Many years ago, a dance between clay (陶土)     1     fire gave rise to a piece of art: ceramic. In the flames burning in kilns (窑) around China in the Xia and Shang dynasties, ceramic     2     (be) born. Ceramic     3     (make) by heating raw materials, is often a mix between China stone and kaolin clay, in a kiln at a temperature as high as 1, 200 degrees Celsius. Temperature is the key to     4     (produce) ceramic.

Ceramic has also been     5     carrier for cultural exchanges. Along with China's silk and tea, ceramic was one of the first goods     6     (receive) worldwide trade.

As it travelled around the globe through the ancient Maritime Silk Road, ceramic enjoyed great     7     (popular) among royal families and upper classes in Europe,     8     were attracted by these beautiful     9     (contain) they named after China, a product that could be produced only in the far East. As a memory that can be felt with both hands, ceramic is     10     (absolute) the touchable history.

Earth Day was founded in 1970 as a day of education about environmental problems, and Earth Day 2020     1     (fall) on Wednesday, April 22 — the holiday’s 50th anniversary. The holiday is now a global celebration that’s sometimes extended into Earth Week, a full seven days of events focused on green living.

    2    (elect) to the U. S. Senate (参议院) in 1962, Senator Gaylord Nelson was determined to convince the federal government that the planet was     3     risk. In 1969, Nelson developed the idea for Earth Day after     4     (inspire) by some teaching activities     5     were taking place on college campuses around the United States.

Denis Hayes, a young activist who had served as student president at Stanford University,     6    (select) as Earth Day’s national coordinator (协调者), and he worked with     7     army of student volunteers and several staff members from Nelson’s Senate office     8    (organize) the project.

The first Earth Day was effective at raising     9     (aware) about environmental problems and transforming public attitudes. Earth Day kicked off the “Environmental decade with a bang,” as Senator Nelson later put it. The theme of Earth Day 2020 is “climate action.” EarthDay.org hopes it will be the     10     (large) volunteer event in history.

A music concert “Echoes of Ancient Tang Poems” jointly performed by iSING! Suzhou and the Philadelphia Orchestra was staged at Kimmel Performing Arts Center in Philadelphia on Jan .6.

Another concert featuring Tang poetry was     1    (successful) held at the Lincoln Center in New York on Jan.7. Fifteen iSING! Suzhou singers from 10 countries led by Liao Guomin performed songs     2    (write) by young composers from 6 countries. The songs included many well-known poems dating     3     the Tang Dynasty, such as Luo Binwang’s Singing of Goose and Li Bai’s Quiet Thoughts by Night.

The iSING! Suzhou International Young Artists Festival     4    (set) up in Suzhou in 2014 as     5     (China) first international vocal (声乐) art festival. Over the past eight years, the festival     6    (attract) outstanding young singers from all over the world, spread     7     promoted Chinese and classical music, and enhanced cultural exchanges between China and the West, becoming a cultural card for Suzhou to go     8    (globe).

The performances were also held to commemorate (纪念)     9     fiftieth anniversary of the Philadelphia Orchestra’s China tour in 1973. The Philadelphia Orchestra, as the first American orchestra     10    (visit) China, bridged the two nations in the field of culture.

Chinese screen, also known as pingfeng, is     1     unique and elegant piece of traditional furniture in Chinese decoration.     2     (typical), it is made of wood and features a delicate appearance. Famous for its carvings and paintings, the Chinese screen can block wind and noise from the outside, cover a door and make the room private. When     3     (decorate) a house, Chinese people attach great importance     4     the harmony of their living space with the surrounding environment. Architects believe a screen can help to control how the energy flow in a room and promote     5     (peace) environment.

With its roots in Chinese culture and ancient history, the screen is more than just a physical barrier or decoration. In addition to its decorative and practical     6     (function), the Chinese screen     7     (consider) a symbol of honor and respect as well. When important guests visit, the host often greets them behind the screen as a sign of respect and privacy.

Today, Chinese screens are still treasured and employed for their multiple roles. Whether     8     (use) to divide a room, create privacy,     9     add a touch of traditional elegance to a space, the Chinese screen     10     (remain) a beloved and valuable piece of design.

The Chinese couplet (对联) refers to two poetic lines obeying certain rules, often     1     (write) on red paper for     2     (appreciate).

As a form of Chinese literature, the couplet     3     (vary) in content and style. Some express people’s love to their motherland, some describe the beauty of nature,     4     some convey best wishes for the coming year.

Chinese couplets originated in the Five Dynasties, and since then they     5     (become) commonplace everywhere in China. It was the custom for people     6     (hang) peach wood charms to drive away evil spirits during the Spring Festival. Nowadays, couplets are used in a similar way.

It was said that the     7     (early) couplet was created by Meng Chang, king of Later Shu and it was     8     (wide) popular in the Northern Song Dynasty. At present, writing 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, and its opposite in the second line, is of a level tone.

Nowhere are manners more important than at the table. When the Chinese ask their guests to dinner, even though there are excellent dishes on the table,    1     host is       2     (like) to say something like “There are no special dishes tonight. Please help yourselves.” The praises of the dishes       3     (leave) to the guest. But this is different in the West. If     4     (ask) a guest to eat at his home, the host may say, “This is the       5     (good) dish my wife cooks.” The seats are arranged in a different way. The hostess or host sits at the head of the table       6     the main guest on his right, the second guests on his left. There are some     7     (different) in offering wine and cigarettes.       8     a Chinese host gives a toast, he usually says “Bottoms up” and drinks up all the wine in the cup. He wants the guests to do the same. But in the West     9     is up to the guests to decide how much they drink. Usually the host just leaves the cigarettes on the table, instead of offering them to his (her)     10     (guest) one after another.