The pipa is a four-stringed Chinese musical instrument,     1     (belong) to the plucked (拨弦的) category of instruments. Sometimes called the Chinese lute, the instrument has     2     unique pear-shaped wooden body with a varying number of frets (琴格) ranging from 12 to 26. The pipa is one of the most popular Chinese instruments and     3     (play) for almost two thousand years in China.

In China, plenty of music and stories are associated     4     this instrument. The most popular one is about a beauty     5     (call) Wang Zhaojun. It is said that Wang Zhaojun began a journey northward     6     (marry) a nomad (游牧民族) ruler. She left her hometown on horseback on a bright autumn morning and along the way, the horse neighed (嘶鸣) making Zhaojun     7     (extreme) sad and unable to control her emotions. As she sat on the saddle, she began to play sorrowful melodies on a stringed instrument. A group of     8     (bird) flying southward heard the music, saw the beautiful young woman riding the horse, immediately forgot to flap their wings,     9     fell to the ground. From then on, Zhaojun acquired the nickname “drop birds” or “luoyan”. Later, the melody,     10     was played on the saddle, was regarded as Zhaojun’s Lament (《昭君怨》) and the stringed instrument was commonly described as a pipa.

Lonely Warrior, the theme song of the film Arcane: League of Legends,     1     (come) out last November, the lyrics (歌词) by Tang Tian and the singer Eason Chan. It has become     2     (particular) popular among Chinese children.

One woman began singing the song on the street, and dozens of children spontaneously began singing with her. In another instance, a kindergarten teacher set the song as an alarm, and children     3     were taking a nap woke simultaneously when it began playing.

So what’s the secret     4     this song’s success? Not only does it have a     5     (move) melody, but also — and more importantly — heart-touching lyrics. It seems     6     these inspire children, empowering them to overcome     7     (difficult). One child wrote in     8     (relate) to the song: “Who said heroes can’t be ordinary souls? I’ll be a man like a lonely warrior and defy life’s storms.’’

For Tang Tian, the song is autobiographical. When she was 29, she was diagnosed with cancer of the nose and larynx. She had a passionate desire     9     (hear) Chan, her idol, sing one of her songs. Not only was that desire fulfilled,     10     Tang beat cancer and regained her health.

Lion dance is very popular in China. As a well-known folk activity    1     is traditionally believed to bring prosperity and good luck, lion dance is often seen performed at festive occasions. Accompanied by the sound of beating drums, dancers     2     (dress) up in lion costumes jump back and forth, showing stunning Kung Fu and acrobatic(杂技的) skills. Crowds bursting into applause in response to the performance of this special kind of dancing always help create     3     festive atmosphere that fills the air.

In the 1990s, high-pole lion dancing     4     (introduce) and promoted in Nanhai of Foshan City. Different     5    traditional lion dancing, it has its own unique rules.     6     (performer) do not jump around on the ground but on poles ranging between one to three meters high. Besides, the space between poles also     7     (vary). The poles are often set up where dancers’ skills could be showed while at the same time the audience can enjoy a safe    8     satisfying watching experience. It’s not easy    9     (balance)well while performing the dance of a fierce lion so     10     (active) on poles. That’s why compared with the traditional one, the high-pole lion dance is more challenging and dangerous.

Nut carving, known as Hediao in Chinese, generally refers to two kinds of carvings that use the fruit’s pit (核), like peach pits, and walnut (核桃) as the raw material.

It gained popularity in the Song Dynasty, and by the Ming Dynasty, the art form     1    (make) very high achievements, with many of the rich and high officials considering     2     fashionable to wear a piece of nut carving around. The ancient artists left their accomplished skills on those small     3    (work), which featured human figures, various birds and beasts, and even lines of poems.

The hardest thing about nut carving is     4     each piece of the raw material is different in texture (纹理) and flexibility. By looking at the textures on the surface of a walnut, a seasoned carving artist can basically tell whether the piece can     5    (use) for carving. In carving the artwork, the artist should first have     6     basic blueprint in his mind according to the textures on the surface, and then make adjustments when meeting any     7    (hide) holes in the pits or walnuts. The whole carving process     8    (constant) requires reconsideration and creation, and there is no established pattern to follow.

    9    (be) a good nut carver, one needs not only the basic skills in painting, calligraphy, and carving, but special materials, knives, good observation, flexible fingers, unique ideas, and exceptional     10    (patient).

Lately, 16 Chinese online novels have been added to the collection of the British Library,     1     include My Heroic Husband, The Era of the Earth, Great Power, Heavy Industry, The Wisdom of the Great Song Dynasty, Mystical Treasures, and The Road to Revival.     2     (cover) themes of science fiction, history, reality and fantasy, these works are considered the classics of Chinese online literature from the past 20 years. More information about the 16 works can    3     (find) on the British Library’s website. Printed versions are available to borrow at the library.

One of the largest research     4     (library) in the world, the British Library houses more than 170 million items, including the     5     (culture) relics of different civilizations from throughout history. In the Chinese collection, people can find more than 450 Chinese oracle bones dating back over three millennia     6     the Shang Dynasty and the Diamond Sutra, the world’s     7     (early) dated printed book.

The library usually selects works     8     (base) on popularity or by considering    9     item’s value. In recent years, Chinese online literature     10     (attract) an increasing number of readers from overseas.