1 . Winter Solstice (冬至) refers to the day in a year when the night is at its longest and the Yin energy is at its maximum. On Winter Solstice, the Northern Hemisphere tilts ________ away from the sun, and the sun’s orbit reached its lowest point. ________, from this day , the daytime will get longer and longer. As the delicate node of the ebb (衰退) and ________ of Yin and Yang, Winter Solstice is the beginning of a new cycle, ________ reunion and hope.

It is said that a doctor named Zhang Zhongjing ________ poor people suffering from frostbite, so he boiled a pot of mutton with medicinal ingredients, ________ them up and wrapped them in ear-shaped dough (面团). Those who ________ from frostbitten ears were give this “cold-dispelling” soup. This is the start of ________. Subsequently, people made dumplings in the same manner and ate them during the festival to ________ him.

Before Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty adopted the lunar calendar, the Winter Solstice was ________ the same as the Spring Festival. Although during the Han Dynasty, the Winter Solstice was no ________ considered as the beginning of the year, people ________ celebrated, visited relatives and offered ________ to the ancestors on that day. More ________ has been paid by people on the Winter Solstice. In Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang (the founding father of Ming Dynasty) made three ________ in a year — the Winter Solstice, the Spring Festival and his birthday.

2 . Group-Centered Societies Have Just as Much Creativity

What does culture have to do with creativity? The answer could be “a lot”. For decades, psychologists trying to understand the roots of creative imaginations have looked at the ways in which two different types of cultures can come to have an effect over its artistic and _________ output. Individualistic cultures encourage people to be unique and to _________ their own interests even if doing so comes at a cost to the group overall. Collectivistic cultures are based on relationships and duties to other people. These types of cultures often _________ the individual’s wants for the needs of those who are close to them or for those in their community.

Individualism has long been thought to have a creative _________. Individualists _________ social convention, the logic goes, and that pushback supports innovation. For instance, around the world, individualistic cultures have more patents than collectivistic cultures do. _________, a new study suggests that these ideas about culture and creativity could be off base. People in collectivistic cultures actually do better with a particular type of creative thinking than those in individualistic cultures. And the findings overall reveal the shortcomings of thinking about innovation too _________.

The new work comes from comparing communities in different parts of China. Though it scores high, as a nation, on measures of cultural _________, China’s 1.4 billion people are more than just a single culture. People from areas north of the Yangtze River tend to be more _________, open to strangers and self-confident, whereas people along the river and farther south are often more inter-dependent, partial to friends over strangers and likely to try harder to __________.

In the new creativity study, researchers investigated innovation with these two groups in mind. The team used a drawing test that had been created by psychologists. They gave kids a sheet of paper with just a few basic elements printed on it: some dots here, squiggles (弯曲的线条) there, and a rectangle that suggested a drawing frame. The children got 15 minutes to use the elements already on the page to draw whatever they wanted. They could get “adaptive creativity” points for doodling in ways that connected the squiggles and lines into an original and __________ image. In addition, a judge checked whether the children chose to incorporate a small shape that could be found just outside the rectangular. This element was easy to __________, so those who included this outside-the-box detail could get points for “boundary-breaking creativity.”

The researchers gave the test to 683 middle school students from north and south of the Yangtze River. When the scientists got the scores back, they discovered that there were no differences in the children’s overall creativity. When they broke down the results into components, they found that students from collectivistic regions scored __________ in adaptive creativity while those from individualistic areas did better in boundary-breaking creativity.

The findings are also a warning against cultural chauvinism (极端民族主义). Western countries have tended to lead the way in innovation — at least as defined by the metrics (指标) we Westerners have created. Perhaps we have been __________ China’s adaptive creativity. For example, while the country may not have invented the assembly line, it is largely thanks to the __________ its people have made to this system that the country has such a thriving manufacturing sector today.

3 . The Mid-Autumn Day is a happy time for a family reunion (团聚). But it was a different________after my parents and I came to America. I remember the first Mid-Autumn Day we spent here.

On that morning, I smiled seeing mooncakes on the table. But then I________I had classes at 1:50 pm and felt________. You see, there’s a________in China for this special day but not in America. Noticing my upset, Mom tried to comfort me, “We have duck at lunch, your favorite.________?” The duck cheered me up. We had a delicious lunch, but before we________it was time for class. I had to put down my________and sat before my computer. I couldn’t help________that my Mid-Autumn Day was like this — having online classes with lunch half-eaten. I would never________this in the past.

At the Mid-Autumn Gala (联欢会), the scene (场景) of a family having dinner together made me________. I really missed my grandparents. Although we had________them in the day, it was different from a reunion. How regretful we couldn’t________!

At midnight, I got lost in thought. The day is so important that I felt upset without a good________. But on second thoughts, although the holiday________, the moon was still full.________, although in different countries, all hearts of my family were connected. Realizing this made me filled with warmth.

4 . Wu Ming, a young German born after 1995, is a big fan of Chinese culture. As he thought some diseases can’t be treated _______ with Western medicine, he decided to _______traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). In 2015, Wu came to Henan province, where a strong TCM culture can be _______. After a year of learning, he _______ the language barrier and started to learn Chinese medicine. Wu always _______ some Chinese herbal medicine by himself to know their flavours and effects, just like Shen Nong, a character in Chinese legend. In Wu’s opinion, TCM is one of the best-preserved _______ of Chinese culture.

Studying TCM also _______ Wu’s mind and lifestyle. He used to be _______ to electronic devices, playing video games every night. Instead of being trapped in the fast-paced but unhealthy daily _______, he now lives a(n) ________ and peaceful life, practicing good habits like drinking tea and reading.

Wu ________ what he has learned to help his family. He always provides his family members with some advice about staying fit after ________ their skin or tongues online. Over time, his family gradually began to understand his ________ for TCM.

Wu thinks there’s no big difference between China and Western countries. “________ comes from being out of touch”, said Wu. He plans to run a traditional Chinese clinic in Germany, which could serve as a(n) ________ between the two countries and publicize TCM and its culture.

5 . Acupuncture(针灸), an ancient Chinese medical practice, has been the remedy for countless patients for thousands of years. Before modern medicine came to life, ancient Chinese used stone tools to ______ pain. Over time, this primitive practice ______ evolved into a comprehensive and profound medical system and ______ the root of acupuncture.

Acupuncture is a treatment that aims to ______ the body’s self-regulating functions. Its therapeutic principles are in line with the ______ concepts of traditional Chinese medicine, which emphasizes all-inclusive treatment, meridian(经络) adjustment, balance of bodily functions and overall physiological well-being.

Practices can ______ in forms, including needle insertion, cupping and scraping. Needle insertion, the most common method, is______ by inserting hair-thin needles into meridians, ______ specific points on the body that ______ vital energy (the qi). Practitioners lift, twirl and rotate needles to unblock the flow of energy; ______ yin and yang balance; and stimulate the body’s innate ______ to heal itself.

Looking beyond China, acupuncture has become a global ______. Over the years, acupuncture has seen many advancements in scientific research and modern medicine. It is now a mainstream ______ and complementary treatment for a variety of weaknesses. According to a 2019 WHO report, acupuncture is used in 113 of its 120 member countries, ______ its widespread recognition and application.

As an ancient Chinese medical ______ with a rich history and deep cultural significance, acupuncture is an embodiment of profound cultural heritage and a holistic path to healing.

7 . Zhang Qian, an outstanding diplomat (外交官) and explorer in the Han dynasty, with a pioneering and adventurous________as well as a strong and unyielding character, was ________as the “pioneer of the silk road”,   “the first Chinese to open the eyes to see the world” and “the Columbus of the________”.

As early as 2,000 years ago, Zhang Qian was_________on a mission to seek allies (同盟国) in the west of China to________the enemies in northern tribes. Along the way, no matter how difficult the environment was, his________was firm. But soon Zhang was ________ by the Huns just as he left Han territory and was held prisoner for a dozen years.

After an eleven spring and autumn recycling, the Huns’________ became loose. Hence, Zhang ran away with his personal_________. They continued to travel west without any dry food and drinking water. Due to the excellent skill of shooting arrows, they ________ by eating birds and animals along the way. After several days, they ________ arrived in Amu Darya Area. However, people there enjoyed their life and didn’t want any war. Though Zhang didn’t finish his mission, he brought back precious_________ of the Western Regions.

Due to the________of Zhang Qian, the Silk Road started. Through his diplomatic practice, the bridge of friendly exchanges between the Han and western countries was________, and the cultural and economic exchanges between the cast and the west were promoted. Zhang’s journey to the Western Regions breathed new ________ into the civilization and progress of the whole world.

9 . Mid-Autumn Festival, a typical agricultural harvest and get-together festival, falls on lunar August 15. I disliked it not because it’s ___________ commercialized but because I’m an orphan (孤儿). However, a(n) _________ in my college changed my view.

Last year, finding I had little in common with my classmates, I felt _________. With Mid-Autumn Festival _________, my class decided to hold a Middle-Autumn Festival Eve Party. After all, this was a(n) ___________ occasion for them. On that day, we dressed up in beautiful custume, setting off to the ___________ together. To be frank, seeing the classroom ___________ with fancy lanterns, everyone seemed happy except me. After having moon-cakes, puddings and roast turkey, many activities ranging from singing to guessing riddles, went off. Everyone ___________ and clapped when the performers performed wonderfully.

Later, in spite of my unwillingness, I was still invited to _________ my group to join in the wrestling match. Unbelievably, I won. Given ____________, I was absolutely pleased. I was grateful to the organizers, taking advantage of this chance to express my __________ to them. From then on, I began to make friends with others. As time ____________, I had more faith in myself.

In brief,   I ____________ Mid-Autumn Festival now. I always __________ on joyful moments and merry atmosphere of that night, holding the belief that life’s ______________.