On a table at his home in Rosetta, a port city in 【小题1】 (north) Egypt, self-taught artist Ibrahim Bilal displayed a variety of his signature mini sculptures 【小题2】 (make) with pencil tips.

With about 80 works 【小题3】 (feature) landmarks and famous people in Egypt and beyond, 【小题4】 30-year-old artist said he 【小题5】 (inspire) four years ago to thoroughly grasp the art form after watching videos of a Chinese artist carving pencil lead(铅笔芯) into sculptures.

Fond of ancient Egyptian icons(图标), Bilal dedicated one of his earliest works to the world-famous Rosetta Stone, an ancient Egyptian relic 【小题6】 (accidental) discovered in his city and has been kept in the British Museum.

Bilal uses a microscope for an enlarged view, a set of pen cutters or carving detail 【小题7】 (knife), and quality pencils 【小题8】 are mostly made in Germany or China while working. Through his hands, landmarks across the globe, including the Leaning Tower of Pisa in Italy, appear on the pencil tips. The size of each sculpture is no more 【小题9】 6 mm unless it is a tower. And each takes an average of 10 hours 【小题10】 (finish).

He thought that he would be able to get the job 【小题1】 he had been the first in the 【小题2】(examination) for four consecutive years in college, but his teacher advised him not to count his chicken before they were hatched. He should try his best. On the day of interview, seeing the 【小题3】(excite) candidates queuing outside of the company, he was worried about his chance. But 【小题4】(lucky), he made it.

I come into work at eight o'clock, and the first thing I take is 【小题1】 (collect) my keys. Then I go down to the common room, 【小题2】 I sweep and then mop the floor. I also help at the canteen making teas and coffee, Then I usually sweep the stairs and mop them again. I leave at two o'clock.

What 【小题3】 (particular) hate is having to be at work at a certain time and leave at a certain time. I also hate 【小题4】 when there are cigarettes and dirty tissues all over the floor. I think there’s nothing 【小题5】 (comfortable) than having to pick up a dirty tissue that someone has used or cigarette ends that were in other people’s mouths. If I were to get 【小题6】 (pay) for every cigarette end I pick up, I 【小题7】 (be) a rich lady.

What I like about my job is I am free and I work 【小题8】 my own. I find the students very 【小题9】 (friend). They often come and talk to me at break or in their spare time, and they tell me all about their 【小题10】 (country), which I think is very interesting.