In the novel Journey To the West, most of the characters are not human, but they show recognizable human     1     (characteristic). This human element is one reason for the novel’s     2     (popular). People see     3     (they) in the characters. A good example of this is the Monkey King himself. He enjoys playing tricks, and at one point he masked himself as a demon (妖怪)     4     (rescue) his friends from a prison, without telling them who he was. He talked about eating Pigsy, nearly     5     (frighten) Pigsy to death. In a real sense, he had the same life journey that so many people have had through the ages. When young in the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit, he could escape all of the problems in life, but he had to grow up and face the     6     (reality) world, with all its worries. In doing so, he changed     7     someone who loved to play tricks and cause trouble, to someone who is self-disciplined and faithful.

Another reason for the novel’s success is that it is more than just     8     adventure story. It is not only a group’s journey to the West, but is a spiritual journey     9     the characters were forced to examine the nature of right and wrong. For example, in their journey, they faced both demons and gods. Yet, through enlightenment (教化) some of the demons became gods, and some of the gods became demons because they     10     (choose) to do wrong.

“Mom, look at this LEGO Star Wars set,” my eight-year-old son Nathan said. “Can I get it for my birthday?” I looked at the LEGO set in question.

“Nathan, this isn’t just a regular LEGO set. It’s an Advent calendar(降临历).” Seeing his questioning look, I explained, “An Advent calendar counts down the days until Christmas. Starting on December 1st, you open one box each day, and each box contains one small LEGO toy.”

“I want this really badly, Mom. Can I get it for my birthday?”

“Yes, but here’s the problem with that. It’s August right now, and your birthday is in September. If we bought this for your birthday, you couldn’t start opening the toys until December 1st. That would be a long time for you before playing with a new toy. Are you sure you want it?” He thought for a minute and said, “Yes, Mom, I really want that Advent calendar.” So we bought the calendar.

On Nathan’s birthday in mid-September, he received many presents, including the Advent calendar. He seemed as surprised and pleased with it as he did with other gifts that were actually a surprise. And then he started to open it.

“Remember that’s an Advent calendar. So we can’t open it yet.” His shoulders slumped(垂下来). “Oh, yeah, that’s right,” he said unwillingly.

We put the box in his closet. I hoped he’d forget about it, but that was wishful thinking.

“How many more days should I wait until I can start opening the toys in the calendar?” he asked the day after his birthday. I gave him a pocket calendar, and we counted how many days there were until December 1st.

After waiting for so long, it was December 1st finally. Nathan’s hands were practically shaking as he opened that first box. “I’m so glad I waited, Mom,” he told me.

People say that Christmas starts earlier and earlier every year. I know these complaints are about the over-commercialization of the holiday, and I see their point. But this year, Christmas came to our house very early, and it was so much fun.

In Afghanistan’s Bamyan Valley, Hemmat was selling tickets for the cultural heritage inside a cool ticket office. However, that hadn’t always been the case.

In the past, he worked in the sun, snow and rain. However, things     1     (change)for the better since two ticket offices were completed and put into use. “They were built with the assistance of our Chinese friends,” Hemmat said, while     2     (express) his gratitude to the young scholars from China and the nonprofit Friends of Dunhuang, who have financed the     3     (construct).

Bamyan Province is famous     4     many cultural heritages, particularly the two giant Buddhas     5     (surround)with thousands of caves for monk statues. In 2003, the Cultural Landscape and Archaeological Remains of the Bamyan Valley was listed as     6     UNESCO World Heritage Site. Nevertheless, due to years of war and economic hardships, those caves were not numbered     7     cleaned for a long time, let alone being presented with an introduction.

The situation     8     badly hindered the heritage protection and further archaeological research has been changed. “With our specific suggestions and     9     (finance)support, most caves have been equipped with introduction nameplates,” said Shao Xuecheng, a member of Friends of Dunhuang. “In this way, when the heritages     10     (be) in urgent need of protection, security personnel can rush to the site according to their nameplates.”

“Our Chinese friends have provided us with real help, and we are very grateful,” said a local official.

As the economic cooperation between China and Chana continues to grow, more and more Ghanaian students are well    1    (prepare) for their future with the Chinese language.

The Confucius Institute of the University of Cape Coast in the southeast of Ghana,    2    (establish) in June 2016, has rolled out various courses, ranging from calligraphy to dance. For most of the time, Ghanaian students at the institute involve    3    (they) in the learning of the Chinese language and traditional Chinese culture. And the institute    4    (see) effects of the study of the Chinese language on lives of many locals so far.

“When I first started learning Chinese, it was difficult. But as I progressed, I gradually realized the    5    (beautiful) of it,” said Belinda Koomson, a student at the institute. “To be honest, now I’m fonder    6    Chinese than any other subjects.” She stressed that the bridge between China and Ghana has been laid,    7    makes it necessary for Ghanaians to learn the Chinese language. “It’s best for us to learn Chinese to communicate    8    (conveniently) with the Chinese so that we can work more harmoniously.”

Tang Hong, President to the China Association of Chine Societies urged Ghanaian students    9    (study) Chinese because of the very door that it opens to people. “If you know the Chinese language, you can talk to    10    huge population in the world.”

7 . The Mid-Autumn Day is a happy time for a family reunion (团聚). But it was a different________after my parents and I came to America. I remember the first Mid-Autumn Day we spent here.

On that morning, I smiled seeing mooncakes on the table. But then I________I had classes at 1:50 pm and felt________. You see, there’s a________in China for this special day but not in America. Noticing my upset, Mom tried to comfort me, “We have duck at lunch, your favorite.________?” The duck cheered me up. We had a delicious lunch, but before we________it was time for class. I had to put down my________and sat before my computer. I couldn’t help________that my Mid-Autumn Day was like this — having online classes with lunch half-eaten. I would never________this in the past.

At the Mid-Autumn Gala (联欢会), the scene (场景) of a family having dinner together made me________. I really missed my grandparents. Although we had________them in the day, it was different from a reunion. How regretful we couldn’t________!

At midnight, I got lost in thought. The day is so important that I felt upset without a good________. But on second thoughts, although the holiday________, the moon was still full.________, although in different countries, all hearts of my family were connected. Realizing this made me filled with warmth.

9 . In order to kill time, many people have been trying to cope with the boredom by reading books, others have perfected their cooking skills and many others have tried their hands at craft projects, including tie dyeing (扎染).

Whether you think tie-dye is totally stylish or not your style, the unique print from the 1960s is back in a major way. It’s become a hot fashion trend.

“The last several years have seen the resurgence in craftsmanship and handmade goods, popularizing the hobbies in the 1960s (weaving, tie-dyeing), but in a modern way. People would connect with these handmade objects to feel connected to nature,” Stitch Fix color expert Ryen Anderson said to Today. Online searches for “how to crumple (压皱) tie-dye”, a popular technique, are u by 376 percent on Pinterest.

This homestyle creation can easily be made at home. The only things we need to prepare include fabric. light-colored clothes, dye, rubber, and water. In tie-dye, the fabric is colored by tying several parts of the fabric before dying to give certain color effects. While this seems relatively simple, it takes multiple steps and washes.

Some people make tie-dye adjust old-fabrics in an innovative way. Some others use tie-dye technique to create a new pattern as the color of their clothes fades. The typical current trend is that people use natural coloring for tie-dye and combine it with doodles (涂鸦) and natural printing ( eco-printing) by abstracting colors from the leaves.

The dyeing technique has deep roots from Africa. Many immigrants from various African countries brought their skills to the United States during the 1700s to 1800s. The popularity of tie-dye then was quite influential in the 1960s or commonly referred to as “flower power” generation. Tie-dye became a symbol in that times.