【推荐2】After reading the passage below, fill in each blank with a proper word given in the box. Each word can be used only once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

A. harmony   B. refer   C. accompanied   D. respect   E. formal   F. select G. symbolic   H. youth   I. divided   J. left   K. entire

24 Solar Terms

The 24 Solar Terms are part of the traditional Chinese calendar. It is known as the “fifth great invention” of China, coming after paper-making, printing, gunpowder and compass.

In the ancient days, they were important instructions for the agricultural production as well as people's daily lives. Starting with the “Start of Spring” and ending with “Major Cold”, each season was    1     into six solar terms, each with a time span of 15 days.

The “Start of Spring”, “Start of Summer”, "Start of Autumn" and “Start of Winter” divided a year into four seasons. The “Vernal Equinox” and “Autumn Equinox”    2     to the time when the days and nights are of equal length, while the “Summer Solstice” sees the longest day and the shortest night in the Northern Hemisphere. It is the contrary on the day of the “Winter Solstice”. There are also some other solar terms which marks things like temperature, growth of the crops, and weather conditions.

From generation to generation, the experience in farming and daily life has been passed. Many farmers still rely on the solar terms now to decide what should do in the fields. The influences of the ancient way of dividing time have in fact gone beyond farming into the    3     lives of the Chinese people, even their mindset.

Most of the solar terms bear rich    4    , social and cultural connotations（含义）, such as traditional celebrations, rituals and even festivals. For instance, the “Pure Brightness” is also marked as the tomb-sweeping day, when people pay    5     to the lost ones.

Even today, people still eat dumplings during the “Start of Winter” and porridge when autumn starts. Besides, some rituals were also marked in different areas of China. The Zhuang people in south China hold    6     banquets to celebrate Frost Festival during the “Start of Spring”.

Every time a new term begins in China, the Chinese social media would see a wave of ceremonial posts from the    7    . The ancient calendar has never been    8     behind by the development of information technology.

    9     by the photos, paintings and essays, it is not hard to imagine that the ancient concept of respect for nature, as well as the philosophy of    10     between man and nature would have even longer life and stronger vitality, together with the Chinese history.

【推荐3】Directions: Fill in each blank with a proper word chosen from the box. Each word can be used only once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

A. live B. adapted C. perspective D. maximize E. costumes F. inject G. credited H. directorial I. publicity J. prospect K. integrated

Young Chinese opera director broadens traditional art form

“Chinese opera art is like a huge sponge, constantly absorbing, transforming, merging and flourishing,” says traditional Chinese opera director Li Zhuoqun, who is     1    with creating a market for traditional opera shows in small theaters across China.

Performed in 2013, Li Zhuoqun’s first     2    work “Death Do Us Part” is a story     3    from the 14th-century Chinese classic novel “Water Margin”. Li, a graduate of the National Academy of Chinese Theater Arts, says that performing this classic piece for today’s audience is an experiment and a challenge.

“We decided to shorten the divorce scene that lasted four or five days in order to     4     the effect of our vocals and dramatic performances. We also invited modern dancers to work with us. We     5    the performance methods of traditional opera with the rhythm of modern dance.”

Li defines her team as “small, deep, refined and broad”. She explained, “‘Small’ in its size, volume and     6    . ‘Deep’ refers to our performance and the depth of the script. ‘Refined’ refers to the production of the     7     makeup, props, sound and light. ‘Broad’ refers to its     8     and operation.”

“We target all ages and a wider audience.” To Li, traditional opera is “the art of regret” due to the unique charm of     9     performances. She aims to allow the audience to enjoy every minute of the show and draw more people to the theater. Li said, “We hope to find a possibility for small theater opera to make a breakthrough in terms of the market and target audience. With the development of aesthetics (审美) and society, our generation needs to     10    a wider and more varied artistic vocabulary into traditional opera. Yet it should still develop on the basis of maintaining the characteristics of traditional opera.”