Holding fist is a form of ceremony originating from Chinese martial arts (武术). Traditionally, it is practiced by standing upright,     1     the body straight, holding the right fist tightly, straightening your left hand     2     (have) four fingers in a flat surface, wrapping the left four fingers together around the right fist and placing the two hands in front of your chest, without bringing the     3     (arm) up.

There are two traditional explanations for     4     practice. The left hand with its four fingers represents the four elements: virtue, wisdom, health, and art, all of     5     symbolize the spirit of martial arts. The left thumb (拇指) is slightly bent to imply that one should never be self-centered. Since the right hand is closed in a fist, it symbolizes attack; while the left hand, being virtuous and disciplined, stops the attack and symbolizes self-discipline and     6     (restrict).

The left hand symbolizes the five major lakes of China and the fist represents the four seas     7     (surround) the country. The two hands together show the unity of martial artists. This is exemplified in the saying “The people of the five lakes and four seas are all brothers”.

The holding fist can     8     (see) at every major Chinese event or festival, such as the Spring Festival. On festive occasions like weddings or birthday parties, guests can hold fist to express     9     (they) congratulations to the hosts. At farewell parties, people often hold fist while saying "Take care!" to one another.     10     (occasion), we hold fist to request forgiveness.

The 38th Qinhuai Lantern Festival Lights Up China

On the evening of February 2, the 2024 “Light Up China” event, the 38th annual China Qinhuai Lantern Festival lighting ceremony,     1    (begin) at the Bailuzhou Park in Nanjing, Jiangsu province. The Qinhuai Lantern Festival,     2     is also known as the “Jinling Lantern Festival”, is a folk cultural activity spread in Nanjing in history. It is usually held during the Spring Festival to the Lantern Festival every year. It is the most famous lantern festival in China and it is included in the national intangible cultural heritage list.

With the Bailuzhou Park, the Confucius Temple Scenic Area and the Laomendong District serving     3     main display venues, this year’s Qinhuai Lantern Fair has set up 7 exhibition areas with 330 lantern installations.

    4    (compare) to previous years’ lantern festivals, one of the major highlights this year is the remarkable “the Year of the Dragon” theme. For instance, at the front of the Linxing Gate of the Confucius Temple in Nanjing, the lantern display features twin dragons winding around pillars, blowing out dragon pearls, symbolizing auspiciousness (吉祥) and reunion. Meanwhile, the Bailuzhou Park takes     5    (inspire) from the “Illustration of Lanterns in the Shangyuan Festival” as its creative theme, showing     6     total of 68 sets of lanterns in various sizes and forms, recreating the splendid scene of observing lanterns during the Ming dynasty as described in the ancient artworks.

The Lantern Festival in Nanjing this year not only celebrates the traditional customs of the Lunar New Year but also highlights the city’s cultural heritage and     7    (innovation) spirit, drawing visitors from across the nation     8    (participate) in the joyous celebrations.

A local elderly person said to a news reporter     9    (proud), “It has the reputation of No. 1 Lantern Festival in the world and the Qinhuai Lantern Festival     10    (be) the best in the world. It is the only large-scale comprehensive lantern festival in China that integrates lantern exhibitions, lantern festivals and lantern markets.”

3 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

In recent years, Chinese consumers’ sense of identification and     1     (proud) with traditional culture has been growing, leading them to prefer products with cultural heritage and significance. Mamianqun, traditionally     2     (wear) by the Han people, is one of the main representative styles of Hanfu.

During the just-ended Spring Festival holidays, Chinese people wearing traditional clothing can almost     3     (see) everywhere, reflecting the revival of China’s rich culture and serving as a strong new driver for retail spending.     4    , few people know that the     5     (large) Hanfu production base in China is Caoxian County.

Caoxian started to produce Hanfu in 2018 and benefited a lot from the growth of e-commerce. Today, Caoxian accounts     6     40 percent of Hanfu sales nationwide. In 2023, sales of Hanfu in the county     7     (reach) 7 billion yuan.

Caoxian is     8     (current) home to 2,282 companies related to the Hanfu business and 13,989 online Hanfu stores. Meanwhile, close to 100,000 people are involved in the Hanfu industry. It has developed     9     complete Hanfu industrial chain including original research and development, design, production, copyright protection, and other     10     (aspect).

China is known as Xia for its grand etiquette (礼仪) culture, and known as Hua for its beautiful attire (衣裳). With the     1     (change) in society, economic development, and cultural development, clothing has evolved over thousands of years. However, while the forms may have been changed, the essence (本质)     2     (remain) constant.

“In ancient China, emperors like Huangdi. Yao, and Shun brought peace to the world through their clothing.” Clothing holds     3     significant place in Chinese culture. It is not only used for daily wear,     4     (cover) the body and protect it from cold but also as an instrument of management. In ancient Chinese society, there were strict rules and dress codes about clothing. The presence of clothing distinguished civilization     5     barbarism (野蛮), while changes in color and style     6     (gradual) developed into a form of etiquette. Their design conveyed behavioral norms and     7     (they) patterns were rich in cultural significance. Moreover, ancient attire were also an important carrier of morality. China has always been known as a nation     8     values formal attire and etiquette.

What is the Chinese style? It is something that makes people think of China as soon as they see it. For example, the horse-face skirt, which     9     (favor) by international brands and Chinese people for many years, will continue to be attractive. Chinese clothing, as a classical style. has been known to the world overnight with good opportunities. It’s not just a traditional costume style but also a source of     10     (admire).

Chinese Loong is the fifth animal of the 12-year Chinese zodiac cycle,     1    (consider) to be mythical and symbolic of fortune. Recently, sales of things with dragon elements have witnessed explosive growth on e-commerce platforms.

Data from an e-commerce platform show that searches     2     dragon-related goods via its online marketplace have reached 23 million.    3     is said that since January, goods with dragon-themed elements, such as daily necessities, alcohol and gold jewelry,     4    (prefer) by consumers.The purchasing excitement is expected to     5    (huge) boost consumer confidence and improve the recovery of consumption．

Purchases by the post-1990s and post-2000s generations accounted for nearly 55%, while consumers in Guangdong province, Beijing, Jiangsu province in that order,     6    (be) the top three spenders on dragon-featured items.Because the dragon is an important symbol of Chinese traditional culture     7     good luck, Chinese consumers are expressing their hopes for     8     better life in the new year.

“Brands should capitalize on traditional Chinese culture to launch more innovative     9    (product),” a research fellow said,     10    (stress) that Spring Festival is the traditional festival Chinese people attach the most importance to, and it’s also a peak season for consumption.

A brief meeting about the “China-France Year of Culture and Tourism in 2024” was held at the Palace Museum in Beijing on Thursday,     1     has released a variety of upcoming activities featuring cultural legacy and arts.

2024 marks    2    60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and France. The meeting’s place, the Palace Museum, was chosen for a reason. Starting from April 1, an art show co-planned by the Palace Museum     3    the Palace of Versailles (凡尔赛宫) in Paris, will debut (首次亮相) on site. A pocket watch that once     4     (witness) the friendship between France’s King Louis XIV and the Emperor Kangxi of China’s Qing Dynasty will     5     (display) among 181 other items.

The rare objects will introduce visitors       6       the cultural interactions that took place between the two countries       7     (date)back to the second half of the 17th century through the 18th century.

Compared to       8     (field) such as painting, music and film, “cultural legacy” is a rather novel field in China-France cooperative exchanges.       9     (they) efforts in areas like legacy conservation will inspire the world to see how the growth of humanity is independent from different cultural contexts.

Besides shows in China, more than 10 programs will be       10     (specific) launched in France to bring Chinese culture to locals in 2024. More than 20 Tang Dynasty treasures will be selected and then exhibited at the Guimet Museum in France in November.

The earliest Chinese kites     1     were made of wood were called muyuan (wooden kites) They date as far back as the Warring States Period (475-221 BC) at least two thousand years ago. After the     2     (invent) of paper, kites began to be made of this new material, paper, and this paper kite is called zhiyuan.

The method of making a kite can be divided into three parts. Firstly, use thin bamboo strips (条)     3     (make) a kite frame (框架), and according to taste, kites can have     4     (attract) shapes like a dragonfly, a swallow, a centipede or a butterfly. Secondly, glue paper onto the framework. The paper     5     (require) to be thin. Finally, decorate the kites     6     colorful paintings and ribbons.

Although the basic method remains the same, styles of kite making are presented     7     (different) in every place. The kites in the “World Kite Capital” of Weifang in Shandong Province are well known for     8     (they) fine materials, painting, sculpture and flexible flying movement. One of these kites, which was over 300 meters long and in the shape of a centipede with a dragon’s head, won the     9     (one) place in the International Kite Festival held in Italy. This kite is now shown in the Weifang Kite Museum. Every year, the World Kite Festival will be held there and is expected to draw many fans with a love for     10     (fly) kites.

Every year after the rainy season, around the     1     (nine) month of the Tibetan calendar, the Potala Palace carries out     2     (it) annual painting project. This year, the “makeover” started on Oct 18. Many people in Lhasa joined in the work of painting the outside walls of the UNESCO World Heritage site.

The Potala Palace is a landmark of Lhasa, capital of Tibet,     3     was built in the 7th century by the Tibetan king Songtsen Gampo (松赞干布). According to locals, in the past, painting the Potala Palace would take about a month. Now, thanks     4     the progress in technology, the painting can be finished within a week. Before painting, workers mix local lime (石灰) with things such as milk, honey and sugar. As they     5     (use), locals also call the Potala Palace the “sweet palace”.

Many locals queued up in long lines in the early morning to take part in the painting,     6     (consider) it to be an honor. “We queued for a long time yesterday     7     we failed to enter the palace,” said a young woman. “Today, we came to line up in the early morning. We were so lucky to get the chance     8     (participate) in the painting of the palace.”

“I have been taking part in the annual paintings of the palace for more than 20 years,” said Dawa, 57, another happy     9     (paint). “I consider the palace to be a very     10     (value) heritage, and I am proud to be part of the painting team.”

China has a history of more than five thousand years,     1     makes its culture profound. The     2     (various) of Chinese culture always attracts foreigners to come to visit China. As the carrier of Chinese culture, Chinese costume occupies a place. Chinese costume is very special and its feature is always added in the foreign style. And the classic Chinese costume is cheongsam (旗袍), which is full     3     charm.

Cheongsa m has become     4     representative of traditional Chinese style. Many foreign ladies wear cheongsam to show respect in great occasions. And Chinese beauties dress cheongsam     5     (confident) to show the world the Chinese style in the great competition of Miss World. Cheongsam     6     (make) a lady’s body shape look so     7     (attract), and men are attracted by women’s charm.

Recently, in the fashion week, more and more Chinese features     8     (see). Cheongsam style is favored by a lot of famous designers. They combine their own fashion with cheongsam style,     9     (present) the world with the beauty of female’s body and the charm of Chinese costume style. As more and more foreigners become interested in Chinese culture, they have a strong desire     10     (know) the real China.

Cui Zhenshuo and Yang Bo discovered that because of the far location of most paper workshops and lifestyles of the paper-making craftsmen, their products are unable to reach the market     1     (easy). Therefore, Cui and Yang came up     2     the idea of establishing their own studio that could serve as a bridge to connect far workshops with buyers to advance     3     (tradition) Chinese handmade paper.

Chu is a kind of tree.     4     (it) bark (树皮) is a common material that was used in papermaking in ancient times. Han Yu, a famous     5     (write) during the Tang Dynasty (618-907) called paper Mr. Chu in his work Biography of Mao Ying. Since then, it     6     (use) as a nickname (昵称) for paper by Chinese scholars. In 2019, Cui and Yang named their own studio “I am Mr. Chu.”, and they focused on     7     (run) it.

Du Weisheng, an expert in the restoration (修复) of ancient books at the National Library of China, told them that, in     8     1990s, many Chinese paper relics needed to be repaired with handmade paper that allowed people to find information on various paper styles.

The two began to create the series of handmade paper products from 2021. Each volume is made up of thirty types of handmade paper, each of     9     is sourced from its place of origin. At present, two volumes of the series have been produced, and they plan     10     (make) ten volumes.