1 . “One day I went to a Swedish friend’s and while we were playing in his room, his mom yelled that dinner was ready. And check this. He told me to WAIT in his room while they ate!” an Internet user shared on a media platform. Consequently, there was a lot of criticism of the Swedes. Many said they wouldn’t dream of being so mean in their culture. Would a host in Sweden really not invite a guest to join their meal if it’s dinnertime?

It does happen, says Richard Tellstrom, a food historian at Stockholm University. He says this so-called “non-hospitality” was customary when he was a kid in the ‘60s and ‘70s. If he was over a friend’s house and it was time for dinner, he would go back to his own house to eat. Or he would stay and wait in another room while his friend finished his meal. Then they’d continue playing.

“Some Swedes think feeding a guest creates a sense of duty.” explains Tellstrom. “And in a society that values equality and independence, people don’t want to put a burden on someone or feel like they owe someone something.” However, it wasn’t a universal rule. Families in the countryside, for example, were more likely to feed guests. People lived farther apart, so it wasn’t as easy for people to go home and eat. The “no dinner for you” policy has slowly faded, says Tellstrom. “Since the 1990s, food has become a new symbol in society. We have open kitchens. People like to dine there and show off their cooking.”

But non-sharing hosts haven’t entirely disappeared, says Mohini Mehta, a food scholar. She admits she had a tough time adjusting to life in Sweden when she moved there in 2020. She was used to cooking dine every day for friends and hosting dinner parties almost weekly in India. She learned that in some cultures, like her own, sharing a meal with someone is a way to break the ice—but this isn’t always the case for Swedes.

2 . Nature and culture are often seen as opposite ideas. What belongs to nature cannot be the result of human activities and, on the other hand, cultural development is achieved against nature. However, this is not the only opinion on the relationship between nature and culture. Studies in the development of humans suggest that culture, whether taken as an effort against nature or a natural effort, is part of the development of the human species (物种).

Several modern writers saw the process of education as a struggle (斗争) against human nature. We are born with wild natures, such as eating and behaving in a disorganized way or acting selfishly. Education uses culture as a way to get us out of our wildest natures; it is thanks to culture that the human species could learn to adapt (适应), progress and raise itself above and beyond other species.

Over the past century and a half, however, studies in the history of human development have shown that the formation of culture is part of the biological adaptation. Consider, for example, hunting. It seems to be an adaptation, which allowed humans to move into new and different areas, opening up the opportunity to change living habits. At the same time, the development of weapons (武器) is related to that adaptation — from rocks and stones to a set of hunting tools, and from hunting tools to rules relating to the proper use of weapons. Hunting also seems to be responsible for a whole set of bodily abilities, such as balancing on one foot. Just think of how this very simple thing is closely related to dance, a key expression of human culture. It is then clear that biological development and cultural development are closely tied.

The transmission of culture seems to be directly related to what’s in our blood. Just as snails carry their shell, so do we bring along our culture. However, culture is also passed on among people of the same times or among people belonging to different populations. We can learn how to make jiaozi even if we were born from Russian parents in Paris just as we can learn how to speak English even if none of our family or friends speaks that language.

Every person in this world has their own unique experiences and challenges—and just because they aren’t universal, it doesn’t mean they aren’t there. That’s where the Human Library project comes in. It gives us a chance     1    (explore) the stories that we might never know about otherwise. It gives us     2     unique opportunity to look at the world through the eyes of others.

It is done without     3    (judge), and it leads to understanding. The Human Library started     4     the concept of living books. Each person became an open “book” and shared their own experiences in life. They would talk about     5     life was like in their shoes.

The project began with fifty different human books which were highlighted in an event that     6    (last) for four days,     7    (go) for eight hours each day, as the human books answered questions and held discussions. Now, the Human Library has become something that reaches so much     8    (far) and has had an impact on so many minds.

The Human Library gives people a chance to ask questions. It offers a rare option to learn from the perspective of those who     9    (affect) by a situation. It’s no longer about always having an outside perspective. It’s about having a chance to go to the source and     10    (simple) ask.

Would you be willing to become a human book and share your own story?

4 . The concept “China chic”, or guochao, has become popular in recent years. According to relevant data, from January to July 2022, the search volume for “Guochao” as a keyword has increased by 392. 66% year on year. Big Data Report of 2021 Guochao Pride Search from Baidu revealed that the level of interest in guochao has skyrocketed in the past 10 years. Domestic（国内 的）products are in fashion, and domestic consumption has increasingly become an important choice for the new generation of consumers.

China chic mixes unique cultural elements with the latest trends in various industries, which not only satisfies younger consumers' needs for pursuing personality and fashion, but also plays a role in bringing back traditional culture. The rise of China chic is the result of China's rapid economic development and has some cultural motivations behind it. Besides, the continuous improvement of the consumption power of Chinese people is an important reason for the rise of China chic.

Most importantly, cultural confidence is the driving force for the rise of China chic. Five thousand years of Chinese civilization has left us a rich cultural heritage. Guochao is, in many ways, the perfect representative of the new wave of Chinese nationalism. Starting in the fashion industry, this trend shows Chinese consumers' newfound interest in Chinese cultural heritage. The guochao trend is at its strongest among young adults who live in an even more powerful China and thus have a strong feeling of national pride. China's national strength is increasing, and its soft power is also on the rise. Even so, we still have a long way to go to carry forward this China chic. But as it has become a part of people's lives, no doubt there will even be more diverse China chic products showing Chinese charm in the future.

Shadow theater is a unique art form in China. Thanks to the basic principle of light and shadow projected (投影) onto a screen, performers use puppets (玩偶)     1     (make) from animal skins to tell stories in a form of opera. Two thousand years ago, the sadness of Emperor Wu of the Western Han Dynasty over the death of his favorite lover was     2     (full) relieved by the projection of her figure through a game of lights. This started     3     is now known in China as the earliest form of shadow play.

Among all the country’s branches, Beijing shadow theater stands out     4     its techniques and its specific tunes. It     5     (experience) a long period of formation and now features unique performance methods. Its vocal (声乐的) tone and actual puppets draw     6     (inspire) from Kunqu Opera and Peking Opera.

In the past, the shadow theater     7     (perform) in the fields, with all performers hidden behind the scenes; some controlled the puppets and sang, while others managed the music. A performing group would consist of six or seven people and a box of puppets. When people put on     8     play at a market, a light box and a curtain would be enough     9     (start) the show. Requiring only a few things, the theater was characterized by its mobility, often     10     (appear) at weddings, dinner parties and Chinese New Year celebrations.

“Happy Camp”, the king of all Chinese variety shows, started airing in 1997. Since then, it     1     (gain) hundreds of millions of followers. The age range of its viewers is     2     (extreme) broad, from people born in the 1970s all the way to the 2010s.

“Happy Camp” has some of the best show hosts in the country,     3     are the backbone of the entire show. Not only do they create     4     fun and exciting atmosphere for guests and audience, but they also throw in plenty of     5     (humorous).

Every episode (集) of “Happy Camp” has a different theme. Everything in the episode is centered around that theme,     6     (range) from the games the hosts and the guests play to the food     7     (serve) to them as a reward or punishment! And the trendy, fun and relatable themes appeal especially to the younger generation. Actually, young people make     8     the majority of viewers.

“Happy Camp” embraces interculturalism. When there are foreign guests on the show, they talk about their culture as well as teach them about Chinese culture. This, in return,     9     (allow) the audience to learn more about cultures around the world!

After     10     (broadcast) for more than 20 years, “Happy Camp” has survived it all. They have learned to adapt and fit the needs of the audience.