The Laba Festival stands for the beginning of conventional celebrations of the Chinese New Year.     1     (celebrate) on the eighth day of the last lunar month. La in Chinese means the 12th lunar month and Ba means the eighth day of the month.

There are     2     (differ) tales about the origin of this festival and we can not tell which one is true. However, we agree this festival started as a sacrificial offering to ancestors. It was also a day     3     the ancient Chinese prayed that there would be a     4     (good) harvest than ever.

Laba porridge is a kind of     5     (tradition) food for the festival and it     6     (make) of eight ingredients, including sweet rice, red beans, peas, sorghum, etc.     7     this special day, people are eager     8     (eat) the porridge believing it will bring peace and good health in the coming year.

Another custom is to soak Laba garlic. The practice is very simple. Put the garlic into     9     jar, pour vinegar into it and then seal it. We’ll find it will turn green,     10    (watch) the color of the garlic carefully. By the time of the Spring Festival, we can taste it when eating dumplings.

Sana Farooq     1     (study) Chinese at the National University of Modern Languages for over a month. The more she learns about the language, the more she feels     2     (she) getting connected to Chinese culture. “I just started learning Chinese, but the way my teachers taught us helped us deeply understand the Chinese culture, which not only increased our interest in the language     3     opened up our eyes,” Farooq says.

Because of the rising demand and popularity of Chinese in Pakistan after the launch of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, several Pakistani     4     (university) have made it a must for all students getting a bachelor’s degree(学士学位) to pass a test that     5     (show) a basic understanding of the Chinese language.

As a result, thousands of students are learning Chinese in the country. The students think their interest     6     the language is from their teachers, who act as cultural ambassadors(大使) of China in Pakistan by     7     ( teach) students the language and telling them about the country’s culture.

The teachers are mostly local people with a large number of female teachers     8     have spent a lifetime learning and teaching the language. Most of the teachers have learned in China and observed its culture     9     (close) during their stay in different Chinese cities. The teachers are now sharing their experiences and observations with their young students, many of whom wish     10     (follow) the footsteps of their teachers.

With high yield and superior quality, Chinese hybrid rice varieties have been introduced around the world,     1     (benefit) more people. The export of China’s hybrid rice technology started many years ago. In 1979, China provided hybrid rice seeds to another country for the first time, and 40 years later, in     2     (real), China’s hybrid rice has been planted in dozens of countries in the world.

In the past 40 years, Chinese scientists     3     (devote) to providing assistance to many other countries. China has trained more than 14,000 hybrid rice professionals for more than 80 developing countries through international training courses. This technology has spread     4     more and more places in the world so far.

Yuan Longping,     5     cultivated the world’s first high-yield hybrid rice strain not only earned respect from Chinese people but also the global community. His hybrid rice research has been     6     (entire) saving millions of people from hunger. Yuan’s dream was     7     (solve) the global food shortage and promote hybrid rice around the world. China has achieved     8     great wonder, feeding nearly one fifth of the world’s population with less than nine percent of the world’s total land. And China is     9     (will) to contribute to global food security and calls for joint efforts to end global hunger and poverty.

It     10     (believe) that Yuan’s dream will come true one day.

Picture this: a bright sunny day, the cool wind blows gently through the air, and a group of children are playing in the garden. The picture     1     (simple)shows happiness. Playing is such     2     necessary part of growing up, whether it is climbing trees, playing with dolls, or practicing sports. Is this playing just all for fun, or does it serve a larger purpose?

Humans start playing from a young age. While we do it mainly to make ourselves happy, playing actually plays a much     3     (important)role than that. It contributes     4     our all-round development when our physical, social and emotional abilities     5     (improve)by playing.

A huge part of playing includes exchanging with other children. Playing in groups     6     (teach)children to interact with others, express their     7     (idea)and opinions, understand teamwork, control their behaviors, and act in a socially     8     (accept)manner. It also tells them how     9     (make)choices and wisely analyze(分析)situations. For instance, in a simple game of hide-and-seek, a child will have to analyze the situation and decide whether the hiding place is suitable.

Apart from the above, playing is also a great way for children to learn things like numbers, colors, letters, writing and general knowledge,     10     can benefit children’s growing up. Although playing is educational, it’s also important to find a balance between playing and learning.

Today we     1     （visit）Qinghua University in Beijing and we couldn’t wait to go to the famous     2    (sight) there .

Early in the morning we arrived     3     the gate of Tsinghua University, where we were     4     (warm) welcomed by an old professor, who then showed us around the     5     (attract) campus.

In the library, we saw some university students     6    (read) attentively in the reading rooms. After that, we came to the lab building. At the end of the visit, the old professor gave us     7    lecture on science in the afternoon,       8     interested us very much. Time passed so quickly that before we knew it, it was time   to say goodbye to the professor.

Since then, I have worked harder at my lessons than usual and made up     9    (I) mind to be a student of Qinghua University. I am looking forward to     10    (go) to it.

The water on the Earth keeps moving around and around in a cycle     1     (call) the water cycle. However, the amount (数量) of freshwater in our world is not spread evenly (均匀地) across the planet. People living in cities use the most water,     2     some people have only a small amount for their     3     (day) needs.

The problem is that     4     freshwater in our world could be running out. The population in the world is growing,     5     means more and more water is being used. The climate is changing and becoming     6     (warm) than it was. This changes weather patterns, so in some places there is no longer enough rain to allow people     7     (live). Add in the problem of polluted water, and the situation becomes bad indeed.

Having water whenever we need or want is something we take for granted. Whenever we use it, we need to think about how we can save it. There are many small     8     (step) we can take that add up to big water savings! Taking shorter showers and turning off the water while brushing your teeth     9     (be) all the ways to help. As long as each of us has the sense of     10     (save) water, we can see huge changes.

The Lantern Festival, a     1     (tradition) Chinese festival, is celebrated on the 15th day of the first lunar month. It is a continuation of     2     (celebrate) the Spring Festival.The day leads to the first full moon night of the year, and is also the night when the earth returns to spring. During the Han Dynasty (206 BC—AD 24), more than 2,000 years ago, Emperor Wen ordered that the 15th day of the first lunar month to be dedicated to the Lantern Festival. It was also a romantic festival in ancient China, providing     3     opportunity for unmarried men and women to meet.

In ancient times, young women,     4     (especial) daughters of eminent families, hardly     5     (step) out their houses. But during the Later Festival, it was a tradition that all people, including those young women, come out for lantern shows. Watching lanterns at night was just an opportunity for young women to find a man     6     appearance appealed to them. Another activity, guessing the answers     7     lantern riddles, gives young people a chance to interact with each other and know more about each other. Riddles     8     (write) on the lanterns can inspire wisdom and cater to the festival atmosphere, so many people like it very much. Eating yuanxiao on Lantern Festival is another tradition. Yuanxiao     9     (make) of glutinous rice, either solid or stuffed. It can be boiled, fried or steamed     10     (eat).

In April, Zhejiang’s elementary schools made the set of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) textbooks available to the public, which were     1     first of their kind in China, making the province a pioneer in teaching the subject to     2     (pupil) in the country. With 36 lessons for fifth-grade students so far, the textbooks include fundamental knowledge of TCM.

TCM, which has made great contributions to the prosperity of China,     3     (be) an integral part of Chinese culture. TCM, with its unique diagnostic methods, long history and remarkable effects, has been used     4     (treat) cancer and other serious diseases. It is widely used in China and is becoming     5     (increasing) popular and recognized worldwide. Today     6     of TCM and western medicine are being used in providing medical and health services in China.

TCM has achieved a new level in the prevention and treatment of common diseases. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, TCM     7     (play) a vital role. Zhong Nanshan,     8     has been devoting his life to medicine, said that TCM     9     (combine) with western medicine made great contributions to the cure for COVID-19. According to the statistics, the rate of recovery was up to 90%.     10    , it’s thought that the spring of TCM is not far away.