Dunhuang Sand Painting — A Call to Cherish (珍惜) Art

Dunhuang, an ancient Chinese city on the Silk   Road, has     1     number of historical attractions and the   world’s most treasured grotto (石窟) art.

Recently, a sand painting was finished at Mount Mingsha,    2     (make) a sharp contrast to the surrounding desert. As the sun rose and set, the painting gradually faded away within a day after       3     (remove) canvas (帆布) over the painting.

This work was accomplished by a young team of    4     (artist) led by Liu Jie, an expert in solid colour sand painting. He    5     (hope) the unique piece would remind people that art can easily fade away without proper protection, and said that the great culture of Dunhuang should be protected carefully.

“It is very meaningful to be   part   of   this   campaign to   raise awareness. Hopefully, watching   the       6       (disappear) of   the painted sand can motivate a desire to   cherish what is   precious and   translate   it    7     action,” Liu said.

The good news is    8     scientists as well as visiting scholars from across the world are drawn to the caves. Thanks to international cooperation and advanced technology, Mogao’s relics have been    9     (successful)   preserved. All these show how Mogao has built bridges of common understanding and share its    10     (culture) heritage with the world.

【推荐3】阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

Bringing the past to life by restoring (修复) old buildings from yesterday can show     1    (confident) in tomorrow. Jinan, the capital city of Shangdong province, which has a large number of cultural     2     (relic) and historic buildings, understands this.

One main example is in the ancient downtown area of Jinan. The Baroque-style building is    3     former site of the city’s first cinema ― Xiaoguanghan,     4     was built in 1904, when Jinan opened up to the outside world. By the late 1990s, the building was     5     danger of collapse (倒塌).        

Li, 45, a film lover     6     works in the catering industry (餐饮业), decided to help restore the historic building with the local government’s support in 2008. Restoration work started in 2009. During the process, Li began to learn about the history of the cinema and what the old building    7     (real) means to Jinan’s history and China’s wider film culture.

After nearly 26 months, Xiaoguanghan     8     (give) new life as a film museum and restaurant. The museum now     9     (have) more than 4,000 historic items, including cameras, projectors, posters and classic props (道具), making it a perfect place for visitors     10     (learn) about the history and culture of Chinese cinema.

Located in Shiyan, central China’s Hubei Province, the Wudang Mountains are known for their breathtaking natural landscapes, large ancient temples and Wudang martial arts (武术).

The place     1     (frequent) appears in various martial arts novels and films. Some scenes in the popular movie The Karate Kid, starring Chinese action star Jackie Chan,     2     (shoot) at famous places among the mountains such as the Golden Hall and Nanyan Palace .

In December 1994, an ancient building complex (建筑群) at Wudang was listed as     3     UNESCO World Heritage Site because of the religious     4     (significant) and architectural achievements of the buildings within the complex.

In recent years, exchanges between Wudang and overseas countries have been     5     the rise, paving the way for Wudang martial arts     6     (go) abroad.

Ingo, 52, is one of the foreigners     7     are interested in tai chi. After joining a tai chi programme and     8     (get) some knowledge of tai chi in Germany, he came to Wudang into gain a     9     (deep) understanding of Chinese martial arts and traditional culture. Since then, Ingo     10     (fly) to Wudang to practise tai chi and other martial arts almost every year.

Flames in kilns (窑) around China have been burning since the Xia and Shang dynasties. Along the way, porcelain (瓷器) was born.

Porcelain     1     (make) by heating raw materials, often a mix of china stone and kaolin clay, in a kiln at a temperature as high as 1,200 degrees Celsius. Temperature is key to making porcelain. Going through the fire of recreation at a high temperature makes porcelain with greater     2       (strong).

Celadon (青瓷) produced in Longquan, Zhejiang Province, with a technique passed down for more than 1,600 years,     3     (be) a typical example of craftsmen’s pursuit of the perfect green flash. It takes 72 steps     4     (produce) Longquan celadon’s jade-like green. Plum green and light green, or tianqing (the color of the sky after a rain), are the     5     (good) of all colors in quality.

Porcelain has also been a carrier for cultural exchanges. Along with China’s silk and tea, porcelain was one of the first supplies to receive worldwide trade.

As it travelled around the globe through the ancient Maritime Silk Road, porcelain was popular     6     royal (皇家的) families and upper classes in Europe, who were interested in these beautiful containers they named after China, the country     7     produced them.

Porcelain began as     8     useful tool and developed into art. Even when it is broken into     9     (piece) and buried deep in mud,     10     (it) cultural values will never disappear. As a memory that can be felt with both hands, porcelain is history that can be touched.