According to the traditional Chinese calendar (日历), for every 19 years there will be seven leap months. “Leap month”     1    (refer) to a repetitive month. Rather     2    (interesting), there are two Februarys in 2023.

There are     3     variety of traditions and customs during leap month in China. They are quite     4    (fascinate) for you to explore. In some parts of East China’s Shandong province, the married daughters send toads (蟾蜍) and fish     5    (make) of dough (面团) to their parents.     6    (live) near Wuyi Mountain in East China’s Fujian province, the local people have the tradition of drinking tea at leap month, and only women     7    (allow) to take part. The daughters who are married usually buy pig’s feet and thin noodles for their parents,     8     is unique for people in Southeast China’s Taiwan province. Various historical and cultural factors have contributed     9     the diverse customs. Do they successfully arouse your     10    (curious)? The leap February has arrived. Are you prepared with your gifts?

For a long time, foreigners’ impressions of Chinese culture have been stuck on cultural symbols such as pandas, dragon and lion dances, dumplings and Confucius. In fact, China is successfully exporting cultural     1    (product) overseas that are quite different from    2    we used to label as “traditional culture”. Take Chinese online literature for example. Especially in Southeast Asia, it has emerged as a growing area of interest, and much has even been published in physical form. So today, many foreign readers     3    (fascinate) by the element of mystery contained in Chinese literature. Besides, as TV series make     4    (they) way globally, China’s “We Media” industry, becomes even more     5    (influence). It goes hand in hand     6    the explosion of TikTok overseas. Some Chinese influencers have worldwide appeal for their posted videos     7    (feature) traditional Chinese culture on their accounts. Deeply interested, many foreigners wish to pay    8    visit to China. In terms of game industry, the level of China’s     9    (independent) developed games has been climbing annually. The range of these games has gradually shifted from elsewhere in Asia to the whole world. In general,     10    (make) China a cultural powerhouse on the international stage, Chinese people have drawn upon the tradition and boosted it with technology.

The craftswoman Ji Yulan, an inheritor of the intangible heritage of paper-cutting from the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region,     1     (engage) herself in the art for over 40 years.

She made paper-cuts of people from all     2     (walk) of life. “The paper-cutting art comes from the folk and it should return to the people,” Ji said. One of her pieces described a nurse with long, beautiful hair,     3     (wear) a mask and a white gown (罩衣). Ji was deeply impressed by female medical workers     4     cut their long hair to better themselves for their jobs. “Women are charming in long hair and it takes a lot of courage to cut it,” Ji said. She created a paper-cutting work to show the image, in which a nurse has her long hair back.

Ji has 12 students, aged from 3     5     23. “They discovered their interest in paper-cutting and came to me to learn it, “she said. She devotes     6     (she) to her career and often encourages her students     7     (create) works based on a younger mindset. Ji said, “I am     8     (extreme) optimistic about the future of the craft. Younger generation have a real sense of     9     (culture) heritage.”

Ji keeps practicing paper-cutting every day. Her works hang in her studio     10    appear in every corner of her home. She also learned to share her works on video-sharing platforms to increase her audience.

As a costume drama A Dream of Splendor     1    (draw) many audiences this summer, the way the heroine Zhao Pan’er makes tea in the drama also attracted much attention. Heytea, a Chinese boutique teahouse chain, recently launched new flavored tea drinks     2    (base) on the recipe from the TV show.

It is well known that China is not only the home of most of the world’s tea,     3    has a series of customs concerning tea making and tea choice according to the seasons. In summer, green tea is highly recommended, for     4    (it) character is “cold” in traditional Chinese medical theories, suitable     5    (calm) the restlessness caused by hot summer.

Since the Southern Song Dynasty, loose leaf green tea     6    (drink) in China. It is said that Emperor Qianlong from the Qing Dynasty was a tea lover and often enjoyed Longjing, the most well-known Chinese green tea produced in Zhejiang province, during his     7    (day) life in summer.     8    Longjing, Chinese green tea has many family members with beautiful and poetic names, such as Yunwu,     9    literally means cloud and mist. When you feel hot and restless, have Chinese green tea and enjoy     10    mouthful of “cool summer”.

The first “Window of Chinese Books” in Europe was launched on Tuesday, with an online book donation ceremony from China’s Jinling Library to Malta Libraries.

The online event     1     (hold) at the Central Public Library in Floriana, Malta. More than 200 books were donated by Jinling Library,     2     cover fields such as ancient Chinese literature and art, history, culture, and food.

Books are crucial for the     3     (culture) exchange between two countries and will further enhance cooperation.     4     (hopeful), the donated books will open a new window of understanding of Chinese culture, history and social development for the Maltese people.

The books     5     (donate) on Tuesday not only provide a chance of     6     (promote) Chinese culture and tourism, but are also     7     precious gift of friendship from the people of Nanjing to the Maltese people.

Jinling Library has always focused on using books     8     a bridge to understanding of Chinese culture for global     9     ( citizen). Jinling Library, founded in 1927, established     10     (it) first “Window of Chinese Books” overseas in Nigeria in 2013. There will be more in the future.

Chinese painting is one of the     1     (old) continuous artistic traditions in the world. The materials used in Chinese painting, brush and ink on paper and silk, have made it     2       (difficulty) to learn. Once on paper, brushstrokes (笔画) cannot be corrected, so a painter must have a complete idea of the painting even before     3     (lift) the brush. Chinese painting also demands total     4     (concentrate) in the act of the very moment. The painter must work with speed, liveliness, confidence and technical mastery, infusing (融入) spiritual energy into     5     brushstrokes.

Chinese paintings do not attempt     6     (reflect) the actual physical appearance of a subject,     7     rather its nature. Chinese paintings do not have a single view; every area of the painting is interesting to the eye. Landscapes are often painted from a viewpoint above the scene so that many areas can be seen at once. In large scenes, the eye is meant to travel along a visual path     8     one area to another.

There     9     (be) four main subjects of Chinese painting: human figures, landscapes, animals and plants. Figure painting became     10     (high) developed during the Tang Dynasty, and landscape painting reached its height during the Song Dynasty.

The beginning of a new year brings opportunities to look forward to, but sometimes the best way forward isn’t straight head.

    1     (fall) on Jan. 31, National Backward Day is an opportunity to reverse(颠倒) the set routines of daily life. Backward Day     2     (start) in 1961 by two farmers, Sarah Nicole Miller and Megan Emily Scott, and the occasion has stuck, according     3     National Today. Taking part can be as simple as wearing a hat backward or as     4     (excite) as reverse skydiving.

But for some, like Aaron Yoder,     5     track and field coach at Bethany College in Lindsborg, Kansas, going backward     6     (be) a daily practice. When an injury kept him sidelined(退赛) from running—and work, relationship, and family challenges mounted— Mr. Yoder decided     7     (turn) it around, literally. Running backward,     8     works different muscles, delivered new freedom. “It was a reset. It was kind of like a rebirth,” he says.

Mr. Yoder now holds the fastest backward mile     9     (recognize) by Guinness World Records, clocking in at 5: 54. And the     10     (advantage) of backward thinking have spread into “different elements of teaching, coaching, life,” he says.

His advice for those who might try backward running on Jan. 31, “Just make sure you got a clear path.”

The term "cultural heritage" might bring to mind things like old buildings, historical memorials and items such as prints, drawings, and paintings.     1     , the actual concept of cultural heritage expands much     2     （far）than that. In fact, it has     3     （gradual）grown to where it now includes every single piece of human expression and creativity, including instruments, books, documents, and photographs.

In today's world, the natural environment, underwater heritage, and towns     4     （consider）to be a part of cultural heritage because communities tend     5     （connect）themselves closely with the natural landscape. Having a good knowledge of your heritage will assist you in     6     （understand）who you are.

Many teenagers long to "discover" themselves, and at the same time, their role or     7     （important）in the world can often be answered simply by studying     8     （they）heritage. Of course, teenagers are not alone in this quest for self and heritage can be a great cure to anyone searching     9     themselves.

The sense of identity     10     can be got from studying your family and cultural heritage can help you try to explain to others the person you want to be, but more often, it will help you explain it to yourself.