Walking in the park of Helanshan Rock Art Relics in Yinchuan, Ningxia Hui autonomous region is like     1     (take) a wander through history. One can’t help but be amazed at the number of artworks and carvings on the rocks at the entrance to the Helan Mountains.

Altogether, about 6,000 carvings     2     (find) in the park area since the 1970s. And in the Helan Mountains region, more than 25,000     3     (piece) have been discovered. This enables visitors to get     4     brief look into prehistoric art, perhaps in a trip of just one or two hours. In other places, visitors often have to walk long distances to find such remains.

The highlight of the rock art in the Helan Mountains is     5     (definite) the human faces carved on rocks, a feature     6     is rare in other places. The patterns of the faces are interesting and sometimes hard     7     (explain), such as a face with one eye open and one eye shut, and another face has sheep in the eyes.     8     the whole, these creative patterns reveal a rich spiritual world of humans     9     (live) in the past. Through this kind of art form, we can find out the substance of human nature: knowledge, culture, art,     10     (imagine) and religion.

The lion dance is one of the most outstanding     1     (tradition) folk dances in China. It can date back to the Three Kingdoms Period (220—280).

The lion     2     (regard) as a symbol of bravery and strength by ancient people. They thought that it could drive away evil and protect people and     3     (they) livestock such as cattle, sheep and so on. Therefore, lion dances are performed at important events,     4     (especial) the Lantern Festival.

The lion dance requires two highly-trained     5     (perform) in a lion suit. One acts as the head and forelegs, and     6     other the hind legs. Under the guidance of a choreographer (编舞者), the “lion” dances to the beat of a drum, a gong (锣), and cymbals (钹). Sometimes they jump, roll, and do difficult acts such     7     walking on stilts (桩子).

In one lion dance, the “lion” moves from place to place looking for some green vegetables, in     8     red envelopes with money inside are hidden. The acting is very amusing and spectators enjoy it very much.

Nowadays, the lion dance     9     (spread) to many other countries with overseas Chinese. In many Chinese communities of Europe and America, Chinese people use lion dances or dragon dances     10     (celebrate) every Spring Festival and other important events.