Every year during the Spring Festival, a small village east of Beijing puts on a special show. It’s about -15°CS and a man dressed in a straw hat and sheepskin coat who     1    (throw) spoon after spoon of heavy molten iron (铁水)at a massive, icy wall. The collision (碰撞)between the l,600°C liquid metal and the frozen brick creates a waterfall of sparks (火花)     2    (fall) over him, equally beautiful and dangerous.

This is a very performance     3     requires extraordinary courage, skill and strength. Known as Da Shuhua, it has a history of 500 years in Nuanquan, a highly-developed steel town. Da Shuhua translates literally into “beating down the tree flowers,”     4     agricultural activity of hitting fruit trees to increase growth.

In ancient times, fireworks weren’t always     5    (wide) affordable. So people in Nuanquan made use of scrap iron and developed Da Shuhua as a way     6    (celebrate) festivals. As a result, they brought firework displays     7     a whole new level.

Today, Da Shuhua has become more popular than ever, because of     8    (rule) of banning on fireworks to reduce air pollution in some parts of China. Every year, this unique firework display attracts tons of people in spite of the freezing cold weather     9     draws attention for its protection. Since 2021, it     10    (list) as an intangible cultural heritage of China.

A     1     was     2     to     3     damage to the Egyptian buildings and     4     the     5     of cultural relics. The group asked for     6     from different     7     and raised     8    within the international community.

At the beginning, written Chinese was a picture-    1     language. It dates back several thousand years to the use of longgu-animal     2     and shells on which     3     were     4     by ancient Chinese people.

【课本改编题】

In 2009, Whitacre received a video of a girl who was singing one of his works.     1    , he asked his fans to make videos, which he then joined together into one     2    . His first virtual choir, “Lux Aurumque”, had 185 singers from 12 different countries. It has received millions of views on the Internet. Since then, the virtual choir has become a worldwide     3    .

The virtual choir was the idea of     1     -winning composer and conductor Eric Whitacre.     2     in the USA on 2 January 1970, Whitacre began studying music at the University of Nevada in 1988. …Moved by this music, he said, “It was like seeing color for the first time.” He     3     from university in 1995, and then     4     a master’s degree. …. This     5     to the creation of the virtual choir.

…These videos are uploaded     1     the Internet, and then they are put together into one video…Anyone can take part in a virtual choir from anywhere—all you need is a video camera and an Internet connection. You do not even need a     2    . … A virtual choir     3     them to add their voices to those of other individuals and become part of the global community. It has     4     to be a positive influence on the lives of many people.

Studying the history of the country will make your visit much more     1    . The capital city London is a great place to start, as it is an ancient port city     2     has a history dating all the way back to Roman times. There are countless historic sites to explore, and lots of museums with ancient relics from all over the UK. The UK is a fascinating mix of history and modern culture, with both new and old traditions. If you keep your eyes     3    , you will be surprised to find that you can see both its past and its present.

The four countries that     1     to the United Kingdom work together in some areas. They use the same flag,     2     as the Union Jack, as well as share the same currency and     3     defence. However, they also have some     4    . For example, England, Wales Scotland, and Northern Ireland all have different education systems and     5     systems.

In ancient times, silk from China found its way overland to India, the Middle East and Rome, along what became known as the Silk Road. A trading route across the sea was also     1     along the coasts of the Indian Ocean centred around Ceylon (now Sri Lanka). Here, merchants from China and many other places met to     2     trade deals, which also led to more     3     of each other’s cultures. Over the centuries, further trading allowed more exploration of the regions to the west of China, as     4     in Du Huan’s Record of My Travels in the eighth century.

Later, the Ming Dynasty further     5     relations with these regions. Between 1405 and1433, seven large fleets sailed west on voyages of trade and exploration. These fleets were a sight to behold and were in a league of their own at that time. Under the     6     of Zheng He, they set sail from the South China Sea across the Indian Ocean to the mouth of the Red Sea, and then to the east coast of Africa. African     7     families sent gifts such as giraffes as gestures of friendship in     8     for gold, silk, and spices. Although China     9     from further expeditions after 1433, these land and sea routes remained     10     channels between other cultures for centuries.