The origin of facial makeup used in Peking Opera can date back to more than 1,400 years ago,     1    leading actors used to wear masks. As the operatic arts developed,     2     (perform) gradually took off their masks and painted colorful patterns on their faces instead, so people could better see    3     (they) facial expressions.

Chinese Opera facial makeup is a special makeup method    4    Chinese cultural characteristics.     5    painting technique for Chinese facial makeup in dramas is closely related to the character's personality. Over the years of development, it    6     (become) an important part of Chinese culture.

There    7     (be) four roles in facial makeup, sheng, dan, jing, and chou. Chinese facial-makeup is    8     (extreme) stylized in the colors and patterns used, but no two painted faces are alike. For example, there are more than 100 face-painting styles    9     (design) for Xiang Yu, the hero in Farewell My Concubine, and each one is different. Various types of Chinese facial makeup enable the audience    10     (know) a character easily and get more involved in the appreciation of the performance.

The Chongyang Festival is a     1    (tradition) Chinese festival. It is celebrated on the     2    (nine) of September in the lunar calendar (阴历).

The festival started as early as the Warring States Period (475-221BC). It has a history     3    more than 1,700 years. Among the numbers from zero to nine, nine is the     4    (high) odd number (奇数). People believe that two nines meeting together mean a long life. So it is a special holiday for Chinese people     5    (show) love and respect for their elders. They hold many kinds of     6    (activity) in honor of old people, wishing them good health and a long life.

The festival comes during the golden time of fall. On the day, people usually drink chrysanthemum (菊花) wine, eat special cakes     7    climb mountains. They also carry a kind of plant     8     is named the dogwood. People in ancient times     9    (believe) that plant could drive the illness away in winter and prevent them from     10    ( catch) by evil (邪恶的) spirits.

China is widely known for its ancient civilization     1     has continued all the way through into modern times. There are many reasons why this has been possible.

At the beginning, written Chinese was     2     picture-based language. Ancient Chinese people carved     3    （ symbol） on animal bones and shells. By the Shang Dynasty, a well-developed writing system had come into being. At that time, people lived in different places,    4     （ lead） to many varieties of dialects and characters.

Emperor Qinshihuang united the seven major states into one country where the Chinese writing system began to develop     5    one direction. The writing system was of great     6    （important） in uniting the Chinese people and culture. Even today, wherever Chinese people live or whatever dialect they speak, they can communicate    7     （free） in writing.

Written Chinese has also become an important means by which China's present is connected with    8    （it） past. People in modern times can read classic works that    9    （write） by Chinese in ancient times. The high regard for the Chinese writing system can be seen in the development of Chinese characters as an art form,    10    （ know） as Chinesecalligraphy, which has become an important part of Chinese culture. Today, the Chinese writing system is still an important part of Chinese culture.

Dunhuang Sand Painting — A Call to Cherish (珍惜) Art

Dunhuang, an ancient Chinese city on the Silk   Road, has     1     number of historical attractions and the   world’s most treasured grotto (石窟) art.

Recently, a sand painting was finished at Mount Mingsha,    2     (make) a sharp contrast to the surrounding desert. As the sun rose and set, the painting gradually faded away within a day after       3     (remove) canvas (帆布) over the painting.

This work was accomplished by a young team of    4     (artist) led by Liu Jie, an expert in solid colour sand painting. He    5     (hope) the unique piece would remind people that art can easily fade away without proper protection, and said that the great culture of Dunhuang should be protected carefully.

“It is very meaningful to be   part   of   this   campaign to   raise awareness. Hopefully, watching   the       6       (disappear) of   the painted sand can motivate a desire to   cherish what is   precious and   translate   it    7     action,” Liu said.

The good news is    8     scientists as well as visiting scholars from across the world are drawn to the caves. Thanks to international cooperation and advanced technology, Mogao’s relics have been    9     (successful)   preserved. All these show how Mogao has built bridges of common understanding and share its    10     (culture) heritage with the world.

Jingzhe(惊蛰) , or the “awakening of the insects” is one of the 24 solar terms in the Chinese lunar calendar,         1    were used in ancient China    2    (keep) track of agricultural cycles.

The beginning of March brings some unusual weather, as temperatures rise and rainfall comes    3    thunderstorms. According to classic Chinese writings, this thunder would awaken insects that had been hibernating(冬眠) .They would rise up from the earth and many other animals would also make their first    4    (appear) of the year.

Chinese farmers place great importance on Jingzhe, since it marks    5    start of spring plowing(春耕) , one of the    6    (busy) times for farmers. With insects buzzing, it is time to protect crops from pests(害虫) and protect poultry(家禽) and livestock(家禽) from    7    (disease) .

Spring    8    (consider) to be the most precious time of the year for agriculture. At the beginning of the year, farmers plow the soil,     9    (give) crops the best possible environment and more nutrition.

Another Jingzhe tradition is eating pears. It is thought to be    10    (health) to do so when the weather is changing. Besides taking a bite of the fresh, crisp fruit, people have various ways of preparing pears, such as making juice, baking, steaming or boiling.

Many people have the hobby of collecting things, e.g. stamps, postcards or antiques. In the 18th and 19th centuries,     1     (wealth) people travelled and collected plants, historical objects and works of art. They kept their collection at home until it got too big     2     until they died, and then it was given to a museum. The 80,000 objects collected by Sir Hans Sloane, for example,     3     (form) the core collection of the British Museum     4     opened in 1759.

The parts of a museum open to the public     5     (call) galleries or rooms. Often, only a small part of a museum’s collection     6     (be) on display. Most of it is stored away or used for research.

Many museums are lively places and they attract a lot of visitors. As well as looking at exhibits, visitors can play with computer simulations (模拟) and imagine     7     (they) living at a different time in history or     8    (walk)through a rainforest. At the Jorvik Centre in York, the city’s Viking settlement is recreated, and people experience the sights, sounds and smells of the old town. Historical     9     (accurate) is important but so is entertainment. Museums must compete     10    people’s spare time and money with other amusements. Most museums also welcome school groups and arrange special activities for children.

Decorating with Plants, Fruits and Flowers for Chinese New Year

Chinese New Year is a     1     (celebrate) marking the end of the winter season and the beginning of spring. This is why decorating with plants, fruits and flowers     2     (carry) special significance. They represent the earth       3       (come) back to life and best wishes for new beginnings.

These are some of the most popular in many parts of the country:

Oranges: Orange trees are more     4     decoration; they are a symbol of good fortune and wealth. They make great gifts and you see them many times     5     (decorate) with red envelopes and messages of good fortune.

Bamboo: Chinese love their “Lucky Bamboo” plants and you will see them often in their homes and office.     6     (certain) during the holiday period, this plant is a must. Bamboo plants are associated     7     health, abundance and a happy home. They are easy     8     (care) for and make great presents.

Branches of Plum Blossoms (梅花): The     9     (beauty) long branches covered with pink-colored buds (蓓蕾) make fantastic decorations. The plum trees are     10       first to flower even as the snow is melting(融化). They represent the promise of spring and a renewal of life.

Qianlong Emperor of the Qing Dynasty fell interested in the local drama during his tour of Southern China.     1    (celebrate) his 80th birthday in 1790, he gathered opera troupes (剧团) from different areas around China to perform for him in Beijing.     2     the celebration came to an end, four famous troupes from Anhui Province     3    (ask) to stay, for audiences were particularly satisfied with their great performances,     4    (color) clothes and interesting facial makeup.

    5    (gradual), it replaced Kunqu Opera that had been popular in the palace and among the upper ranks in Beijing. Later, some troupes from Hubei Province came to Beijing and often performed together with the Anhui troupes. The two types of singing combined on     6     same stage and finally gave birth to a new type which was known as Beijing Opera.

Beijing Opera absorbed various     7    (characteristic) of its forerunners, such as singing and dancing, and adapted itself in language and style of singing to cater     8     Beijing audiences’ tastes. As time goes by, its     9    (popular) has spread all over the country, with it     10    (become) the most popular drama in China.

It’s one of the     1     (great) novels in world literature. First published in 1791, A Dream of Red Mansions, also     2     (know) as The Story of the Stone, is to Chinese people as William Shakespeare’s famous plays are to westerners.

The novel,     3     reflects the history of the Qing Dynasty, follows the rise and fall of the noble Jia family. Originally, the family seems     4     (be) wealthy and powerful, thanks in part to its close relationships with the royal family. Yet, the heir to the family, Jia Baoyu, enjoys     5     (live) a pure, carefree life, having no interest     6     politics at all.

Expected to pair with Xue Baochai, Jia     7     (stay) glued to his delicately brilliant cousin, Lin Daiyu. As the lovers head toward a tragic end, the family falls on hard times, fading away eventually.

The     8     (appreciate) of the classic novel is surely both a pleasant treat and a bittersome challenge. As always, the novel has experienced various adaptations. Making the detailed 120-chapter novel into just several hours is     9     (absolute) no piece of cake. “Still, choices have to be made,” the opera’s stage director Stan Lai concluded. “For everyone else, the challenge is to make it     10     excellent opera.”

As everyone know s, it is Jingdezhen in Jiangxi province     1     the local porcelain (瓷器 ) is highly desirable that is the center of world porcelain. Last year, my school     2     (hold) a two-day research activity, guided by the slogan, “Exploring ceramic(陶瓷 的)culture, traveling through ancient and modern times”. The aim was to build students’     3     (aware) of traditional culture.

On our way to Jingdezhen, our guide introduced us to the basics of porcelain production. Our first stop was the Museum of Chinese Ceramics, which has     4     unique and exquisite collection of porcelain made from materials such as clay(陶土)and stone.

The guide told us of the great achievements in ceramics from ancient times until today. I listened carefully to everything.     5     (date) back to Neolithic(新石器时代)period, clay was used     6     (make) pottery(陶器), which people used to carry water and food. Today, we still use porcelain but our pottery is far more beautiful than the products of those times.

On the second day, the team leader took us to a small DI Y porcelain factory. Under the     7     (guide) of the teacher, we     8     (give) some clay and the chance to design a piece of pottery. Although our efforts w ere not as beautiful as the articles in the museum, they w ere our own work. The two-day activity was very     9     (enjoy) and meaningful. I learned a lot about porcelain and made an item     10     my own. It meant a lot to me.