China has a long history of more than 5000 years. In the vastness of history, Chinese traditional culture constantly shows     1     (it) unique charm and is deeply loved and appreciated by people around the world. Among the ancient Chinese literature, the Four Great Classical Novels, also referred to as the four greatest and most     2     (influence) novels written in the Ming and Qing Dynasties, stand out.

    3     the four novels have in common is that they were written in the vernacular (白话文) of their times,     4     most ancient literature that was written in the classical style of writing. Most Chinese are familiar with the figures, plots and scenes in the four novels. They have     5    (dramatic) affected the mentality, ideas and values of Chinese people. They were widely read by people and contained philosophical ideas, history and viewpoints about human society that     6     (define) part of the worldviews of the scholar and the     7     (political), which had     8     significant effect on the development of Chinese societies in past eras.

Nowadays, they have already been adapted into movies or TV series,     9     (favor) by lots of audiences. Being high in artistic standard, the Four Great Classical Novels are precious heritage of Chinese nation and     10     (strike) works in the history of Chinese literature.

2024 will be the Year of the Dragon in Chinese culture. To celebrate it, “Long Chenchen”,       1     (color) orange and red and with a pair of doll eyes, has been designed     2     a cute yet lively dragon.

Named Long Chenchen,     3     the “dragon Chenchen”, the mascot for China’s upcoming Dragon Spring Festival Gala     4     (release) up to now, a lot of design details showing the aesthetics (美学的) of Chinese cultural elements.

The design of the     5     (seeming) cute-looking dragon was inspired by     6     item that was discovered in the Erlitou Ruins, a major site in Luoyang, Central China’s Henan province.

The fire shape pattern on its shoulder was inspired by a bronze piece with cloud patterns     7     (date) back to the Spring and Autumn Period (770BC-476BC) . The bronze piece has 12 vividly depicted dragon sculptures, showing ancient Chinese     8     (create) as well as skill for handicrafts. Another source of inspiration was a gilded dragon sculpture     9     is currently in the Xi’an Museum.

“I think this is why the mascot has successfully delivered the spirit of the dragon, which is important     10     (show) the life-force of Chinese culture, “one netizen posted on Sina Weibo.

New Year pictures are an ancient Chinese folk art.     1     (date) from the Song Dynasty, they reflect the customs and beliefs of the people. New Year pictures, as their name suggests,     2     (create) especially to celebrate the Lunar New Year holiday. The custom is popular with the people in the countryside,     3     will be busy cleaning the whole house and sticking     4     (vary) pictures on their doors, windows, walls, and stoves at the Spring Festival. They are often updated     5     (annual), meaning “say goodbye to the past and welcome the future”.

Traditional New Year pictures, famous for simple lines, brilliant colors and scenes of prosperity, have the     6     (feature) of both woodcut prints and Chinese paintings, making a special branch in traditional folk art. New Year pictures are produced in all regions in China with different local characteristics     7     (meet) the specific needs of the vast rural population.

Besides, viewed     8     the symbol of good luck and happiness, New Year pictures cover     9     wide range of themes, but the message in all pictures is related to nice things in the wish of the people. There are more and more new materials for New Year pictures. Meanwhile, New Year pictures     10     (become) a hot collectors’ item for both Chinese and foreigners in recent years.

Chinese people eat foods with the symbols of good luck, prosperity, and happiness during the Chinese New Year.

Fish

Fish is     1     (common) eaten for New Year’s dinner throughout the country. The Chinese word “fish” sounds like the word for “yu”,     2     means always having more than you wish. It is custom that the fish     3     (cook) with its head and tail to ensure a good start and finish.

Chicken

Chicken is a necessary dish on the table because the     4     (pronounce) of “chicken” in Chinese is the same as that of “jí”. And a chicken served wholly in some places     5     (bear) the meaning of happiness. So Chinese people eat chicken in the hope of good luck.

Pork

In the countryside of China, it is a tradition to kill a pig for the Spring Festival     6     (comfort) a year’s hard work. People regard eating pork at family reunion dinners     7     a symbol of a rich life in the next year.

Shrimp(虾)

Your mouth will look like you are saying “hahaha” when     8     (say) shrimp (“xiā” in Chinese). People eat shrimp at this most important dinner of the year just to wish for a happy life for     9     coming new year.

The lunar New Year 2024 is coming, try these traditional     10     (dish) with promising meanings and have good fortune in the new year.

Guqin is a traditional musical instrument. It     1     (exist) for over 3,000 years and represents China’s foremost solo musical instrument tradition.     2     (describe) in early literary sources and confirmed by archaeological finds, this ancient instrument is inseparable     3     Chinese intellectual history. Guqin playing developed as an art form practised by noblemen and     4     (scholar) in intimate settings, and was therefore never intended for public performance. Furthermore, along with calligraphy, painting and weiqi, guqin was one of the four arts, which Chinese were expected     5     (master) in ancient times. According to tradition, twenty years of training were required to attain proficiency.

Its music     6     (list) as an intangible cultural heritage in 2008, which helped unlock the passion of many to learn     7     ancient instrument. Jian was one of them. His interest in the instrument grew after he listened to an album by a famous guqin master. Jian started playing the instrument in his     8     (fifty) and embarked on a journey to look for collectible items across China. To his disappointment, he quickly discovered that many collectors lacked the ability to play guqin themselves, resulting in many being stored away in warehouses. He even came across some of the instruments lying in a state of utter damage,     9     pained him deeply.

With the aim of preserving and utilizing (利用) the centuries-old relics more     10     (effective), Jian began learning how to restore the instrument under the guidance of a guqin repair expert.

8 . 阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容（1个单词）或括号内单词的正确形式。

Zhang Zening,     1     hanfu enthusiast in Nanjing, East China’s Jiangsu Province, started an extraordinary journey eight years ago     2     (bring) this traditional Chinese clothing back to life.     3     (inspire) by ancient murals (壁画), Zhang, 41, studied the artistry of hanfu in various     4     (museum), transforming two-dimensional paintings into tangible and     5     (wear) pieces.

Her extraordinary craftsmanship has not only delighted hanfu enthusiasts, but as well aroused the     6     (curious) of young minds, giving them the opportunity to wear historically significant clothing during museum visits.

Zhang firmly believed that hanfu serves     7     a gateway into the past, allowing people to     8     (true) connect with their cultural heritage. Since 2020, Zhang, the owner of Helu Hanfu Studio,     9     (cooperate) with women’s re-employment organizations, seeking full-time stay-at-home women with sewing skills,     10     corresponds (一致) with her need for the production of hanfu.

Among the many arts found in China are the performing arts. Like paintings, sculptures, carvings and other physical arts, the performing arts in China have     1     long history. The performing arts range from martial arts like kung fu     2     folk songs and dances that vary by region and area.

The performing arts in China date back to ancient times     3     the tribes (部落) took control of the land long before the culture became well developed. As the country began to unify and change, the performing arts used elements of different tribes     4     (create) harmonious performances.

The performing arts in China have constantly grown, developed and changed while keeping elements of the original art.     5     (current), performing arts like singing, acting and the     6     (tradition) Chinese Opera hold many elements. The elements     7     (find) in folk songs and dances with a modern change that includes newer     8     (instrument) and techniques.

Chinese art has a unique aspect that sets it apart from other cultures. Because several generations spend lots of time     9     (develop) it, Chinese art has a developed and unique design that is     10     (significance) part of the country’s history.

Cui Zhenshuo and Yang Bo discovered that because of the far location of most paper workshops and lifestyles of the paper-making craftsmen, their products are unable to reach the market     1     (easy). Therefore, Cui and Yang came up     2     the idea of establishing their own studio that could serve as a bridge to connect far workshops with buyers to advance     3     (tradition) Chinese handmade paper.

Chu is a kind of tree.     4     (it) bark (树皮) is a common material that was used in papermaking in ancient times. Han Yu, a famous     5     (write) during the Tang Dynasty (618-907) called paper Mr. Chu in his work Biography of Mao Ying. Since then, it     6     (use) as a nickname (昵称) for paper by Chinese scholars. In 2019, Cui and Yang named their own studio “I am Mr. Chu.”, and they focused on     7     (run) it.

Du Weisheng, an expert in the restoration (修复) of ancient books at the National Library of China, told them that, in     8     1990s, many Chinese paper relics needed to be repaired with handmade paper that allowed people to find information on various paper styles.

The two began to create the series of handmade paper products from 2021. Each volume is made up of thirty types of handmade paper, each of     9     is sourced from its place of origin. At present, two volumes of the series have been produced, and they plan     10     (make) ten volumes.