This is the first time I have spent the Naadam Festival with my friend Burin in China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region this year. The festival     1    (represent) by horse racing, wrestling and archery falls on the 4th day of the sixth month of the lunar calendar,     2     lasts for three days.

Of the three     3    (event), two have left a deep impression     4     me: wrestling and horse racing. Mongolian wrestling is different from     5     in the Olympic Games. There are no rounds and wrestlers are not separated by weight. The wrestler loses if any part of his body above his knee touches the ground. As for horse racing, it was     6    (amaze) to see that the riders were boys and girls. That is because children are     7    (light) and the horses can run faster and farther. There is no need to worry about their safety, for they     8    (ride) horses all their lives. It is no wonder that people say “Horses are at     9    heart of Mongolian culture”.

Though I am tired now, celebrating Naadam with my friend was     10    (total) worth it.

Cyclist Agustin Navarro was coming fourth in the contest (比赛) in Spain. But as he got close to the finish line,     1     (sudden) he saw that his competitor had suffered a puncture (轮胎破了). Ismael Esteban was running toward the line     2     his bike over his shoulders. Mr. Navarro slowed down and refused     3     (pass) him. Instead, he rode behind Mr. Esteban,     4     (allow) him to win the bronze medal (铜牌).

The people     5    stood along the way applauded (为…鼓掌) Mr. Navarro’s     6     (behave) and cheered the two men as they made     7     over the finish line ---one, on foot; the other, on his bike. Mr. Esteban later tried to give     8    prize to Mr. Navarro, but he refused it.

Mr. Navarro     9     (praise) online for his unusual act and he told people that he didn’t want to win like that. That’s where the spirit in a sport lies: respect competitors, teammates,     10     (coach) and even themselves.

【推荐1】I felt     1    (luck) to have won a place to go on a cultural tour to sites of lost civilizations. We visited Pompeii in Italy and Loulan in China. Pompei     2     (found) in the 8^th century BC, then taken    3    by the Romans in 89 BC. Later, Pompei was destroyed by a volcano. It erupted and covered Pompei with ash.    4     (fortunate), many people were buried alive. The city was forgotten for many years until the 18^th century when a stone with writing on it was discovered by a farmer. People started to dig in the area     5    treasure and caused much damage. Thus, in 1860, the area was governed by the government so     6    could be preserved and studied.

Differently, Loulan disappeared under the sand. There were just a few     7    (ruin) left. There was     8    ancient water system     9     (run) through the middle of the city. The desert was once a green with huge trees, but they were cut down,     10     resulted in the city being buried by sand.

They were both important commercial cities about 2,000 years ago. It was a pity that they disappeared for ever.

Chinese brush calligraphy is one of the most important art forms in China.

The origin of Chinese brush calligraphy is unknown, but local     1     (tale)say it goes back over 4,000 years to the time of the legendary (传说的) Yellow Emperor. At that time characters     2     (carve) on animal bones or tortoise shells. Only after Emperor Qinshihuang unified China     3    his rule did it really gain in popularity as a common art form. Qinshihuang set regular rules for Chinese characters,     4     (make) it easier for people to learn. This Chinese art form continued to progress and during the Tang Dynasty (618 AD-907 AD)     5     new type of the cursive script (草书) was formed. It is written freely, but it’s not easy    6     (read).

Today Chinese brush calligraphy is once again a subject in schools and an art form highly    7     (appreciate) across the world. Anyone can practise it and     8    is required is a simple set including a brush, ink     9    paper. Practising this art     10     (consistent) can develop personal character and is of great benefit to health.