1 . The impressive collection of literature in the Library Cave at the Mogao Caves in Dunhuang, Northwest China’s Gansu province, ______ one of the most inclusive, advanced and open _______ of the ancient Chinese, says Dunhuang specialist Zhao Xiaoxing.

______ in the Hexi Corridor, the main line of the ancient Silk Road, the caves, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, have been promoting goods and cultural ______between the East and the West for more than 1,600 years.

While the Dunhuang wall paintings have recorded the glories of the past ______ , the more than 60,000 items of literature______ in the Library Cave, or Cave 17, dating from the 4th to the 11th centuries, have kept the ______ original quality through the written word, according to Dunhuang Academy.

The value of the ______ was thoroughly demonstrated during the launch of the Digital Library Cave, a gamelike program ______ enables users to virtually witness, and participate in, the_________ and fall of the Library Cave on the website Digital Dunhuang or via the WeChat miniprogram, Cloud Museum of Dunhuang Caves.

The Library Cave ______ in the mid-9th century and later______ unopened for almost 1,000 years ____ being accidentally discovered by Taoist priest Wang Yuanlu in 1900.The majority of its cultural relics, consisting of Buddhist manuscripts, ______ and economic documents and other delicate and ______items, are now kept in foreign museums.

2 . Today was another enlightening day at my new American school. Back in China, lunchtime is a ________ hour. We eat, talk, and most importantly, take a short nap (小睡) to ________ for the afternoon. This relaxing routine of our midday break allowed for a ________ escape from the day’s demands. But here? It’s like a ________ against the clock.

The bell rang, and everyone ________ to the cafeteria. I followed, naively (天真地) thinking I’d have ________ time to eat and perhaps even close my eyes for a moment. However, I barely had time to finish my sandwich before the next bell hit. Where did the time go?

And the nap? Forget about it. There’s no ________ for that comfort here. In China, we have these cozy mats in the classroom for our post-lunch rest. But in America, the ________ of napping in school seems as ________ to them as the absence of a nap is to me.

At first, I felt quite sleepy in the afternoon classes. I ________ that brief break we get in China. But then I noticed something. Even without the nap, my classmates were hardly tired. Perhaps they’re used to this fast schedule, or maybe they ________ on pure youthful energy. Who knows?

I’m beginning to ________ that life here is simply faster. People eat ________, converse rapidly, and shift swiftly. It’s a(n) ________ with the life style back in China, but perhaps it’s not harmful, just another ________ of life.

3 . “When I first started learning calligraphy, I just copied the teacher’s strokes (笔画), and my work was ugly.” said Aryan from Afghanistan. He is currently a graduate student in Beijing, ________ in International Education of the Chinese language.

During his six-year stay in China, he discovered the ________ of Chinese culture. He also realized that Chinese is steadily becoming a(n) ________ language, and more people around the world want to communicate smoothly with Chinese.

To his surprise, the curriculum for foreign students in China ________ the classroom. The school organizes extracurricular ________ to help them learn and experience ________ and culture. After closer and deeper ________ with Chinese culture, Aryan found his hobby: calligraphy.

“Initially, I didn’t know much Chinese and thought calligraphy would be difficult,” Aryan said.” Later on, I found out that calligraphy can help me ________ my Chinese language skills and my understanding of Chinese culture.

He used to ________ the idea that writing Chinese characters was all about writing them neatly. But he later found out that this view is ________.Calligraphy helps him to understand both each stroke and the Chinese ________ toward life. The horizontal, vertical (垂直的) and left and right falling stokes on the paper ________ Chinese people’s unique symbols and memories. They are also the hidden ________ to better understanding Chinese culture.

Not only did Aryan gain a deeper ________ of Chinese characters, but also developed a more mature personality along the way. Calligraphy gives him strength when he feels ________ and lost, finding his inner peace.

4 . Memorial Day began with a solemn (庄严的) purpose: to remember those who died while serving in the U.S. military. But over time, it took on a more _________ tone: families across the United States enjoy warm weather, backyard barbecues, or even a trip to the beach. How did this happen?

Memorial Day was _________ observed on May 30, when people went to cemeteries (公墓) to _________ soldiers killed in the Civil War. However, the _________ mood didn’t last long. In 1873, New York state declared Memorial Day a day off from work. Businesses were _________. This allowed families to take _________ to the beach. Soon, other states _________. Not everyone _________ the change, though. Some worried Memorial Day would lose its meaning. In 1887, President Grover Cleveland _________ after he was spotted spending the day fishing.

In 1889, Congress made May 30 a national holiday. As the years passed, fewer American families had ____________ to the military. A big ____________ came in 1971, when Congress put Memorial Day on the last Monday in May instead of May 30, thus making a three-day weekend. It put people in mind of holiday. Businesses offered ____________ to attract shoppers.

But some Americans have not forgotten the ____________ meaning of Memorial Day. Krissy Stewart, who lost her husband in Afghanistan, still visits tombs of service members with her two children.

“Memorial Day for us is every day, but I’m thankful that we have this day on the calendar. I hope that through our family’s ____________, people will pause and reflect that freedom is not ____________.”

6 . 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.