Hanfu has experienced large     1     (grow) during the Spring Festival. The horse face skirt is     2     (particular) popular for its combination (结合) of traditional and modern beauty, especially among young Chinese.

During the Spring Festival, many performers and tourists in Luoyang, Henan province,     3     (wear) the horse face skirts. Impressive hanfu shows in Caoxian county, Shandong province, highlighted (凸显) the elegance of the long tradition of Chinese clothing. Consumers (消费者)     4     were interviewed expressed their wish     5     (promote) traditional Chinese culture.

The sales of horse face skirts are rising. Caoxian county is one of the major hanfu production     6     (base) in China, with sales of hanfu reaching over 7 billion yuan every year. The sales of new year’s clothes for the Year of the Dragon, mainly horse face skirts, were more than 300 million yuan in Caoxian county.

Data from e-commerce platforms (电商平台) show a great increase in the search for hanfu since January. Among the various hanfu styles, the horse face skirt has become     7     most popular one.

Zhang Mingqiang, the general manager of a factory, expressed both happiness and concern due     8     the growing daily orders (订单). So far more than 30,000 orders for horse face skirts     9     (put) off by the factory, which is taking measures to improve production     10     to meet the high demand. The new trend of Chinese-style fashion, led by horse face skirts, is gaining popularity among overseas consumers as well.

Charlie saw a poster asking young people to join a new singing group.     1    (interest), he went to check if he was good enough. But, when he sang, his voice cracked(破裂), and he failed.

Feeling sad, Charlie went back home to his garden. He thought, “All my friends are good at something special. I wish I had a talent too.” During the school holidays, he kept     2     (try) to find his talent but always felt disappointed.

Towards     3     end of the holidays, Charlie met his friends Dingani and Jan again. He asked Dingani about the soccer match, and Dingani said they won. Charlie then asked Jan about the concert, and Jan     4     (say) it was the next day, and she was going to sing solo (独唱).

Hearing     5     they said, Charlie felt happy. He congratulated them but expressed his wish to have something to be proud     6     .Surprisingly, Jan said, “Are you joking? The vegetables in your garden     7     (be) huge and look delicious! Every time I try to grow something, it dies. I wish I had     8     (you) talent with plants.”

Charlie, surprised, said, “     9     (real)? I never thought gardening was something special.” He smiled and invited them over for dinner the next day     10     (celebrate) Dingani’s soccer victory. They could enjoy fresh vegetables from his garden and then go to Jan’s concert.

Tea is an important part of Chinese traditions. Chinese tea has enjoyed a history of more than 4000 years. Green tea and black tea are familiar     1    many people, but there’s more. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO)     2    (recent) released a document from Chinese experts classifying tea into six types. The basic tea types are black tea, green tea, white tea, oolong tea, dark tea and yellow tea, according to the new standard     3    (establish) by Anhui Agricultural University in Hefei, Anhui province.

The standardization work was led by Wan Xiaochun, professor and director of the State key laboratory of tea plant biology and utilization at the university. For the new standard, Wan     4    (cooperate) with 31 experts from other countries since 2008. Chen Chuan, a pioneer in tea science, put forward the classification standard as early as in 1979. It has been widely adopted     5    had not become an international standard until March, when the document was released, Wan said during     6     news conference.

    7     (process) fresh tea leaves is the most important step of tea production. The six tea types can be further processed or reprocessed to create     8    (product) such as scented tea (花茶) and instant tea, the ISO document said. The classification will allow consumers, world tea traders and governments     9    (have) a clear understanding of the different type of tea through their advanced techniques, which have a significant     10     (affect) on Chinese tea industry.

While it’s impossible to understand China if you don’t speak Chinese, knowing the language does not mean you automatically understand China.

My first real Chinese friend was HuanHuan. Huan Huan was the first friend I made after my Chinese language skills     1    (catch)up with my personality, and he invited me     2    (visit) him at his family’s village for Chinese New Year. At the table were Huan Huan’s parents, uncles, and his little brother. I worked at being a model guest,     3    (pay)especially close attention to my pleases and thank you. At some point during the meal, I realized Huan Huan was looking     4    (increase)upset. After I thanked his mother for more rice, Huan Huan finally called me outside     5     a private chat.

“Are you uncomfortable in there?”

“No, very comfortable.”       

“Is the food to your liking?” Is everyone being     6    (respect)?

“Then you’ve got to stop saying thank you. Our guests are taking     7     the wrong way,” he said. “Among friends, there is no need for thank you. You thank strangers for kindnesses. They     8    (expect)of friends.”

Actions speak     9    (loud)than words. To compliment Huan Huan’s mother’s food, I ate more of it. She glowed, wordlessly. It was HuanHuan     10     taught me the silent language of the give and take of relationships in China.