Shuttlecock (毽子) kicking is a traditional popular folk game,     1     (date) as far back as the Han Dynasty.The fun game gained popularity during the Tang Dynasty, when     2     (store) specializing in the shuttlecock business appeared. In the Qing Dynasty, shuttlecock kicking reached its peak in terms of both making techniques and kicking skills.

To make a feather shuttlecock, a piece of cloth wrapped around a coin     3     (need). Through the coin hole you can stick some feathers,     4     function is to delay the rising and falling of the shuttlecock.

There     5     (be) a great number of variations in styles and methods of kicking. With one leg fixed on the ground, the shuttlecock is kicked by the inner ankle of     6     other. Some other styles include kicking the shuttlecock backwards and forwards between two people. Those who advance to a high level of mastery can perform some actions that are     7     (fair) wonderful. The challenge of the increasingly difficult levels of shuttlecock kicking has made it a popular and timeless game among Chinese children.

Playing with shuttlecocks is     8     (benefit) to health. When people are kicking shuttlecocks, various parts of the body need to work together, which enhances balance capabilities and physical flexibility and helps them strengthen their legs. Besides, shuttlecock kicking is convenient     9     (play). It can be practiced just about anywhere and anytime.

Since the establishment of the Chinese Shuttlecock Kicking Association in 1987, the national shuttlecock kicking tournament has been held annually, appealing     10     people of all ages.

The Ontario Convention Center was filled with     1     (excite)on Saturday as hundreds of players competed in the 2023 US Open Table Tennis Championships. The tournament attracted players from around the world, among     2     were Wu Bohan and Zhang Yuwen. Representing Peking University,     3     Chinese pair will participate in a series of events to celebrate the 52nd anniversary of Ping-Pong Diplomacy.

When Dell Sweeris, now a 78-year-old, watched the intense action at the championship, fond memories     4     (come) flooding back. With a smile playing on his lips (嘴角), he reflected on how a simple game of ping-pong had once bridged political chasms (鸿沟)    5     brought nations closer together.

“I was so fortunate     6     (be) on the US national team in 1972 when the Chinese team came here,” Sweeris recalled. “They sent legends (传奇人物) here and I luckily traveled with them.”

While     7     (meet) some legendary players of the Ping-Pong Diplomacy era, Sweeris became friends with Liu Wei, a former world champion and now a professor at Peking University.

    8     the coach of the Peking University table tennis team, Liu said his team was on a mission to spread the spirit of Ping-Pong Diplomacy. “It is about the continuity of friendship,”she said. “It will     9    (pass) on to the next generation through the medium of table tennis. One of the driving forces behind this continuity is the     10     (share) love for this sport by the people of both China and the United States.”

Wushu, the Chinese martial art form known as kungfu in the West, is a     1     (value) cultural heritage of Chinese people and contribution to human civilization.

Wushu, often     2     (use) in the form of combat (搏斗), consists of several different kinds of movements. The Chinese people’s determination to win and strong characteristics     3     (reflect) in the intense body combat.

Wushu reflects the character of Chinese people and they apply their unique understanding of theory and principle to combat. It differs from European and American boxing. Wushu is a particular balance between external and inbuilt values,     4     not only shows the beauty of one’s figure, but also the meaning of profound     5     (elegant). Apart from simple combat techniques, martial arts are rooted     6     Chinese philosophy, containing ancient Chinese philosophers’ understanding of life and the universe.

Wushu, which aims to improve health and self-defense,     7     (begin) by promoting one’s moral character. The martial art movements are     8     (physical) demonstrated while internal thoughts are static (静态的). Like still waters, peace and quiet is considered     9     highest level of martial arts.

Having survived the difficult situations of life while     10     (maintain) all of its strength and vitality, Wushu is even believed to be the model of Chinese traditional culture and national spirit.

Wing Chun is a southern Chinese kung fu style descends from Shaolin Kung Fu. It has the distinction of having been founded by two women, Ng Mui and Yim Wing-chun.

The Wing Chun style is known for placing     1     (emphasize) on technique rather than strength. This style also calls for practitioners to stay relaxed while     2    (fight), allowing them to achieve a kind of softness or flexibility. This relaxed flexibility gives Wing Chun fighter     3     special kind of strength that allows them to bend, not break, just like bamboo.   

Legend has it that Wing Chun founder Ng Mui was living at Shaolin Temple     4     it was attacked and destroyed by Qing dynasty forcers. Surviving the attack, she escaped     5     the border area between Yunnan and Sichuan. There she met a young woman     6     (name)Yim Wing-chun, who     7     (final) became one of her top students. She taught Yim an improved version of Shaolin Kung Fu, known as Wing Chun now. This new martial art     8     (spread) and grown into different branches over the past two hundred years.

Ip Man, featured in the eponymous (同名的) hit films,     9    (be) a notable practitioner of Wing Chun style martial arts. He also taught the Wing Chun style to his student, Bruce Lee, who would go on to act in the beloved Hong Kong kung fu movies     10     helped make Chinese martial arts famous around the world.

Once celebrated as “the sport of kings”, polo (马球), a unique sport with ancient roots,     1     (play) on horseback with a ball. Its exact origins remain uncertain,     2     one early version of this sport emerged in ancient Persia (modern Iran) around the 6th century BC.

Different cultures developed similar games and, over time, polo evolved     3     the sport we know today. It also has a deep historical connection with ancient China, as     4     (show) through the discovery of numerous artifacts, including murals (壁画), stone carvings, mirrors and paintings.

During the 1930s, the modern version of the sport enjoyed a period of     5     (popular) , with polo grounds established in cities with foreign populations like Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin and Qingdao.

Polo’s noble and warrior-like characteristics have won it many     6     (passion) players, and among them is Jackie Wang. She and her family     7     (spend) the past three years researching and writing Polo in China, a book that documents the lengthy history of the sport in China.

Published by the Cultural Relics Press, the book gives a detailed introduction to polo in China, with photos of artifacts and events, and an engaging storyline     8     brings the sport to life.

As     9     combination of historical reference and artistic representation, the book serves both as an academic work and a general interest publication,     10     (contribute) to the study of polo in China while sharing the sport’s charm through its design and presentation.

Despite being 75 years old, Chai Tixia’s expertise in Jianzi is truly impressive. With quick kicks, he effortlessly sends the Jianzi into the air and gracefully guides it to land    1     (gentle) on his head.

Jianzi,    2     game that dates back to the Han Dynasty, is surprisingly simple: players must keep the Jianzi in the air,    3     (use) any part of their body except their hands and arms. However, to master this game    4     (require) a lot of practice.

While enjoyed throughout China, Jianzi     5     (describe) by Chai as an important aspect of hutong culture. The narrow alleyways, situated within Beijing’s inner city, provide the setting for the game’s    6     (popular). Each mormning, Chai and his fellow hutong residents gather for their shared passion for Jianzi.

Chai’s spirited matches with his neighbors have a big audience     7     (draw) to the artistry and excitement of the game. The onlookers who watch them playing with great athleticism are amazed at     8     Chai and his fellow players can achieve.

Having practiced Jianzi for over 30 years, Chai cherishes the physical and social     9     (benefit) the game brings. Engaging in lively matches with his neighbors energizes his body, enhances his flexibility,     10     promotes unity within the community. Through Jianzi, Chai harvests not only health but a sense of belonging and friendship.

The football is such a simple game to play is perhaps the basis of its     1    (popular). It is also a game     2     is very cheap to play. All over the world you can see kids playing to     3    (they) hearts’ content with a ball     4    (make) of plastic bags, just like Pele did when he was a boy.

What’s more, football has become one of the best ways for people to communicate. For example, the famous football game on Christmas Day 1914. World War Ⅰ     5    (break) out months before,     6     British and German soldiers put down their guns and played football     7    .

“Some people believe football is a matter of life and death…” said Bill Shankly, the famous footballer and manager. “I can assure you it is much, much     8    (important) than that.” This might sound     9    (fun), but one only has to think about the Earth to realize that our planet is shaped     10     a football.

Fall marks cricket fighting season in China, a sport     1     (believe) to date back more than a millennium. In recent years, it’s gained     2     (popular) with new generations.

Here’s     3     the game works. Two crickets ——always males     are weighed to the closest hundredth of a gram     4     then paired off by weight class. They     5    (place) in a clear plastic ring nearly the size of a dinner plate, with a dividing wall     6     (separate) the two insects. A referee signals go time, then slides out the ring divider to let the bugs face off.

The owners poke a special reed (芦苇) in to brush their crickets, which drives them to fight. A referee closely monitors the tiny fighters, noting     7     number of attacks and retreats.Cricket enthusiasts w ax poetic about a certain province because of the fierceness of its six-legged fighters. Ningyang county in Shandong produces especially desired bugs, the sale of which brings     8     about 600 million yuan in revenue a year.

Zhao Jiuling is a     9     (commit) cricket competitor. Each night, he cooks a nutritious meal of grain and bean powder for crickets.“They’re very     10     (pick) about both their food and mates,” he said. “Sometimes they don't like each other. Domestic violence happens both ways. Sometimes the females eat the males,” he added.