Cuju was an ancient Chinese    1    (compete) game involving kicking a ball through an opening into a net.

As the ancestor of soccer, it first appeared in    2    well known ancient Chinese historical work Zhan Guo Ce (Strategies of the Warring States), which described cuju as a form of     3    (entertain) among the general public.

Later, cuju was    4    (common) played in the army for military training purposes during the Han Dynasty (206 BC—220 AD).

Liu Bang, the first emperor of the Western Han Dynasty, was a cuju fan    5    liked watching and playing cuju.

Emperor Liu Che would establish a cuju field    6    his army went. He used cuju as a way of training soldiers.

The    7    (early) record of women cuju players can be traced back to the Han Dynasty. We can see paintings of females with their hair    8    (tie) back, waving their long sleeves and looking chic (时髦的) while playing cuju.

Up to the Tang Dynasty (618—907), women players prevailed (盛行) at the royal court, as emperors enjoyed watching soccer games. At that time, various skills were widely used in playing cuju, mainly    9    (serve) as amusement.

As a way of national culture protection, cuju    10    (list) in the first batch of China’s intangible cultural heritages in 2006.

7 . In the lead-up to the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, educators across Qatar Foundation (QF) have found creative ways to take advantage of the global sporting event in the classroom to teach both physical and social skills, and to bring their lesson plans to life.

“Apart from encouraging them to take part in the physical aspect of the game, it’s a perfect opportunity to teach social skills, such as team spirit, fair play, respect for rules, cooperation, discipline and tolerance, etc. These are all essential skills for future participation in group activities and professional life,” explained Sara Hal Hajri, assistant director of QF.

The topics include learning about the event, the sport of football, stadiums and how they link to Qatari culture and heritage, and the positive impact the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 will have on the local community, etc. Classes will also be designing and creating a sustainable football in honor of the landmark year.

At the heart of the activities are friendly football matches organized to simulate the match experience where students will engage as either football players or audience. They will create cheers for their favourite team, use a match ticket, and purchase refreshments to mirror the experience at a match.

Football in Qatar Academy Sidra (QAS), a QF school, has been included in the curriculum across the age groups to teach subjects like geography, art writing,math and others in creative ways. For example, Grade 4 students are using maps to determine the distances between stadiums while Grades 11 and 12 engage in redesigning the FIFA World Cup using recycled materials.

Fatima Saad Mohannadi, a Grade 10 student from QAS said, “Everyone is pumped up about the World Cup-it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and there are so many activities being linked to it. And when we also have it included in our day-to-day learning, it just makes school that much more fun and something that, like the World Cup, we all look forward to.”

8 . Beginning to learn gymnastics even before she could barely walk, Svetlana had always dreamed to enter the Olympics scene some day.

However, her _________ ended in the car on the winding road when a lorry appeared out of nowhere. The last thing she _________ was a blinding flash of light. In hospital, when told she would never _________ again, she couldn’t believe it. Three months later, she was _________ out of hospital on a wheelchair. Then a friend came to her house to visit her with an old Child’s storybook. A bookmark in it made her _________ to page 117. The name of the _________ was ‘The Day Clara walked’. She was determined to return to stage whatever it might cost.

_________, after a year’s hard exercise, Svetlana _________ and was able to display her gymnastics. While she was sitting on the green bench _________ the Athens Stadium, memories __________: first, the pain and the tears, the book under her pillow, the words of relatives full of advice and comfort, and the pity in those eyes that had once held __________ for her talent. Then followed the trips to the gym where everyone looked on __________, their disbelief transforming slowly to wonder, __________ she could balance the hoop (健身圈) as well as her teammates. She registered for the Olympic Games and finally she received __________ from the Olympic Committee.

Her __________ was interrupted by the attendant who said, “It’s time”, two words that she had been __________to hear for so long. Smoothing her dress, she walked into the stadium, each __________ firm and steady. Everything was __________, and the applause rang loud in her ears, her heart hammering violently against her chest.

Later that night, Svetlana pulled the gold medal out of her pocket and placed it on the old __________ on the shelf, which opened to page 117, to the chapter ‘The Day Clara Walked’, tears __________ her vision.