2 . On the bustling streets of Sydney, Australia, Dong Min, a young Chinese woman, dressed in elegant Chinese traditional clothing — hanfu, gracefully holds a dizi, the bamboo flute of China, fascinating passersby with the melodies of traditional Chinese music.

Dong Min, a talented musician was born in 1990. Seeing a female performer playing the bamboo flute on TV fired her interest in this Chinese traditional instrument at the age of 8. Soon her interest blossomed into talent. At the age of 10, winning a provincial-level Chinese musical instrument competition earned her one of only four spots for further studies in Beijing. After graduating from Minzu University of China with a major in Chinese bamboo flute in 2015, she enrolled at the University of New South Wales in Australia to study cultural leadership where she initiated street performances, featuring Chinese traditional instruments. One year later, she formed a band and founded the Sydney Meya Institute of Chinese Music to teach various Chinese traditional instruments to more people.

Apart from street performances and her institution, Dong also offers online dizi lessons to a global audience and organizes online exchange concerts for her students worldwide. “Our students range from 4-year-olds to 80-year-olds, reflecting the timeless appeal of Chinese music across generations,” Dong said.

Her effort paid off eventually. Her performances grew in popularity. Many audiences traveled all the way from cities like Melbourne and Brisbane to Sydney just to attend her performances.” Many music schools now offer courses on Chinese instruments. I hope to create a platform for music enthusiasts to connect and cultivate friendships through their shared love for music. Thus, we can not only raise awareness of Chinese traditional music in Australia but also share the richness of Chinese culture through music with the international audience.” Dong Min said.

Mamianqun, also known as “Horse-faced Skirt”, is     1     kind of traditional Chinese dress. Actually, the name “Mamianqun” has nothing to do with the animal. There is a theory that the “skirt doors” of Mamianqun     2     (close) look like “Ma Mian”, a kind of structure used for defense on the ancient city walls, so the skirt got the name “Mamianqun”. But this is still a question to be verified.

Mamianqun, dating back     3     the Song Dynasty, had become the most typical style for women by the Ming and Qing dynasties. It became prominent due to     4     (it) use by nobility and the rich as a status symbol. The style of Mamianqun     5     (go) through a series of changes since it emerged. However, the “Ma Mian” structure has always been deeply rooted.

Silk, the most revered (受尊敬的) fabric in ancient China, was the     6     (prefer) material for making a Mamianqun, particularly for the upper class of society. Mamianqun has numerous pleats (褶) on either side,     7     (create) uniquely beautiful and graceful waves when walking. The most attractive aspect is the elegant patterns on the skirt     8     represent people’s beautiful aspirations in Chinese clothing culture, such as the Depiction of Birds Adoring the Phoenix and Prosperity and Blooming Flowers.

Mamianqun, with deep historical roots, has transitioned into modern fashion, where it serves as a bridge between the past     9     present. Nowadays, Mamianqun is gaining increasing     10     (popular) among both Chinese and foreigners.

6 . In America, if you see a group of students wearing crazy hats or summer T-shirts in the middle of winter, don’t be surprised. They may be celebrating their School Spirit Week (校园精神周).

The School Spirit Week is a time for students to show their pride in their school. This is not a break, but the festival. It can be held during any week of the year. The celebration works with students of all ages, from elementary to high School, as long as you keep the themes (主题) simple for the younger kids.

Spirit weeks often have a central theme that is followed throughout the week. During the week, students wear school colors and decorate the classrooms. Every day, there is a different theme. This is also students’ favorite part. They take part in different competitions and have fun together.

Spirit weeks often encourage students to wear fun and fashion clothes, with different outfits for each day of the week. Monday might be funny hat day, followed by Tuesday’s Hawaiian shirt day and Wednesday’s silly T-shirt day. Thursday could be pajama (睡衣) day, followed by Friday’s school color day.

There are also lots of other activities which the students can take part in on School Spirit Weeks. Do you like to have School Spirit Weeks?

Yue Opera, one of the five major Chinese operas and the second     1    (large) type nationally, is known as “Chinese drama” abroad. It originated in Shengzhou City in Zhejiang Province, which was part of the Yue State in the Spring and Autumn Period, so it     2    (name) Yue Opera. It has at least thirteen     3    ( school) and prevails(盛行) in Shanghai, Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Fujian, Jiangxi and Anhui areas, as well as cities in northern China such as Beijing and Tianjin.

Yue Opera was born in 1906 as “little song class”. In 1938, it    4    ( formal) adopted the name of Yue Opera.

Absorbing the elements of Shaoxing Opera, Yue Opera enriched them and created its own type of music. It is good    5     expressing emotions through singing.     6    ( maintain) its soft tunes, sweet melodies(旋律),     7     refined style, Yue Opera adopted artistic achievements from the modern drama, Kunqu Opera and Western music, and created     8     new performance style.

Up to now, many years of development     9    (make) Yue Opera a most important opera style next to Peking Opera in China, taking its theme from fairy tales, literary classics and    10    (history) stories. Popular plays include Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai (known as The Butterfly Lovers), Dream of the Red Chamber and Mrs. Xianglin.

The Qatar 2022 World Cup     1     (begin) on November 20 is the 22nd edition of the competition and the first winter edition in the history of the competition. There are thirty-two teams joining in it.

The Qatar World Cup is the first competition     2    (play) in the Arab world. Qatar was awarded hosting rights for football’s showpiece tournament 12 years ago. The Official Mascot (吉祥物) for the Qatar World Cup     3    (call) La’eeb, in the form of a traditional keffiyeh headdress, but with eyebrows, eyes and mouth, and a lively,     4    (outgo) personality. His name, La’eeb,     5    (mean) super-skilled player in Arabic, and according to FIFA, he encourages everyone to believe in     6    (they), and he can bring the joy of football to everyone. Soccer’s governing body’s goal with the mascot is to appeal to audiences of all     7    (age).

The official song of Qatar World Cup is “Hayya Hayya”,    8    means “Better together”.It is performed by Cardona,     9    American singer, Davido, a Nigerian singer and Aisha, a Qatari artist.     10    bringing together voices from the Americas, Africa and the Middle East, this song shows how music and football can unite the world.

10 . Imperial Bricks

Imperial (皇家的) bricks were made completely for imperial buildings, especially palaces, in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. Mainly made in Suzhou, the bricks were transported through the Grand Canal to Beijing. They have a fine quality, and are strong and hard. They have a pure blue-green coulor like a mirror and produce a metal sound when knocked. Given their high cost, they are properly called the golden bricks . The craft (工艺品) has been on the national-level intangible cultural heritage list since 2006.

Peking Duck

Peking duck has been a famous dish from Beijing since the imperial times, characterized by its delicious skin and meat. The cooked duck is cut into pieces and eaten with green onion, cucumber and sweet bean sauce, often with pancake rolled around fillings. It was selected as a national-level intangible cultural heritage in 2008.

Shadow Play

Shadow play (皮影) is an ancient form of storytelling that uses flat cut-out figures or shadow play between a source of light and a screen. Various sight effects can be achieved by moving both the dolls and the light source. It is popular in many places along the Grand Canal, including Hebei and Zhejiang. In 2011, Chinese shadow play was listed on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

Kunqu Opera

Kunqu opera, one of the oldest existing forms of Chinese opera, came from Kunshan of what is now Suzhou city in Jiangsu province. Using emotional lines from poetry classics and through sweet and beautiful singing, it made progress in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, and naturally reached other parts of the country via the Grand Canal.