Many Asian countries have the tradition of eating noodles at celebration meals．In particular, Chinese people like to eat longevity noodles (long life noodles, or “Changshou Mian”)     1     some special occasions such as “Ren Ri” and their birthdays. Some say this tradition can be traced back to the Han dynasty（206 B.C.-220 A. D.）but others hold that it first     2     (appear) in the Tang Dynasty（618 A. D.—907 A. D.）.

It serves as a long-standing     3     (believe) among Chinese people in different parts of the country, from the North to the South, in villages and in the cities, that eating these noodles is     4     (extreme) auspicious（吉祥的）as the long, thin strands of noodles symbolize     5     long, healthy life. Therefore, it has become an     6     (replaceable) dish at birthday celebrations. Although some people may prefer to cook the noodles at home, it is also a dish commonly     7     (serve) in restaurants.

When     8     (eat) the noodles, one will try not to break the noodles using the chopsticks or teeth, because the longer the noodle is, the longer it suggests the person’s life will be. As a result, the noodles     9     (make) longer than the usual ones. The noodles are usually the last dish to appear on the table as a symbol of good wishes for those     10     came to the dinner．

3 . Arbor Day traces its origins to Nebraska City, Nebraska, in 1872. Julius Sterling Morton, who served as Secretary of the Nebraska Territory, recognized the importance of trees, especially in a place like Nebraska, which was almost free of trees at the time. On January 4, 1872, Morton proposed the idea of a tree-planting holiday to the State Board of Agriculture. The board agreed, and the first Arbor Day was celebrated on April 10, 1872. More than one million trees were planted in Nebraska on that day.

The success of the first Arbor Day led to its yearly observance in Nebraska, and other states in the U.S. soon followed suit. In 1885, Arbor Day was declared a legal holiday in Nebraska, and April 22, Morton’s birthday, was chosen as the official date. The idea of Arbor Day spread rapidly across the country. By the 1920s, each state in the United States had established its own Arbor Day. Presently, they have different celebration dates depending on the best tree-planting season for each region.

Arbor Day has become an international event. Today, many countries around the world celebrate their own Arbor Day or a similar tree-planting holiday. While the celebrations in different countries vary in customs, all share a common goal: to promote the importance of trees and encourage their planting and preservation.

In present days, Arbor Day continues to be a powerful reminder of our responsibility to care for the planet and appreciate the invaluable role that trees play in our lives. Arbor Day helps to ensure that future generations can enjoy a greener, healthier world.

Whether you’re a die-hard tree lover or just starting to appreciate their beauty and importance, take a moment to plant a tree, or simply give your local leafy friend a hug. They deserve it!

The Yin-yang diagram is an illustration of t’ai chi. Yin and yang are not     1     (complete) opposite, one of which can turn into the other. Chinese people boil down the laws of the universe, nature and the human body to this:Yin and yang are in a circle; man and nature exist in unity.     2     (base) on such philosophical ideas,     3     (tradition) knowledge and sports practice about physical and mental cultivation have been formed and passed down from generation     4     generation. Thus t’ai chi ch’uan came into being.

Chinese people believe that movement is contained in stillness and fastness is contained in slowness. T’ai chi ch’uan     5     (contain) these two kinds of energy. Do you think the most important characteristic of t’ai chi ch’uan is     6     (soft)? No. The fighting principle of it is to mobilize the internal energy flow of the human body,     7     has both speed and explosive power.

The greatest uses of t’ai chi ch’uan are for people     8     (experience) life, the true principles of movement and stillness in nature, and to maintain harmony with nature in mind and body. So far, it     9     (prove) by medical research that t’ai chi ch’uan is     10     ideal therapy against a number of chronic diseases. It can not only promote physical health, but also help ease your mind and delight your spirits.

5 . Following the successful 2008 Beijing Olympics, China will soon host the Winter Olympic Games in 2022, making Beijing the first city in the world to hold both the summer and winter Olympic Games and the second capital city to hold the Winter Olympic Games after Oslo 1952.

Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics mascot pins(吉祥物徽章) have attracted attention from collectors around the world. These pins have been thought highly of for their fine design (设计).   

Unlike some style designs for other sports games or celebrations in the country, the coming Winter Olympics pins mix traditional Chinese culture with modern arts. People think the style of the countdown（倒计时）pin collection is special. If collectors get all pins in the countdown series, they can place them together in a shape of a big “0”, showing the end of countdown and the beginning of the winter games.

In addition, the design of the series of pins includes some traditional Chinese stories, showing the images of Nuwa repairing the sky and Kuafu running after the sun. Only 2,022 pins of each story were produced. Other pin designs include traditional games, for example the ancient Chinese ball game, cuju. Ice play, an old sport in North China, is also shown on a single pin. This style of the design is originally from ancient paintings of the Ming and Qing Dynasties.

As the host of the 2022 Games, Beijing has told its own stories to the world through these colorful pins, making the Chinese culture known. At the same time, Beijing warmly welcomes athletes and audiences around the world.

As we know, Start of Summer is the     1     (seven) of the 24 solar terms(农历节气) in the     2     (tradition) Chinese lunar calendar(农历), marking the beginning of summer. When it arrives, heat increases across the country as the days become longer, and rain becomes more frequent. The temperature will rise     3     (obvious) during this period, yet in Northern China weather remains mild, not too hot. Here is a variety of food Chinese people often eat to greet the Start of Summer.

In ancient China, people     4     (believe) eating eggs on the first day of summer would help bring good health and a round egg is a symbol of happy life.   They nut leftover tea into boiled water, together with eggs,     5     are called “tea eggs.” Later people improved cooking methods and added spices to the eggs     6     (make) them taste even more delicious.

Many Chinese     7     (family) prepare specially-cooked rice for the first day of summer. One popular folk saying holds that in ancient times, children would ask     8     (they) neighbors for a bowl of rice, and then cook the rice together     9     some other food such as peas. People believed that eating such rice would keep children from heatstroke.

The first day of summer is also     10     good time to try some seasonal vegetables, fruit and fish such as cucumber, cherry and balloon fish.