Emperor Qinshihuang united the seven major states into one     1     country where the Chinese writing system began to develop     2     one direction. That writing system was of great     3     in uniting the Chinese people and culture. Even today, no matter where Chinese people live or     4     dialect they speak, they can all still communicate in writing.

Written Chinese has also become an important     5     by which China’s present is connected with its past. People in modern times can read the     6     works which were written by Chinese in ancient times. The high regard for the Chinese writing system can be     7     in the development of Chinese characters as an art form, known as Chinese     8     . which has become an important part of Chinese culture.

    9     China plays a greater role in global affairs, an increasing number of international students are beginning to     10     China’s culture and history through this amazing language.

Customs play a significant role in festivals, but sometimes they can change     1     time. With the development of modern society and the spread of new ideas, some traditions may     2     away and others may be established. One example is the     3     Chinese Spring Festival custom of lighting firecrackers to drive away the evil     4     and celebrate the new year.     5    , many big cities have given up this custom in order to     6     air pollution. Another example is Halloween, which slowly became an exciting festival for children, in spite of its     7     origins.

Festivals are becoming more and more commercial, with business     8     advantage of the celebrations. Online shopping websites and     9     media apps have made it much easier for the public to spend more on gifts for their     10     ones. Although some believe festivals should not be commercialized, others believe the increase in spending is good for the economy and public happiness.

Economic development is necessary if we want to     1     society. There comes a time     2     the old must give way to the new, and it is not possible to     3     everything from our past as we move towards the future. Finding and keeping the right     4     between progress and the protection of cultural sites     5     be a big challenge.

Big challenges, however, can sometimes lead to great     6    . In the 1950s, the Egyptian government wanted to build a new dam across the Nile in order to control floods, produce electricity, and     7     water to more farmers in the area. But the     8     led to protests. Water from the dam would likely damage a number of temples and destroy cultural relics that were an important part of Egypt’s cultural     9    . After listening to the scientists who had studied the problem, and citizens who lived near the dam, the government     10     to the United Nations for help in 1959.