Mulian Opera in Anhui Province, China, got its name from a play named “Mulian Rescues His Mother”. As     1     oldest theatrical style, it can     2     (call) the ancestor of dramas. For hundreds of years, Mulian Opera    3     (enjoy) great popularity among people, due to its features.     4     (develop) by too many artists, Mulian Opera has a grand and complex (复杂的) theatrical form, inclusive performance techniques, rich musical    5     (subject), emotions with a natural setting and communication between the performers and audience.

People play Mulian Opera to force the evil spirits to leave     6     bad things happen to them. Of course, on big occasions, such as the launching of an ancestral temple (祠堂), people will perform it.     7     is said that in the past a play could be staged all night for nine continuous days. Mulian Opera was then even more popular. Mulian Opera is currently recognized    8     the living fossil (化石) of Chinese theater. It has provided valuable information for the study of Chinese theater,    9     (include) its origin, evolution and development. Without scripts or music scores, Mulian Opera has been passed down    10     (oral) by older performers and it still shines with wisdom and energy.

The origin of facial makeup used in Peking Opera can date back to more than 1,400 years ago,     1     leading actors used to wear masks.     2     the operatic arts developed, performers gradually took off their masks and painted     3    (color) patterns on their faces instead, so people could     4    (good) see their facial expressions.

Chinese Opera facial makeup is a special makeup method     5     Chinese cultural features. The painting technique for Chinese facial makeup in dramas is     6    (close) related to the character’s personality. Over the years of development, it     7    (become) an important part of Chinese culture.

There are four roles in facial makeup, sheng, dan, jing, and chou. Chinese facial-makeup is extremely stylized in the colors and patterns used, but no two painted faces are alike. For example, there are more than 100 face-painting styles     8    (design) for Xiang YU, the hero in Farewell My Concubine, and each one is different. Various types of Chinese facial makeup enable the audience     9    (know) a character easily and get more involved in the appreciation of the           10    (perform).

On Monday, Chinese director Chloe Zhao became the first Asian woman to take home the Golden Globe's Best Director—Motion Picture award for Nomadland.

So far, Nomadland     1    (receive) over 30 film awards and over 100 nominations, and many expect     2    to get the Oscar too.

Zhao was born in Beijing and her global success as a Chinese filmmaker     3    (increase) the possibility of more Chinese filmmakers     4    (enter) the global market.

In her award acceptance speech, Zhao quoted from her film to say sympathy can bridge all gaps and bring people together. That is a good way of sharing Chinese values with the world, as well as showing Chinese culture's     5    (open) and tolerance.

Sympathy is much needed in this world     6    a lot of changes has taken place because of the outbreak of the novel coronavirus in 2020. And a good film tells stories about reality, not far removed from people's daily lives.

Some say Nomadland meets Western standards, but the     7    (true) is that the film touches hearts,     8    in China or in the West.     9    reading about the film's storyline, many Chinese audiences, have expressed on social networking sites their desire    10    (try) a camper trip in search of happiness.

Thirty years ago, an elderly Canadian couple undertook a unique project with the purpose of helping Canadians have a better understanding of China     1     (base) on how the Chinese view themselves and the issues they face.

Their efforts resulted     2     the birth of a 1985 book, Understanding China Through Cartoons. They     3     (official) donated it to China on June 10, 2019.     4     (promote) knowledge about China among Canadians, they     5     (found) the Society for a Better Understanding of China in the early 1970s,     6     is now noted as the Canada-China Friendship Society.

The elderly couple     7     (be) determined to gift China with it as their admiration for Chinese culture – a role dating back thousands of years.

“China is     8     only nation that has been able to maintain its cultural     9     (grow) for thousands of years,” the husband said.

In fact, communication has been the best way to promote each other’s understanding and trust. We need     10     (many) people like the elderly Canadian couple as well as more institutions like the Canada-China Friendship Society.

Ashrita Furman is holding the record - for records! Furman has always been     1     (interest) in Guinness World Records. When he was still     2     teenager, he would preferably spend a lot of time reading the Guinness book, and today, he holds the most amazing record     3     all: The record for having the most current Guinness World Records at the same time. He     4     (succeed) in setting 245 records since the year 1979.     5     other people have broken over half of his records, today he still holds up to 94 records.

Most of the records Furman has set include lots of physical activity. For example, Furman has walked 103 kilometers while     6     (balance) a milk bottle on his head.     7       took him 23 hours and 35 minutes. He has also pushed a car just over 27 kilometers within 24 hours. A few years     8     , Furman set three new records in less     9     an hour on the same day.

Furman will never finish. His life is all about breaking records, and by the time you read this, he’s     10     (probable) already broken a few more.