1 . Niejiazhuang Village in Weifang is famous for colored clay sculpture handicraft (泥塑手工艺), which dates back to the Ming Dynasty. The Weifang government has encouraged local people ________ traditional handicraft and make more money to get rid of poverty (脱贫).

Nie Peng is a young villager in Niejiazhuang. He is crazy ________ clay sculpture handicraft. He began learning it from his father when he was a child. He has led lots of young craftsmen (手艺人) in and near ________ village to make colored clay sculptures and the handicraft has become an important way for local people to get ________ than before.

The tiger is ________ typical subject for colored clay sculptures. Nie ________ to learn to make clay tigers in 2010, the Year of the Tiger. Over these years, he ________ the development of the art form. At first, the clay tigers were all of the same small size. Now there are tigers of different ________ and the largest can be over two meters tall. The tigers used to be colored pink and green, ________ now have become more colorful.

Today Nie cares for the future of clay sculpture handicraft and inspires young craftsmen to create more works. He really hopes that the sculpture handicraft ________ down to the next generation.

2 . For thousands of years, bamboo inspired artists to create works of art. In the hands of artisans (手艺人), bamboo ________ into beautiful objects.

Wuyi Mountain is a UNESCO World Heritage (遗产) Site that is near Fujian and Jiangxi Provinces, and bamboo grows ________ there. Apart from Wuyi Mountain’s tea, the place is also known for ________ bamboo weaving (编织) tradition. Artisans can make baskets, umbrellas, ________ almost anything out of bamboo. Carrying a history of 2,000 years, bamboo weaving art was listed as a national ________ heritage in 2008.

Xie Hongxing, 40, as an inheritor (传承人) of bamboo weaving art, has been weaving bamboo for 22 years. Recently, he ________ famous for a mini Tiangong space station made of bamboo. Xie surprised watchers online by ________ a knife to quickly cut bamboo into pieces of the same width. He said it took forty-six ________ to finish his mini space station. He used more than a dozen species of local bamboo to show the beauty of the space station. It took him seven hours to understand ________ to weave a small national flag of China.

He hopes that more young people fall ________ love with the art and discover the beauty of traditional culture.

3 . Last year, I went to Italy as an exchange student. Before leaving, I _________ my mother what gifts I should take to the teachers and the students there. Mom said that the Chinese fan was _________ good choice, for China _________ as “the Fan Kingdom”. I couldn’t agree more, _________ it is more than a tool for cooling. It’s also an important part of Chinese culture.

I went shopping and bought three kinds of Chinese fans. The first kind was the feather(羽毛) fan for the teachers, which was made of bird feathers. It was the symbol of Zhuge Liang, a very smart man in ancient China. The fans _________ I bought for the girls were silk fans. They were also called “round silk fans”. Fans of this kind were made of silk _________ paintings of beautiful women, birds or flowers. _________ were very popular with women of all ages. As for the boys, I picked the folding fans from Rongchang, a place in the west of Chongqing. The folding fans were made of paper and bamboo, and _________ great paintings and calligraphy(书法) on them.

At the welcome party in Italy, my new teachers and classmates were all excited _________ the wonderful fans. And they were even _________ after learning about the stories and culture behind them.

4 . Canton Porcelain（广彩） has a history of more than 300 years, dating back to the Qing Dynasty（1636—1911）. Canton Porcelain became popular around the world ________ its beautiful colors.

Xu Enfu is known as a Canton Porcelain master. Xu Junru, his daughter, showed great love for it when she was a little girl. She enjoyed staying with her father while he ________ the porcelain painting. They think it’s necessary for them to add modern patterns to their pieces. They mix modern technology with a traditional feel. Cartoon patterns, _______ Hello Kitty and Doraemon can be painted on the plates. This idea wins children’s hearts. Their works are _______ wonderful that they attract many foreigners. They decide ________ this traditional skill to people around the world.

Last year, some students from Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao visited a Canton Porcelain workshop held by GD Today. They were all ________ to experience how to make Canton Porcelain. Mansha said, “It is my first time to paint on a plate or porcelain. Although painting on a porcelain is difficult, ________ it is really interesting.” David spent just one hour ________ a house on the plate. Sarah challenged herself to paint the Canton Tower on her own to remember the time in Guangzhou. Simon succeeded in ________ a Chinese character on the plate. It was a good idea to make this plate for his grandma.

So far, in Guangdong, more and more people ________ great interest in Canton Porcelain. In some schools, students can even learn to make Canton Porcelain in art lessons. We all hope to keep the traditional skill alive.

Do you know Chinese painting? Chinese painting is one of the ________ forms of painting in the world. Chinese artists first began ________ more than two ________ years ago, and painters in China are still using many of ________ same methods today.

Chinese painters often paint natural scenes, animals or people. Buildings are seldom included, ________ they make up a small part of a natural scene.

There ________ two kinds of traditional Chinese paintings. The first is the gongbi style. This style of painting takes a lot of time ________, as everything ________ in great detail. This style often uses ________ colour, as well. Long ago, most professional(职业的) painters in China used the gongbi style.

The second style of Chinese painting is ink-wash painting(水墨画). Ink-wash paintings are done very ________, and may not always have much colour. Ink-wash paintings ________ have less detail, because the painter is trying ________ across the impression of the scene with just ________ brush strokes(笔画). Long ago, most ink-wash artists did not work as painters, but painted as a hobby. ________, a good ink-wash artist could still ________ famous.

6 . One day, Mr. Li went into the classroom with some kites. The students were very ________. He told them that kites were invented in China more than 2,000 years ago. Students learnt that Chinese make kites that mean ________ important to them. At the end of the class, Mr. Li said, “I want everyone to make a kite ________. You will have a ________ understanding of kites than before.”

Judie decided ________ her dad for help. She enjoyed ________ kites but it was her first time to make one.

“What do you think of ________ you see a kite?” her dad asked.

Judie ________ for a moment and answered, “Butterflies.” Judie’s dad agreed that it would be a good idea to make a butterfly kite, ________ they bought the things they need at once. They made a cross with some wood sticks, and then Judie painted a butterfly on________. Next they stuck the paper on the cross. Finally, they tied a long tail ________ the bottom.

The next morning, they took ________ kite to the park and tested it. “Wow! ________ high my butterfly flies!” Judie cried excitedly.

Her dad smiled and asked, “Julie, ________ you tell me why you like butterflies?”

Judie replied, “To me, butterflies ________ beauty and freedom!”

7 . Canton Porcelain (广彩) has a history of more than 300 years, dating back to the Qing Dynasty (1636—1911). Canton Porcelain became popular around the world _______ its beautiful colors.

Xu Enfu is known as a Canton Porcelain master. Xu Junru, his daughter, showed _______ great love for it when she was a little girl. She enjoyed staying with her father while he _______ the porcelain painting. They think it’s necessary for them to add modern patterns to their pieces. They mix modern technology _______ a traditional feel. Cartoon patterns, such as Hello Kitty and Doraemon can _______ on the plates. This idea wins children’s hearts. Their works are _______ wonderful that they attract many foreigners. They decide _______ this traditional skill to people around the world.

Last week, some students from Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao _______ a Canton Porcelain workshop held by GD Today. They were all _______ to experience how to make Canton Porcelain.

Mansha said, “It is my ________ time to paint on a plate or porcelain. Although painting on a porcelain is difficult, ________ it is really interesting.” David spent just one hour ________ a house on the plate. Sarah challenged herself to paint the Canton Tower on ________ own to remember the time in Guangzhou. Simon painted a Chinese character ________ on the plate. It was a good idea to make this plate for his grandma.

Today, in Guangdong, more and more people, including some teenagers are ________ in Canton Porcelain. In some schools, students can even learn to make Canton Porcelain in art lessons. We all hope to keep the traditional skill alive.

When the Spring Festival comes, red flowers bloom on the windows of my home. Of course, these wonderful flowers bring _________ to us. They are made by my grandma _________ is now aged 70. With a few cuts, she changes a piece of paper into a beautiful work of art.

When my grandma was young, she _________ clumsy (笨拙的) in the village. But _________ a cold winter night, she saw some beautiful red paper art works on her new neighbor’s windows. She was so interested in it and decided _________ from her neighbor.

_________ of paper was wasted, and her fingers were cut many times. But she kept on _________.

It took 10 years _________ my grandma could make paper art skillfully (娴熟的). The red flowers, blooming like burning fire, light up _________ world. Now, everyone in the village respects her. My grandma’s story has shown me what __________ to realize one’s dream.