Walking into Wei Lamei's home in Xi'an, one can hardly imagine that the room belongs to a 74-year-old granny, with all kinds of dolls     1    (fill) every corner. She     2    (make) at least 700 large cartoon dolls and countless small ones over the past 26 years.

Wei developed a    3     (fascinate) for making dolls at the age of eight     4    she saw a Russian girl with a blond doll in her arms."After retirement, I began to think about following my childhood dream," said Wei.

    5    (drive) by the dream, in her late 50s, Wei headed to Beijing on her own     6    (seek) better opportunities. After 13 years of hard work in Beijing, she developed her unique design concept and     7    (remark) sewing(缝纫)skills.

In 2010, she returned to Xi'an and turned her home into a workshop.She has ten pairs of glasses and keeps them in different places in the house,so she can browse fashion applications on her smartphone anytime. At     8    same time, she often draws inspiration from Xi'an, the ancient city with a long history, and adds traditional cultural elements to her works. She also     9    (active) participates in live-streaming activities, sharing her daily work and attracting many young fans.

There is no certain way to live our lives. The most important thing is     10    we can do what we love.

After coming to China, I experienced authentic Chinese food. In Beijing, the chef in a Sichuan restaurant offered us the     1     (please) of experiencing wonderful and different food besides friendship. In Xinjiang, their traditional foods are those     2     (cook) over an open fire. The kinds of food local people consume tell us a lot about themselves; therefore, we can say culture and cuisine go hand in hand, which are both worth     3     (experience).

Doctors issue caution over rapid weight loss

The famous comedian and     1    (actor) Jia Ling has lost 50 kilograms within a year for a film role. It has even become one of the top searches and hot topics online.     2     , doctors warn that such a rapid loss of weight is not     3     (health), and has potential risks. It is possible to lose 50 kilograms in a little over a year,     4     is equal to losing less than 5 kilograms per month, said Chen Qiuxia, the chief nutritionist at Xinhua Hospital of Zhejiang province. She said if one     5    (aim) to lose so much weight in a shorter period, the body might protest.

Dr Qu Shen, director of the Shanghai thyroid disease research center, believes such promotion may     6    (lead) the public,     7    (say) “It is a process, which should be in line with     8    (science) and medical rules. Promotion focusing on a famous star’s quick weight loss can have negative effects     9     the public.”

According to experts, obesity (肥胖) is a chronic metabolic disease, closely     10    (relate) to many factors such as genetics, the environment and life habits. Intervention is a comprehensive measure, and weight loss should be gradual.

Visit any park in China these days and you are likely to see several people     1     (practice) qigong.     2    started as a traditional Chinese treatment has become a major health trend today.

Qigong is a combination of body posture, movement, breathing and meditation. It is used to improve one’s health and spiritual well-being, as well as in martial arts training. Qigong     3     (develop) over the centuries and today tends to have     4    more medicinal than spiritual focus. Meditative qigong uses still positions and     5     (focus) on breathing techniques to clear the mind. In 2020, the Chinese Health Qigong Association     6     (official) brought in five new health Qigong forms   (Five Animal Play)     7     the direct aim of improving teenagers’ health.

Qigong is made up of two separate words, qi and gong. Qi means air or breath but is often used to refer to the idea of vital or life energy. Gong on the other hand translates as cultivation or work. When     8     (combine) with qi, the two describe systems that seek to balance one’s life energy through hard work and     9     (commit).

Thanks to globalization in general, qigong is now practiced by people of diverse backgrounds, some of     10     do it for fun, some for exercise and some for healing.

My dream to study in China came true in 2016 when I registered for a medical degree at Gannan Medical University in Ganzhou City of Jiangxi Province.

At the beginning, it was difficult     1     (talk) to the local people due to the language barrier. The use of a phone translation app made my life     2     (easy) than before. With an interest in making local friends, I started studying standard Chinese. It was difficult at first,     3    (especial) with the four tones in Chinese pronunciation to deal with. But after more exposure, practice and hard work, I began to understand the basic sentences,     4     (allow) me to talk with locals.

Among the many friends I     5     (meet) is Sasha, a young, beautiful and hardworking single mother. She introduced me     6     the business world. I launched my own brand of women’s shoes produced in China.

Apart from studies, I got the opportunity to travel to many cities for business and     7    (please). Moreover, I also had the opportunity to participate in local Chinese talent competitions,     8     I won some awards as well.

These are my most memorable moments I will cherish for     9     rest of my life: the experience of being able to fit into the Chinese society and way of living, being accepted and treasured. I came to China as a foreign student but six years later, I became not only a     10    (qualify) doctor, but also a businesswoman with a well-rounded, balanced life overflowing with good memories and a wide knowledge of China. I consider it as my second home.

Despite being 75 years old, Chai Tixia’s expertise in Jianzi is truly impressive. With quick kicks, he effortlessly sends the Jianzi into the air and gracefully guides it to land    1     (gentle) on his head.

Jianzi,    2     game that dates back to the Han Dynasty, is surprisingly simple: players must keep the Jianzi in the air,    3     (use) any part of their body except their hands and arms. However, to master this game    4     (require) a lot of practice.

While enjoyed throughout China, Jianzi     5     (describe) by Chai as an important aspect of hutong culture. The narrow alleyways, situated within Beijing’s inner city, provide the setting for the game’s    6     (popular). Each mormning, Chai and his fellow hutong residents gather for their shared passion for Jianzi.

Chai’s spirited matches with his neighbors have a big audience     7     (draw) to the artistry and excitement of the game. The onlookers who watch them playing with great athleticism are amazed at     8     Chai and his fellow players can achieve.

Having practiced Jianzi for over 30 years, Chai cherishes the physical and social     9     (benefit) the game brings. Engaging in lively matches with his neighbors energizes his body, enhances his flexibility,     10     promotes unity within the community. Through Jianzi, Chai harvests not only health but a sense of belonging and friendship.

An exhibition featuring “Jiaodong flower bobo” was held-at Yantai Culture Center to greet the     1     (approach) Spring Festival.

Made of wheat, bobo can assume various forms of animals and figures,     2     (decorate) with red jujubes (枣) and colorful-flowers. Eatable and entertaining, this kind of bobo looks like a delicate handicraft, showing the food culture and artistic pursuit of the local people.

It’s hard to know when Jiaodong flower bobo first appeared. In ancient times it     3     (use) as offerings. It still enjoys great     4     (popular) in the rural areas of Weihai, Yantai and Qingdao, where people steam bobo to celebrate special occasions like the Spring Festival, weddings and birthdays, as the word for “steam”     5     (pronounce) “zheng” in Chinese, indicating life’s fortune will rise.

The exhibition was designed to showcase the city’s protection of the craftsmanship of Jiaodong flower bobo,     6     was included in the Shandong provincial government’s intangible cultural heritage list in 2009.

The exhibition gathered 100 works by 20 inheritors (传承人) of the Jiaodong flower bobo modeling craft from Qixia, Laizhou, Zhaoyuan and Longkou. These inheritors were also invited     7     (introduce) the ‘art of making Jiaodong flower bobo. One of them, Jia Yuping from Qixia, said it was     8     honor to preserve and promote the heritage and that she was     9     (optimism) about its future.

“We wish to introduce     10     our citizens the folk customs of celebrating Chinese Lunar New Year through the exhibition, ”said an organizer.

Many years ago, I went sightseeing in London. While there, I visited the Underground. Like most tourists, I was very interested in it as it is the     1     (old) system in the world. It is also very complex. I was told that the first part of the underground system opened in 1863, and     2     took people from the boundary of London to the city center. The underground passages were very narrow     3     (compare) to the last line that was constructed in 1977. When     4     (carriage) first ran in these passages, there was lots     5     smoke and noise. I think it must have been horrible and damp down there! Another problem was that there were a dozen different lines,     6     were not linked. This     7     (make) the system not user-friendly, but now the different lines have been joined. The union of the different lines makes traveling on the London Underground much more     8     (convenience). I bought a ticket at a discount and rode the underground three times. It was good for me     9     (have) the experience. Another interesting thing was that the passages were used for all sorts of things during war such as bomb shelters, and an anti-aircraft center. It’s     10     (true) amazing.

I’m not exactly the most prepared person — I often forget things. These things such as pencils, pens, my phone and sometimes even my purse,     1     (put) in wrong places. I seldom remember to carry an umbrella — I normally have     2     (run) in the rain.

One day, I was walking to the school,     3     I teach art, when a summer rainstorm suddenly started.     4     (lucky), this time I actually happened to have an umbrella with me and this one was my favorite! So I smiled and enjoyed     5     (walk) on in the heavy rain with my umbrella.

Suddenly, I saw     6     woman whose hair and clothes were all wet. She had a bag and some papers     7     her hands. What was more, she was holding a beautiful baby girl in her arms, who was trying to keep     8     (she) out of the rain. It was the baby that     9     (catch) my eyes, so I offered them my umbrella. I went to school with     10     (please) though my hair and clothes were wet. This was another day when I didn’t have an umbrella!

10 . 语法填空

Xie Xiaohua, a special education teacher has won the heart of hundreds of children with special needs and is called Mom Xiaohua by many of them.

“It is my greatest happiness and     1     (fulfill) to care for them as they grow up,” said 49-year-old Xie, who     2     (work) at Yiyuan County Special Education School for the past 27 years.

Fully aware     3    the difference between special education and general education, Xie provides     4     (specialize) care for each student according to their physical condition. In 2013, Xie’s workload became heavier after she     5     (assign) to work at the school’s rehabilitation(康复) center.     6     (ensure) every child received scientific and targeted rehabilitation training, she worked out specific plans for them. For children with mental handicaps, Xie     7     (patient) coached them to master basic skills of taking care of themselves in daily life. She also spent lots of time training children with hearing and speech impairments to work on their pronunciation, which often caused her to develop     8    swollen throat.

Several years ago, the school launched a campaign of offering door-to-door education to students     9     could not attend school because of severe physical disabilities. Xie was among over 30 teachers     10     (task) with tutoring those students. “Although we do feel exhausted sometimes, we feel our work is valuable after witnessing their progress, even just a little bit,” Xie said.