The Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race is Alaska’s annual sporting event. The race starts in Anchorage and finishes about 1800km later in Nome,     1     is a small village on the west coast.

In the late 1800s, gold was discovered in many places throughout Alaska. And Iditarod became the     2     (large) place in Alaska with over 10,000 people calling it home. During the summer, the mail, people , and supplies were brought to Iditarod on boats. However, in the winter the rivers were covered with thick ice , and as     3     result, the only way in or out was by dog sled(雪橇).

The need for a winter transport link to and from Iditarod and the     4     (distance) goldfields meant that the dog sled trails(路线) were very important. They were     5     (careful) mapped and maintained. However, by the 1930s, these trails had fallen out of use as specially designed planes started supplying the remote settlements.

That’s when a local woman decided     6     (raise) awareness about the Iditarod trail and its    7     (important) to Alaska’s history. In 1967, she     8     (organize) a short race of about 40 km around the Anchorage area. After that, the race was gradually extended to the full 1800 km.

During the race, mushers(赶狗拉雪橇的人)and their teams of dogs have to brave freezing temperatures, terrible storms, and even dangerous wild animals. An average team will take twelve days to complete the race. These hardships are tough for both mushers     9     dogs , but they are one of the     10     (reason) why the Iditarod is so famous.

Shuang Jiang, or Frost’s Descent, is the last term of autumn, marking the transition from autumn to winter. Literally, Shuang Jiang refers to the time     1     frost starts to descend in China due to cold weather. In the north, with large fields     2     (do) for the season, farmers can take a break. But in the south, farmers are still busy taking sweet potatoes home before they     3     (destroy) by the coming frost. They must also protect the winter wheat and rape (油菜)     4     major pests and diseases. It is said that Frost’s Descent is the best time to adjust to a nourishing (滋补的) diet and lifestyle. Besides putting on     5     (many) clothes to keep warm, people also eat various fruits to keep healthy. Persimmon (柿子) is the favorite fruit in many areas, which not only wards off the cold,    6     strengthens the muscles and bones.

    7    (additional), honey, jelly fungus (木耳) and sesame (芝麻) are believed to help provide the necessary nutrition for the human body. For protein, chicken or mutton soup is advised to be included in the diet. With golden maple     8     (leaf) turning to red, people often go hiking in nature and enjoy the scenery during this period of time. In the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, people celebrate the Frost’s Descent Festival by     9     (offer) fruits and desserts in addition to dancing and singing folk songs on the day of Frost’s Descent in honor of Cen Yuyin, a heroine who     10     (fight) against foreign aggression in the Ming Dynasty.

On May 2, 2023, the China Cultural Centre in Malta hosted a Traditional Chinese Medicine Workshop     1     (lecture) by Zhang Min, a specialist from the Traditional Chinese Medicine Centre at the University of Malta. The workshop,     2     provided insights (深刻见解) into the diverse range of traditional Chinese medicine treatments available and how they can benefit physical and mental health, was very informative.

Traditional Chinese medicine     3     (be) an important part of Chinese culture and has been practiced in China     4     over 2,000 years focusing on the balance and harmony of the body, mind and spirit. “Traditional Chinese medicine has low side effects, if used     5     (correct) it will provide immediate results,” Zhang said.

Besides, the audience     6     (invite) to taste rose tea, which is another form of traditional Chinese medicine    7     (solve) digestive (消化的) problems. “The     8     (believe) in the curing properties of certain foods and herbs (药草) is deeply rooted in Chinese culture and has been passed on from generation to generation. Traditional Chinese medicine is also enjoyed by even     9     (many) people outside of China,” said Yuan Yuan, director of the China Cultural Centre in Malta.

“    10     is exciting to see the cultural exchanges between China and Malta in the field of traditional Chinese medicine,” Yuan said.

Naturally green, red, yellow, or white, jade (玉) is a special rock. It’s important to Chinese culture largely due to     1     it represents. Here is a brief     2     (introduce) to jade.

Jade     3     (classify) into soft jade and hard jade. One type of hard jade is called feicui in Chinese that is now     4     (valuable) than soft jade in China today. As a pat of Chinese civilization, Chinese jade has been in use for practical and decorative     5     (purpose) since it was found.

Chinese people love jade not only because of its aesthetic (美学的) beauty     6     because it represents social value. In Li Ji, Confucius said that there are 11 virtues, represented in jade: justice, truth, intelligence, etc.

Jade is so firmly established in Chinese culture     7     there are many stories about Jade. Among them the most famous is He Shi Zhi Bi,     8     (tell) the story of Mr. He and how he found a piece of raw jade and tried to give it to two generations of kings, but they didn’t recognize it as priceless and cut off his feet     9     (punish) him for trying to pass off an unworthy stone. Afterwards, the grandson of the first king, Wenwang, had his jeweler cut the stone open and found the raw jade; it was carved into a disc and named     10     Mr. He.