Hello, everyone! Welcome to our city! And I’m your tour guide today. Let me show you     1     the city. As you can see, at present there are some places     2     (rebuild) in order to make the city more beautiful. Look! A new supermarket     3     (build) in the centre. And the main roads     4     (widen) so far. Next, let’s come to the old museum     5     many art works     6     (exhibit). What’s more, a new one is     7     construction behind it. And now we’re coming to the park in     8     you can see that different kinds of activities     9     (do) by people of all ages. Oh, look, there is a good juice shop where fresh and delicious drinks     10     (prepare) for you if you feel thirsty.

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to our city. Look! Many buildings     1    (build) now in the center of the city. More than one subway is also     2     (construct). It ‘s said that at least a new stadium and a new swimming pool     3    (design) by the City Construction Company. Well, as you can see, many trees and flowers     4     (plant) on each side of the roads. Is the city     5     (found) to be developed into a big city? The answer is yes.

The day I heard that the Rainbow Bookstore was closing after 50 years of business, I was heartbroken. The bookstore was a place    1    anyone could drop in and connect through their love of books.

When I hurried to the store, I had a long chat     2     Casey, the store’s elderly owner. Sighing deeply, he told me how it was becoming difficult    3     (run) an independent bookstore. Most young people preferred    4     (read) e-books on tablets.   

Childhood memories came back to me so clearly, as if the events    5     (happen) only yesterday. I turned to wave goodbye to Casey, with he and his bookstore    6     (hide) in a thick mist.   

A few months later, I was    7     (surprise) to see that the Rainbow Bookstore was still there and open for business.     8     (clear), the Rainbow Bookstore was in good, creative hands.

I joined Casey, who was looking up at the screen on which readers’ comments kept popping up. “Well, as you can see, corporate knowledge combined with    9     (creative) has brought my humble bookstore into    10    21st century!”

The artists of Dafen can paint like Van Gogh

The village of Dafen was once thought     1     (produce) the most oil paintings in the world every year. Recognized as the “world’s art factory”, Dafen impressed visitors     2     its many workshops, in which painters created mock masterpieces by Van Gogh, Monet and Warhol. But the village was always seen     3     (much) as a production line than a place of culture. Today the future of Dafen may depend on     4     it is able to earn respect of the art world.

As the global financial crisis broke out in 2008 and cut down overseas orders, things started to change for Dafen. With more demand     5     (come) from domestic market, artists began painting different subjects. “New customers preferred Chinese styles.” says     6     painter in Dafen. He learnt the art of Shan Shui which involves representing natural landscapes. In some ways Dafen reflected the broader economy. As exports start to decline as a share of GDP, domestic     7     (consume) plays a larger role in driving growth.

China is the world’s second-largest art market.     8     it is not clear where Dafen fits in. Li Jinghu, an artist from nearby Dongguan, often visits the village hoping to discover new talent. But locals say the demand for their paintings     9     (decline) in the past two pandemic-struck years. “Most people would probably be surprised that Dafen still exists. It does and it will,” says Lisa Movius, a writer in Shanghai     10     covers art.