1 . I was raised in a village where people lived in harmony with the natural environment. Throughout the year we would have numerous ______where all the villagers would ______and celebrate. The entire village was like one big______.

However, within less than a decade my village was no longer the______village that I grew up in. Due to rapid modernization, everything______. The rich cultural traditions that once held the village together were ______. Everyone in the village was______in making money and had no time to participate in traditional celebrations. No one favored such a change, but they somehow______it as they felt that it was unavoidable.

It made me feel______that some ancient traditions had stopped to exist, so I______I had to do something. I ______the Cultural Heritage Studies Program, which enabled me to gain a better understanding of cultural heritage______.

Then I involved myself in protecting cultural heritage sites in my hometown. With the knowledge I______in the Cultural Heritage Studies Program, I was trying my best to help make the process of modernization run more______ for cultural heritage sites with heritage protection as a focus point.

I would say the success of the preservation work is the most______aspect of my job.

3 . Directions: For each blank in the following passage there are four words or phrases marked A, B, C and D. Fill in each blank with the word or phrase that best fits the context.

In ancient China, the coming-of-age ceremony was a ritual in which a person would come to be declared and accepted as an adult by their own clan (宗族) and the wider society. That is to say, they would start taking on ________ responsibilities and would thus be ________ to inherit power and titles.

This ritual first came to be practiced by the nobles of the Zhou dynasty before later ________ to civilian population. In ancient China, the most common age in which this ritual was conducted was 20 for men and 15 for women. But throughout history it was ________ to conduct this ritual anywhere between the ages of 10 and 20.

The coming-of-age ceremony was key to Confucian rites (仪式，礼节) and was part of the “four rites” of life, which also included ________, mourning (治丧) rites, and sacrificial (祭祀) rituals.

At the ceremony, respected elders would put a special cap, or “Guan (冠)” on a young man’s head and tie up the hair of a young woman using a hair ornament named “Ji”. The young adults would be dressed up in the relevant robes and accessories (装饰品) of their gender. One would keep this new look as a grown-up.

The soon-to-be adult would then be ________ a courtesy name (表字) during the ritual. Afterwards, other people would ________ this person by their courtesy name to show them respect. Only one’s elder relatives could call them by their birth names.

In the end, the young adults would take up a cup of wine, pour some of the wine on the ground in ________ of both heaven and earth, and then take a sip of the rest of it. After doing this, they would then take a bite of rice. All this was ________ to symbolize the beginning of their adult life complete with all of its ups and downs.

The ceremony wouldn’t be over just yet. The young adults would kneel on the ground listening to their parents’ ________. After having shown ________ to the guests once again, they could finally stand next to their parents as real adults.

The age-old ritual was ________ during the Qing dynasty. The past few decades, ________, have seen a revival in the ceremonial celebration of one’s coming of age.

Despite changes in the styles and details, the essence of the coming-of-age ceremony remains ________: the celebration of the opening of a new chapter in one’s life. With this new beginning comes a (n) ________ of one’s responsibility to become a decent and respected contributor to society.

4 . As an immigrant from China, my mother loves Chinese culture deeply. She _________ Chinese food every night. She prefers to do it herself at home because she thinks the local restaurants aren’t authentic. _________, strangely enough, she likes to take my son to Panda Express to have _________ with her friends who are also from China. She is even _________ to point it out whenever they are at a food court.

Why is American Chinese food not _________ among some Chinese Americans? How is American Chinese food not better than _________ Chinese food? I can’t _________ that it’s not as good as authentic Chinese food. In fact, authentic Chinese food really tastes better while American Chinese food _________ to have food with its own taste — they are right for different persons. It’s important to _________ American Chinese food from authentic Chinese food. They are not the same __________ and have their own characteristics. So they should be treated __________. That’s why my mother thinks that Panda Express is not very authentic, but can still __________ it. Actually, American Chinese food is often created by Chinese immigrants according to their own preferences. As people from various countries have differences in their __________, it is changing.

My mother has a deep feeling for authentic Chinese food and restaurants, so I decide to open a restaurant where she and other immigrants can feel the __________ of Chinese family dinner. My son says he’ll learn Chinese cooking skills from me, which, I think, should be __________ from age to age. Likewise, I’ll also pass on the Chinese food culture to the world.

5 . Sean Sherman, aged 49, has dedicated his career as a _________ to celebrating Native American cuisine. For his efforts, he received the 2023 Julia Child Award, which _________ those who make a difference in how people cook and eat. He is the first Native American to be _________ with the award which comes with a $50,000 grant.

Sherman, a member of the Oglala Lakota tribe, was born and raised in South Dakota on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. When he was a teenager, his family _________ the reservation to Spearfish, South Dakota. He began working in local restaurants and fell in love with cooking.

_________ working as a cook early in his career, Sherman noticed that the food of _________ people was not featured on menus and that native American restaurants were not _________. He dedicated himself to studying his culinary _________, including learning to use clay grills, grow corn, and source local ingredients. He used what he learned to _________ The Sioux Chef’s Indigenous kitchen and to start a(n) __________ organization to teach others about indigenous food for free.

In 2021, Sherman opened Owamni, a restaurant in Minneapolis, Minnesota, that __________ modern indigenous dishes, such as venison tartare, smoked whitefish, and mushroom stew. The restaurant quickly became __________ and was named Best New Restaurant in the US in 2022 by the James Beard Foundation.

In his __________ statement on receiving the Julia Child Award, Sherman said he is a longtime __________ of Julia Child (1912-2004), a beloved chef for whom the award is __________. “I saw the impact food can have on the world through Julia,” he said. “I’m excited to continue her legacy through my work.”

7 . Two new residents in Aarwangen, a small village in Swiss, filed complaints with the village council about the constant ringing of cowbells. They asked for the cows’ bells to be _________ at night so they could sleep.

Long-term residents, and the village’s remaining farmers were _________. They thought it was a(n) _________ on their traditional culture. “We want to _________ and maintain our lived traditions in the future,” they say.

Cowbells have been used in rural Switzerland for centuries. They were once useful for _________ cows on the hill side in summer. Farmers say they can _________ each individual cow by the sound of its own bell. _________, in modern times, many farmers have switched to using electronic chips _________ bells.

Over the past few decades, many new _________ have arrived here from large cities. They are less __________ to the agricultural way of life.

This year’s battle is not the first time residents have __________ cowbells. In 2015, a Zurich appeals court __________ a farmer to remove the bells from his 27 cows from 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m., since they were safe in a small farm and keeping the neighbors __________.

Next month, Aarwangen’s villagers will gather for a public meeting to vote on the __________ of their bells. They will decide how the sound of the bells can __________ without breaking noise pollution laws.

8 . The Palace Museum, a massive 720,000 square meter complex, has _________ an important mission to create zero waste. Since beginning this effort in January 2020, it has made big strides in ___________ waste and encouraging green habits.

One key change is the reduction of trash bins in public areas. There are now only 110 sets compared to 310 in early 2020. This change shows the museum’s ___________ to cutting waste while protecting its 600-year-old history.

Beyond waste reduction, the museum is also creative with ___________. For example, it has “Funiu ci jiu” sculptures made from 92% recycled waste. These sculptures, ___________ in the Cining Palace area, show how waste can become beautiful art. ___________, over 32,000 plastic bottles have been recycled to make unique cultural products since June 2021. This effort not only ___________ waste but also cuts carbon emissions by 931 kilograms, helping the environmental ___________.

The museum’s zero waste program is based on science and careful planning. Training staff, ___________ zero waste offices, and testing composting methods have helped the museum reach a 45% ____________ rate.

The success of this program is clear with the ____________ of 3,000 staff, 40,000 guides, and 21 million visitors. By leading the way in waste reduction and green practices, the Palace Museum inspires others to follow ____________ .

In short, the museum’s journey to zero waste ____________ heritage protection, environmental care, and ____________ ideas. Its strong commitment and leading efforts set an example for other cultural sites around the world, proving that ____________ and cultural preservation can work together.

9 . There once lived a monster named Nian, who lived deep in the sea and climbed up to eat cattle and ______ people.

Then, one New Year’s Eve, the villagers were in a great ______ to run away. Some were closing windows and locking doors, some were ______ and others were driving cattle and sheep. There came a beggar (乞丐), saying “I’ll drive away the ______ .”

Around ______ Nian rushed into the village. He found the grandmother’s house was bright with red paper ______ on the doors. The monster gave a loud cry, looked ______ for a moment and went to the door. There suddenly came the sounds of explosions (爆炸). Shaking all over, the monster dared not take a step ______ . It turned out that the colour ______ flames and explosions were what Nian feared the most. The monster ran away quickly in the darkness. All the villagers felt ______ and came back to thank the beggar.

To ______ such good luck, the villagers put on their ______ clothes and hats and went to their relatives and friends to send their ______ and congratulations. These ______   have been passed down through the generations, which is the ______ of the Spring Festival.