“China is a major country in the world and at the center of many developments. To study China and its language can broaden children’s minds and improve    1     (they) career prospects,” says Joan Deslandes, head teacher of Kingsford Community School in East London.

She    2     (make) the remarks at the prize-giving ceremony at London’s Chinatown for the winners of the Chinese proficiency (水平) competitions for primary- and secondary-level students. Altogether, nearly 500 British students participated in the two competitions     3     (hold) earlier this year online.

Around 140 students and teachers from 17 schools were present at the event earlier this month. They interspersed (点缀) the prize-giving ceremony with     4     (performance), including Chinese songs, traditional dances and musical instruments.

“And those were just the small number of students     5     won the competition, but behind them there are many schools     6     (teach) Chinese, and a lot of enthusiasm about having Chinese as    7     language option in this country, says Joan.

“China is playing an important part in the    8    (globe) vision. We need to equip the children     9    all the skills to stay connected as they grow up. That involves language and cultural understanding. And in terms of prospects for employability, knowing the Chinese language and being able to communicate    10     (efficient) with people from China can only benefit the young people of this country,“ she adds.

Many people around the world may know that paper is one of the Four Great Inventions of ancient Chinese civilization,    1    few would know that more than 1,500 years ago, ancient Chinese craftsmen invented a new type of paper,    2    was called Xuan paper and used mainly for writing and painting.

Xuan paper was first made in ancient Xuan Prefecture, now    3    (know) as Jingxian County in Anhui Province. The traditional process of making Xuan paper is    4     (extreme) demanding and involves over 100 steps. The whole process can take as long as two years    5    (complete), and the skills have been passed down for    6    (generation).

Xuan paper is highly water absorbent, making it a perfect medium for conveying artistic effect in both Chinese calligraphy and ink wash painting. In addition, Xuan paper    7    (design) to be able to last for more than 1,000 years and still keep the freshness of the ink and color on it.

Today in Jingxian County, there    8     (be) many Xuan paper factories and workshops, where the paper is still made by master craftsmen using traditional techniques. And because of    9    (it) long history and the essential role it has played     10    the culture of Chinese painting and calligraphy, Xuan paper was included on the first list of China’s national intangible cultural heritages(非物质文化遗产)in 2006.

The Chinese couplet (对联) refers to two poetic lines obeying certain rules, often written on red paper for     1     (appreciate).

As a form of Chinese literature, the couplet     2     (vary) in content and style. Some express people’s love to their motherland, some describe the beauty of nature,     3     some convey best wishes for the coming year.

Chinese couplets originated in the Five Dynasties, and     4     (become) ubiquitous (无处不在) in the Ming and Qing dynasties. It was a custom for people     5     (hang) peach wood charms to drive away evil spirits during the Spring Festival. Nowadays, couplets are used     6     a similar way.

It was said that the     7     (early) couplet was written by Meng Xu, king of Houshu State and it was     8     (extreme) popular in the Northern Song Dynasty. Since the Ming Dynasty, to write couplets     9     (regard) as a mark of the cultured life of scholars.

The couplet has two equal-length lines. However,     10       number of characters in each line can be from four to seven or more. The first and the second lines have opposite tone patterns. The last character of the first line is of an oblique tone (仄声), and its opposite in the second line, of a level tone (平声).

Gaodang Village is a Buyi Ancient Village of one thousand years     1    (locate) in Anshun City, Guizhou Province. The preservation project of Gaodang village recently earned a special mention at the Architizer A⁺ Award.

In the past several years, Gaodang Village     2    (face) problems including ecological degradation, disorderly construction, low housing quality, especially the young going out    3    the built heritage being forgotten.

    4    response to the challenges, an architecture design project, along with a field research,    5    (start) by the Anshun Architectural Design Institute and Zhou Zhengxu’s team from Tsinghua University in 2015. After seven years of efforts, they    6    (successful) established a traditional village and rural revitalization (振兴)station    7     (promote) the development of Gaodang village.

The project also won the 2021 Landscape Architecture Award. The Architizer A⁺ Award is one of the world’s most established architecture     8    (award). It promotes and rewards the best architecture and product designs every year, aiming to raise public    9    (aware) of excellent architecture and increase architectures’ positive influence on daily life. Now Gaodang is     10    good example that has been achieving sustainable development in ecology, economy, culture, and other fields, and is now on the way to rural revitalization.

The fourth Hainan Island International Film Festival opened Sunday in Sanya, a resort city in South China’s Hainan province.

This year’s film festival     1     (feature) 3,761 films from 116 countries and     2    (region) for the Golden Coconut Awards,     3     over 80 percent of the films from overseas.

Eighty to 100 films are expected     4     (screen) during the festival scheduled from Dec 18 to Dec 25, and nine forums will also take place.

Zhang Jun,     5     is secretary-general of the event organizing committee, said the festival is committed to     6     (strengthen) international film cultural exchanges and cooperation, promoting the development of the film industry, and fostering     7     prosperity of film creation.

A total of 11 feature films, eight documentaries, and ten short films were nominated to compete for the     8     (vary) categories under the Golden Coconut Awards this year, Zhang added.

First     9     (hold) in 2018, the film festival is     10    (joint) hosted by the China Media Group and the Hainan provincial government. This year’s festival will end on Dec 25 with the announcement of the Golden Coconut Awards for the best film, best director, and 10 other awards.

The Yin-yang diagram is an illustration of t’ai chi. Yin and yang are not     1     (complete) opposite, one of which can turn into the other. Chinese people boil down the laws of the universe, nature and the human body to this:Yin and yang are in a circle; man and nature exist in unity.     2     (base) on such philosophical ideas,     3     (tradition) knowledge and sports practice about physical and mental cultivation have been formed and passed down from generation     4     generation. Thus t’ai chi ch’uan came into being.

Chinese people believe that movement is contained in stillness and fastness is contained in slowness. T’ai chi ch’uan     5     (contain) these two kinds of energy. Do you think the most important characteristic of t’ai chi ch’uan is     6     (soft)? No. The fighting principle of it is to mobilize the internal energy flow of the human body,     7     has both speed and explosive power.

The greatest uses of t’ai chi ch’uan are for people     8     (experience) life, the true principles of movement and stillness in nature, and to maintain harmony with nature in mind and body. So far, it     9     (prove) by medical research that t’ai chi ch’uan is     10     ideal therapy against a number of chronic diseases. It can not only promote physical health, but also help ease your mind and delight your spirits.

East China’s Jiangsu Province is     1     land of abundance (富饶). It is home to several UNESCO world heritages sites, including the Classical Gardens of Suzhou, the Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum in Nanjing and part of the Grand Canal.

As the     2     (tradition) tea processing techniques and their associated social practices in China     3     (add) to UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity on Nov 29, 2022, tea culture in Jiangsu Province attracts attention again.

Fuchun teahouse lies     4     a hutong in Yangzhou of Jiangsu Province. Although it is not located in the very heart of the city, its reputation persuades many customers into     5     (come) in groups.

    6     (found) in 1885, Fuchun teahouse was a flower shop and     7     (become) a place for people     8     (drink) tea then. It started to offer     9     (variety) of delicate pastries (甜点) until the owner introduced them,     10     not only perfectly matched the Chinese tea, but also represented a kind of artistry from the kitchen. Fuchun pastry craft was listed in the national intangible cultural heritage in 2008.

Mid-Autumn Festival has a history of over 3, 000 years and is     1     second most important traditional festival in China after the Chinese New Year. It falls     2     the 15th day of the 8th month in the Chinese lunar calendar.

The Mid-Autumn Festival is a big day for Chinese people, who will go back home and have dinner with their families. After the dinner, people will go outdoors     3     (admire) the full moon on the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival. For Chinese, the full moon,     4    reminds people of their hometowns and loved ones, is the symbol of a family reunion. Of course, the moon cake is a must-eat food at the Mid-Autumn Festival. The cake is     5     (typical) round, symbolizing the full moon,     6     (present) as gifts to relatives and friends.

There are quite a few stories associated with the Mid-Autumn Festival, and the most popular     7     (be) the legend of the Chang’e, Jade Rabbit and Wu Gang. In ancient times, Chinese emperors used to offer sacrifices to the full moon for the harvests. Poets would admire the moon at the Mid-Autumn Festival, expressing their     8     (thought) and feelings.

The Mid-Autumn Festival is the best time to visit China. The weather is ideal to spend time outdoors and enjoy the sight of the golden autumn. The customs of the Mid-Autumn Festival     9     (different) across China. Why not start your tour in China by     10     (explore) the mystery of the Mid-Autumn Festival?

Straw patchwork (麦秆画) is a well-known Chinese art and    1    (have) a history of over 2,000 years. It traces its roots to folk art, starting as handicrafts used by local governments to show respect to emperors during the Sui Dynasty.

Straw patchwork is handmade and takes full advantage of the straw’s natural glow and    2    (it) material to describe landscapes, flowers, animals and human figures. The visual images and wonderful handicrafts are not only a good reflection of deep    3    (tradition) Chinese culture, but also a wonderful artwork used as decorations.

    4    artistic techniques used in straw patchwork draw on many other art forms such as paper cut, print, painting, etc. Each patchwork requires a process    5    includes more than ten steps long. The process    6    (clever) combines a variety of techniques to show skilled workmanship, including polishing, steaming, ironing, pressing, and cutting of materials. All these techniques bring a rich    7     (express) to the straw artwork,    8    (make) it a simple and elegant art form.

Straw patchwork owes its popularity to its bright colors which do not fade and its simple, lifelike designs. With its excellent details, the straw patchwork    9    (enjoy) and appreciated by both the Chinese and Westerners. I is used to decorate and beautify homes and offices and is often given    10    gifts.

The Double Ninth Festival has a history of over 2, 000 years. According to tradition, we should celebrate the festival by going mountain climbing,     1    how many people today still observe this tradition? In modern society, many traditional Chinese festivals are becoming less popular. However, they are an important part of Chinese culture and must     2    (maintain).

Traditional festivals teach us a lot,     3    our nation’s history. The Dragon Boat Festival, for example, is celebrated in honour of Qu Yuan,     4    is a great poet living in the Warring States period of ancient China.

Besides, traditional festivals are carriers of culture,     5    (enable) us to learn more about fine Chinese values. Many festivals, such as the Mid-autumn Festival, have a     6    (care), family-centred message at their heart.

Finally, traditional festivals are a source of national     7    (proud) and help shape our national identity. For example, we celebrate the Hanshi Festival and the Laba Festival with unique     8    (custom), and these shared experiences bring us together as a people.

Traditional festivals have been     9    (gradual)passed down to us from previous generations. It is the duty of every one of us     10    (protect)them for generations to come.