A man who recently made his 27th attempt al passing the gaokao, China’s national college entrance examination, has ended up falling short of his goal.

Liang Shi, 56, scored 424 points out of a total of 750, which was 34 points     1    (low) than the minimum requirement for being admitted into the second batch of universities in Sichuan Province, Cover News reported.

Liang     2    (previous) said that he would go to a satisfactory university     3     stop sitting the gaokao if he managed to meet the requirement for the second batch of universities. However, he was unable to hit that line,     4     meant Liang would not reach that target this year.

The Sichuan native first took the gaokao in 1983. After the first few failed     5    (attempt), his parents persuaded him     6    (enter) a technical school, but he quit after a year. He worked different jobs, got married and earned     7     small fortune, while retaking the test several times. Since 2010, he has sat the gaokao every year. Two years ago, he switched from science subjects in the gaokao     8     liberal arts.

Some netizens have been critical of Liang’s “unremitting” attitude,     9    (comment) he is just putting on a show. But Liang insisted that getting a good score in the gaokao was the only way for him to realize his dream of becoming a college student, and that anything else wasn’t a concern for him. And he also     10    (state) he would persist in his dream.

Chinese classical literature holds a vital position in the cultural fabric of China.     1       (root) in a history extending for thousands of years, these literary treasures convey the core of Chinese thought, providing a window into the cultural transition of one of the world’s oldest     2     (civilization).

Chinese classical literature is like a treasure chest filled with     3     (wise), good advice, and deep thoughts. The Confucian classics, such as The Analects and Mencius, are like the important building blocks that have helped create the rules for     4     people should behave in China for a very long time. The poems, particularly those by Tang poets like Li Bai, are like timeless songs, through     5     the poets express the Chinese feelings towards life, nature, and their intense emotions.

Classical literature is like a large history book that narrates the transition of dynasties. Books like Records of the Grand Historian and Romance of the Three Kingdoms are not just stories, but special windows that let us see what many people     6     (experience) during those times.

In a     7     (rapid) changing world, Chinese classical literature is like a cultural cornerstone,     8     (encourage) a sense of connection and identity for the Chinese people. The special thing about it is that it doesn’t get old. This makes     9     a great medium for different generations to feel a strong link to the values and dreams that make     10     , the Chinese way of thinking.

During his lifetime (from 551 to 479 BC), Confucius saw     1     (grow) disorder and injustice in the society. Due to the problems he saw, he devoted     2     (he) to developing a new set of moral rules     3     (base) on five virtues: respect, kindness, honesty, truthfulness and loyalty (忠诚). These virtues later became the basis for religious and moral life throughout China.

Respect and loyalty were two     4     (particular) important cornerstones in Confucius’ moral     5     (principle). They have been extended to the living as well as the dead, and paying respect to ancestors has become     6     extremely important Chinese tradition.

Confucius also believed that a good government was the basis for a     7     (peace) and happy society. And the basis for a good government was good officials. In order to become a good official, a person was required     8     (master) the above five virtues.

Although Confucius was a member of the upper class, he believed education and knowledge belonged     9     anyone who had the desire to learn. So he opened a school in his big house, in     10     many of his poor students lived with him.

Located in the Yangtze River Basin, the archaeological (考古的) ruins of Liangzhu date back to 3, 300~2, 300 BC. The ruins reveal a nearly state with a unified belief system based on rice cultivation (种植), and this state    1     (offer)evidence that the Chinese civilization started 5, 000 years ago, 1, 000 years earlier than previously     2     (estimate). These ruins are    3     outstanding example of early urban civilization.

Chen Minghui, archaeologist and director of the Liangzhu Workstation, has an    4    (awful) tight schedule everyday as he not only has to deal with research work in Liangzhu and Lishui, but also needs to help review English-version books about the Liangzhu civilization, which    5     (release) soon.

Having worked in Liangzhu for 11 years, Chen is always     6     (confidence) that Liangzhu’s 5, 000-year history is unquestionable as it has all the necessary elements characterizing an ancient civilization, which are also key     7     (factor)that helped Liangzhu to be listed by UNESCO. “We must share our research results with the world,    8     (let) people from all over the world learn from and understand China’s Liangzhu civilization,” the 35-year-old archaeologist said.

    9     Chen hopes is to bring cultural relics (文物)     10     life, detailing all the exciting findings about Liangzhu-related research for people all over the world.

In the Artinno Town in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, a group of talented designers have turned up as a result of the recent Asian Games. The designers, all     1     (deep) influenced by the same art academy, are the masterminds behind the Games’ emblem (会徽), known     2     “Surging Tides” and the medals, as well as the torch, mascots, and hostesses’ uniforms.

All of those in charge of the designs are professors of the China Academy of Art,     3     has its campus nearby Artinno Town. “People used to say in China that ‘real hermits (隐士) live in busy places’,” says Fang Hongzhang, a designer of the emblem. I think every designer hopes     4     (remain) an independent individual, but they also need to have a very strong     5     (connect) with society.”

Zhang Junjie, who led the design team for the medals,     6     (start) his studio in 2009 and moved it to Artinno Town in 2016. “I decided to settle there after     7     (visit) it for the first time and immediately seeing our current office,” says 41-year-old Zhang, who graduated from the China Academy of Art, and is now the director of the industrial design department of the college.

“Looking out of our office window, you can see a pond     8     (surround) by three mountains. This is one of the     9     (early) sources of inspiration for my design of the medals. I really like the environment here.     10     the office is located is quiet and natural,” Zhang says.

As we know, the Great Wall in China is one of the greatest     1     (wonder)of the world and also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Great Wall,     2     (build)from 3rd century BC to the 17th century AD in the north of the country to defend successive Chinese empires, has     3     total length of more than 20,000 kilometers.

Yuan Xuerui was born in Qingxibao at the foot of the ancient wall in Daixian County,     4     is part of the city of Xinzhou, Shanxi. He grew up,     5     (hear) stories about the ancient wall. He especially loved stories about Yanmen Pass, an important opening in     6     (it) inner line. Situated at a place of strategic importance, Yanmen Pass was regarded as the most important among the nine passes in ancient times.

Yuan’s love for the ancient wall motivated him     7     (protect) it, and when not engaged     8     farm work, he spent most of his time walking along the wall, and many bricks that had fallen off     9     (collect). “What others perceive as a difficult and dull task of cultural heritage preservation often brings me unexpected discoveries,” Yuan said. He     10    (official)became a cultural heritage worker in 2018, and his duties have since expanded from collecting bricks to organizing ancient documents related to the wall to better tell stories about it.

The “Chinese Miao Art Exhibition”, co-hosted by the Chinese Consulate General in Milan and the Guizhou Provincial Government，    1     (hold) in Milan, Italy on Sunday. Guizhou’s     2    (extreme) beautiful Miao embroidery clothing appeared alongside international fashion     3    (brand) at the 2024 Milan Fashion Week Spring/Summer collection. It will once again shine on the international stage as a large number of representative Miao embroidery clothing and accessories are displayed.

The Siyin (with a four-seal-shaped pattern) Miao embroidery art from Qingzhen city, Guizhou made its debut at the fashion week. Atypical settlement area for ethnic minorities is Qingzhen,    4    has a population mainly composed     5    the Si yin Miao subgroup that possesses beautiful clothing and delicate embroidery. Each piece of clothing has a big square seal-shaped pattern     6     (make) of multicolored silk threads, resembling four seals together to present the history and     7     (mystery) charm of the ethnic minority.

In 2014, the craftsmanship of Siyin Miao embroidery was recognized as     8    provincial representative intangible cultural heritage.

Through the international curation approach, the art exhibition aims     9     (showcase) the profound Guizhou ethnic culture and also to provide a platform for international cultural exchange and the    10     (promote) of Miao embroidery.

Tens of thousands of Chinese     1    (society) media users have backed calls from the country’s state media to have its artworks     2    (current) kept in the British Museum returned.

The topic “The British Museum please return Chinese antiquities (古董)” was in response     3     a piece published by Chinese state media Global Times that called for all cultural relics in the British Museum     4    (return) free of charge.

The British Museum has been under pressure after around 2,000 items were reported “missing,     5    (steal) or damaged” two weeks ago,     6    (lead) to accusations that it was failing to fulfil its duty of care.

The calls follow a piece published by the Global Times     7     argued, “The world-renowned British museum     8    (fail) to take good care of ‘cultural property belonging to other countries’ up to these years.”

The British Museum looks after 23,000 Chinese objects, from the Neolithic (新石器) age to the present day. It is one of the largest     9    (collection) of Chinese antiquities in the West. The collection includes     10     large range of precious items such as paintings, prints, jade and bronzes.