Actress Jia Ling topped the social media topics on the second consecutive day of the Chinese Lunar New Year as her great weight     1     (lose) of 50 kilograms during the shooting of her movie Yolo triggered heated discussions over healthy lifestyle and allowed some viewers     2     (draw) aspirations from her arduous weight-loss journey.

The     3     (high) anticipated comedy Yolo hit theaters across China on Feb 10, the first day of the Lunar New Year. It is now leading the domestic movie box office. According to Douban, “YOLO”     4     (adapt) from the 2014 Japanese movie “100 Yen Love”. This movie is comedian-actress-director Jia Ling’s sophomore feature, three years after her 2021 directorial debut box-office blockbuster “Hi, Mom” for which she holds the record as the world’s highest grossing female movie director.

Topics related     5     Jia’s stunning weight loss were dominating Weibo such as “full record of Jia’s losing weight journey” and “Jia Ling totally shocked me,” as netizens discuss     6     it is time to develop a more balanced habit starting from the Spring Festival.

“Her achievement is quite     7     (inspire) and     8     deserves a movie ticket,” moviegoer Li Qiaoya,     9       regularly visits the gym to lose weight, told the Global Times on Sunday. “I feel     10     (guilt) for eating too much during the Spring Festival already.”

This Is Life, a documentary film, is set to grace the nation’s big screens on Jan. 13. The film features more than 800 short videos     1     (shoot) by 509 ordinary people from all     2     (walk) of life, especially manual laborers and farmers. The videos     3     (select) by the production crew over the course of a year from     4     total of more than 50,000 video clips (片段).

By gathering the short video footage, the film engages ordinary people in its creation and presents their authentic life experience,     5     (allow) those who are often inadequately represented in mainstream cinemas to take center stage.

According to the film’s director Sun Hong, by gathering, selecting     6     compiling (编辑) video clips from a vast database, the film presents how people record their own lives, which possesses a power of authenticity even     7     (great) than traditional documentaries.

In the film, the audience will see construction workers working out on the construction site during their spare time, fishermen talking to their cormorants and teasing their greediness for fish, or boatmen celebrating a rare day     8     they could use tap water.

“It is our creative effort, as documentary filmmakers,     9     (present) an authentic facet of China, highlighting how each individual establishes themselves in a     10     (rapid) developing society,” says Sun.

As this year’s ski season got underway, Liu Zhihua,     1     (age) 87, joined the crowd at a ski resort and glided fluently down the piste (滑雪道).

Actually, Liu took up the sport in 2007 when she was 72. “After conquering the fear of falling. I became increasingly interested in skiing.” Starting on the beginner slopes, Liu     2     (gradual) moved to intermediate runs, and has even got onto the advanced ones.

When asked about the setbacks she had encountered. Liu,    3     is an excellent skier now recalls that she fell over while going down a slope due to a lack of experience. “But skill comes     4     practice. Just get used to it,” she says.     5     (wear) a bright smile, Liu adds “No one can tell your age when everyone is in a ski suit.”

These days, Liu skis for about two hours at a time under the     6     (protect) of her instructors.     7     she skis less often than in previous years, Liu is determined    8     (persevere).

“I’d rather fall on a piste than lie on a sickbed,” says Liu. “Health and happiness are the two things that doing sports     9     (bring) to me over the past years,” she says. “I don’t think age has much to do with my mindset. Old or young, I have been     10     (courage)and optimistic.”

Chinese calligraphy (书法) is an art form that    1    (involve) the skilled and deliberate use of brush and ink to create beautiful and expressive characters.

The origins of Chinese calligraphy can be traced back thousands of years to the Shang Dynasty, making it one of the     2     (old) continuous artistic traditions in the world. Its evolution is accompanied with the development of the Chinese writing system,     3     consists of thousands of characters, each with its own artistic structure and stroke order (笔顺).

Calligraphy in China    4    (regard) as one of the highest forms of artistic expression. It is not only a means of communication     5     a way to develop one’s character, discipline, and spirituality. The practice of calligraphy requires     6    (patient), concentration, and a deep understanding of the balance between empty space and solid forms.

Different styles of calligraphy have emerged throughout history, each with its own distinct characteristics and artistic conventions. The most famous    7    (style) include regular script (kaishu), running script (xingshu), cursive script (caoshu), and seal script (zhuanshu).

Chinese calligraphy has a profound influence     8     other art forms, such as     9    (paint), poetry, and seal carving. It is often considered as an important part of the Chinese traditional culture, where scholars and artists would gather in a     10    (culture) salon to appreciate and discuss calligraphic works.

“End of Heat”, the fourteenth solar term (节气),     1     (fall) on August 23th this year. When the heatwave of summer passes, “End of Heat” has     2     (official) begun. It’s a period when people welcome the autumn, celebrate the harvest and worship their ancestors.

People can enjoy the gradual change of scenery     3     late summer to early autumn. For example, clouds scatter around in the sky, forming     4     (vary) patterns and shapes. Meanwhile, get ready to appreciate the night-blooming cereus (昙花),     5     often blooms at night to avoid the heat.

“End of Heat” is a busy harvest season for farmers and also a time to express thanks for blessings     6     (receive). For example, fishermen in some coastal areas will hold a grand Fishing Festival     7     (send) fishermen off to sea.     8     wide range of seafood makes it to people’s dining tables. During this time, people also drink herbal tea and eat duck meat for relief from the dry weather.

Showing the     9     (wise) of Chinese people to live according to the rhythm of the seasons, the solar terms     10     (regard) as the fifth great invention of China.

The Lion Rock mountain stands not only as one of the most famous scenic spots in Hong Kong,     1     has become a spiritual symbol representing the persistent efforts of ordinary Hong Kong people     2     (live) a better life.

The Lion Rock spirit has also     3     (deep) touched those outside Hong Kong, such as Cui Xiaodong,     4     ink artist and director of the Yan Huang Art Museum in Bejing. “The mountain stands like a giant, symbolizing the industrious and persistent spirit which, over the past decades,     5     (pull) people in Hong Kong together through hard times. It is a recollection of the youth and vigor (活力) of a generation of people in Hong Kong     6     struggled to make the city what it is today.” he says.

Cui created Lion Rock in Hong Kong, a colored ink painting. In his painting, Cui depicts (描绘) the cliffs of the Lion Rock, surrounded by blooming trees and     7     (overlook) the city’s skyscrapers. Made earlier this year, the painting is now     8     show at Greater Bay Area in the Eyes of Artists, a display marking the 25th anniversary of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. The     9     (exhibit) displayed there hail (向……致敬) the ecological diversity of the area and also presents to the audience     10     (success) reformative accomplishments since 1997.

Varatha Shanmuganathan is an 87-year-old woman in India. She has become the     1     (old) person to get a Master’s degree at Canada’s York University. When she isn’t dancing or singing with her grandchildren, she’s busy     2     (realize) her many dreams.

This is not Shanmuganathan’s first Master’s degree. After earning her Bachelor’s degree, she returned to Sri Lanka     3     (teach) Indian history and English.

In 1990, she moved to London to teach English as a second language and received her first Master’s degree from the University of London.

When she found out the university offered free tuition     4     senior citizens, Shanmuganathan said she     5     (immediate) knew it was her last chance to make her dream of studying political science come true. She began her studies in 2019 and     6     (continue) throughout the pandemic (流行病).

“She will act as a powerful role model for     7     (woman) of all ages,” York University President Rhonda Lenton said.

Despite her achievements, Shanmuganathan said she is not quite finished yet in     8     (educate). Her next plan is to write     9     book about post-war Sri Lanka.

“Find out what you really want to achieve and pursue it until the end. Think of something     10     not only interests you, but is also beneficial to others. Go on after it, get it, do it, achieve it,” Shanmuganathan said.

Traditional Chinese painting is highly regarded all over the world for its theory,     1     (express) and skill. It is also one of     2     oldest continuous artistic traditions in the world. It is known in Chinese     3     guo hua, meaning “national or native painting”.

Traditional Chinese painting is done with a brush     4     is dipped in black or coloured ink. The most popular paintings are made of paper and silk. The     5     (finish) work can be put in albums or on walls.

Traditional Chinese painting has its own special tools, consisting of brushes, ink, xuan paper and so on. Chinese painting can     6     (divide) into figure paintings, landscapes and flower-and-bird paintings according to the subjects. Landscapes, mainly     7     (describe) the natural scenery of mountains and rivers, represent a major type of traditional Chinese painting.

In the 1980s, Chinese oil painting developed     8     (quick). Then folk painting became popular, such as Chinese New Year pictures. It is put up on doors, room walls and windows     9     (invite) blessings during the New Year. Woodcuts     10     (become) increasingly various in style, theme and artistic form since the 1980s.

Today’s skiers are used to relying on ski lifts at resorts to take them to the top of a mountain before     1     (experience)the addictive thrill of skiing down the mountain.     2    , in some snow-covered villages in Altay prefecture (辖区) of Northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, it’s common in winter to see local herdsmen, with boards     3     (attach) to their feet, climb the snowy slopes without any other forms of assistance.

The pair of boards are wrapped with horsehide(马革),     4     serves a double purpose. Remarkably, the horsehide not only can provide friction (摩擦) to prevent skiers from slipping while going up, but also helps them slide more     5     (smooth)down the slopes.

According to rock carvings uncovered in the area by archaeologists, such     6     (ski) have served for around 12,000 years     7     a means of transportation for the snowfield inhabitants of Altay. The fur skiing boards gradually lost     8     (they) popularity in recent decades after paved roads linked houses to the outside world.

However, Altay plans to protect and promote its skiing culture. The local government department     9     (want) to pass its skiing tradition to future generations. The prefecture is working     10     (develop)the area as a popular destination for skiers and snowboarders. As a result, the ancient fur skiing boards and the craft of making them have found a new lease of life in modern times.