Mamianqun, or horse-faced skirt, is a traditional Chinese fashion that has exploded in popularity in recent years.     1    (date) from the Song dynasty, it gained popularity among women during the later Ming and Qing dynasties,     2     men also wore Mamianqun in informal settings. It features a broad waistband that can be tied at the waist, forming     3     “A” or “H” shape. What     4     (true) sets the Mamianqun apart are its pleats (褶皱), which are not only decorative, but also allow for freedom of movement.     5    (motivate) by traditional Chinese cultural elements, designers create abundant patterns on the skirts. Its unique design makes     6     ideal for mix-and-match daily dressing, perfectly proving that it’s not just a relic of the past, but a functional and stylish     7    (add) to modern wardrobes. This rebirth     8    (fuel) by a growing sense of cultural pride, which encourages people to embrace their heritage by combining traditional clothing     9     their daily dressing. Caoxian, a county in Shandong province, is generally considered     10     (be) the heart of Mamianqun production and holds a deep cultural heritage of han fu. In recent years, the Mamianqun business in Caoxian has been thriving, attracting a wave of young people to start their own businesses.

5 . There once lived a monster named Nian, who lived deep in the sea and climbed up to eat cattle and ______ people.

Then, one New Year’s Eve, the villagers were in a great ______ to run away. Some were closing windows and locking doors, some were ______ and others were driving cattle and sheep. There came a beggar (乞丐), saying “I’ll drive away the ______ .”

Around ______ Nian rushed into the village. He found the grandmother’s house was bright with red paper ______ on the doors. The monster gave a loud cry, looked ______ for a moment and went to the door. There suddenly came the sounds of explosions (爆炸). Shaking all over, the monster dared not take a step ______ . It turned out that the colour ______ flames and explosions were what Nian feared the most. The monster ran away quickly in the darkness. All the villagers felt ______ and came back to thank the beggar.

To ______ such good luck, the villagers put on their ______ clothes and hats and went to their relatives and friends to send their ______ and congratulations. These ______   have been passed down through the generations, which is the ______ of the Spring Festival.

6 . The Longtaitou Festivl, which means “dragon-raises head” in Chinese, is a traditional Chinese festival held on the second day of the second month in the Chinese lunar calendar. So, it’s also called Eryueer Festival. In Chinese culture, the dragon is an auspicious (吉利的) animal that dominates clouds and rains. The 2nd day of the 2nd lunar month is thought to be the day when dragon awakes and raises its head according to the Chinese folk legend. So the day is called Dragon Heads-raising Day. After the day, spring is coming and there will be more and more rain. People think these credits (功劳) go to the dragon. So the day is also called Spring Dragon Festival. Since the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD), Chinese people have had the custom of spending the Spring Dragon Festival.

The most popular custom on the Dragon Heads-raising Day is cutting hair. Dragon is highly honored for its dignity (尊贵) and power for good. It is thought to be auspicious to cut hair on the Dragon Heads-raising Day. Luck and opportunities will always knock you in the year. So, on that day, barbershops’ (理发店的) businesses are growing and full of customers.

The most common foods for celebrating the festival are popcorns, pancakes, noodles, dumplings, fired soy beans and pig’s head. People in different areas have different traditions about the food on the day. In Beijing, people eat Lvdagunr (Glutinous Rice Rolls with Sweet Bean Flour) and spring pancakes on the day. In Shanxi, people like to eat fried dough twists (油条) and pancakes. In Shandong, fried soy beans, noodles and dumplings are the festival food. In Fuzhou, the salted porridge made of glutinous rice, celery, scallion, garlic, fry dried shrimps and shredded meat is eaten. These show people’s hope to be blessed (保佑) with favorable weather and plentiful grain harvest by the dragon.

An exhibition     1     (feature) traditional costumes of China’s Miao ethnic group and a show with models wearing Miao embroidery (刺绣) clothing kicked off on Sunday in Milan, the fashion capital of Italy. The event offered the audience an opportunity     2     (appreciate) the craftsmanship of Miao embroiderers at close quarters.

“Fashion first of all is culture,” Raffaela Godi, from the audience, told Xinhua. “This fashion show we just saw is an example of     3     is culture, art and fashion together.”

The Miao ethnic group residing     4     (large) in southwest China’s Guizhou Province has a population of 4.3 million and more than 100     5     (branch). Miao people use needles and threads to embroider patterns representing nature and the ethnic group’s history on their costumes. Due to its     6     (art) charm, techniques and rich culture, Miao embroidery has been recognized as a national-level intangible cultural heritage.

Shi Chuanying, an embroiderer from Taijiang County of Guizhou Province,     7     (bring) her works to the exhibition in Milan. “Miao embroidery’s presence at Milan Fashion Week will be     8     great significance to us, and I believe the embroidery will be appreciated on a global stage,” said Shi.

As an experienced embroiderer, she has led more than 300 local embroiders to make Miao embroidery products     9     (export) to France and Italy.

Long Youming, director of the Guizhou Intangible Cultural Heritage Protection Center, said the event is     10     good way to present traditional Chinese culture and accelerate the industrialization, internationalization and branding of Miao embroidery.