Plovdiv is situated in south-central Bulgaria on the two banks of the Maritsa River. The city has historically developed on seven hills, some of     1     are 250m (820.21 ft) high. Because of these hills, Plovdiv is     2    (typical) referred to in Bulgaria as “The city of the Seven Hills”. Plovdiv’s history     3    (date) back to 6000 BC. Though originally it was     4    Thracian city, Plovidiv has been ruled by many empires over centuries. Later it       5    (conquer) by the Romans. Only in 1885 did the city become part of Bulgaria. Nowadays it’s the second     6    (large) city in Bulgaria and it’s a significant economic, educational and cultural center.

Plovdiv remains a popular     7    (choose) for vacation travel. I have been obsessed with the city     8    years. Last summer I was lucky     9    (spend) a couple of days in this city and I just fell in love with its narrow paved streets and neat beautiful house! The Old Town is definitely worthy     10    (see). It is overwhelmed with restaurants, workshops and museums that were previously famous houses.

Trade and curiosity have often formed the foundation of mankind’s greatest achievements. It’s out of strong passion for     1     (complete) the great map of the world, so the people of early civilization got down to it more likely than expected. Marco Polo’s tales inspired European explorers to search for sea     2     (route) from west to east. However, merchants and explorers from the East     3     (start) their sea voyages from east to west many years earlier than Columbus first did.

Beijing Opera roles require performers to paint     1    (they) faces in patterns and colors to represent different character types and qualities．

In Beijing Opera, facial painting can be quite complex. However, in the     2    (begin), only three colors were used—red, white, and black. Now, many other colors, such as yellow, purple, blue and green, are used for facial painting.

Red is a color for     3    (brave) and     4    (loyal). Guan Yu, a general from the Three Kingdoms Period (A.D. 220-280), is a good example of this kind of character. He is famous for being very loyal     5     his emperor, Liu Bei.

White highlights all     6     is bad in human nature. It     7    (suggest) dishonesty and betrayal(背叛). One of the typical white­faced characters is Cao Cao, a     8    (power) and cruel prime minister from the Three Kingdoms Period.

Black face paint is usually used for someone who is fierce and     9    (violence). One typical example is General Zhang Fei from the classic novel, Romance of the Three Kingdoms.

All these different colors are used in Beijing Opera facial painting     10    (provide) a clear picture of each character.

Many artists draw with pens and brushes, but few “paint” with knives. Wang Jing, a woman from China, has been engaged     1    this novel art form for 27 years. In 1995, Wang believed that she may have created something out of     2     ordinary when inspired by an accidental cut by a knife on a piece of red paper, which left a white line.     3     (use) knives and paper, she then completed a painting of a pair of peacocks that later became a source of motivation for her 27-year effort.

Unlike traditional paintings, onto    4     colors are “added”, “knife painting” uses blades to take away colors on specially made coated paper. “Knife painters” apply varied pressure on the paper in different directions    5     (create) different colors and tones. The novel art form was known to few people just     6    Wang created it. Even Wang herself was not expecting to make it something big at the beginning. But    7    (thank) to her huge enthusiasm for the art form, she has persisted with it for the past 27 years. “Painting on paper with knives    8     a delicate art and each line in the painting is as thin as a hair, ” said Wang, adding that once the marks are left on the paper, they cannot    9    (cover), so it requires the painter to be    10     (complete) absorbed in the work.

Probably as the most famous rabbit character in the 2023 Spring Festival Gala, Tu Yuanyuan     1     (make) its first public appearance in Beijing on January 8.

The chief director of the 2023 Spring Festival Gala showed the image design of Tu Yuanyuan was inspired from the digital recreation of the fossil of an ancient rabbit     2     was believed to exist in Anhui Province around 62 million years ago. The design of     3     image was created for many reasons, varying from the big data investigation to     4     (show) the traditional aesthetics (美学) and highlighting the achievements of Chinese scientists.

    5     (host) by China International Television Corporation together with China Television Industrial Group Co. Ltd., a promotional event to release a series of cultural and creative products about Tu Yuanyuan     6     (hold) in downtown Beijing in December, 2022.

As a centuries-old tradition, what is often bought for Chinese     7     (child) is the lantern during the Spring Festival and Lantern Festival. Tu Tuantuan was designed     8     a red-haired rabbit role decorated by trademark patterns found on most clay sculptures in Fengxiang, Shaanxi Province.

More     9     (interesting), tuan and yuan could be read together to mean reunion, representing that Chinese people are expecting to reunite with their long-time-no-see family members and relatives at     10     (they)hometowns.