Alcohol or liquor, also called baijiu in Chinese, may be featured on special occasions    1     (ease) the expression of diners’ thoughts and feelings. But in the long process of Chinese history, it is not just an objective existence,    2     a cultural symbol. China is one of the earliest countries in the world to make alcohol and the history can date    3     prehistoric times. Since its appearance,    4     has been reflected in social life, literature, and aesthetic (美学的) ideas is its spiritual and cultural value. In this sense, to drink alcohol     5     (be) actually to taste a culture.

According to the    6     (history) records, as early as in the Shang Dynasty (1600–1046 BC), Chinese people began to drink alcohol and use it to worship gods (祭神). All kinds of alcohol except yellow rice wine developed    7     (great) after the Han (206 BC–220) and Tang (618–907) dynasties.

Chinese alcohol has a wide variety of kinds. By the type of products, they can include yellow rice wine, white wine, medicinal liquor, fruit liquor and beer. By the alcoholic content, they can    8     (group) into 3 categories: strong, medium and low alcohol liquor. With the Chinese wine-making industry    9     (develop) every day, alcohol, over a thousand years,    10     (integrate) into the brilliant Chinese civilization as a basic necessity in people’s life.

Intangible cultural inheritors and folk     1     (artist) from nine provinces and regions along the Yellow River gathered in Dongying, East China’s Shandong province, at a festival    2     (display) the rich cultures cultivated along the river basin.

Bi Wenjing’s booth (摊位) presenting Huanghekou Huamo was     3     popular attraction. The craftswoman created a flower-shaped steamed bun. She     4     (place) a huge sample of her handiwork, weighing 30 kilograms, in the booth, attracting tourists to take photos. Bi said she started work     5     9 am and visitors were still coming to view it as darkness fell.

In addition, more than 100     6     (agriculture) products were on sale, while delicious food was also available, including barbecued delights from Zibo, Shandong province,     7     was recently popular on social media.

Sun Zhaohai, a resident of Dongying, said people could taste mouthwatering food while learning about folk customs at the festival, making it perfect for children. The Yellow River, the second     8     (long) river in China, originates on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and flows through nine provinces and regions from west to east,     9     (eventual) reaching the Bohai Sea. It     10     (call) the cradle (摇篮) of Chinese civilization, too.

Jennifer, a teenage girl, fainted at school after    1    (skip) meals. She    2    (send) to hospital immediately for treatment due to dangerously low blood sugar levels.    3     (fortunate), she is now out of danger. Her doctor says she will make a full     4    (recover) in a day or two. 

Her classmates hope to see her back at school soon. They say that she    5    (struggle) with eating problems for a long time. “Jennifer thought dieting would be a simple way    6    (reach) her target weight,” a friend reported. 

    7    is often the case with teenagers, they would adopt    8    (proper) weight-loss behaviours under peer pressure despite (尽管) health experts repeated warnings    9    such extreme methods. 

Experts maintain it’s important for teenagers to have    10    healthy balanced diet since they are still growing and their bodies need a lot of nutrition to function well. Teenagers should keep regular hours and get plenty of exercise to get into shape.

“Food is the first necessity of the people,” said historian Sima Qian of the Western Han dynasty. Today, these words still ring true. The Chinese respect and passion for food are     1     (deep) rooted in the cultural landscape.

In Zhengzhou, the main city of Henan Province, thick noodles are braised(炖)in a rich meat soup     2     is made mainly with mutton. According to legend, Li Shimin,     3     second emperor of the Tang dynasty, was ill and tired while     4     (escape) from his enemies. A poor farmer’s wife cooked him a bowl of noodles     5     the only meat she had — some elk(麋鹿)meat.     6     (support) by the hot meal, he recovered quickly, won the battle and established himself as an emperor.

In Shanxi, sliced noodles, or daoxiao mian, is a typical one. In the 13th century, the Mongolians     7     (establish) the Yuan dynasty. The Han people lived under strict rules, including the rules about the ownership of     8     (knife). Several families shared only one knife and noodle making became almost     9     (possible). One day, a smart cook decided to use a small piece of metal to slice the dough directly into the pot, so daoxiao mian     10     (make).

As the transportation company, Deutsche Bahn, explains     1    (clear) on its website, while it is understandable that many enjoy food and drinks on the go, this has led to billions of used containers (容器) that end up as rubbish. They often cause road and environmental     2    (pollute). The company now offers meals in reusable cups, plates and bowls on its high-speed trains.

“We aim at     3    (offer) our customers a good eating experience just like at home. We will be using high-quality porcelain tableware (瓷器餐具)     4    (serve) main meals and snacks on the train. All drinks will be served in glasses,” the rail network shares.

The company’s new express trains are already in service, and more     5    (introduce) over the next six years. They can reach a top speed of 320 kilometers per hour, up from     6     previous 300 kilometers. However, it is the inside improvements that offer the most     7    (impress) green features. These include space for bicycles, and a fast-in lifting platform for wheelchair users.

The careful use of valuable resources always     8    (play) a key role in food service. Deutsche Bahn is praised     9     taking its environmental problems seriously. The company,     10     on-board menu has been vegetarian (素食的) since March 2022, continually donates food to food banks and other organizations.

When it comes to animals in China, one iconic creature springs to mind: the black and white giant panda. This national animal is     1     (extreme) rare and protected by the Chinese government. In the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, also     2     (call) Chengdu Panda Base, you’ll be able to see these soft, clumsy (笨拙的) creatures carefully protected.

Chengdu Panda Base     3     (consider) an important institution for panda research nowadays. Built in 1987 to care for rescued wild pandas, the open-air reserve is one of China’s most popular     4     (destination). It is remarkably successful at introducing new pandas into wild populations and mainly focuses     5     the conservation of pandas.

Try to visit in the morning     6     the pandas are most active. Feeding takes place around opening time at 8 am, although you’ll see them eating in the late afternoon, too. Pandas spend most of their afternoons     7     (sleep), particularly during the height of midsummer.

As well as living, breathing pandas, there are some     8     (amaze) panda information centers and museums explaining how to protect pandas from     9     (extinct). A visit to the base is a perfect learning opportunity for adults and children alike to get closer to     10     lovely creature.

Whenever I tell people that I teach English at the Berlin Zoo, I almost always get a questioning look. Behind it, the person is trying to figure out who exactly I teach…the animals?

Since June 2017, right before the     1     (arrive) of the two new pandas, Meng Meng and Jiao Qing, I have been helping the panda keepers at the zoo to feel more comfortable and     2     (confidence) speaking English. And who do they speak English     3    ?

Not the pandas, even though     4     language used for the medical training instructions is actually English. They talk to the flood of international tourists and to     5     (visit) Chinese zookeepers who often come to check on the pandas, which are on loan from China. They also need to be ready to give     6     (interview) in English with international journalists. This is     7     they need an English trainer.

So, what are they learning?     8     (basic), how to describe a panda’s life. It’s been an honor to watch the panda programme develop     9     to see the pandas settle into their new home. As a little girl, I     10     (wish) to be a zookeeper when I grew up. Now, I’m living out that dream indirectly by helping the panda keepers do their job in English.

As China’s coffee and tea markets are both developing quickly, new-style, tea-based drinks have become a new trend for young people. One such product is mixing traditional Chinese tea with coffee, which     1     (be) a popular refreshment option in Hong Kong for long.

To follow the market, tea chains including Hey Tea, CoCo and Chabaidao, are continuously launching new products     2     (feature) Chinese tea or other Chinese cultural elements. During the 2023 Spring Festival holiday, these tea chains all     3     (see) increased sales.

For young customers, new tea products have become a window through     4     they can understand and learn about traditional tea culture. They may also develop an interest in traditional tea drinking, especially because young people are now having a preference     5     a healthier lifestyle: less sugar and lower calories.

Shen Dongmei, a researcher focused on tea culture, says, “Coffee drinking is more about office culture, while tea drinking suits a     6     (great) number of occasions.” She notes that it’s suitable for both personal and group     7     (consume), and can be drunk quickly     8     enjoyed for a whole afternoon.

“Tea has more cultural features. Young people enjoying new tea drinks is     9     reflection of cultural confidence,” she says. Experts also suggest that tea chains adopt a new direction in traditional tea drinking     10     (satisfy) the diverse needs of younger customers.

Laughter really is the best medicine.

As a Clown Doctor for the Humour Foundation, Lou Pollard has spent the last nine years     1     (bring) “sunshine and silliness” to people     2     need it most: sick children and their families.

The Humor Foundation is a non-profit charity working to deliver the health benefits of humor. The idea for the organization came from a     3     (perform) who wanted to use his talent for good and give back to the community.

“It’s all about distracting the unhappy kids, trying to bring them some smiles and laughters and get them back to their     4     (nature) state,” says Pollard;

“People do think that we are all doctors,” Pollard says, “we’ve been in hospital emergency departments and people have said all these medical problems to     5     (we) and we’ve just looked     6     them blankly.”

Dressing as a clown     7     (seem) like a simple job but when they try to see every child at least once a week, it’s     8     big, rewarding task.

But Clown Doctors aren’t just for the kids.

“It’s about the family having a laugh together and everyone remembering that they can still be together and have a laugh even though terrible     9     (thing) are happening to them medically,” Pollard says.

“It’s     10     (rue) for the whole family.”

The history of Chinese garden architecture dates     1     the Shang and Zhou dynasties. During that period, Chinese kings and the nobility began developing forests and woods for hunting, which could    2    (see) as early gardens. The Han Dynasty advanced the concept of these "natural gardens" by adding living quarters and animals.

Traditional Chinese garden architecture was well developed in the Tang Dynasty. During this era, the    3    (construct) of beautiful gardens developed into what would include man-made hills, pools, and fountains.    4    time went on, this man-made beauty was able to successfully mix well with the beauty of the natural environment.

The Ming Dynasty    5     (follow) by the Qing Dynasty saw the heyday (最兴盛的时期) of Chinese garden architecture. Especially in the Qing Dynasty, emperors gathered skillful craftsmen (工匠) from all over the country    6     (create) even more complicated gardens. Gardens in this period were no longer    7     (mere) places for fun, but also served as areas     8    more formal ceremonies could take place.

Also, gardens in different regions of China have different styles. In northern China, they're large and often designed in scenic mountain areas. The Summer Palace is a typical example. The gardens in the south are    9    (small) than those in the north but no less delicate. Famous gardens    10     (belong) to this type are popular in Jiangsu Province, such as Li Garden and the Lion Forest Garden.