Paper-cut, a traditional Chinese folk decorative art, takes the scissors or knife as the tool and colored paper as the material to cut out various motifs (花纹) or patterns, which are either     1     (wear) by women on the hair or glued to windows, gates, or doors     2     (bring) good luck and avoid disasters. The pictures should be     3     (skill) done to ensure the completeness.

The first paper cuts     4     (find) in tombs from the time of the northern and southern Dynasty (386-589),    5     (include) circular paper cuts of horses and monkeys. By the southern Song Dynasty (1127-1297) paper-cutting had become so popular among all walks of the society     6     it was no longer a specialized field among craftsmen. In many parts of China, paper cutting skill has become     7     must for women, old and young,     8     as a symbol of a clever mind and nimble (灵巧的) fingers, it also brings high reputation for them.

Chinese paper cutting art is a living fossil of history, with the richest historical cultural understanding and distinct characteristics    9     (vary) from region to region. Therefore, its cultural value far exceeds the Chinese paper cutting art itself. Going global, it has gained     10     (popular) among foreign friends, thus turning a Chinese folk art into the cultural treasure of the whole world.

Xi’an, capital city of Shaanxi, served as the capital of 13 dynasties in Chinese history, which in total     1    (last) about 1,100 years. Consequently, the ancient history of Shaanxi is to some degree the ancient history of China. Shaanxi History Museum considers     2     a duty to be a showcase of Chinese ancient civilization.

People call Shaanxi History Museum “Bright Pearl in Ancient Capital and Precious Treasure of China”, for it is an art palace     3    (full) showing Shaanxi history and culture as well as Chinese ancient civilization. Its architectural buildings and exhibits have made it famous as a first-class museum in China     4     it was opened to the public in 1991. It covers     5     total area of 65, 000 square meters.

The basic halls in the museum are divided into three exhibition halls     6     2,000 cultural remains to display the history of ancient times in chronological (编年的) order. The first exhibition hall     7    (locate) on the ground floor while the other two are on the second floor.

While     8    (design) the buildings in Shaanxi History Museum, the great designer used     9    (tradition) palace construction of Tang Dynasty for reference. Adopting symmetry axis (轴对称) layout with main and supporting buildings in order, the complex     10    (architecture) show the unique presence of Tang Dynasty.

The Dragon Boat Festival, also known as the Duanwu Festival, is a traditional Chinese holiday celebrated nationwide     1     (remember) Qu Yuan, one of the greatest poets of ancient China and the     2     (early) known by name. When Qu Yuan jumped into a river out of love for his country in 278 BC, people     3     (desperate) rowed out in boats to search for him. This inspired the Dragon Boat Festival, which takes place each year on the fifth day of the fifth month of the Chinese calendar,     4     day when Qu Yuan died. Festivities vary in different parts of China,     5     they share several traditions, dragon boat racing included. Rowers sit in large dragon-shaped boats and row them     6     the beat of a drum (鼓), which is usually played by someone     7     (seat) at the front of the boat. Another feature of the celebrations is a popular snack called zongzi or     8     (stick) rice dumplings. It is believed that zongzi, which represent good luck,     9     (throw) into the river to stop fish eating Qu Yuan’s body. In some parts of China, mugwort (艾草) leaves can be seen     10     (hang) on doors or windows during the Dragon Boat Festival to discourage insects from entering the house.

I have never liked my English name. My parents didn’t know that Cindy was short for Cynthia, or that Cindy Brady was the Cindy of the moment. They     1    (choose) it because it sounds like my Chinese name, Shin-tzer.

My name isn’t full of flowers like most Chinese girls’ names. My grandfather wanted me to have     2     (strong) of character, not mere physical beauty. “Cindy” seems colourless by comparison. It’s just a couple of syllables that sound good together.

I grew up     3     (speak) English and eating with a fork. Yet the customs about names are extremely     4     (tradition), down to our use of an ancient naming poem.

Most Chinese names are ones of a kind, a coupling of two words out of thousands of possibilities expressing     5     family’s hopes for the child. It was March when my brother and his wife     6     (expect) their second boy.The emails began to fly as we conferred about the baby’s Chinese name. My brother’s wife is a Korean, so the name had to sound good     7     Korean, too. One thing was certain—his name would contain the word “shi”, or “world”,     8     can also mean “generation”. We are on the     9     (six) word of a couplet that my family has used to name its     10     (son) for generations.

Ink as one of the Four Treasures of the Study (brush, ink, paper and inkstone), is a    1     (necessary) in Chinese painting and calligraphy. Ink is     2     (typical) produced from an ink stick with a little water. Ink stick, the solid form of ink, can last much longer than the liquid variety and is easier     3     (transport). The most famous ink sticks in China are the Hui Ink Sticks produced in Anhui Province. The Hui Ink Sticks use pine wood     4     its main raw ingredient,     5     is then mixed with another about 20 different materials. The manufacturing procedure includes lighting the smoke, blending the materials together, pressing the ink sticks, drying by airing, filling the margin     6     boxing them up. The ink produced from these sticks is shiny black. For centuries, the Hui Ink Sticks     7     (produce) through the traditional methods.     8     simple and single, ink sticks are essential in Chinese calligraphy and painting,     9     (present) the splendid artistic conceptions to people. What’s more, ink sticks make it possible that modern people today still can appreciate the masterpieces     10     (create) tens of centuries ago.

China Media Group (CMG) announced the official theme and logo (标识) for the 2024 Spring Festival Gala (春晚) on Saturday ahead of the upcoming Year of the Drago n in February 2024.

The logo of the Spring Festival Gala, which gets tons of attention annually,     1    (use) the character “議”, meaning “the soaring of the dragons,”     2    the main visual symbol. The chosen character     3    (vivid) shows the thriving 1.4 billion Chinese people, as the dragon has developed into a     4    (spirit) symbol for the Chinese people over thousands of years.

    5    (Inspire) by an ancient Chinese calligraphy style, seal script (篆书), the design is serious, balanced and upright,     6    (highlight) a cultural atmosphere that is grand and energetic.

Created by Gu Yongjiang, the logo     7     (design) for China’s lunar exploration program, the logo for the gala is also styled with a metallic, golden color which looks like a chip — bridging     8    past and the present to the future from an ancient Chinese character to cutting edge modern technology.

The Spring Festival Gala, the forms of     9    performances involve songs, dances, crosstalks, operas and folk arts, etc,     10     (be) an essential part of the many Chinese Lunar New Year celebrations since 1983.