Zhang Daqian was one of     1     most famous Chinese artists of the 1900s. He was born on 10 May 1899 in Neijiang, Sichuan Province, China. When he was young, his family encouraged him     2     (paint).

In 1919 Zhang went to Shanghai,     3     he learned about traditional Chinese painting. His teachers were two       4     (real) famous calligraphers (书法家) and painters, Zeng Xi and Li Ruiqing, and he soon was able to paint in the styles of the Ming and Qing Dynasties.

In 1941 Zhang went to see the     5     (wonder) caves of Dunhuang, in northwestern China. The caves     6     (know) for their ancient Buddhist wall paintings. He created many paintings based     7     the cave art. Zhang went on to study ancient paintings from the Tang and Song Dynasties, which inspired his own paintings of lotuses (莲花).

Zhang     8     (leave) China in the early 1950s and lived in many places around the world,     9     (include) Argentina, Brazil, and the United States. During that time, he created works in his “splashed-color” style, which looked     10     (modern) than his traditional-style paintings.

In 1978 Zhang settled in Taipei, and he died there on 2 April 1983.

Wearing a traditional Chinese qipao, conductor Nucrbana Yiming’s     1     (perform) has received thunderous applause from the audience at the Chinese Lunar New Year concert in Urumqi. A 35-year-old performer from Xinjiang, often known as Bana, is the only female conductor at the Xinjiang Art Theater so far. Her passion     2     music came from her family: her father was a clarinetist (单簧管手).     3     (influence) by her father, she started her violin and piano training at the age of eight.

In 2004, she     4     (admit) into the State Conservatory of Uzbekistan to study as a conductor. “Every day I     5     (carry) thousands of pages of music sheets from my dorm to the classroom. I needed to memorize them     6     a really short time,” she recalled. “Sometimes I questioned myself and wondered     7     it was better for me to be a street vendor (街头小贩).”     8     (fortunate), all her efforts paid     9     in the end.

Before her graduation in 2009, she received an offer from the Xinjiang Art Theater. Bana has a deep understanding of her role in the theater: she considers herself as a bridge     10     connects professions, Xinjiang folk music, modern instruments and the world. “My job is to integrate the music knowledge and the concepts I’ve learned abroad into each show of our folk orchestra,” she said.

Mozart was one of the most famous musicians in the world. One day, he was walking along the street when he saw an old man     1     (play) the violin. The old man’s shoes were worn out and they needed     2     (change). Besides, the hat in front of him was still empty. Mozart was a kind-hearted man so he decided     3     (help) the poor old man. He asked the old man whether he enjoyed Mozart’s works. The old man nodded but said sadly, “I want     4     (meet) Mozart in person and learn from him, but I didn’t know him at all.” Hearing that, Mozart couldn’t help     5     (smile).

Mozart took the violin from the old man and started     6     (perform). His wonderful performance attracted many passers-by. Soon the old man’s hat was full of money, and he was thankful.

Christopher Reeve

He was born     1     25 September, 1952 in New York. He found his passion in     2    (act) and starred in his first school play at eight. He starred in four Superman     3     (film) from 1978 to 1987.

He realized that his roles in films     4     (give) him the opportunity to be a real-life superman and gained a reputation for raising     5    (aware) for good causes. In 1995, he was thrown off his horse and broke his neck. He had no     6    (move) or feeling in his body at all. He felt     7     he had lost all hope. He even thought of ending his own life, but he     8     (eventual) found the will to live with the help of his wife, his family and his friends. He undertook an intense exercise programme and managed     9     (return) his film career. On 10 October, 2004, he passed     10    .

Born in 1958 in Dali, southwest China’s Yunnan Province, Yang Liping is a famous     1    (dance) in China. She started dancing at the age of 13 and     2    (go) all the way to one of the country’s top art troupes (歌舞团) — China Ethnic Song and Dance Ensemble. “I have been attracted     3    our culture since childhood,” said the famous artist.

For     4     long time, Yang was known as “the peacock (孔雀) princess” for her classic peacock dances. But her creations go far beyond this. A typical example is her great work Dynamic Yunnan,     5    is still performed every day in Kunming, Yunnan Province.

“I felt very     6    (concern) after seeing that many valuable and classic things were disappearing,” Yang said. “I think as dancers, we should try to show what we have instead of     7    (simple) copying foreign countries.” She has gradually moved backstage. But her passion (热情) for the art form still burns. She said she will keep learning, experimenting and    8    (create) and is determined to present the history and beauty of her hometown to the world through a special work expected in the years     9    (come).

Yang said every human has to face the     10    (real) of aging, but the life of good works will last forever.

Li Wen, a paper-cutting artist from Lingbi county, east China’s An hui Province, has devoted     1     (her) to the artform for 17 years.

In 2005, Li     2     (study) oil painting at school when she saw wedding paper-cutting works posted on the windows of her neighbor’s house and was     3     (immediate) impressed by the craft (手艺), as well as the lifelike images on them. Since then, Li     4     (throw) herself into learning the craft wholeheartedly.

Li always brings scissors and paper with her whenever she goes, and has created paper-cutting works covering     5     wide range of themes. In addition to exploring     6     (tradition) patterns of paper-cutting works and learning various expressive techniques, Li has also improved her skills by frequently learning the craft from skilled     7     (artist). Li pays attention     8     every detail when she makes her paper-cutting works, and puts great passion and energy into all of them. As a result, she makes very few mistakes when     9     (create) paper-cutting works.

Li’s passion for the art has helped her go far. She has been awarded several titles, such as “Master in Arts and Crafts” of Suzhou city,     10     is a great honour for her.

Angela Mia De la Vega breathes a realistic beauty into each of her lifelike sculptures. For De la Vega, sculpting is an opportunity to catch     1     is happening around her, a way to share her most important thoughts    2    the public before they disappear. Most of her work is about youthful figures engaged in     3     (energy) and playful activities. She expertly employs light and shadow to inspire an emotional connection between her work     4    her audience, so that one may see a reflection of life within each     5     (finish) work.

Whenever possible, De la Vega works with life models to accurately capture (捕捉) the little details that make her final     6     (product) so unbelievably natural. For this reason, she chooses her     7       (models) faces carefully. She seeks faces which are able to show their complex feelings. As a very serious artist, De la Vega    8     (close) follows the entire process from the beginning to the end. As each sculpture     9     (come) into shape, she begins to slow down and focus on     10     (perfect) the details that allow her final pieces to have a spirit and a natural sense of movement.