Over 800 performers from around the world, including over 300 from China, brought back the     1     (impress) scene of the Edinburgh Festival Carnival (嘉年华). They presented music, dance, and circus performances along the Princes Street in the heart of Edinburgh, with tens of thousands of people     2     (cheer) them on. Edinburgh, Scotland’s capital,     3     (fill) with music and color that day. The excellent performances     4     (give) by the Chinese community in Edinburgh, such as dragon and lion dance and colorful ethnic (民族的) dance, drew     5     (wave) of warm applause.

    6     carnival is an annual event organized by the Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival, and marks the beginning of Edinburgh’s summer festival season, in     7     a series of festivals will last from mid-July till the end of August.

“The Chinese performances are absolutely wonderful in     8     (they). It’s really exciting to see so many performers from China. It’s something we want to build on for the future,” said the chair of the Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival. “The Chinese presence in this multicultural event     9     (help) create a diverse society. It’s a good way to share that understanding and bring people together     10     art and music.”

Chicken-blood stone     1    (be) one of China’s most valuable materials and has been used for centuries to create carved works with red markings. With its bright blood-red color, bright crystal-like jade (玉) texture quality and shape, chicken-blood stones are celebrated around     2     world. The artistic value of Changhua chicken-blood stone lies in its adaptability, which can     3     (process) into decorations (装饰品) of different sizes and forms.

    4     (recent) Crafts man Qian Gaochao and his son spent more than six months     5     (make) three “chicken-blood” stone carvings showing the competitions of the 19th Asian Games HangZhou 2022, such as taekwondo and wrestling. As a     6     (nation) inheritor (继承人) of the intangible (非物质) cultural heritage of the chicken-blood stone carving skills, Qian Gaochao says, “I’m not only doing carving work but also recording the     7     (develop) and changes of our society and remembering the era through my carvings. Besides, we often hold research activities and provide training courses     8     that more young students can understand and learn Chinese traditional culture.” So far, he has created many fine works, most of     9     are related to important events in Chinese history and famous people who have made great contributions     10    the country.

For Greek photographer George Doupas, Beijing is home now. During the past decade, he has been photographing the city, capturing its beauty     1     sharing these photos online and in exhibitions.

“This     2     (true) represents Beijing — the old and the new, nicely mixing together,” Doupas said while showing his photograph of the Zhihua Temple, a delicate Ming Dynasty building. It     3     (locate) in front of a modern office building, Galaxy SOHO, which features weaving bridges and interlocking passageways.

With rich historical heritage, Beijing     4     (be) an important center of traditional Chinese culture since the Ming Dynasty. Doupas often gets     5     (lose) in the city’s splendid ancient architecture. Meanwhile, he is also amazed by the modern city     6    (combine) high-end businesses and various industries. “It is fascinating to see a rapidly-developing city that invests so much effort in preserving its past, which is     7     I decided to pursue my career here,” he said.

Doupas is determined to continue with his career in China, hoping to serve as     8     bridge between China and the West. The     9     (display) that show his photos about Beijing have attracted a large audience in Greece and the Czech Republic.

“I call Beijing my home now,” he said, “I’ll keep sharing photos of China     10     the rest of the world.”

The Yin-yang diagram is an illustration of t’ai chi. Yin and yang are not     1     (complete) opposite, one of which can turn into the other. Chinese people boil down the laws of the universe, nature and the human body to this:Yin and yang are in a circle; man and nature exist in unity.     2     (base) on such philosophical ideas,     3     (tradition) knowledge and sports practice about physical and mental cultivation have been formed and passed down from generation     4     generation. Thus t’ai chi ch’uan came into being.

Chinese people believe that movement is contained in stillness and fastness is contained in slowness. T’ai chi ch’uan     5     (contain) these two kinds of energy. Do you think the most important characteristic of t’ai chi ch’uan is     6     (soft)? No. The fighting principle of it is to mobilize the internal energy flow of the human body,     7     has both speed and explosive power.

The greatest uses of t’ai chi ch’uan are for people     8     (experience) life, the true principles of movement and stillness in nature, and to maintain harmony with nature in mind and body. So far, it     9     (prove) by medical research that t’ai chi ch’uan is     10     ideal therapy against a number of chronic diseases. It can not only promote physical health, but also help ease your mind and delight your spirits.

Straw patchwork (麦秆画) is a well-known Chinese art and    1    (have) a history of over 2,000 years. It traces its roots to folk art, starting as handicrafts used by local governments to show respect to emperors during the Sui Dynasty.

Straw patchwork is handmade and takes full advantage of the straw’s natural glow and    2    (it) material to describe landscapes, flowers, animals and human figures. The visual images and wonderful handicrafts are not only a good reflection of deep    3    (tradition) Chinese culture, but also a wonderful artwork used as decorations.

    4    artistic techniques used in straw patchwork draw on many other art forms such as paper cut, print, painting, etc. Each patchwork requires a process    5    includes more than ten steps long. The process    6    (clever) combines a variety of techniques to show skilled workmanship, including polishing, steaming, ironing, pressing, and cutting of materials. All these techniques bring a rich    7     (express) to the straw artwork,    8    (make) it a simple and elegant art form.

Straw patchwork owes its popularity to its bright colors which do not fade and its simple, lifelike designs. With its excellent details, the straw patchwork    9    (enjoy) and appreciated by both the Chinese and Westerners. I is used to decorate and beautify homes and offices and is often given    10    gifts.

Shadow puppetry (皮影戏) is a Chinese folk art known for its special storytelling skills,     1     dates back to the Han Dynasty. When thinking about shadow puppetry, most Chinese people remember their experiences of watching shadow plays when they were little. Now, one can enjoy a whole shadow show just by     2     (put) on a VR headset. The designer hopes that with the help of modern technology like VR, more young people will become     3     (interest) and pass down this ancient performing art to prevent it from gradually disappearing.

The Double Ninth Festival has a history of over 2, 000 years. According to tradition, we should celebrate the festival by going mountain climbing,     1    how many people today still observe this tradition? In modern society, many traditional Chinese festivals are becoming less popular. However, they are an important part of Chinese culture and must     2    (maintain).

Traditional festivals teach us a lot,     3    our nation’s history. The Dragon Boat Festival, for example, is celebrated in honour of Qu Yuan,     4    is a great poet living in the Warring States period of ancient China.

Besides, traditional festivals are carriers of culture,     5    (enable) us to learn more about fine Chinese values. Many festivals, such as the Mid-autumn Festival, have a     6    (care), family-centred message at their heart.

Finally, traditional festivals are a source of national     7    (proud) and help shape our national identity. For example, we celebrate the Hanshi Festival and the Laba Festival with unique     8    (custom), and these shared experiences bring us together as a people.

Traditional festivals have been     9    (gradual)passed down to us from previous generations. It is the duty of every one of us     10    (protect)them for generations to come.