Hands-on history

Have you ever seen bronze ware (青铜器)? It can be thousands of years old.     1     (recent), Taiyuan Lingde Middle School in Shanxi held an exhibition     2     (name) Dazzling Bronze Ware Memories. The exhibits, however, were made     3     students!

The students used recycled cardboard boxes, foamed (泡沫) plastics, clay and paint to make more than 130 pieces of “bronze ware”. They cut the cardboard into     4     (shape) and then coated them with bronze-colored paint or clay. The students spent much time     5     (learn) to make them, but they thought it was worthy. Visitors felt like that they went back in history because these “bronze art works” looked so real.

Li Danyu from Grade 7, made a set of chimes (编钟). Not long ago, he watched a chime music show in Xi’an for the first time. The sounds of this ancient instrument were so beautiful       6     he fell in love with it at     7     /wʌns/. Then he decided to make one.

Another student, Yang Zixing, also in Grade 7, is     8     /ˈkreɪzi/ about ancient weapons (武器), so he made a halberd (戟).     9     it is really hard work, they tried hard to make it a success.

Students not only showed their talents for handicrafts (手工艺 ) but also had a     10     /tʃɑːns / to enjoy the art and culture of ancient China.

【推荐2】If you are reading this now, it is     1     these words are printed on this page.

Could this happen 2,000 years ago? Well, you could have read some words,     2     the words wouldn’t be printed by a machine on paper.

Modern printing began in China somewhere     3     200 BC and 200 AD. A block (块) of wood was carved (刻) so that the     4     or pictures stood out. Ink (墨) was printed on the     5     (木头) and then cloth was put on top of it. Later, during the Han Dynasty in 105 AD, paper-making was invented in China and printing was done mostly on paper after that.

Much later, a new     6     “movable type” was invented. It used small blocks made of metal with characters or letters. The blocks could be moved around     7     (easy) to make a whole page of printed text and it was much faster than carving a block of wood. Methods to do this were invented in China in 1040.

Later this method started to be used in     8     (欧洲) around 1439. Printing became much easier and faster and printing presses became popular everywhere.

Now, we     9     emails, texts and photos to each other. We can download books and click on links (链接) and read on our phones, tablets and laptops. Ideas and knowledge are sent much     10     than at any other time in history.

Chinese calendar (农历) is formed on the movement of the moon and the sun. It     1     (have) a history of more than 4,000 years.

Each Chinese calendar year has a zodiac sign (生肖), 12 or 13 months and each month has 29 or 30 days.     2     there are 12 months, there will be 353—355 days in a year; If 13 months, there will be 383—385 days. Although China has used the Gregorian calendar (公历) for official and business activities, the traditional Chinese calendar is     3     (wide) used in 24 solar terms, traditional holidays. It also helps to choose a lucky day before important     4     (activity) such as weddings, moving into a new house, etc.

The Chinese calendar is very     5     (use) for farmers. They use it     6     (know) the best time to plant and harvest their crops. It’s like having a secret guide for growing food!

How does the Chinese calendar work? Each time the moon     7     (move) into a line with the earth and the sun, a new month begins. This is called “Chu Yi” or “Shuo Ri”, meaning the first day of a lunar month. When the full moon appears, it is     8     middle of the month. The time of a full moon circle is a little more than 29 days, so one month has 29 days or 30 days.

Just as the Gregorian calendar has a leap year (闺年), the Chinese calendar has a leap month. It means there are 13 months in some years.

The Chinese calendar is a part of     9     (we) traditional culture. It helps us connect with our past and remember the people lived a long time ago. It’s     10     a bridge, which connects us to our history.

Chinese people started to build gardens more than 2, 000 years ago. Chinese gardens are a special form of     1     (tradition) Chinese culture and art.

At the entrance to a Chinese garden, there is usually a huge stone or wall to screen your view. This is to give you a pressed-in feeling, in order to     2     / prə' du:s/ unexpected joy later when you turn around the hall to see the amazing rock formations (岩层) and a big lake. The     3     (good) example is the Summer Palace.

Rock formations play     4     important role in the design of a Chinese-style garden. They are as important to a Chinese-style garden as sculptures (雕塑) are to a European-style garden.

Geyuan Garden in Yangzhou is famous     5     its Four Seasons Rockeries. Gardens in the south are mostly small in size. Chinese garden designers have used the way of “borrowing scenery with a mirror” to     6     /kri'eɪt/ a sense of space. A mirror is hung opposite a window to take in the outside scenery. The whole garden will be     7     (see) in the mirror wherever the tourists are. A pool     8     a lake in a garden also serves this purpose. A pool runs from south to north     9     /θru:/ the garden. To the east of the rockery, a man-made moon is reflected in the pool.

Whatever methods used, every effort is to achieve the purpose of giving     10     (visit) a sense of space in the garden.