Walking in the hutongs (alleyways) of Beijing, if you see a residential compound (建筑群) with a courtyard enclosed by the surrounding houses and walls on the four sides,     1     is called a “Siheyuan” (quadrangle dwellings) .

The size of a Siheyuan was affected by the    2     (household) social status, which was reflected in the gate as well. Some gates were painted red, while others had door nails,     3    decorated with stone blocks and brass ring door knockers.

Facing inward toward the courtyard, the surrounding houses are mostly occupied by different members of a large family. The senior members usually live in the main house     4    the north, which has good lighting and temperature all year round, while the younger generations would live in other wings by     5     (senior). The whole Siheyuan forms a self-contained environment for the family, creating a     6     (harmony) atmosphere.

Influenced by urbanization and social changes, some courtyard houses     7       (pull) down, Siheyuan becomes a precious memory of the old Beijing city. And those courtyard houses preserved are often endowed with modern features. The houses     8     (maintain) the original layout, architects have renovated the house and added modern living equipment     9     (adapt) the traditional buildings for contemporary uses.

The design of the residential area of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Village was inspired by Siheyuan. The 20 apartment buildings, arranged in a special way that create s enclosed and open spaces,     10     (surround) six courtyards, which shows a perfect integration of the Olympic culture and the traditional Beijing culture.

Potala Palace (布达拉宫) is the highest ancient palace in the world. The palace,     1     (name) after a holy hill, is said to be used for greeting a Han princess. Legend has it that in the 7th century,     2     (greet) his bride Princess Wencheng of the Tang Dynasty, Songtsen Gampo built a palace with a thousand rooms up on the Red Hill and named it Potala. The palace was     3    (main) made of stones and woods, and decorated     4     special local tree branches. Later, the ancient palace     5     (destroy) in wars.     6     we see at present is the architecture of the Qing Dynasty and the continuous expanding work outcome since the 17th century.

The Palace has two parts, the Red Palace as the center and the White Palace as two wings. The Red Palace is the highest part in the center that is completely devoted to     7     (religion) study. It was painted red to represent power. It consists of different halls and     8    (library)on many levels with winding passages. The White Palace,     9     once served as the office building of local government makes up the living quarters, and     10     (it) wall was painted white to convey peace and calmness.