OPEN CLOSE

1. Bilbao

anniversary
This year sees Bilbao celebrating the 20th (1)   of the Guggenheim museum. This is an institution that
which
brought art and its lovers to the north coast city. It also started an urban relaunch in (2)   its industrial
past was overlaid with fluttering palms, promenades and a proliferation of wonky, asymmetric, eye-popping
glass and steel buildings by many of the world's best architects. Thankfully, Bilbao's old Basque soul remains
intact
(3)  . The additions enhance the old city, and tourism hasn't disrupted the enviable lifestyle of its
inhabitants. Here, lifelong friendships, culture, pintxos (Basque tapas), and the spirit of football loom
large into
(4)  . Tucked (5)   green and mountainous countryside, the city flanks the Nervion river.
within
There's a string of beaches (6)   the metropolitan area, reachable by metro trains. A good way to get
grips
to (7)   with the city centre is to walk for half an hour along the Nervion's left bank from San Mames,
home
past the Guggenheim to La Merced bridge. San Mames is the (8)   of Athletic Club Bilbao.

The Herald
2. Jenever

affair
All hail jenever - the precursor to gin that began the British love (1)   with juniper-infused hooch. The
brought
nectar was (2)   to England by mercenaries from the Low Countries in the 17th century. For a blast of
jenever pleasure today, head one hour by train east of Brussels to Hasselt, which hosts Belgium's national
every
jenever festival (3)   October. Hasselt's status as Belgium's jenever capital explains the presence of
still
the Nationaal Jenever museum. It is housed in a beautifully restored and (4)   active 19th-century
distillery on Witte Nonnenstraat. During Jenever Feesten there is a bronze fountain on Maastrichterstraat, from
which
(5)   jenever flows instead of water. If you're struggling to find it, ask anyone for The Barrel Man, but
turn around
you'll have to wait your (6)  . A jenever tram glides (7)   town; marching bands play as
waiters race with laden trays to win their own weight in jenever. Street corner pop-up bars tempt visitors with
across
jenevers from (8)   Flanders.

3. The Arctic Tern

 part
The arctic tern is a water-loving bird that hatches during summer in the Arctic, the northernmost (1)   
of the Northern Hemisphere. During the unbearably cold, dark arctic winter, the arctic tern flies south,
circle
following the summer season all the way to the Antarctic (2)   on the other side of the Earth. Because
distance
arctic terns do not fly in a straight line, the (3)   they fly every year is even longer than the
makes
approximately 30,000-kilometer from pole to pole. This (4)   the arctic tern's migration one of the
what
longest of any animal on Earth. Like a lot of other birds, fish is (5)   arctic terns eat. They catch fish
over
by gliding (6)   the ocean, then plunging their feet or beaks in the water to skim fish near the surface.
other
Rarely, arctic terns will snatch flies or (7)   insects out of the air, but they prefer fish and other marine
which
creatures, such as shrimp. Arctic terns have beaks and webbed feet, both of (8)   are almost the same
shade of tomato-red. They have gray-white bodies and a head of jet-black feathers, which looks almost like a
baseball cap.

4. Tangier Island

A three-mile-long fishhook-shaped piece of land in the middle of Chesapeake Bay, Tangier Island has always
apart
been a community set (1)   from the mainland. Some people believe that Tangier is an island on
which
(2)   people have lived since 1686. Probably the most striking example of their heritage is the
way out
islanders' unique (3)   of speaking. What stands (4)   most about Tangier residents' speech
meanings
is their unusual pronunciation of common English words. Their (5)   of words and expressions are
only understood by islanders. In addition, residents employ a curious way of communicating that they
refer
(6)   to as talking backwards. Some writers and scholars have said the natives of Tangier speak an old
back
form of English that goes (7)   to the time of Queen Elizabeth I. They have a lot of idiomatic
expressions, but the vowel system is quite different. The islanders pronounce their vowels louder and longer,
by
which causes common words to sound different when uttered (8)   Tangier natives.

National Geographic
5. The Dyerville Giant

fell
The Dyerville Giant (1)   to earth in 1991. The Dyerville Giant was a 113-meter coast redwood tree,
taller than the Statue of Liberty, in Humboldt Redwoods State Park, California. The crash was so loud that
 accident
people in the closest towns thought it was the noise of a big train (2)  . The redwood's fall moved the
what
earth so much that it (3)   on a nearby seismograph. This is a device with (4)   scientist
measure earthquakes. The park's redwood trees are called coast redwoods, and their range stretches
along
(5)   the coast of California from Big Sur in the south to the Oregon border in the north. There are
different
two (6)   types of redwood trees in the world: China's dawn redwood and California's giant sequoia.

The previous record-holder was the Stratosphere Tree, which knew the Redwoods State Park as (7)  .
One of Humboldt Redwoods State Park's finest features is the 2,833-hectare Rockefeller Forest. This is a
never
collection of redwoods that were (8)   cut down by the area's logging companies.
6. Hurricane Ike

into
Hurricane Ike slammed (1)   the north end of Galveston Island, Texas, on Sept. 13, 2008. The 177
which
kilometer-per-hour winds with (2)   it made landfall were lethal. As a consequence, thousands of

residents were (3)   from their homes. An estimated 2.6 million people in Texas and Louisiana lost
supplies ready
electrical (4)  . Luckily, the American Red Cross was (5)   for the storm. This was due in
part
no small (6)   to the emergency response organization's use of GIS technology. For the American Red
is
Cross, which has provided relief for those affected by disasters since its formation in 1881, that (7)   
path
adding vital data to maps. This data includes the (8)   of a hurricane and the boundaries of various
Red Cross chapters.

National Geographic

7. The Monarch Butterfly

preparing
It's early November, and Pacific Grove is (1)   for thousands of visitors. This small community calls
itself held
(2)   Butterfly Town, USA. Sitting on California's Monterey Peninsula, it has already (3)   
up
its annual Butterfly Parade. This is when local schoolchildren dress (4)   like the insect. Currently,
past a sign announcing Caution: Butterfly Zone and adjacent to the Butterfly Grove Inn, the Monarch Grove
spend
Sanctuary is hosting approximately 1,000 monarch butterflies that have arrived early to (5)   their
winter in this 2.4-acre site. A volunteer butterfly docent for the Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History, Jack
 nearby
Beigle helps human visitors spot the monarchs clustered on a stand of (6)   eucalyptus trees. The

temperature, due to (7)   the monarch butterflies come to california can be get up to 30 degrees. The
along
butterflies will stay (8)   the coast from November through February.

National Geographic
8. The Humpback Whale

With a barrel-shaped body and pectoral fins protruding like oversized wings, the humpback whale is not built
reach
for (1)  . It can (2)   lengths of 50 feet. Furthermore, it is known for its impressively long
between
travels (3)   warm-water breeding grounds in the winter and cold-water feeding grounds during the
summer. Some humpback whales have been known to migrate from the Antarctic Peninsula all the
way
(4)   to the tropical waters off Costa Rica. Although humpbacks were once hunted to near extinction,
species
since achieving federal endangered (5)   status their population has rebounded. They are found in
over which
oceans all (6)   the world. There are two groups, both of (7)   head to warmer waters for
raising
breeding during the winter. They stay there for the summer (8)   their young. The Northern
Hemisphere populations reside in the North Atlantic Ocean and the North Pacific Ocean. The southern group
spends its time feeding off the coast of Antarctica.

National Geographic
9. Cara blanca

Located in Belize's lowlands are 23 freshwater pools that resemble jewels embedded in the region's lush jungle.
had
When Dr. Lisa J. Lucero was shown the pools in 1997, she wondered why no (1)   Maya settlements
been found here in Cara Blanca, which appears to be ideal for human habitation. It has decent soils nearby and
lot
year-round water, yet not a (2)   of settlement. Maya civilization was based in southern Mexico and
from
northern Central America (3)   600 BCE to 900 CE. Lucero is an expert in Maya civilization and has
some why
written books on Maya history and (4)   of water resources. Lucero has a theory on (5)   the
no
jungle at Cara Blanca is not littered with Maya ruins. While there are (6)   iconic settlements in the
region, Cara Blanca is notable for pockets of cenotes, which are large sinkholes filled with groundwater. Lucero
few
thinks the presence of a (7)   Maya ceremonial structures near the pools might mean the area was of
particular importance to the ancient civilisation. In Maya society, water bodies and caves are considered sacred,
which
from (8)   the dead get to Xibalba , the underworld.

National geographic
10. Sweetcorn

Plant breeders are capable of amazing (1)  . Take sweetcorn: since the early 20th century new

techniques have been able to jack (2)   the sugar content of this staple veg by an astonishing tenfold.
which
This created supersweet varieties, the kernels of (3)   are approaching 50% pure sucrose. Yet corn has
flavours
so much (4)   to offer than intense, one-dimensional sweetness. There's a new generation of equally
delicious savoury corn varieties with different flavours, dazzling colours and even superior performance in the
time based
garden. And it's high (5)   we gave them a go. The ubiquitous supersweet varieties are (6)   
comes
on a single genetic mutation. This means that the intense sweetness of these varieties (7)   at a price
lack
for gardeners. Their (8)   of energy reserves means they have lower germination rates and are more
susceptible to fungal and bacterial infections, particularly in cold, wet climates like the UK.

The Guardian
11. Spices

coming
Spices tend to have an image of (1)   from hot exotic lands, but Mark Williams of Galloway Wild
Foods, in Scotland, forages wild native plants for spices and actually makes curry from them. One of the
related
strongest curry tastes is spignel, a plant (2)   to carrots. It's pleasantly scented with clusters of tiny
white flower heads and dark green feathery leaves, and the seeds taste of curry. For a real kick, the spear-like
first
leaves of water pepper give a burning chilli heat, although it's deceptive at (3)   before the burning
grows
sensation comes out. The plant looks a bit like dock and (4)   in wet fields, bogs and swampy
riversides. For an intense peppery taste, try pepper dulse seaweed, a remarkable little reddy-brown seaweed
with fern-like fronds that clings to rocks and is revealed at low tide. In spring, the scent of wild garlic wafts
appearance
through woodlands, and the glossy green leaves make a good (5)   for genuine garlic. An even
more found
(6)   fiery mustardy bite comes from sea rocket. This is sometimes (7)   growing at the top
them
of sandy beaches. Flowers can also be interesting, many of (8)   have very interesting flavours. A
surprisingly gingery tang comes from magnolia petals, and gorse flowers have an amazing coconut flavour in
spring and early summer.
 12. Therapy

Britain's therapists have been busy over the past six months. In the weeks that followed the EU referendum,
up express
there was barely a client who didn't kick (1)   with Brexit. Some wanted to (2)   feelings of
disenfranchisement and anger. Others, who had struggled with feeling excluded or rejected in the past, felt
rang which
alarm bells (3)   again. The conversations, all of (4)   take place in the consulting room, are
critically different from the kind you might have with a neighbour, friend or relative. Sigmund Freud was the
put
first to argue that a therapist needed to be a (5)   slate. This enabled a client to (6)   their
feelings onto them, a process called transference. Online searches and social media mean clients can now
practical turned
unearth a myriad of (7)   details about their therapist. This has (8)   some clients into quasi-
stalkers.

The Guardian
Check
13. Memory

One of the most quietly unsettling findings in psychology, for my money, is 'verbal overshadowing' - a weird
wonder
fact about memory that's liable to make you (1)   if anything you believe about your life is really true.
The finding is this: putting your experiences into words makes you less likely to recall them accurately. If you
see
were to (2)   a mugging, say, then scribble a record of what you'd seen, you'd be more prone to
misremember than if you'd written nothing. Or think of all those ridiculous things your boss said, some of
which
(3)   you've told friends about. Maybe how you felt when you heard the presidential election result, or
went
what it was like when you (4)   into labour. In all (5)  , none of those conversations fixed
the experience more vividly in memory. They probably distorted them, so your recollections may
show
(6)   little resemblance to the truth. This has consequences far graver than the accuracy of your
wrongly
anecdotes: Elizabeth Loftus, a leading researcher of verbal overshadowing, advocates for those (7)   
convicted as a result. It's a horrible irony: in trials we need eyewitnesses to give statements. Yet the
act
(8)   of giving a statement undermines your value as an eyewitness.

The Guardian
14. Matrimony
 anything
It isn't like the films I watched as a child. The saying 'yes'part was easy. It is (1)   else that worries
on
me. Did we do the right thing? We are so young: I'm 24; he is 23. What if we meet other people (2)   
be
the way? Our opposing views and playful bickering is exciting now, but will it (3)   thin as we grow
older? We look at our friends who date casually and still live with their parents, and we question our decision to
go
(4)   into our own place so quickly. We spend our days rowing over the washing-up, we argue in front
of family members, and he turns up late when he has spent the previous evening out with his friends. I
rationalise that it is because we are growing up together and this comes with its trials; but does this happen to
any
everyone? There's also the issue of expectation. We don't want children (5)   time soon. I have a
income
demanding career and not a lot of disposable (6)   to support myself, let alone a child. But now there
us
are questions people seem to ask us, all of (7)   are very burdensome. 'When will you have kids? You
focus
know, you're married now, get them out of the way when you're young.' Why does society (8)   on
that pressure?

The Guardian
15. Plastic

Last summer Adidas released a good-looking trainer with uppers made using plastic recovered from the ocean.
carry
We can (1)   on creating and consuming plastic as we are now. We can hope that trainer innovation
heavy ocean
will do the (2)   lifting. But then, by 2050, there will more pieces of plastic in the (3)   than

fish. It seems overwhelming. Almost every piece of plastic (4)   produced remains out there. Unless it
still
was burned, it (5)   exists. But the New Plastics Economy, an initiative launched by the Ellen
never
MacArthur Foundation is very exciting, offering a vision of a global economy where plastics (6)   
become waste, and how we achieve that goal step by step. Admittedly it was endorsed by 40 major brands,
which
some of (7)   have made fortunes exploiting single-use plastic packaging. But it's smart, it's bold and
take
it gives us a plan to disrupt our pattern of use, redesign plastic as a material and (8)   a grip. Unilever
has already announced that by 2025, all of its plastic packaging will be fully reusable, recyclable or
compostable.

The Guardian
16. Art
Tim Steiner has an elaborate tattoo on his back that was designed by a famous artist and sold to a German art
gallery
(1)  . When Steiner dies, his skin will be framed - until then he spends his life sitting in galleries with
work
his shirt off. 'The (2)   of art is on my back. I'm just the guy carrying it (3)  ,' says the 40-
year-old former tattoo parlour manager from Zurich. A decade ago, his then girlfriend met a Belgian artist
well
called Wim Delvoye, who'd become (4)   known for his controversial work tattooing pigs. Delvoye
agree
told her he was looking for someone to (5)   to be a human canvas for a new work and asked if she
knew anyone who might be interested. "My skin belongs to Rik Reinking now - my back is the canvas, I am the

temporary frame." Two years later, after 40 hours of tattooing, the image (6)   across his entire back.
which
It has a Madonna crowned by a Mexican-style skull with a halo, from (7)   there are yellow rays
emanating. There are swooping swallows, red and blue roses, and at the base of Steiner's back, two Chinese-
style koi fish, ridden by children, can be seen swimming past lotus flowers. The artist has signed the work on
shoulder
the right (8)   side.
17. The Bicycle

Tomorrow, the bicycle celebrates quite a big birthday. It's exactly 200 years since Karl Drais (1)   out
on his so-called 'running machine' in Mannheim, Germany. His invention formed the basis of the bike as we
use it been
now (2)   it. Clearly (3)   has changed. Yet the bike has (4)   so true to its roots.
which
It's hard to think of another machine of (5)   we could say the same. One of Germany's most
related
successful modern frame builders is Canyon. Its bikes always score highly in reviews (6)   to its
good
special features. It has a compelling mix of performance, value and (7)   looks - and this latest model
will, too. The WMN range is designed and engineered for female riders. From geometry to handling, it's built to
will
be comfortable, quick and agile. Disc (8)   add security when stopping and the aluminium frame is
robust. Frau Drais would have been most impressed.

The Herald
18. The Australian Magpie

into
When spring comes, the eastern suburbs of Melbourne are transformed (1)   a battleground between
which
the local children and the territorial Australian magpie. The magpies attack in flocks, within (2)   
there are hundreds of birds. Rather than retreat when the birds begin nesting and attacking any human or beast
entering
(3)   their territory, their aggression is interpreted as a challenge. The aim is to ride as fast as possible
 off done
down the path, while fending (4)   the swooping birds. Easier said than (5)  . You could go
bombs
like (6)  , face low to the handlebars and either try to outpace or swerve to avoid the dive-bombing
maggies. You could raise a stick to them with one hand while negotiating the precarious rutted, root-lined path
good
with the (7)  . One wrong move and you'd crash while the birds, for (8)   measure, would
crack or scratch you on the noggin with their beaks or claws.

The Herald
19. The Cove

It has been eight years since the Oscar-winning film The Cove propelled Taiji, an isolated corner of Japan's
about
Pacific coast to the centre of a bitter debate (1)   the pursuit of dolphins for human consumption and
being
entertainment. The film showed graphic footage of dolphins (2)   slaughtered with knives and turning
around
the surrounding sea a crimson red. This shocked audiences (3)   the world. The town's 3,200 residents

were unaccustomed to international attention and were (4)   footed by their social media-savvy
went
opponents. Consequently they simply (5)   to ground. Requests for interviews with town officials

went unanswered; the fishermen took a (6)   of silence. Taiji's fishermen kept their counsel for years
why out
for (7)   there was much criticism. Now they have finally spoken (8)  , agreeing to talk
about their work, their whaling heritage, and their determination to continue hunting dolphins.

The Herald
20. Gymnorhina tibicen

year
The three-week campaign to select Australia's bird of the (1)   has come to an end. It was bitterly

fought (2)   on social media. Monday's result, understandably has provoked another (3)   of
over
celebration and recriminations. The winner swooped (4)   with an incredible 19,926 votes, of a total
is
of almost 150,000. The Australian magpie, or Gymnorhina tibicen, (5)   the title. It had quietly gained
ground
(6)   over the white ibis, which had a commanding early lead. The campaign was notable for fierce
towards
opinions both (7)   and against the ibis, and many illustrations of its controversial urban habits.
whom
Complaints were levelled at the competition, of (8)   attempted vote rigging, drama and political
intrigue were just a few. On the morning of 21 November hundreds of suspicious votes were recorded for the
powerful owl. Further investigation identified automated voting, forcing a large number of votes to be removed.

The Herald