Shuang Jiang, or Frost’s Descent, is the last term of autumn, marking the transition from autumn to winter. Literally, Shuang Jiang refers to the time     1     frost starts to descend in China due to cold weather. In the north, with large fields     2     (do) for the season, farmers can take a break. But in the south, farmers are still busy taking sweet potatoes home before they     3     (destroy) by the coming frost. They must also protect the winter wheat and rape (油菜)     4     major pests and diseases. It is said that Frost’s Descent is the best time to adjust to a nourishing (滋补的) diet and lifestyle. Besides putting on     5     (many) clothes to keep warm, people also eat various fruits to keep healthy. Persimmon (柿子) is the favorite fruit in many areas, which not only wards off the cold,    6     strengthens the muscles and bones.

    7    (additional), honey, jelly fungus (木耳) and sesame (芝麻) are believed to help provide the necessary nutrition for the human body. For protein, chicken or mutton soup is advised to be included in the diet. With golden maple     8     (leaf) turning to red, people often go hiking in nature and enjoy the scenery during this period of time. In the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, people celebrate the Frost’s Descent Festival by     9     (offer) fruits and desserts in addition to dancing and singing folk songs on the day of Frost’s Descent in honor of Cen Yuyin, a heroine who     10     (fight) against foreign aggression in the Ming Dynasty.

With just five weeks before King Charles Ⅲ’s coronation (加冕典礼), workers at Duchess China (瓷器) Factory in the central England city of Stoke-on-Trent     1     (be) busy producing “God Save The King” china teacups and plates     2     (meet) the expected demand for the historic event.

“Duchess China Factory,     3     started producing china tableware in 1888, has struggled in recent years. But this year we’ve received many orders from many countries, including New Zealand, Canada, Australia     4     America,” said Jason Simms, the company’s managing director. “We hope that the coronation will help us to sell our royal souvenirs across the globe.”

The teacups and plates for King Charles Ⅲ’s coronation feature the Union Jack (国旗)     5     (color) of red, white and blue and they are decorated     6     the words “God Save the King”. The chief     7     (design) said he was inspired by the tableware     8     (produce) in the 1930s for the coronation of King George Ⅵ,     9     (Charles) grandfather.

When Charles is crowned at London’s Westminster Abbey on May 6, the ceremony will be the UK’s first coronation since his mother, Queen Elizabeth Ⅱ,     10     (become) queen almost 70 years ago.

Ge Zhichen’s livestreams on Douyin have attracted thousands of viewers to learn about Suzhou Pingtan, a traditional storytelling and music art form.

    1     (originate) in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, Suzhou Pingtan is an art form performed in the Wu dialect popular in the Jiangnan region. In 2006, Suzhou Pingtan     2     (list) as a national intangible (非物质的) cultural heritage. Born in a family devoted to Pingtan for decades, he first never considered becoming an inheritor. When he was 16, his father used a white lie to ‘trick’ him     3     attending a Pingtan school, and that’s     4     he gradually became interested in Pingtan.

Pingtan faces     5     unique challenge: being understood. “The Wu dialect makes Pingtan stand out but also makes it inaccessible to a     6     (wide) audience,” Ge said. To solve this, Ge has used an innovative approach to spread Pingtan culture on Douyin, creating separate     7     (video) on each traditional element. Compared to offline performances that only receive around 100 people, Ge’s livestreams    8     (see) up to 20,000 viewers. Ge believes that     9     constraint (限制) on Pingtan’s development is the lack of a “breakout hit.” He is trying to combine well-known stories     10     (create) a ‘breakout hit’ that keeps classic charm while appealing to young people.

On September 17, 2023, the Cultural Landscape of Old Tea Forests of the Jingmai Mountain in Pu’er     1    (gain) World Heritage Site stams, becoming a new Chinese entry on that list. This means that it has been recognized     2     an importunt place of cultural signilicance.

    3    (locate) about 1,500 meters above the weu tevel, the heritage site in Pu ‘er, Yunnan province contains five large-scale, well-preserved old tea forests. It is the first World Heritage Site with the theme of tea. It was     4     (joint) created by ancestors of Blang people,     5     immigrated toJingmai Mountain in the tenth century, and by the ancestors of Dai people. Their    6     (contribution) have turned it into     7     unique and beautiful place that we see today.     8     (ensure) lastingly inherited (继承) outstanding universal values of the old tea forests, China will better guide local communities to join in protection and regulate tourism. It will also advance international cooperation     9     cultural exchanges in the World Herilage circle. The heritage site presents the ecological wisdom that can be inspiring for     10     (sustain) development of the world today.

To promote all-around development, students in ancient China     1     (require) to learn the so-called Six Arts: rites (礼)，music, archery (射)，charioting (御)，calligraphy and mathematics.     2     (date) back to the Zhou Dynasty (1046 BC-256BC), the Six Arts existed before Confucius but later     3     (gradual) became a part of Confucian philosophy, which     4     (stress) behavior and values.

Among the Six Arts rites stand for manners. There were rites that were used in different events such as weddings and military activities. Students in ancient times could gain     5     sense of self-respect from the study of rites and music. Charioting is the very form of training     6    requires the combined use of wisdom and physical strength. By practicing archery and charioting, students not only obtained war skills but also learned how to behave as     7    (noble). Calligraphy could enable people to acquire knowledge     8    become humble while mathematics could help them learn to think more quickly.

Deeply     9    (root) in Confucian philosophy, the Six Arts integrate the elements of moral education academic study, physical education and social training. In short, the Six Arts system     10     (represent) an important part of Chinese traditional culture and displays its unique charm.

Applause (掌声) rang across Zhaxizom town last month. The air was filled     1     excitement as players sang and danced     2     (happy). The event marked the beginning of the town’s music and food festival. Zhaxizom is at an altitude of 4,200 meters at the foot of Mount Qomolangma, the world’s highest peak, which is known in English as Mount Everest.

“I planned     3     (head) straight to Mount Qomolangma Base Camp, but when I arrived in this small town, the     4     (amaze) festival caught my eye and I decided to stay for several more days to enjoy the music and food here before     5     (continue) my journey,” said one traveler Zhang, who is from Liaoning province.

Migmar Lhamo, a college student     6     lives in Zhaxizom, said, “The festival will allow people to learn about our town. It will become a new     7     (attract) for people.” Migmar Lhamo believes the festival will play     8     important role in improving the development of the local culture and tourism.

According to the county government, more activities such as live music shows, firework displays and food fairs     9     (organize) as part of future festivals to provide both locals and     10     (tourist) with an extremely impressive experience of local culture. “The music and food festival will help the growth of the local economy,” Zhu said.

In Yimeng area of east China — situated Shandong Province, colorful clay whistles,     1     used to be the most popular toys for local children, are regaining attention as     2     typical symbol of local folk culture.

In the memory of many local people,traditional Yimeng clay whistles had simple and exaggerated style, ingenious appearance and bright color and     3     (wear)around necks of children with threads of five colors including red, yellow, blue, white and black     4     (pray) for good luck.

In Chuzhuang village in Linyi City of southeastern Shandong, clay whistles making boasts a history of more than 340 years. In the past, clay whistles made in Chuzhuang were once sold to provinces of Jiangsu and Hebei,     5     (provide) a major source of income for local villagers.

Similar     6     other folk arts in Shandong, color of clay whistles made in Chuzhuang is characterized by brightness, clarity and elegance. By combining     7     (common)used colors such as magenta, pink green, brownish yellow, sapphire blue and eggplant purple with black, the originally completely different colors become     8     (harmony).

Some of the fine Chuzhuang clay whistles     9     (collect) by many national museums andexperts around the world have won many national awards in China and are deemed as one of the important     10     (platform) for cultural exchange between China and foreign countries

Today I am     1     (extreme) happy to share Chinese landscape painting with you.

Chinese landscape painting can     2     (consider) as one of dazzling art forms. The Chinese term for “landscape” is made up of two characters     3     (mean) mountains and water. It is linked with the philosophy of Daoism,     4     emphasizes harmony with the natural world. When Chinese landscape painters work on their paintings, they do not attempt     5     (present) an image of what they have seen in nature, but what they have thought about nature. Chinese landscape painters use the same materials and essential techniques     6     calligraphers, and their works are judged by the same criteria. Chinese landscape painting involves a complex set of     7     (require) for balance, composition, and arrangements. Chinese elemental theory, which includes five elements representing     8     mass of parts of the natural world, is used to determine the use of colors and the placement of elements in the paintings.

Chinese landscape painting is so     9     (appeal) that you should give     10     a go yourself!