Qipao, a traditional dress for females in China, is reputed as one of the paragons of traditional Chinese costumes. Though debated by experts about the exact time of its     1     (occur), it is generally believed     2     Qipao originated from a type of Manchurian female garment In the Qing Dynasty. It developed and     3     (popularize) soon during the Republican Period. Under the influence of celebrities in Shanghai and even politicians of the time, it reached its heyday (鼎盛时期) in the 1930s and 1940s.

Qipao mainly features a stand-up collar, Chinese     4     (knot) buttons, the left lapel (翻领) over the right, a tight-fitting waist, and hemmed slits on both sides. It is usually made from satin (缎子), brocade, silk,     5     cotton. Two major styles of modern Qipao were established in the progression,     6     (name) the Shanghai style and the Beijing style. The former,     7     (absorb) western elements of design and tailoring, leads the fashion trend.

Wearing Qipao,     8     was a natural result of women’s pursuit of intellectual freedom, carries a     9     (symbol) sense of promoting gender equality. Later on, the     10     (prior) of Qipao shifted from a political expression to ornamental emphasis. Till today, it is not just a symbol of fashion but a timeless classic, an irreplaceable cultural heritage in the fashion world.

For many centuries, tea     1     (be) an essential part of Chinese culture, with the country being one of the world’s largest producers and     2     (consume) of tea. However, in recent years, a new trend has emerged—the rise of the coffee culture. China has become one of the fastest-growing coffee markets globally,     3     an increasing number of coffee shops and cafes opening up in major cities.

When I first came to Shanghai in 2019,I had no idea that Shanghai has the title of the “capital of coffee” in China,     4     was a pleasant surprise for me. Moreover, Shanghai has the potential to become the global capital for coffee admirers, boasting over 8000 coffee shops. People in Shanghai visit coffee shops to     5     (genuine) enjoy a cup of coffee, even when they are having business meetings, dates or work sessions. You can see     6     (they) savoring their brew, creating a small moment, which is     7     personal treat that you can enjoy even during a hectic (繁忙的) day in Shanghai. Coffee unites us as we greet newcomers and get acquainted with other local students. I feel this is     8     the coffee culture works here—to make people a little bit happier and to warm you up when you feel cold or lonely. People come to coffee shops     9     (share) their own happy moments or to get cheered up. You can always see them smiling in a relaxed mood or peacefully scrolling (滚屏) on their phones while     10     (sip) their coffee. Even with coffee-to-go, you take that little piece of the warm atmosphere with you.

Today, the advancement of technology has taken a front-row seat in the creation of smart campuses. In recent years, many schools in China     1     (accept) technologies such as Al and big data to make school life     2     (simple) for students and teachers than before.

Using a smart campus system by the Chinese tech company iFlytek, Tianjin Eco-City School attached     3     Beijing Normal University has introduced     4     (innovate) applications to transform the educational experience. In aerospace classes, students use simulation (模拟) devices and VR glasses for immersive (沉浸式的) learning, enabling them     5     (find) out about rocket launches and a rocket’s internal structure through fun learning.

    6     (similar), in swimming classes, “by wearing smart earphones, children can receive real-time instructions from the coach underwater, ensuring maximum safety, said Li Rui,     7     leader of the school.

For PE classes, Yuwen School in Wuhu, Anhui, has installed (安装) self-testing kits with AI visual analysis technology for     8     (activity) such as long-distance running, standing long jump, sit-ups and skipping rope. Students’ faces     9     (register) in a facial recognition system,     10     (allow) them to receive voice reports and instant performance results after each exercise.

Smart campuses can reshape how and what students learn and how they study and interact with an institution.

Tay grew up working beside his father and brother in a kitchen. While his dad cooked, Tay would wash dishes and help     1     other work. Years later, after his dad and brother had passed away, Tay decided he would honor their legacy (遗产) of bringing     2     (smile) to people through food! The only problem was that he had no idea how to cook.

Instead of     3     (give) up, Tay began watching tutorials (教程) on the Internet     4     (careful). After a few days of online studying, Tay and his wife Sarah were able to open a restaurant of their own. They cooked by     5     (them) and provided countless people with delicious barbecue classics.

Up till now, the restaurant     6     (offer) jobs to more than 60 people in their community, and thousands of people have been there     7     (get) a taste of Tay’s cooking! “I never pictured all this happening. You can dream but to see things fall into place is     8     (excite),” Tay said. At present, he no longer needs tutorials to help improve his cooking skills, but he hasn’t forgotten this unique teacher.

“First, I ran from it, and then it was a hobby, and then it just fell into place. When you’re really doing     9     you love to do, it makes sense,” Tay added. What     10     beautiful way to honor his father and brother!

The “Understanding Contemporary China” Foreign Language Contests were held in Beijing from December 4 to 8．

Nearly one million college students from more than 1,300 universities participated , with about 2,500     1     (enter) the national final. The contests aimed to     2     (deep) college students’ understanding of China, enhance their linguistic (语言的) abilities and intercultural communication     3     (competent), and provide a platform for them to tell China’s stories well.

The champion of the English group     4     (determine) through a simulated (模拟的) “Global Youth Summit”. Three contestants discussed     5     (topic) including cultural diversity and the future development of mankind with Xinhua News Agency’s reporter Simon Keith Robinson,     6     tested their knowledge and ability to handle diverse subjects.

Xu Chengcheng, from Beijing Foreign Studies University, won     7     national championship of the International Communication Contest. She demonstrated a high-level of English proficiency(熟练)and strong communication skills in the prepared speech     8     the Global Youth Summit session(会议).

A special session of “Multilingual Champions Showcase” was part     9     the closing ceremony, where champions used their foreign language skills     10     (share) stories about their understanding of China and communication with the world, showcasing youthful insights.

A tea bag is a small, porous packet that contains     1     (dry) plant material, which, when soaked in hot water, helps to make tea. Tea bags are     2     (general) made of filter paper.

Tea bags range from a square or rectangular shape to a tetrahedral (四面体的) and even circular shape. There’s typically     3     small string attached to each tea bag with a paper label at the top.

Tea bags     4     (use) since the 8th century — in the era of the Tang dynasty. In those days, paper was folded and sewn into square bags so that tea flavors could be preserved for a long time,     5     (lay) the foundation for modern tea bags.

The modern version of tea bags first appeared in the Western World as early as 1903. Commercially, however, tea bags made their appearance around 1908,     6     coffee importer Thomas Sullivan shipped his silk tea bags all over the world. Those tea bags were supposed     7     (tear) before use, and their loose contents were then poured into hot water to brew tea.

However, people found that it was more convenient to brew tea     8     the tea leaves still enclosed in the bags. Since dipping tea bags into water didn’t seem to cause any change in the taste, people gradually did away with the practice of     9     (remove) the tea bag, and started dipping it directly into hot water instead.

It’s generally advised to not squeeze a tea bag soaked in hot water. When you squeeze a tea bag, more tannins (鞣质) are released into the liquid. The result of this is that the drink becomes too bitter, or     10     some call it, “too strong”.

Maple syrup (枫糖浆) is made from the rising spring sap (树液) of    1     number of varieties of maple tree native to the US and Canada. The syrup     2     (reduce) by boiling in open pans, and was     3     (wide) used by Native Americans long before the arrival of Europeans.

The     4     (finish) syrup is about 66 per cent sucrose(蔗糖), and has a honey-like flavour. Because the process.of collecting     5     boiling down the sap to make maple syrup     6     (require) a lot of manpower and time, it’s quite expensive. There are many products available offering a similar taste and experience for less.

Any product labelled “maple syrup” must be pure maple syrup. While Canada and the US have slightly different grading     7     (way), the colour of the syrup is     8     (you)guide. Lightness or darkness of colour indicates the lightness or darkness of flavour, in turn reflecting how maple syrup changes according to the time of collection.

Maple-flavoured syrups, sometimes sold as “breakfast” or “pancake” syrups, will be cheaper, but these are made up of a sugar syrup     9     has been artificially flavoured and coloured.

There are other products made from maple syrup, including maple sugar. This can be used in baking without     10     (affect) liquid balances, and is excellent when put on fruits such as strawberries, pears, apples, plums and peaches before lightly baking.

Centuries later, the Great Flu Epidemic of 1918, also called the Spanish Flu,     1     (strike) near the end of World War I. Families     2     had only just got through the war now had to bury their loved ones who had died of the disease. As a result of the war, more people were travelling and moving perhaps than ever before in history and this caused the epidemic to spread worldwide. Having killed up to 50 million people in 18 months, the Spanish Flu is believed to have been the    3     (severe) epidemic in history. More people died of the flu than died in the war. Initially, many people believed that such epidemics no longer posed a threat until very recently     4     SARS became a cause for concern.

Napoleon Bonaparte’s iconic hat was sold at an auction (拍卖会) on Sunday, fetching a history-making $2.1 million. While French auction house Osenat expected the hat     1     (go) for up to $875,328, it went far beyond that amount — and the previous record holder, a Napoleon hat sold at the same auction house for about $2 million in 2014.

Napoleon,     2     was a French general, was key to the French Revolution and then overthrew the French government,     3     (eventual) becoming the emperor of France. The hat with the colors of the French flag — red, white and blue — dates back     4     the 1800s, according to auctioneer Jean Pierre Osenat.

“Our hat     5     (use) by Emperor Napoleon I in the middle of the Empire during the period when Baillon was assigned to the Emperor’s Palace (1806-1815),” the     6     (describe) on the Osenat website reads.

In a video about the hat ahead of the sale, Osenat said this particular hat had been through many     7     (event) and symbolized Napoleon’s history of 15 years that changed France and     8     world. He added, “The image of Napoleon     9     (wear) this type of hat — sideways, unlike everyone else —     10     (be) the image we have in mind when we think about Napoleon’s world.”

Uniforms, dating back to 800 years ago, have always been a part of our society and have been widely used in various institutions, organizations, and even some companies.     1    (literal), they mean “U Need Form”,     2    regulate people in different walks of life in the same way and make a better society for us. Today, uniforms continue to play a significant role in numerous       3    (setting), particularly in schools.

Most people feel     4     necessary to standardize students’ uniforms because uniforms serve as a means to promote equality and reduce peer pressure. By dressing in the same way, students are not judged by their clothing choices or fashion sense, which     5    (remove) a significant source of bullying and allows students to focus on their studies rather than worrying too much about the external     6    (appear). Furthermore, uniforms contribute     7     a more disciplined and orderly school environment, cultivating a sense of respect and stimulating learning motivation among students.

Beyond their practical benefits, uniforms also have a psychological impact.     8    (dress) in school uniforms, wherever the students go, they see themselves as a member of a group, thus creating a sense of belonging and fostering a shared identity. In a way, uniforms     9    (consider) as a bridge between students, not only bringing them together under a common banner but     10    (promote) unity and cooperation among individuals.