The Winter Olympics in Beijing used lots of man-made snow. This was the first time that the Winter Olympics     1     (take) place on almost 100% artificial snow.

Most skiing competitions of the Winter Olympics were held in areas northwest of Beijing,     2     it’s cold in the winter but often doesn’t snow much. That’s because these areas aren’t far     3     the Gobi Desert, and are generally very dry. To hold the Winter Olympics, China hired Techno Alpin,     4     Italian company, to create the snow needed for the events.

It’s     5     (use) to be able to make snow when nature doesn’t provide enough. But artificial snow is surely not the same as natural snow, which has more air and less water. An athlete used to natural snow might have to adjust their style when     6     (perform) on man-made snow.

However, now machine     7     (design) to make artificial snow are quite advanced. They can make different kinds of snow depending on what’s needed for each sport. Most athletes thought     8     (high) of the snow and it brought them much     9     (amuse). With global warming going forward, it     10     (expect) that artificial snow will be used more at future winter sports events.

The 2022 Winter Paralympic Games was     1     (office) open at the National Stadium on March 4th in Beijing, China. Chinese President Xi Jinping declared     2     opening of the Games after International Paralympic Committee (IPC) president Andrew Parsons’ address. Parsons spoke highly of China’s     3     (prepare) for the Winter Paralympics and encouraged people with disabilities,     4     account for 15 percent of the population in the world,     5     (find) their power and maximize what they can do.

    6     (direct) by Zhang Yimou, the program was themed “Blossoming of Life”, and divided     7     12 parts. Sight-impaired (受损的) Li Duan, Paralympic long jump and triple jump champion at Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008, placed the torch at the heart of a snowflake that was raised and     8     (hang) over the stadium     9     the torch was relayed by eight Paralympic athletes. The Beijing Winter Paralympics lasted nine days, with more than 700 para-athletes     10     (compete) in 78 events across six sports. These events were staged at six venues (场馆) in the three competition zones of Beijing, Yanging and Zhangjiakou.