1 . Tobias, a 35-year-old Belgian musician, has become popular on social media for his excellent grasp of the Shanghai dialect. He has been sharing his everyday experiences, which he _______ in Shanghai dialect, on video-sharing and lifestyle _______ Douyin and Xiaohongshu, winning thousands of followers and millions of _______

In the videos, he speaks_______ Shanghai dialect, which many non-locals believe is as difficult to learn and _______ as a foreign language. He talks about walking on the city’s streets, enjoying the food and music, and _______ his daily life in the city. Tobias started shooting and _______ these short videos for his own practice purposes. He didn’t expect so many people would be watching them, following him and sending him _______ and encouragement.

Tobias did not bury his nose in textbooks or _______ intensive study to learn Shanghainese. He said his learning __________ involved getting immersed (沉浸) in a language environment, having a positive attitude, and speaking __________ “without being afraid to make mistakes” . He was not thinking too much when he started learning the Shanghai dialect — it was just for __________.

Tobias said he did not expect he would __________ the promotion of the Shanghai dialect, but it would be an __________ and pleasure if his posts encouraged his followers to learn and pass on the dialect. “I believe a dialect is the heart of a local __________” said the musician.

The awards ceremony for the Fifth Belt and Road Initiative (BRI)Short Video Competition took place in Chengdu, Sichuan Province. With     1    theme of “Open up a New Chapter Together through Connectivity”,the competition centered on the global practices of China’s modernization drive     2    highlighted the universal understanding of the BRI’s spirit and China’s strong desire to build a community with a     3    (share)future for mankind.

2023 marked the 10th anniversary of the BRI’s launch.By collecting short video stories from both builders and beneficiaries(受益者),the competition     4    (allow)audiences to grasp the key part of     5    (develop),social progress,cultural integration(融合),and people’s dreams in countries economic along the route.It also recreated     6    (memory) moments of genuine exchanges among people.

Among the over 1,000 entries from nearly 100 countries, 99 final winners were announced.“    7    one of the leading corporations engaged in the BRI, Dongfang Electric Corporation    8    (commit) to sustainable, high-standard development and people’s well-being since 2012,” noted Song Zhiyuan, a director of the company.“We’ve offered green energy equipment and services to over 100 countries and regions,    9    (project)a responsible image of China. Moving forward, we’ll grasp the opportunities to remain at the forefront of BRI’s joint construction and provide more top-level green energy     10    (global).”

4 . Bullet comments—comments which fly across the screen on certain video platforms—represent a ·modern approach to communication that young people use in cyberspace to express their ideas, emotions and feelings. When looking back, however, they are a good reminder of what was hot or trending in the past year.

On Dec 15,2023, Bilibili, a Chinese video-sharing platform, picked “Ah?” as the Bullet Comment of the Year. In 2023, “Ah?” appeared more than 13.2 million times on Bilibili as a bullet comment, according to Dazhong Daily.

Today, young people in China use “Ah?” to express their surprise and amazement. User Mo Xin filmed himself writing down the ancient Chinese text Hard Is the Road to Shu (《蜀道难》) in one stroke (一笔) and subsequently uploaded the video to Bilibili. This feat (壮举) resulted in the video winning the most “Ah?”bullet comments on the platform.

China’s huge technological advancements have also generated “Ah?” comments from Bilibili users. In August, China made a breakthrough in controllable nuclear fusion (可控核聚变) technology. Its new-generation “artificial sun” Huanliu-3 looks to open new doors in the world of nuclear fusion. Videos announcing this news were inundated (淹没) in “Ah?” comments.

Though simple and easily understandable, “Ah?” provides insights into young people’s interests. Their focus extends beyond mere entertainment, however. They also, use “Ah?” to engage with. commentaries, and scientific discoveries, indicating a deeper, more serious layer of interest. These “Ah?” comments reveal that young people are attentive to the world around them. “Ah?” has become their unique way of responding to contemporary events, using it as a tool to document today’s history.

Every year brings a new bullet comment of the year, but what never changes is how young people want their voices to be heard. Do you still remember which video got you to send an “Ah?” in 2023?

6 . In July, a two-minute-long video began spreading on the Internet. The video featured a _________ ballet student dancing in the rain. As the rain falls, forming small _________ between the unsmooth ground on which he dances, Anthony, 11, _________ round and round.

The _________ has been seen more than 20 million times on social media platforms, which has turned a _________ on the unlikely story of a ballet school in a poor suburb of Lagos, Nigeria: The Leap of Dance Academy. Founded by Daniel in 2017, the academy has _________ the lives of its students, affording them a place to _________ and to dream.

For now, the Leap of Dance Academy is housed at the home of its _________, Daniel. Every day after school, 12 local students make their way to his apartment. He _________ his furniture for more space and __________ a thin sheet over the cement (水泥) floor for class. What is the most __________ is that the mirror was glued by dozens of broken mirrors.

“We have __________ from so many people. We appreciate their letters, in which they say they are __________ by the students and by dance,” Daniel said. “They felt our __________ and came alive. They __________ us that art is here to stay.”

Some netizens remarked: “This is a realistic portrayal from a poor boy to ballet prince. Anyone with a dream is great.”