One very famous symbol in American culture is a cartoon. We all know    1     love the black mouse with two large round ears- Mickey Mouse. Over 80 years ago, he first     2    (appear) in the cartoon Steamboat Willie. When this cartoon came out in New York    3    November 18, 1928, it was the first cartoon with sound and music. The man behind Mickey was Walt Disney,    4    never thought he would make 87 cartoons with Mickey in the next decade.

The birthplace of Beijing opera is China’s capital Beijing. As the most widely     1    (recognize) type of Chinese opera in the world, Beijing Opera is regarded     2     the quintessence (精粹) of Chinese culture.

When performing Beijing Opera, artists follow the established formats of singing, reciting, acting and martial arts,     3     are the four core elements and skills of Beijing Opera. Usually, performers start practicing these four skills from     4     early age. Perseverance is the key to creating vivid characters on stage.

Beijing Opera combines     5    (wonder) performance with elaborate costumes and makeup. The unique facial makeup art in Beijing Opera is called “Lianpu”. It uses a form of exaggeration (夸张)     6     (demonstrate) the personalities, psychological and physical features of the characters. Color patterns are painted on the performers’ faces,     7     (especial) on their eyebrows, eye sockets and the corners of their mouths. The face colors     8     (associate) with the characters’ personalities. For example, red means loyalty and hospitality, black shows fairness and justice; white indicates cunning and suspiciousness; blue suggests bravery; whereas gold and silver convey a sense of solemnity (严肃). Such facial makeup     9     (enable) the audience to better understand the characters and the plot.

Nowadays, the art of Beijing Opera facial makeup has also been applied in many creative cultural     10     (product). Such special stationary, clothing and skincare facial masks are getting more and more popular around the world.