The Lantern Festival, also known as Shangyuan Festival, is observed on January 15th on Chinese lunar calendar. It is the first full moon night in Chinese lunar year,     1    (symbol) harmony, reunion and the coming back of the spring.The Lantern Festival is deemed as a good day for family get-together.

As for the traditions for this festival, just     2     its name indicates, hanging and looking at lanterns is the main tradition. Lanterns of     3    (vary) of shapes and sizes are displayed on trees, or along river banks. Some are in the shapes of butterflies, birds, flowers, and boats, others     4    (shape) like dragon, fruit and animal symbols of that year.   

Another tradition is solving lantern riddles. Thousands of riddles     5    (hang) on lanterns for people to shoot down and solve. The riddles are usually short, wise, and sometimes humorous. The answer     6     a riddle can be a Chinese character, a famous person’s name, a place name or a proverb. This tradition is said     7    (become) a popular game with serious staying power even as social development changes other traditions.

Aside from that, the most important thing to do today is to eat sweet dumplings. In northern China, sweet dumplings made of glutinous rice flour are called “Yuanxiao” while in     8    (south) part they are called “Tangyuan”. Typical sweet dumplings are filled with black sesame sauce, sweetened bean paste, or hawthorn and the round shape of it is a symbol of wholeness, completeness and unity.

The lantern festival is an occasion when the families get together and everyone—young, old, rich and poor     9    (have) fun. Making “ Yuanxiao” today is like a game or     10     activity, so it’s seldom done without a group of friends or family present to help out.

China International Culture Association, a key sponsor of “Happy Chinese New Year”, called for rabbit-themed mascot (吉祥物) design for the Year of the Rabbit,     1     started on Jan. 22, 2023, according to the traditional Chinese calendar.

The     2     (collect) design went through four stages of evaluation, and the winner was told at the end of 2022. “Happy Chinese New Year” is known for     3     series of cultural activities held in numerous countries     4     (introduce) the lunar New Year culture and bring the joys of Chinese New Year to everybody throughout the world. The Year of the Rabbit is considered as one of the     5     (lucky) signs of the Chinese Zodiac (生肖). It is traditional Chinese     6     (believe) that the Chinese Rabbit will live a long, peaceful life filled with beauty and love.

The design competition     7     (hold) for the first time to create a memorable and     8     (cultural) fresh experience for the globe. The interested     9     (party) could check out details and know more information at https://ishijue.com/, the official website     10     the competition.

When I was in France I tried to practise my language skills. However, my    1    ( break) French was so poor that sometimes I couldn’t make    2    (I) understood and so it ended in complete communication breakdown. I did my best to pronounce words clearly but of course I’m not a native    3    ( speak) or anywhere speaker approaching that level, so people often misunderstood me.

The other day, I met someone from another part of the country    4    had such a strong accent that at times I found him virtually incomprehensible.    5    was hard to believe that we shared the same language, to be honest. And it wasn’t just the accent — as     6       matter of fact, he was speaking a different dialect and using slang (俚语),     7     ( make) it difficult for me to follow him. We had to get someone    8    ( interpret) for us!

When you travel, there’s sometimes a language barrier that makes communication difficult. But I’ve found that body language, while not    9    ( exact) the same around the world, is sufficiently universal(广泛适用的), which     10    ( mean) that we can“ talk” to other people. Gestures and facial expressions allow us to show people that we don’t understand, that we want a particular thing, or whatever.

Hundreds of people got to experience China without boarding     1     international flight, thanks to a recent event at the Chinese embassy(大使馆).

A Chinese tea ceremony, dance and folk music, food-tasting, and much more     2     (be)part of the celebration when the Chinese embassy along with Embassy Experiences, a local organization for     3     (professional)in Washington DC, jointly held an open house “Cultural Night” on Jan.12.

In her welcoming speech, Xu Xueyuan, the chargé d’affaires(临时代办)at the embassy, said that Chinese culture is the product     4     a 5,000-year civilization and is the shared heritage of the 1.4 billion Chinese people, of     5     overseas Chinese worldwide are proud.

Xu said that intercultural exchanges increase mutual learning and     6     (deep)friendships. She noted that China-US people-to-people exchanges have been stopped by the pandemic over the past three years. But China substantially simplified border-control measures for travelers to China as of Jan. 8.

“You are welcome     7     (visit)China in the future to experience Chinese culture in person. I believe that you     8     (see)an ancient yet modern, an open and progressing country,” said Xu, citing Confucius’ saying that “how     9     (delight)we are to have friends coming from afar”.

“People-to-people exchange, learning about culture, and learning about backgrounds, show that we are not so far     10     (part),” said Gregory Bland, a CEO, after the celebration.

If you heard someone shout “Hey you!” from across the room, how would you react? These two words could     1     (interpret) as a welcoming greeting from a close friend, especially if     2     (accompany) by a gentle smile. Much of what we communicate is dependent not only on the words we use, but also on     3     we use them.

Communication is the process of exchanging information,     4     complex process can be challenging. Depending on your targets, you will need to decide which communication channel best     5     (suit) the situation.

Your body language is     6     (equal) important, since it reveals a lot about your thoughts and attitudes. A smile shows you are     7     (attention) to the issues being discussed,     8     looking away with your arms folded can indicate disinterest and create distrust or friction. Seek to understand the other person’s emotions, by putting yourself     9     their shoes and looking at the situation from their perspective. Some issues may be complicated and you may be confused about why others feel the way they do. Only when you give serious consideration to their points of view will you be able to see what accounts for their emotions and empathize with them.

Effective communication will enable you     10     (settle) differences and disagreements appropriately and improve your interactions with others. So, get practising and good luck!