With the Year of the Ox on the horizon, you will find     1    common to see various ox figures made of gold, wood, plastic, and stone on sale in stores. The ox is not merely an     2    (influence) representative of the farming, but a symbol of diligence and responsibility in China.

The ox has also long played     3     significant role in Chinese literature. Ancient Chinese poets and writers     4     (constant) described the ox. In the Classic of Poetry, which is the oldest existing collection of Chinese poetry and reflects the     5    (wise) of ancient Chinese people, the ox appeared in nine out of the 305 pieces. A couplet from a poem     6    (write) by Lu Xun:   “Fierce-browed, I coolly defy a thousand pointing fingers; Head bowed, like a willing ox I serve the children”, fully expresses the poet’s devotion     7     the people.

To this day, when someone achieves a great accomplishment through hard work, people often use “niu”,     8     (mean) “awesome”, to describe him or her.

So naturally, those born in the Year of the Ox     9     (expect) to be hardworking, reliable and loyal. “    10     is special about oxen is that they never seek to be the focus and do not look for praise.” the website China Highlights noted.

What can you do if shops don’t sell the clothes you want? How can you get the clothes you want     1     you don’t have much cash?

Young     2     (create) people in the UK have always come up with ways to express their individuality through their clothes. “Printing your own T-shirt is the     3     (easy) and most common way to adapt clothes,” John said. “You don’t have to make a T-shirt. You can buy a cheap T-shirt and add an image of your choice.”

Everyone     4     (know) students don’t have a lot of money. That doesn’t have to be     5    problem if you’ve got a bit of imagination and a sewing machine. “Once I found a pair of trousers     6     I liked but I couldn’t afford them. I bought some cloth of the same colour and copied the trousers,     7     (use) my mum’s sewing machine,” Corinne said. “I went back to the shop wearing my homemade trousers     8     (see) if they were the same as the ones in the shop. And I thought they were much better!”

Buying second-hand clothes is     9     fashion option for many young Brits to get individual styles. “I really love changing second-hand clothes. I can make skirts shorter or longer. Sometimes I just change all the buttons to give clothes a new look. Only     10     adapting these clothes can you be sure you will always have something original as well as cheap,” said Helen.

Lichun, or the Start of Spring is the first of the 24 solar terms of the Chinese traditional lunar calendar,     1    brings the atmosphere of a flourishing spring, and this year, coincided (相巧合) with the opening ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympic Games, giving it the charm of starting competitive sports. The opening ceremony began with the countdown of the 24 solar terms. The first program     2    (feature) dancers holding green props, which formed a picture of green grass. It symbolized not only the spring, but also     3    (vital). The program was followed by spring-themed fireworks show,     4    (symbolize) the seeds of spring spreading all over the earth.

In     5     Chinese language, the character “Li” means “start”, while the season of spring     6    (consider) as the beginning of a year. How important is Lichun for the Chinese people? An old Chinese saying gives the answer: “Make your whole year’s plan in the spring and the whole day’s plan in the morning.”

Many of the rituals or     7    (celebrate) have been maintained for such an important day, and taking a bite of the Spring or “Yaochun” is one of them. The spring pancake,     8     a thin wrap and various kinds of vegetables as stuffings, is a     9    (represent) food of the spring. The Chinese people believe that a bite of the pancake is a bite of spring. Along with a cup of “Chuncha” (the spring tea), people     10    (full) emerge them into the scent of the season.

With just over four months     1    （go）before the Beijing Winter Olympics open on Feb 4, the organizers unveiled（揭开）a series of posters for the event at the opening ceremony of Beijing Design Week on Wednesday. Three sets of     2    （office）posters feature the Games' emblem and mascots（会徽和吉祥物）, while promotional posters were selected from among thousands of entries received for     3    design competition.

    4    makes the posters stand out is their attractive     5    （combine）of winter sports action, Chinese cultural elements, landmarks of the host city and contemporary design,     6    makes them a strong package presenting the image of the Games     7    the world while building on anticipation（预料）of the Olympics." said Chen Ning, director of the commttee's culture and ceremony department. The set of six posters primarily     8    （feature）the Games mascots—Bing Dwen Dwen and Shuey Rhon Rhon—on red paper-cut works, reminders of the traditional window decorations     9    （see）during Chinese holidays.

The posters     10    （mean）to promote Olympic values, express the passion of Chinese people for winter sports and highlight Beijing's major attractions.