A six-minute performance featuring Chinese Kung Fu and Chinese folk dances     1     (amaze) thousands of people at New York City’s Times Square Friday night by kicking off one of the     2     (famous) New Year’s Eve countdowns around the globe.

Co-organized by the Sino-American Friendship Association and the Times Square Alliance, the performance brought traditional Chinese culture alive with flowing     3     (move) of Taijiquan blending firmness with softness and the magnificence of Shaolin Kung Fu.

“The martial art is so cool! The cultural elements helped me understand more about China.” said Victoria Christensen, a pharmacy technician, who had traveled here from Nebraska     4     (specific) for the celebration.

Chinese Consul General in New York Huang Ping,     5     made brief remarks before the show, said that he sincerely invites the world to visit China and enjoy the splendid landscapes and rich culture.

The hours-long event ended     6     a 60-second countdown to the new year. Cheers and confetti filled the square when the traditional midnight drop of a multi-colored crystal ball signaled the start of 2022.

The history of New Year’s Eve countdown at Times Square     7     (date) back more than 100 years. After banning visitors from the event a year ago due to the COVED-19 pandemic, the Big Apple rang in 2022 on a smaller scale as COVID-19 infections continue     8     (increase) in the city and around the nation.     9     (base) on the latest statistics from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the current seven-day average daily increase of confirmed cases in the United States reached more than 316.000.

New York City’s new mayor, Eric Adams, took the oath of office in Times Square early Saturday shortly after the ball dropped. He detailed     10     plan for battling COVID-19 to start 2022 on Thursday.

It is said that Chinese New Year started in ancient times,     1     the Chinese people were hounded by a mythical beast called the ‘Nian’. The Nian would visit every New Year day to gobble up all their livestock, crops and even people!

    2     (scare) and tormented, the villagers left food     3     their houses for the Nian, in the hope that it would leave them be once it had been fed.

One day, the villagers noticed that the Nian was afraid of     4     but a small child wearing     5     color red. From that day on, red lanterns, firecrackers and scrolls were used     6    (frighten) the Nian away and it never came back!

Each Chinese year    7     (name) after one of the 12 animals on the Chinese Zodiac. The zodiac is a repeating 12-year cycle and is shown as a wheel, split into12 sections, each     8     (contain) an animal. The Chinese Zodiac and its 12 animals all link to certain years of the Lunar calendar. The year 2020 was the year of the rat, 2021 was the year of the ox and 2022 the year of the tiger.

These animals all came to be ranked by a legendary race     9    they all took part in by crossing a river. The rat won the race through trickery and people who are born in the year of the rat     10     (say) to be very cunning.

From first to last, the animals finished in this order: rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog and pig.

Suzhou is a beautiful city in east China’s Jiangsu Province. In 514 BC, Wu State’s king He Lv     1     (build) a capital in today’s Suzhou area. Now, Suzhou is famous     2     its classical (古典的) gardens.

Suzhou gardens’     3     (feature) are their rocks, hills and elegant pavilions (亭子). From the arrangement of rocks to the properly located pavilions, every part of the gardens is     4     (careful) designed. Following the idea of borrowing neighboring scenery     5     (create) a harmonious view, the gardens create beautiful scenes in limited spaces for visitors to appreciate from different points.

    6     (inspire) by ancient Chinese landscape paintings, Suzhou gardens were established in a similar way—refined, elegant, and free. Ye Shengtao,     7     is a famous writer and educator and also a local resident, writes about the gardens’ beautiful architecture and their art of perfectly joining human and natural elements in his “The Classical Gardens of Suzhou”.

Nine of the best Suzhou gardens     8     (list) as UNESCO World Cultural Heritage in 1997 and 2000. Nineteen of the 69 are under good     9     (protect) and they are open to the public. Every year, the gardens receive     10     great number of visitors from across the world.

Before the lecture on ancient Chinese architecture, Li Wei, an expert in “dougong”, which translates as “interlocking wooden brackets (斗拱)” and refers to architectural elements used in traditional Chinese     1     (building), examined the complex designs, which showcase the precision and craftsmanship (手工艺) of ancient builders.

Wearing     2     traditional robe and a pointed hat, Li Wei appeared as a knowledgeable historian, ready     3     (share) insights into the architectural miracles.

The lecture     4     (focus) on the Forbidden City, which is one of the most symbolic examples of ancient Chinese architecture,     5     (date) back to the Ming Dynasty.

“Typically, I discuss architecture     6     (build) during the Ming and Qing dynasties, but for this special session, I will explore the early architectural influences that paved the way for these grand structures,” said Li Wei, who     7     (research) ancient Chinese architecture for more than a decade.

Li Wei’s passion for preserving the historical significance of ancient buildings aligns with the mission of the National Heritage Foundation,     8     is dedicated to the protection and promotion of China’s rich architectural legacy (遗产).

The foundation works tirelessly to ensure that these architectural treasures,     9     an integral part of China’s cultural heritage,     10     (preserve) for future generations.