On October 14th, the Times Square in New York     1     (take) over by the full-screen poster of the “2023 Tianfu Book Fair”!

The 2023 Tianfu Book Fair,     2     (title) “Mutual Learning Among Cultures Amid Fragrance of Books”, showcased a range of outstanding Chinese publications, making their way overseas. The International Pavilion was a highlight, displaying over 1,000 types and       3     (approximate) 6,500 copies of original literature, children’s books, and picture books in English, Japanese, and other languages. Plus the Harry Potter Pop-up Store,     4     had been stealing the show, offered readers     5     immersive experience with the complete Harry Potter series and official merchandise.

But wait, there’s more! A series of exciting cultural     6     (activity) were also lined up. Guests could attend cultural lectures     7     the three Su scholars’ culture, try their hand at panda-themed traditional Chinese painting and witness a face-changing performance of Chinese Sichuan opera. This fair was not just about books: it was an excellent chance that allowed overseas readers to discover the charm of Sichuan culture     8     the richness of traditional Chinese culture. It was a powerful showcase of Chinese culture, making the trustworthy, lovable, and     9     (respect) image of China more real and tangible than ever before. In the future, China will make every effort     10     (spread) excellent traditional Chinese culture.

Kjell Lindgren wanted to be an astronaut for as long as he could remember. He spent much of his childhood abroad with his family on several U. S. Air Force     1     (base). “The idea of becoming an astronaut by serving as an Air Force test pilot seemed like the path     2     I needed to follow,” says Lindgren.

Lindgren’s hopes of becoming an astronaut, though, would come to     3     sudden stop when he was diagnosed with asthma (哮喘), a serious disease, after     4     (graduate) from the U. S. Air Force Academy. The Air Force decided to     5     (medical) fire him.

So Lindgren came to a medical school, eventually specializing in emergency medicine. As part of his training, he     6     (test) for asthma again. This time, the tests said that he didn’t have the condition. Lindgren was     7     (please) because his dreams of spaceflight returned.

Lindgren worked as a flight doctor at NASA, treating crews that were preparing for spaceflight. Then, in 2009, he was selected as a NASA astronaut. Since then, Lindgren     8     (fly) into space twice. On his trip aboard the International Space Station in 2022, he served as the commander for SpaceX Crew 4     9     170 days. Lindgren is now a member of the Artemis Team, a group of scientists and astronauts working together     10     (send) people back to the Moon in 2024.

Young inheritor of Shaanxi puppetry has plans to revitalize the ancient cultural tradition, and many others with it, Li Yingxue reports.

Have you ever experienced one of the earliest precursors (前身) of movies? Only relying     1     hands, the ancient Chinese art of shadow play (皮影戏) is a tradition with a history     2     dates back 2, 000 years,       3     it’s also a representative (代表) of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity     4     (recognize) by UNESCO.

Chinese shadow puppetry has its roots in the Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 220), and     5     (know) for its good craftsmanship.

The challenge of     6     (master) this technique within such a short time seemed like mission impossible.     7     (fortunate), Nanxiang Buaichifan and Jiuyue were lucky enough     8     (learn) from the best —Dang Feihua,     9     23-year-old inheritor (继承人) of the shadow puppetry tradition. Dang is the fifth-generation inheritor of Wang’s Shadow. One of Dang’s     10     (plan) is to redecorate their shadow puppet themed hotel in Beijing at the end of the year.

China has a unique and time-honored architectural tradition, dating back to the Zhou Dynasty. Since ancient times, several types of architecture have been     1    (traditional) built by the Chinese. Each of these kinds of construction has different features.

The wooden architecture has distinctive features     2    changed little from the Zhou Dynasty. The buildings     3     (construct) strong enough to survive natural disasters and were easier to rebuild. A     4    (notice) feature of the wooden buildings was roofs with wide eaves (屋檐) and slightly upturned corners. The builders considered     5    important to cover wooden buildings with     6    (overhang) roofs. This was to protect the building from weathering since wood got damaged much     7    (fast) when it was wet.

Another feature is the south facing orientation (方向). When courtyards were built with taller buildings in the north     8    shorter walls facing east and west in the south, it allowed the maximum amount of sunlight     9     (warm) the building during the winter months. This was     10     the door and windows of the main building faced southwards and opened over the inner courtyard.

The Naadam Festival,     1     falls on the fourth day of the sixth month of the lunar calendar, is celebrated in China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region to express pleasure for the harvest. In Naadam festival, Wrestling, Archery and Horse racing    2     (consider) as three most impressive traditional events.

Mongolian wrestling is a wonderful show of strength and grace, in which actions like the pull, push, and press are attractive. It is    3    (total) different from the wrestling competition in the Olympic Games. There are no rounds, and wrestlers are not separated by weight. The wrestler loses if any part of his body above his knee    4     (touch) the ground.

Mongolian archery is classified as three kinds: Static shoot, on horse shoot and long shoot. The rules are three rounds with nine arrows. Every person has three    5    (arrow) per round, the scores are evaluated by the number of target hitting. Archery has played     6    important role in the life of Mongolia people and still kept    7    (it) popularity.

The horse racing is    8     (excite), including three kinds of competitions to test the speed of the horse and riders’ performances. Competitors should be children, because they are lighter and it is easy for horses    9    (run) faster. Growing    10    on the horseback,they are attached to horses. In a sense, horses are at the heart of Mongolian culture.

China has the longest railway in service. When Chinese people’ take a trip to other cities, the best    1     (choose) of their transportation is to take the high-speed train. Now, the high-speed train in China is really fast,    2     (rely), convenient and comfortable.

First of all, it is very convenient for you to book the tickets online. However, tickets cannot be purchased without an ID card, which    3     (ensure) the security of the passengers on board. Besides, the price is affordable for ordinary people and the trains always pull in and out of the station    4     schedule. Furthermore, the high-speed train runs fast and smoothly. No bumps (碰撞) or jolts (颠簸) can be felt while    5     (travel) by it, whether it is stopped or it is running at the speed of 300 km/h.    6     is a good way to travel and enjoy yourself with the “bullet” train well    7    (equip) with air conditioners, TV and canteen. Sitting on the comfortable seat, you may watch TV or read a book with ease. In addition, your mobile phone can     8     (charge) because there are enough power outlets (插座) beside the seats.

The high-speed train is changing the living habits of Chinese people,    9     benefit a lot from it. The high-speed train    10     (strong) guarantees China’s economic take-off and the improvement of people’s living standard.

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.