In recent years, Chinese literature has gained more popularity worldwide. An increasing number of Chinese literary works     1     (translate) into multiple languages, including English, French, Japanese and Russian, and read by people from countries and regions     2     (involve) in the Belt and Road Initiative (“一带一路”倡议). Not only have the     3     (story) from China’s past made their way through time, but the beauty of the language has drawn the world’s attention.

Paper cutting is a folk culture with so long a history. When Chinese Lunar New Year is coming, it is a custom     1     northern people to paste the papercuts on the window.Gradually, it develops into an art form, one of the     2    (popular) traditional decoration arts.

In early times, people made images of humans and subjects by paper    3    (bury) together with the body in the tomb or to burn on the funerals. With such    4    (symbol) meaning, paper cutting    5    (use) as decorations on sacrificing ceremonies.In 105 AD, Cai Lun improved the paper making technique and a large amount of paper was produced,    6     laid a foundation for the spread of paper cutting.Beautiful patterns were created and gradually, the patterns were     7    (wide) used in other fields later.

There were more records of paper cutting after 960 AD (Song dynasty). Professional paper cutting artists appeared,    8    (specialize) in different patterns. Some were good at cutting flowers     9     others were expert at characters’cutting. Thus, the patterns were abundant and colorful. One of the most important    10    (contribution) of paper cutting in the Song dynasty was that patterns were used on the china.

Each year, on the 15th day of the seventh month in the Chinese lunar calendar, the Ghost Festival is celebrated all over Asia. On this day, it     1     (believe) that the gates of Heaven and Hell open up,     2     (allow) the spirits of all the dead to visit the Earth. During this time, people will burn offerings (祭品) and prepare fancy meals     3     (pay) respect to the dead.

Similar holidays are celebrated all around the world. However, these holidays tend to be less gloomy (阴郁的)     4     Chinese holidays. In the Western world, Halloween, Oct 31 every year, is mainly celebrated by     5     (light) pumpkin lanterns and dressing up in costumes (服装). It is considered     6     a time to remember and honor the dead. The Day of the Dead is celebrated in Mexico on Nov.1&2 each year. People will build altars (祭坛) at home and decorate them with candles, flowers, skulls (骷髅头) and gifts. Around the altar, people pray and tell stories about the dead. This holiday is also     7     (joy). In some public areas, there are even parties at night.

Death is a     8     (frighten) thing. But holidays like these can help us to better understand death as a natural part of life,    9     can remind us to value our own time on Earth and encourage us to live our best     10     (life).