue.

For residents (居民) Lise and Ellis Brayham, it’s a way 【小题3】 (develop) a hobby they both enjoy. “We’ve been painting for 20 years less and less as the years go by,” explained Ellis, “It’s fun but the hands aren’t as steady (稳的) 【小题4】 they used to be.”

In total, three workshops have been held at Amica, West Vancouver, a seniors’ living residence, with 【小题5】 (plan) to add more dates and locations in the months to come. The art supplies (用品) are 【小题6】 (main) provided by the residence while the teens volunteer their time and plan the lesson.

“Residents were really 【小题7】 (excite) and they were looking forward to new skills to learn,” said Ava Butalid the residences life enrichment assistant.

Yue thinks the learning is mutual (相互的).

“While 【小题8】 (teach) seniors how to paint, we’re also learning so much. Last workshop, we learned about a resident from Germany, 【小题9】 was a nurse and told me her life story. So it is also great for 【小题10】 (we) to talk with some seniors and hear stories from a time before we were even born.”

The art of paper-cutting (剪纸) in China may date back to the second century, since paper 【小题1】 (invent) by Cai Lun in the Eastern Han Dynasty in China. As paper became more affordable, paper-cutting became one of the most important types of Chinese folk art. Later, with different regions 【小题2】 (adopt) their own cultural styles, this art form spread to other parts of the world. 【小题3】 (usual), the artworks are made of red paper. as red is associated with 【小题4】 (happy) in Chinese culture, but other colors are also used.

With 【小题5】 (it) long history, paper-cutting, 【小题6】 originated in China, has been very popular among the ordinary Chinese people. People put up paper cuts on walls, windows and doors at wedding ceremonies or festivals 【小题7】 (make) the cheerful atmosphere (氛围).

Chinese paper cuts are rich 【小题8】 content. The auspicious (吉祥的) designs symbolize (象征) good luck and the avoidance of evil. The child, lotus and bat designs suggest a family with 【小题9】 large number of children and grandchildren. Birds, livestock, fruit, fish and worms are also familiar objects 【小题10】 (accept) by Chinese farmers. In a word, paper cuts used in different occasions have different meanings.