No structure is as symbolically significant or     1     (cultural) important to China as the Great Wall. Architectural     2     (engineer)are part of a huge project to repair this centuries-old structure.

Jiankou     3     (believe) to be one of the most rugged stretches of the relic. Some of the most dangerous work includes laborers hanging from towering heights. With ropes tied around     4     (they) waists, repair workers spread cement on the wall’s steep sides, while others hold the ropes for support.     5     (survive) a fall from the steep sides would be unlikely. A laborer explains     6     he risks his life to make repairs to the ancient structure, saying that it is an honor to be part of such a great cause, and it is very     7     (meaning) to do so.

Getting supplies to this part of the wall is also a demanding effort. Because the path is so steep, donkeys and mules must be used to transport bricks,     8     can weigh as much as 150 kg each. The repair team goes to great lengths     9     (keep) the principle of minimal intervention. “We have to stick     10     the original format, the original material and the original craftsmanship, so that we can better preserve the historical and cultural values, ” said Cheng Yongmao, the engineer leading Jiankou’s restoration work.

Similar     1     people of other nationalities, ancient Chinese people     2     (grasp) or tore food     3     their bare hands at the beginning. Chopsticks, forks, knives and spoons were used much later, of which chopsticks, with a history of thousands of years,     4     (be) a wonder of Chinese dining utensils (器具). Chopsticks are the dining utensils most     5     (frequent) used in Chinese people’s daily life. In ancient China, they     6     (call) zhu.     7     the Chinese began to use chopsticks     8     an eating instrument is anybody’s guess. They were first mentioned in writing in Liji (The Book of Rites), a work compiled some 2,000 years ago. Chopsticks may be made of any of several materials: bamboo, wood, gold, silver, ivory, pewter, and plastics. In cross-section, they may be either round     9     square. Some of them are engraved with colored pictures or calligraphy for decoration. Ordinary chopsticks     10     (use) in Chinese homes are of wood or bamboo, those for banquets are often ivory, whereas gold ones belonged only to the royalty and aristocracy (皇室和贵族).

The Ministry of Culture and Tourism recently unveiled 10 nation a-level Yangtze River themed tourist routes. Yichang city in Central China’s Hubei province,     1     the Three Gorges Dam lies, is an important part of the routes.

Visitors can take a cruise from downtown Yichang to the tribe, enjoy traditional ethnic group singing and dancing, rub shoulders with inheritors of intangible cultural heritage and go     2    (hike) along the Yangtze River. Yangtze River, one of the “mother     3    (river)” of China, symbolizes the nation’s rich history and culture, with its awe-inspiring currents and picturesque views along its banks.

During the May Day holiday, Yichang received over 6.07 million tourists, with     4     increase of 67.22 percent over 2022. The total tourism revenue(收益) reached about 4.15 billion yuan($599.1 million), increased     5     88.21 percent compared with 2022.     6    (locate) in the Xiling Gorge between the Three Gorges Dam and Gezhouba Dam, the Tribe of the Three Gorges scenic area welcomed 89, 900 tourists, with a total tourism revenue of 11.86 million yuan during the holiday.

Since the May Day holiday, the country     7    (see) a boom in its domestic tourism, and destinations along the river are     8    (extreme) popular among travelers. At present, photos, short videos and live streams about the beauty of the Yangtze River are being shown online to a     9    (globe) audience. The China Cultural Center is holding events     10    (promote) river tourism resources in Paris and Tokyo.

The Peasants (II)

At noon they hoe up weeds;

Their sweat drips on the soil.

Who knows the rice that feeds

Is the fruit of hard toil!

Food is a necessity for survival. But do you know how much work goes into producing it? The poem The Peasants (II),     1     (write) by Li Shen, a Tang Dynasty poet, shows     2     (we) the hardship of the peasants.

The first two lines describe a common scene     3     peasants are working their lands at noon with the sun     4     (hang) high in the sky, sweat dripping. In the last two lines, the poet     5     (direct) points out that the rice we eat is the fruit of peasants’ hard work.

Simple as the poem is in its language, it is profound in the theme, reminding people     6     the significance of treasuring food. According to the FAO, an estimated 1.3 billion tons of food, or one-third of     7     total food produced for human consumption, is wasted globally each year. Therefore, it’s highly suggested that every grain of rice     8     (value). In China, we have adopted a law on food waste     9     (offer) legal backing to the country’s efforts which not only safeguard food security     10     promote the traditional virtue of thrift (节俭) as well.

Next time you want to throw away food, please think twice.

Chinese Consumer (消费者) Rights Day

It is a special day in China. Chinese Consumer Rights Day, also     1     (know) as “315 Day,” is an annual event in China that aims     2     (promote) consumer rights and expose unethical (不道德的) business practices. It falls     3     March 15th every year and is an important day for Chinese consumers.

This year, Chinese Consumer Rights Day     4     (observe) with a variety of events across the country. In Beijing, a consumer rights conference was held     5     many experts discussed topics such as e-commerce and online shopping. The theme of this year’s Consumer Rights Day highlighted the     6     (aware) of businesses operating in a fair and honest manner. Consumer Rights Day is also an opportunity for consumers to learn about     7     rights and how to protect themselves against     8     (legal) activities.

By     9     (strengthen) consumer education and cracking down on unethical companies, the Chinese government is working to create     10     more fair and transparent business environment for all.

A man has risked his life to save a sheep that got stuck on a rock at a cliff edge (悬崖边缘) as the ocean’s tide began to rise. While     1     (walk) along the coast at Woolacombe in North Devon, Chris and his wife Jilly noticed     2     helpless animal that was looking up at them as if to say Help. So the two decided to try a rescue. Although Chris used to go rock climbing, finding a     3     (suit) path to the animal proved quite difficult for the experienced rock climber. The rocks were very pointed with limited footholds,    4    were really dangerous especially when wet. Jilly stayed on the cliff top     5     (guide) Chris and call for help if things went badly, but luck was on their side. Once Chris made     6     to the sheep, the animal had become even more nervous and was moving carefully so he caught it. Then he put it around his neck, held onto its front legs with one hand, and     7     (flexible) climbed up the. rocks with the other. Finally, the 50-kilo sheep     8     (carry) back to safety. Upon returning with the sheep, a large number of bystanders were cheering and praising Chris’s bravery. The owner of the sheep thanked him with     9     (grateful). “I don’t want to see animals     10     pain or danger, especially if I can help,” Chris said.

To write his own medical text, Li Shizhen referenced over 800 medical texts, countless books on history and geography, and works of literature. He even studied the complete works of many ancient poets, from     1     he selected a surprising number of verses about medicine. However, the greatest issue he encountered was the widespread     2    (inconsistent) in the use of drug names. Realising the importance of field research outweighed     3    of extensive reading, in 1565 Li travelled far and wide into the mountains and wilderness. He covered what are today’s provinces of Hunan, Jiangxi, Anhui and Jiangsu, and many other places.

After over a decade of field research, Li     4    (successful) completed the first draft of his masterpiece, Bencao Gangmu, or the Compendium of Materia Medica in 1578. He revised     5     work at least three times right up until his death in 1593.

Since its first publication in 1596, the book     6    (receive) world-wide recognition. British naturalist Charles Darwin acknowledged the book     7     an “ancient Chinese encyclopedia.” In 2011, the book    8    (list) on the UNESCO Memory of the World Register. In 2017, an international conference was held in Beijing     9    (celebrate) Li’s 500th birthday.

Today, there are a     10    (grow) number of international exchanges centering on Li Shizhen and his book, and many people around the world can still find the wisdom of human development in this ancient classic.