“Add Oil” is the literal English translation of the Chinese phrase “Jiāyóu” (Cantonese “Ga Yau”), which is used to express encouragement,     1     (excite), or support to others. It’s used in sporting events     2     (encourage) a friend, and in many other conversations!

“Add Oil” has now been added to the Oxford English Dictionary. The     3     (describe) of this entry in the Oxford English Dictionary is “chiefly Hong Kong English”, and notes its earliest appearance in a book     4     (publish) back in 1964.

Some people believe that the phrase     5     (invent) at the Macau Grand Prix (澳门汽车大奖赛) during the 1960s, where the crowd would shout at the pit teams (加油团队) to “Add Oil!” to the racing cars. The meaning of the Chinese characters is to add (jiā) oil (yóu), which means     6     (add) oil/fuel to an engine to fire it up.

In places such as Hong Kong, where a mixture (混合) of Chinese and English is     7     (common) used among friends, the English phrase often replaces the Chinese characters, and this is the reason     8     the phrase has been added to the dictionary.

The latest addition     9     Oxford English Dictionary is by no means a stand-alone. So far, other Chinese phrases that     10     (enter) daily English include “long time no see” and “no can do”.

The Chinese writing system has been one of the main factors for the survival of China’s ancient     1     (civilise).

At the beginning, written Chinese was a picture-based language,     2     dates back several thousand years to the use of Longgu. Symbols     3     (carve) on animal bones and shells by ancient Chinese people. These symbols had become a well-developed writing system.

Over the years, there was a time when the Chinese people were divided geographically, leading to many     4     (variety) of the dialects and characters. This,     5    , changed under Emperor Qinshihuang who united the seven major states into one unified country,     6     (make) the Chinese writing system begin to develop in one direction. It was     7     great importance in uniting the Chinese people and culture. Even today no matter where Chinese people live or what dialect they speak, they can communicate in     8     (write) Chinese.

Nowadays, Chinese writing system is still     9     important part of Chinese culture. As China plays a greater role in     10     (globe) affairs, an increasing number of international students are beginning to appreciate China’s culture and history through this amazing language.

California is the most multicultural state in the USA,    1     has attracted people from all   over the world. Today over 40% of Californians speak Spanish as a first or second language. Of    2    first Spanish to go to California, the majority were    3    (religion) men.

Most of   the people attracted from all over the world remained to make a life for themselves after the Gold Rush,     4     (make) it a multicultural society. Chinese immigrants began to arrive during the Gold Rush Period and    5     (increase) in number when the rail network from the west to east coast was being built.

The ancient Chinese built two great engineering wonders: the Great Wall and the Grand Canal. Though the Great Wall’s effect in military     1     (defend) has worn off over time, the Grand Canal remains an important channel of cultural communication.

The Grand Canal,     2     is made up of three parts (Suitang Grand Canal, Beijing Hangzhou Grand Canal and Zhedong Grand Canal), is a     3     (run) epic (史诗) of transformation. The man-made waterway runs more than 2,000 kilometres from north to south across the large eastern flatland of China. It is about 16 times     4     size of the Suez Canal in Egypt and 33 times     5     (long) than the Panama Canal, the world’s second- and third-largest man-made waterways. “It sees the striking and early development of water engineering,” the UNESCO website says     6     (official).

In ancient times, the Grand Canal served     7     the key waterway for grain transport and every kind of economic and cultural exchange. It also improved the time-consuming journeys of workers     8     materials for the building of the Forbidden City in Beijing, the imperial city of the Yuan (1271-1368), Ming and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties.

Years ago, it     9     (inspire) the name of Chenchen, one of the three mascots (吉祥物) of the Hangzhou Asian Games. Chenchen, from the Gongchen Bridge, which goes across the Hangzhou part of the Grand Canal, is coloured blue     10     (suggest) science and technology.