China’s Explosive Artist

Cai Guoqiang’s practice spans from, gunpowder drawings to ephemeral sculptures and monumental installations, all of     1     are rich with references to Chinese history, Taoist cosmology and current political events. Cai deals with the latter in a spectacular installation for I Want to Believe, his 2008 retrospective in New York, from the centre of the Guggenheim rotunda the artist—a     2     (train) set designer, by the way—suspended Inopportune: Stage One (2004), consisting of a series of nine cars     3     (hover) in mid air to represent in cinematic progression the effect of a car bomb.

Since the 1980s, Cai has been working on drawings realized by     4     (ignite) explosive powder on large sheets of paper. These works possess an aura     5     evokes both the vivid gestures of abstract expressionism and the quieter surfaces of Chinese traditional painting. Gunpowder is also at the centre of a series of environmental works, begun in 1989,     6     combine the tradition of Land Art with     7     of Chinese fireworks. For his explosion events, Cai stages pyrotechnical choreographies that sketch temporary drawing space.

Cai’s     8     (participate) in many international events, imposes himself as one of the strongest in the sky. These events are also meant to act as social, festive collective experiences that the artist—not without irony—believes could be perceived even from outer artists to emerge from China. At the Venice Biennale 1999 he     9     (award) the Golden Lion far Venice’s Rent Collection Courtyard (1999), a series of unfired clay sculptures     10     organized the opening ceremony for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.

A Symbol of China

Visiting a pub is one of Britain’s oldest forms of     1     (entertain). The idea for     2     first public houses     3     (bring) to Britain thousands of years ago by the conquering Roman army. The first pubs served only wine, but after the discovery of hops (啤酒节) in the fourteenth century, pubs began to serve mainly beer,     4     they do today.

Today, there are 61,000 pubs in the United Kingdom. One of the oldest, Fighting Cocks in ST. Albans, is located in a building that     5     (date) back to the 11^th century. Modern pubs are often owned by English breweries (啤酒厂) and serve only their owner’s products. British pubs are required to have a license,     6     is difficult to obtain, and operate between 11 am and 11 pm every day except Sunday, when they must close at 10:30 pm.

The     7     (drink) age in Britain is eighteen, but fourteen-year-olds may enter a pub unaccompanied if they order a meal. Children may enter a pub     8     their parents until 9 pm, which lets families enjoy     9     (reason) priced pub meals together and allows pubs to continue in their traditional roles as community     10     (center).

6 . A student's life is never easy.     1     A lot of preparations are needed so you can be sure to go back home with a diploma and a bright future waiting for you. The following are some basic things you need to do before even seizing that passport and boarding on the plane.

You shouldn't bother researching the country's hottest tourist spots or historical places. You won't go there as a tourist, but as a student. It'll be helpful to read the most important points in their history and to read up on their culture.    2     You surely don't want to face legal problems, especially if you're away from home.

Don't expect that you can graduate abroad without knowing even the basics of the language. Before leaving your home country, take online lessons to at least master some of their words and sentences.    3       Doing this will also prepare you in communicating with those who can't speak English.

Check the conversion（兑换）of your money to their local currency, set up your bank account so you can use it there, get an insurance, and find an apartment. The Internet or your intended school will be very helpful in finding an apartment and helping you understand local currency.

Remember, you're not only carrying your own reputation but your country's reputation as well. If you act foolishly, people there might think that all of your country men are foolish as well.    5    ．

Fuchsia Dunlop decided to visit China after reading articles about the country for several months. The one-month backpacking trip exposed the English woman     1     a wide range of Chinese food. "The dishes and soups I had even in the cheapest and plain eateries were better than     2     I had in the U.K.,” Dunlop recalled.

The last stop of her trip was Chengdu,     3     capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province. Dunlop learned from friends that Sichuan food represents one of China's     4     (good) cuisines, and when the spicy flavor of Sichuan pepper exploded in her mouth, something inside her changed forever.

After she returned to London, Dunlop made the decision to study in China at Sichuan University. When she wrote down "studying Chinese     5     (policy) on ethnic groups" on the     6     (apply) form as the reason for a scholarship, what she really had in mind were Sichuan dishes.

Her journey eventually led her to become the most knowledgeable English person on Chinese food. She     7     (write) many books on Chinese cuisine since, including Shark's Fin and Sichuan Pepper, which was translated into Chinese in 2018.

According to Chen Xiaoqing,     8     (know) for directing the documentary of A Bite of China, Dunlop is the most insightful foreign writer who     9     (vivid) describes Chinese cuisine in an exciting and accurate way. What she presents to the readers is not just food, but also the profound traditions and tremendous changes     10     (occur) in the country behind the flavors.

8 . Different Cultures

The cultures of the East and the West really distinguish each other a lot.     1    .

The origin of the Eastern culture is mainly from two countries: China and India. Both of the two cultures are developed by rivers—the Yellow River in China and the Hindu River in India.     2    .

When the two mother rivers gave birth to the Eastern culture, another famous culture was brought up on the Mesopotamian Plain—the Mesopotamian Civilization. This civilization later on developed into the cultures of Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome.     3    Like the Chinese culture, the European culture also crossed waters. When the British settled down in America, their culture went with them over the Atlanta Ocean. So the American culture doesn’t distinguish from the European culture a lot.

At the same time, some other differences add to the cultural differences. Take the language system for example. In the East, most languages belong to the pictographic language while the Western languages are mostly based on the Latin system. Other causes like human race differences count as well. But what’s more, due to the far distance and the steep areas between the East and the West, the two cultures seldom communicate until recent centuries.     4    

The differences are everywhere.     5    But different cultures make the world of 21st century more colorful. The cultural gap should not be the obstacle to the civilization of human being. It ought to be the motivation of our going farther.