In the 1950s, the Egyptian government would like to build a new dam across the Nile, but the idea led to     1     (protest). This was because the new dam would likely destroy many cultural relics. With the help of the United Nations, the government established a committee to find a solution     2     the protection of Egypt’s cultural heritage. After a     3     (propose)for how the relics could     4     (save)was made, the project began in 1960. Over the next 20 years, 22 temples     5     countless cultural relics were taken down piece by piece, moved and put back together again in a place     6     they were safe from the water.

    7     (complete)in 1980, the project was considered     8     great success. It was believed that it was possible for different countries     9     (work)together to build a better tomorrow. The spirit of the Aswan Dam project is still alive today. If a problem     10     (seem)too difficult for a single country, the global community can sometimes provide a solution.

Chinese bamboo craftwork includes bamboo engraving (竹刻) and bamboo weaving (竹编).The engravings contain bamboo slips, wall paintings, carved pen     1     (container), yellow bamboo artworks, and bamboo root engravings, etc. Among others, green bamboo carvings and yellow bamboo carvings are the most     2     (common) featured.

Green bamboo carving is made with the thin green part on bamboo’s surface. A pattern    3    (paint) on the surface first. Then the green part not within the pattern is scraped (刮掉) to expose the bamboo skin beneath. It is a     4    (convention) craftsmanship of Changzhou, Jiangsu.

Yellow bamboo carving is made from Mao bamboo. With the joint and green surface    5    (remove), the thin yellow part is kept for boiling, drying and pressing. When made flat enough, it is glued or fixed onto a wood body, on which figure, landscape or bird patterns are carved.

There are     6     number of artists engaging in bamboo engraving. Among others, artists of Zhejiang are good at both yellow bamboo crafts and bamboo root engravings.

With regard to bamboo weaving, Dongyang, Zhejiang is known as “the hometown of wood sculpture and bamboo weaving”. Qingshen, Sichuan is another place where massive bamboo weaved products are made. Most weaved works     7    (be) practical products like baskets, boxes, gift packages and furniture. However, Mr. He Fuli,    8     is a state master of bamboo weaving, is well known     9     his unique creations. He is able to create highly complicated works including figures and animals. He was once invited to work on     10    (restore) the bamboo-weaved furniture in the Forbidden City.

Chinese silk is well known all over the world. It is considered as     1     symbol of the origin of civilization. According to legend, a teenage girl in China,     2     saw metamorphosis (蜕变) of a special kind of caterpillars (毛毛虫), did something even more     3     (amaze) — she invented silk! She is Ancest or Lei.

One day, she noticed quite a few caterpillars taking small     4     (bite) of the leaves. A few of them had formed translucent cocoons (半透明的茧) around     5     (they). One by one the cocoons grew thicker so Lei couldn’t see through them. They were like eggshells, but smaller and even     6     (strong). She kept wondering     7     was going on inside. Lei started to open them and they turned into bundles of threads. Lei knew that the threads in spider (蜘蛛) webs were strong, but she wondered if the threads from these cocoons were strong enough     8     (make) into cloth. After testing, her doubt was removed.

Later, Lei concentrated     9     figuring out how to make cloth from the cocoon threads. Eventually, Lei invented silk, and the caterpillars     10     (call) silkworms since then.

Do you know spring rolls? Spring rolls,     1     name is a translation of the Chinese chun juan, are     2     variety of filled, rolled dim sum found in East Asian and Southeast Asian cuisine.

In China, the past spring rolls were regarded as a seasonal food     3     (eat) during the spring. They started as a pancake rolls stuffed with the new season’s spring vegetables. Nowadays, spring rolls can be enjoyed throughout     4     year and they are usually served as an     5     (amaze) starter for parties.

Fried spring rolls are generally small. They can be sweet or salty; the former are often filled     6     red bean paste (红豆馅) and the latter are typically prepared with vegetables. Non-fried spring rolls are usually     7     (big) than the fried ones. Unlike fried spring rolls, non-fried spring rolls     8     (make) by filling the wrappers with many different pre-cooked ingredients.     9     (tradition), they are food for the Cold Food Festival and the Tomb Sweeping Day in spring     10     (remember) ancestors.

Spring Festival is an important traditional festival in China, which has many unique     1     (custom). Here are three readers’ accounts, who shared their experiences and views about it.

Tom Jenkins spent Spring Festival with his host family in Nanjing. A week before the festival, the house was cleaned     2     (thorough). His host mother said this was     3    (sweep) away the dirt of the past year. Next, the Chinese character Fu     4     (attach) upside down to the front door to welcome happiness. At the night before Spring Festival, they sat together to enjoy a big dinner.

For Xu Gang, he usually plans his trip home weeks before Spring Festival as it is difficult to book train tickets or flights.     5     (surround) by Shanxi accents on the train, he knows that he is heading home. When he arrives home, his parents will tell him     6     has been happening. It’s great to be back together with the family and talk of old times.

To Li Yan, who has been     7     (retire), the joy of a family     8     (gather) is the most important. She and her husband get ready for their children’s homecoming early. The house buzzes     9     activities when everyone comes home. The children run around     10     (play) and the adults talk about the past year. They also have fun making jiaozi, a sign of wishes for health and happiness in the coming year.

Nowadays, people wearing hanfu, the traditional clothing of the Han ethnic group, has become     1     common sight at parks and attractions. More and more people are falling in love with hanfu culture. The development of hanfu culture     2     (witness) numerous changes in recent years and is taking on various forms.

Thanks to the boom of Xiaohongshu, Bilibili and Douyin, fans can easily learn the     3     (late) trends and knowledge about hanfu online now. In the past, people used to only collect or appreciate hanfu     4     (private) and many people had the misunderstanding that “han” refers     5     the Han Dynasty. However, now it has moved to the mass market and more people are able     6     (distinguish) the differences in hanfu from different dynasties.

The development of hanfu has triggered (引发) different events. For example, the hanfu festival     7     was held by the China National Silk Museum in April offered many interesting activities like lectures, ceremonies, concerts and fairs, creating platforms for fans to communicate. It also means new marketing ideas. Many hanfu stores have sprung up,     8     (provide) rental and photography services. In some fairs, originally     9     (design) hanfu will be displayed and sold. Sometimes hanfu is even provided as     10     (prize) for competitions.

Tibetan New Year, also known as Losar, is the most important festival in Tibet. “Lo” symbolizes year while “sar” stands for new. It is celebrated for 15 days,     1     (typical) falling in February or March. In 2023, Tibetan New Year fell     2     Feb 21. This festive season is a time of renewal and optimism, marking     3     start of the Tibetan lunar calendar. The celebrations include a range of customs and     4     (tradition) which reflect the unique culture and identity of the Tibetan people.

Before the arrival of the New Year, Tibetans engage in     5     (clean) their homes and surroundings. This practice is to get rid of any negativity or bad luck     6     might have existed in the past year. They also make offerings to the gods and ancestors     7     (seek) good wishes and blessings for the next year.

Decorating homes and public places     8     (be) a common custom during the Tibetan New Year. Houses are decorated with bright     9     colorful flags, while the streets are lined with lanterns and colorful decorations. In addition, people also decorate     10     (they) clothes with complicated patterns.

World Olive (橄榄) Tree Day takes place     1     26th November every year. It was established     2     (official) at the 40th session of the UNESCO General Conference in 2019.The olive tree, especially the olive branch, holds an important place in people’s mind. Since ancient times, it     3     (symbolize) peace, harmony and     4     (wise) .It is important not just to the countries     5     these noble trees grow but also to people and communities worldwide.

Protecting and growing the olive tree is     6     increasingly urgent thing as the world fights against climate change. The conservation of cultural and natural heritage is one of UNESco’s     7     (center) goals, and marking World Olive Tree Day strengthens the efforts to achieve it.

World Olive Tree Day is set up     8     (encourage) the protection of the olive tree and stress the values it symbolizes,     9     (inspire) people to appreciate its important social, cultural, economic and environmental significance to humans.

There is much to learn, share and celebrate on World Olive Tree Day, and UNESCO encourages everyone to participate in     10     (activity) such as debates, conferences, cultural events and exhibitions organized worldwide.

Paper cutting is a traditional Chinese art with a history of over two thousand years. It is for celebrations, festivals and home decoration, often with red color,     1     is the lucky color in China.

Paper cutting has become one of art forms since the     2     (invent) of paper in the Han Dynasty. It was popular in the royal palaces and noble houses as     3     favorite pastime (消遣) among ladies. Later, during the 7th and 13th centuries, it was     4     (wide) spread in folk festivals and celebrations.

The main tools for paper cutting are scissors and knives. For the scissor, several pieces of paper     5     (lay) together. The theme is then cut. For the knife, several layers of paper are put on a soft foundation     6     (consist) of a mixture of tallow and ashes.

Arts come from life and serve life, so     7     (do) paper cutting. The bright red, green or light blue paper cuttings are often used     8     (add) merry atmosphere to the festivals or celebrations.     9     they are often found in wedding ceremonies or festivals in China. Today, people often like to decorate their windows, walls, mirrors, lanterns and doors with       10     (color) paper-cuts. In Chinese culture, it can reflect many aspects of life, such as prosperity, health, or harvest.

At a pottery workshop in Qicun Township in east China’s Shandong Province, more than 50 workers are making pottery items. After being processed through 72 complex steps, the products will be sold to     1    (place) across the country and even to European countries.

The pottery craft in Qicun Township enjoys     2     history of over 7,000 years. According to Xiang Biao,     3     is a sixth-generation inheritor (继承人) of the pottery craft in his family, the Xiang family has kept alive the     4    (tradition) pottery craft through generations of efforts. In 2013, the Xiang pottery workshop     5    (list) as a provincial-level intangible cultural heritage (非物质文化遗产) protection unit in Shandong.

“The inheritors of the Xiang family have not only carried forward the ancient techniques from their ancestors, but also made breakthroughs in the     6    (select) of raw materials, product usability, innovations and research on the formula (配方) of the pottery products. We have the ability     7     (make) over 500 kinds of pottery products,” said Xiang Biao.

Over the years, Xiang Biao and his team     8    (carry) out huge improvements to the kilns (窑), making them more environmentally friendly and energy-saving. They have also breathed new life into the pottery products by adding new elements     9     them.

Xiang Biao’s team can make and sell more than 200,000 pottery items a year,     10    (achieve) annual sales of $581,500. His business has helped more than 50 rural workers secure jobs.