Yingge Dance, a traditional folk art     1     (combine) dancing, Chinese martial arts, and Chinese opera, is popular in the Chaoshan area of Guangdong province in South China. Yingge,     2     is written with the characters for “hero” and “song”, means heroic song in Chinese and Yingge dancers, as     3     (they) name implies, are the avatars of heroes.     4     the dancers each hold is a pair of short sticks and then they strike the sticks with force to create strong beats —     5     artistic display of masculinity. In 2006, the Puning Yingge Dance     6     (list) among the first batch of national intangible cultural heritages in China.

    7    , as young people move out of the villages, so are local folk arts gradually disappearing all around China. In Puning, Yingge is still danced during holidays such as the Lunar New Year and its performers are generally amateurs — farmers who have put down their tools and put    8    costumes. Some of the parts are passed down in the family, from father to son, and so far some villages have started giving performers a basic salary.

    9     (dress) in colorful clothes and wearing heavy makeup, ordinary villagers have created a song of cultural confidence. The     10     (perform), a must-watch for the local people, graces the village square one more time.

Roujiamo, also called rougamo, is one of the most popular Chinese snacks. Despite its    1    (compare) to a hamburger, it carries far more geographical and historical meaning.

Roujiamo is     2    (close) associated with the north-central city of Xi’an, in Shaanxi province. Since 202 BCE, Xi’an has been both the eastern terminal of the Silk Road and the capital for 13 more-or-less successive Chinese     3    (dynasty).

Traditionally, Roujiamo mainly consists of two parts-the flatbread and the filling. The meat preparation used to make the filling for roujiamo dates back    4     the Warring States period. The introduction into China of Central Asian-style flatbreads, like the kind used in roujiamo, in general,    5     (owe) to Ban Chao, a Chinese general who spent over 30 years battling    6     union of nomadic (游牧的) tribes to regain control of the farthest western reaches of China. The flatbread bun, called baijimo, takes its name from    7    is today known as Beiji township. There exist differences between the flatbreads used for different districts in Shaanxi. For example, the flatbread used for Tongguan roujiamo is unlike    8    used in the Xi’an style. Tongguan roujiamo,    9     (name) after a town that, in days long past, guarded a strategic pass roughly 120km east of Xi’an.

Despite its tasty flavor, it’s risky    10    (eat) on the go. Proper roujiamo is filled to bursting, regardless of the potential consequences for one’s clothes and dry-cleaning budget.

David was one of     1     most helpful students that we ever had. In 2004, he went to university in London and became     2     (interest) in Chinese culture.

After his graduation     3     university, he went to China to study Chinese at Beijing Language and Culture University. Two years later, he was able to speak Chinese     4     (fluent) and achieved high grades in all subjects.     5     (finish) his studies, he started travelling in China. Some of the cities in China he likes most     6     (be) Beijing, Shanghai, Harbin and Nanjing. In China, he developed an interest in teaching English to Chinese students. Most of the students whom he taught     7     (become) his friends ever since.

When he returned to Britain two months ago, he     8     (bring) back from China many interesting books, dictionaries, paintings and photos     9     (spread) Chinese culture. He donated most of them to our school library. Some of the books were gifts he got from his Chinese friends and students. The paintings that David donated to the school are being shown in the exhibition room. Teachers and students at our school wish to thank David for his     10     (kind).

California Governor Gavin Newsom on Friday signed legislation that makes Chinese Lunar New Year a state holiday. The move recognizes the diversity of cultures which Asian Americans have brought to California, the third     1     (large) state in the US.

The legislation lets any state employee take eight hours of vacation, annual leave or compensatory leave     2     (celebrate) Chinese New Year.

In a     3     (sign) letter, Newsom emphasized the diversity and cultural significance that Asian Americans represented in California and     4     (encourage) all Californians to participate in the festival.

Lunar New Year is celebrated by thousands of Asian and Pacific Islander Californians at community events that illustrate     5     state’s rich cultural history and commitment to racial, religious, and cultural diversity. Many jurisdictions (辖区) in California have already made Lunar New Year an     6     (office) school holiday.

Also on Friday, a ceremony     7     (hold) in San Francisco’s city hall to raise China’s national flag in celebration of the 73rd anniversary of the     8     (found) of the People’s Republic of China.

Zhang Jianmin, China’s consul general in San Francisco, raised the flag with Meron Foster, a senior officer at the San Francisco Mayor’s Office of Protocol. Zhang expressed his gratitude     9     San Francisco’s “very genuine gesture of friendship” toward China,     10     he spoke to an audience of us elected representatives, business figures and community members.

Long Chenchen, the mascot for China’s upcoming Dragon Spring Festival Gala,     1     (release) recently, with a lot of design details showing the aesthetics of Chinese cultural elements.

    2     (celebrate) the year 2024, “Long Chenchen” has been designed as a cute yet lively dragon, colored orange and red and with a pair of doll eyes. The     3     (seem) cute-looking dragon takes inspiration from Chinese archaeological discoveries. The design of its nose was inspired by a dragon-shaped jade item that was discovered in the Erlitou Ruins,     4     major site in Luoyang, Central China’s Henan province that witnessed the rise and fall of the Xia and Shang dynasties. The fire shape pattern on its shoulder was inspired by a bronze piece with cloud patterns dating back to the Spring and Autumn Period,     5     multiple materials appeared and social changes were underway.

    6     receiving many likes, the mascot has also sparked criticism. Some netizen doubt the dragon character might have been synthesized (合成) by artificial intelligence.     7     (admit) that it has some “imperfections”, CMG, a design studio said it was created by designers “one stroke after another” and that “all the details about the dragon, including its patterns, colors and face, have been revised by designers through a lot of versions.”

Along with such verbal     8     (explain), a short video showing the design team working on the mascot has been posted on Sina Weibo by CMG. The media group’s response to the character’s design has become a     9     (trend) topic on Sina Weibo and has been viewed by more than 200 million netizen. “    10     it was created by AI or human beings, I think the mascot has successfully delivered the spirit of the dragon.” one netizen posted on Sina Weibo.

Celadon(青瓷),    1     type of porcelain(陶瓷), is a traditional Chinese art. Mature celadon came into being in the Eastern Han Dynasty. In Tang Dynasty, celadon     2    (export) to lots of overseas countries, such as Pakistan, Iran, Egypt, Japan,    3    (play)a major part in the “Maritime Silk Road”. The celadon from the Guan Kiln of the Southern Song Dynasty is the peak of celadon producing,    4     is characterized by its bright and smooth lines, simple shapes and pure colors. It is considered     5     the treasure among ancient porcelain products. Nowadays many Chinese porcelain factories have     6    ( use) more advanced facilities and upgraded producing technology, making them green as jade and bright as a mirror.

The formation of each celadon is a process of life casting. Only after being burnt at around 1300℃ for 400 hours can it be made into an object. The     7     (difficult) of firing celadon is obvious, but at the same time, it     8    (make) each piece unique in the world. Because of the existence of celadon, many Chinese     9    (artist) have been constantly searching for the spirit of “the unity of man and nature” by appreciating the art of “mud and fire” and     10    (reflect) on the historical and cultural context in it.