Peking Opera is     1     form of traditional Chinese theatre which combines music, vocal performance, mime, dance and acrobatics. It arose in the late 18th century and became     2     (full) developed and recognized by the mid­19th century. The form was extremely popular in the Qing Dynasty court and has come to be regarded as one of the     3     (culture) treasures of China. Major performance troupes (剧团)     4       (base) in Beijing and Tianjin in the north, and Shanghai in the south. It has also spread to other countries such as the United States and Japan.

Peking Opera comes     5    four local operas, Hui Opera in Anhui, Han Opera in Hubei, Kun Opera in Jiangsu and Qingqiang in Shaanxi. It has drawn the merits of these local operas and created its own style.

Speech, song, dance and combat     6     (be) the four classic performing arts in Peking Opera, which are also the basic     7     (skill) for performers and is usually trained since the performers are very young. There are many roles in Peking Opera, mainly Sheng, Dan, Jing, and Chou, each of     8     has its own costume and mask­paintings. Masks with different colors have different meanings, which is used     9    (represent) the character of the roles and illustrate their emotional state.

No China trip is complete without     10     (watch) the classic Peking Opera! Enjoy the fantastic Peking Opera!

The animated film Chang An has become    1    surprise hit, earning an impressive 600 million yuan at the box office of the Chinese mainland within just ten days of its release. It has appealed to audiences of all ages, who     2    (enthusiastic) recite poetry alongside the characters on screen, taking them on a fantastic journey. This film not only identifies with the Chinese people but also allows the world     3    (explore) the rich tradition of Tang poetry and the “Chinese Poetry Universe.” The story centers around the deep friendship between poet Gao Shi and the romantic poet Li Bai offering a brief look into the glorious history of the Tang era,     4     is known for its economic prosperity and cultural advancement. The 48 Tang poems in the movie     5     (presentation) view of the most excellent poets of that time as well as their political ambitions and ideals. These poems transport audiences     6     sandy deserts to mist-filled regions along the Yangtze River.

Chang An is undoubtedly a masterpiece that shows the unique     7    (characteristic) of Chinese culture to the world. In China, poets and their poems     8    (consider) national treasures. These poems describe not only the historical changes of a dynasty, but also     9    (people) understanding of the world. The film has raised the audiences’     10    (aware) and enhanced their love and belief in Chinese culture.

Chinese people have been celebrating the Mid- Autumn Festival and enjoying mooncakes for centuries. Mooncakes are in    1    shape of a full moon on the Mid-Autumn night. There are many traditional folk     2    (story) about this festival. However, most people think that the story of Chang’e is the most     3    (touch) story.

Hou Yi, who was the husband of Chang’ e, shot down nine suns. After that, a goddess gave     4    (he) a magic medicine     5    could help people to live forever. But there was a bad man     6    (call) Pang Meng wanted to steal the medicine when Hou Yi was not at home. Chang’ e refused     7    (give) it to him and took it all. She    8    (become) very light and flew up to the moon. Hou Yi was very sad and he called out her name to the moon every night. One night he found that the moon was     9     bright and round that he could see his wife there. He     10    (quick) laid out her favorite fruits and desserts in the garden.

The Winter Solstice Festival (冬至) is one of the most important     1     (festival) celebrated by the Chinese on or around December 22. As early as 2,500 years ago, China determined the point of the Winter Solstice by     2     (observe) movements of the sun with a sundial (日晷).

The Winter Solstice became a festival during the Han Dynasty. The Han people     3     (regard) the Winter Solstice as a “Winter Festival”, so officials would organize activities. On this day, both officials and common people would have     4     rest. In the Tang and Song dynasties, the Winter Solstice was a day to offer sacrifices (供奉)     5     Heaven and ancestors. The Qing Dynasty even had the record that “the Winter Solstice is as formal as the Spring Festival,” showing the great     6     (important) attached to this day.

The Chinese often celebrate the Winter Solstice Festival together with     7     (they) families.     8     people eat generally depends on where they come from. In some parts of North China, people     9     (traditional) eat dumplings on this day, while in parts of South China, the whole family will get together to have a meal     10     (make) of red-bean and sticky rice to drive away bad things.

Beijing Opera,    1    (know) as China's national opera, also called Peking Opera, which originated in the late 18th century, is a combination of music, dance, art and acrobatics (杂技). It is the most influential and representative of all operas in China. It is called Beijing Opera because it is formed in Beijing. Beijing Opera has    2    history of 200 years and its origin can date back to old local operas, especially Anhui Opera,     3    was very popular in northern China in the 18th century. In 1790, the first Anhui Opera performance    4     (hold) in Beijing to celebrate the Emperor's birthday.

Later, some other Anhui Opera troupes (班子)     5     (continue) performing in Beijing. Anhui Opera was easy    6     (move) and good at absorbing the acting styles of other types of operas. Beijing accumulated many local operas,     7     (make) Anhui Opera improve quickly.

    8    the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, after the marriage for 10 years, Beijing Opera finally formed, and became the    9     (big) of all Operas in China. We can    10     (honest) say that Beijing Opera is the most important opera in China.

Paper-cutting was recognized as a national cultural heritage(遗产)in 2006.According to   experts，paper-cutting conveys the culture shared between China     1     the West to wish for family reunions and maintain links with loved ones，alive or dead.

In the movie Coco，for instance，the 12-year-old Miguel and his family dance and sing to   celebrate the Day of the Dead，a       2     (tradition)festival in Mexico，when colorful paper-cuts are hung on the street.Chinese people also cut images of small figures     3     (call) back the spirits of the dead.The difference is that most Chinese paper-cuts are red，while those in other countries       4     (be)often made in many other colors.

Fairy tale writer Hans Christian Andersen liked to cut     5     (character)，such as princesses and angels，out of paper while     6     (tell)stories to children.In China，female friends and family members used to chat and make paper-cuts together.

“     7    the patterns and colors may be different，paper-cuts share the same function of   maintaining emotional ties among people，”says Yang Huizi，     8     art teacher at Beijing Union.

Yang     9     (study)and performed the art for over a decade.Besides routine university   courses，she also organizes nonprofit paper-cutting activities     10    are open to the public in   Beijing to promote basic knowledge of paper-cutting.

9 . Undoubtedly, Britain is a nation of hat wearers. From taking off hats     1     launching mortar boards (学位帽) in the air, hats have long been associated with ceremonies and practices. Even the history of the country can     2    (tell) through hats.

    3     (date) back to medieval England, the flat cap became a symbol of working class culture in the 19th and 20th centuries. The Edwardian Era was     4     golden age of hats, when the decorations became even more delicate, ranging from flowers, birds to fruits. The pork pie hat, starting in the middle 19th century, was the     5    (choose) for many well-dressed Victorian citizens. Decades later it     6    (gradual) became a key feature of London street style. By the 1960s, though, hats faded out of people’s sight because of the rise of private cars. It was the Royal Wedding     7    (hold) in 2011 that contributed to the return of hat wearing. For example, Stockport Hat Works Museum— the only museum in the country featured in hats and hat making — is     8    (popular) than ever, with a distinct increase on its visitors.

    9     marks Britain out on the world stage is the large number of hats of different shapes and colors. The variety of hats in Britain     10     (reflect) its multicultural background and rich cultural heritage.

China to Promote Traditional Opera in Schools

China’s central government has promised to promote traditional opera in schools.

Primary schools, secondary schools, colleges     1     universities will give students the opportunity     2     (watch) traditional opera free of charge, according to a guideline jointly     3     (issue) by the publicity department of the Communist Party of China and the ministers of culture, education and finance. By 2018, students in all schools and colleges nationwide can watch     4     opera free of charge every year.

The campaign for traditional opera to reach students     5    (be) common in all schools in 2020, according to the guideline. The guideline also urges schools to strengthen the creation of opera interest group.     6     calls on the joint effort of the government, education, society and individuals to support the campaign. The guideline also encourages     7     (invest) from enterprises, social organizations and individuals. There are hundreds of forms of local opera in China,     8     Peking Opera the most famous. Peking Opera and Kunqu Opera     9     (list) by UNESCO as an intangible     10    (culture) heritage.