Can knots (结) be a form of art? It is in China. There is a long history of using knots for decoration on clothing or to hang from the ceiling or on a wall. Skilled knot     1     (art) make complex knots that you can take back with as souvenirs. They have a long history and a symbolic meaning even today.

People may have     2     (initial) made them to record information and convey messages     3     people started to write. One-hundred-thousand-year-old tools have been discovered that were probably used     4     (tie) and unite knots, and there is a     5     (refer) to knots in ancient literature. But it isn’t known when they started to be used symbolically or woven for art.

It is known that they     6     (use) for artistic decoration and to symbolize and express thoughts and feelings in the Tang Dynasty. The Tang Empire was a large one     7     (cover) most of the regions of modern China, and the     8     (tradition) art form was carried on by succeeding generations     9     part of their culture.

Even today, Chinese knots are rich in symbolic meanings, and they therefore hold emotional value when given as gifts     10     passed down through families.

The International Workers’ Day, sometimes     1     (call) Labour Day or May Day, is not only a celebration of workers’ rights, but also a seasonal celebration in many countries. The holiday is a     2    （celebrate) of laborers in about 90 countries.

People     3     (observe) this holiday since 1920 to show their     4     (aware) of protecting the working class    5     exploitation (剥削). In China, people don’t need to go to work from May 1st until May 3^rd, many of     6    take this opportunity to meet up friends     7     go for short trips, with no specific public events during the holiday.

A recent report was issued by the China Tourism Academy,    8     (say) that the number of domestic (国内的) tourist trips will reach about 4.55 billion,    9     increase of 73 percent year on year. “China’s tourism market has embarked on a track of recovery this year. And we will see a     10     (continue) ‘travel frenzy (狂热)’ during the May Day holiday,” said Li Huigin, a tourism expert with the China University of Geosciences.

4 . The setting of leap month is a way to fill the gap of days between the solar calendar and lunar calendar in one year, which is 11 or 12 days, so as to make sure the four seasons basically fit the months. “Leap month” refers to a repetitive month and there are some traditions and customs during leap month in China, which are varied in different places.     1    .

Send special-made pastry (糕点) to parents

In some parts of China’s Henan Province, daughters will prepare wild goose-shaped pastries for their parents before the leap month comes, wishing for good luck. In some parts of East China’s Shandong Province, the married daughters will send dough-made (面团) fish and toad (蟾蜍) to their parents, which symbolize “wealth” and “health” respectively.     2    .

Drink tea

People living near Mount Wuyi in China’s southeast Fujian Province have the tradition of drinking tea at leap month, and only women are proper to participate.     3    , and they drink tea while chatting, creating a harmonious atmosphere among neighbors.

    4    

In Southeast China’s Taiwan Province, leap month has such traditions as well. The married daughter has to buy pig feet and thin noodles for her mother, usually two front feet and six bunches of thin noodles, and the noodles have to be tied with red silk threads and spring flowers.

Eat dinner together

Just like other festivals, a reunion dinner is essential among the traditions of the leap month.     5    , parents will invite the married daughter to return home and have dinner together, cherishing a wish for happiness and good fortune.

The art of paper-cutting (剪纸) in China may date back to the second century, since paper     1     (invent) by Cai Lun in the Eastern Han Dynasty in China. As paper became more affordable, paper-cutting became one of the most important types of Chinese folk art. Later, with different regions     2     (adopt) their own cultural styles, this art form spread to other parts of the world.     3     (usual), the artworks are made of red paper. as red is associated with     4     (happy) in Chinese culture, but other colors are also used.

With     5     (it) long history, paper-cutting,     6     originated in China, has been very popular among the ordinary Chinese people. People put up paper cuts on walls, windows and doors at wedding ceremonies or festivals     7     (make) the cheerful atmosphere (氛围).

Chinese paper cuts are rich     8     content. The auspicious (吉祥的) designs symbolize (象征) good luck and the avoidance of evil. The child, lotus and bat designs suggest a family with     9     large number of children and grandchildren. Birds, livestock, fruit, fish and worms are also familiar objects     10     (accept) by Chinese farmers. In a word, paper cuts used in different occasions have different meanings.

The first “window of Chinese Books” in Europe was launched on Tuesday, with an online book donation ceremony. The online event     1     (hold) at the Central Public Library in Floriana, Malta. More than 200 books were donated from China’s Jinling Library to Malta Libraries,     2     cover fields such as ancient Chinese literature and art, history, culture, and food.

Books are important for the     3     (culture) exchange between two countries.     4     (hopeful), the donated books will open a new window of understanding of Chinese culture, history and social development for the Maltese people.

The books     5     (give) on Tuesday not only provide a chance of     6     (promote) Chinese culture and tourism, but also are     7     precious gift of friendship from the people of Nanjing to the Maltese people.

Jinling Library has always focused on using books     8     a bridge to understanding of Chinese culture for global     9     (citizen). Jinling Library, founded in 1927, established its first “Window of Chinese Books” overseas in Nigeria in 2013. There will be     10     (many) in the future.

Tradition has never lost     1     (it) shine. Although China has achieved the greatest urbanization (城市化) in history, Chinese people’s physical and     2     (emotion) connections to traditions are strong and everywhere. These traditions     3     (become) a precious and unique part of Chinese culture over centuries.

In the past Spring Festival holidays, Chinese people have felt a festive atmosphere both in big cities     4     in the countryside.

The Ming Tombs in Beijing staged a live show inspired by the Ming Dynasty silk painting Ming Emperor Xianzong Enjoying the Lantern Festival, attracting hundreds of visitors. Dozens of     5     (perform) wearing Ming Dynasty clothing staged a sitcom (情景喜剧) style play, performing scenes including the emperor lighting lanterns and other ancient activities usually     6     (hold) during the Lantern Festival. One worker said that it aimed     7     (help) people experience how the Lantern Festival was celebrated and further understand Ming culture.

In addition     8     turning the ancient painting into a sitcom, many other folk arts also became a major draw, even for young people. One young woman Hou traveled all the way from Beijing to Jiexi County, South China’s Guangdong Province, during the holiday to watch a performance of the Yingge Dance,     9     is one of the most representative (有代表性的) folk arts in Chaozhou and Shantou, Guangdong Province.

Many people were deeply moved as traditional cultures could     10     (preserve) until now.

The Chinese couplet (对联) refers to two poetic lines     1     (obey) certain rules, often written on red paper for appreciation. As     2     form of Chinese literature, the couplet varies in content and style. Some express people’s love to their motherland, some describe the beauty of nature,     3     some convey best wishes for the coming year.

Chinese couplets originated in the Five Dynasties, and     4     (become) ubiquitous (无处不在) in the Ming and Qing dynasties. It was a custom for people     5     (hang) peach wood charms to drive away evil spirits during the Spring Festival. Nowadays, couplets are used     6     a similar way.

It was said that the earliest couplet was written by Meng Xu,     7     was king of Houshu State, and it was     8     (extreme) popular in the Northern Song Dynasty. Since the Ming Dynasty, to write couplets     9     (regard) as a mark of the cultured life of scholars.

The couplet has two lines of equal     10     (long). However, the number of characters in each line can be from four to seven or more. The first and the second lines have opposite tone patterns. The last character of the first line is of an oblique tone (仄声), and its opposite in the second line, of a level tone (平声).

10 . The “Double Seven Festival” is a traditional Chinese festival. It has a longer history than the ______ of Valentine’s Day in the West.

The origin of this festival is related to a cowboy and a weaving girl, whose love story has become a part of the Chinese culture. ______ there are many different versions of the story, the most popular one begins with a poor cowboy. Living with his elder and ______ brother, who treated him badly, the cowboy looked after an old cow every day. Though life was tough and boring, he put up with it in silence, without complaining.

Unluckily, even such a hard life didn’t last long. His brother got rid of him and all he got was the old cow. Although they couldn’t talk to each other, they ______ on each other for company. One day, miracle happened. The old cow started talking and told him that there would be seven fairies coming down to the Earth to ______ in a pond. All he should do was to ______ the dress of one of the fairies. Then that fairy would be his wife. ______ but excited, the cowboy followed the cow’s advice.

Every day the cowboy went to work ______ the fairy wove cloth at home. However, their ______ life came to an end when the Heavenly Goddess learned about it. She took the weaving girl away and drew a line in the sky that turned into the Milky Way, which ______ the cowboy meeting her wife. Due to the strong reaction from the young ______, the Goddess finally allowed them to see each other only once a year. The day was on the seventh day of the seventh month. That is ______ the Double Seven Festival came into being.

Although the love story doesn’t end up with a happy ending, it is to be told from one ______ to another. It reminds people to cherish every moment ______ with their loved ones and not to regret until we ______ them.