Were you born in the Year of the Tiger, the Rabbit, or maybe the Loong? Read on to find out more about the Lunar New Year.

The lunar calendar     1     (base) on the cycles of the moon. so the date of the Lunar New Year is different each year. In China and in many other places,     2     Vietnam, Singapore and Korea, the Lunar New Year is usually celebrated in January or February.

Each year is named after one of 12 animals. There is a traditional story about     3     the animals were chosen. The Jade Emperor,     4     important god in traditional Chinese religions, wanted to find a way to measure time. He decided     5     (have) a race for all the animals in the country. Only 12 animals actually managed to get to the race and the Jade Emperor rewarded them by     6     (name) the 12 years of the lunar calendar after them. The first to finish     7     (be) the rat, so the first year was the Year of the Rat. The other eleven, in order, were the ox, the tiger, the rabbit, the loong, the snake, the horse, the goat, the monkey, the rooster, the dog and the pig. In many countries, the animals are the same as these. However, in some places they are of a bit     8     (different).

Different places celebrate in     9     (slight) different ways, but the Lunar New Year is indeed a family celebration everywhere. The younger generation greet their parents and grandparents with good wishes for the year ahead. Older members of the family give younger ones     10     (gift) of money, traditionally in small packets.

A stuffed toy named “Happy Loong” from Gansu Provincial Museum has recently distinguished     1     (it) from conventional souvenirs and captured the hearts of tourists.

Modeled     2     a Ming Dynasty gold decoration in the shape of a loong, or Chinese dragon, over 1, 000 of these chubby (圆胖的)     3     smiling loong toys were sold in the first week after it hit the market earlier this year.

Besides “Happy Loong”, the museum sells stuffed toys     4     (inspire) by the Dunhuang Flying Apsaras and the bronze galloping (飞驰的) horse from the Eastern Han Dynasty,     5     combine rich history with the appetite of Generation-Z.

This innovative approach to museum souvenirs reflects     6     broader trend of making cultural products appealing to young Chinese museum-goers. The Palace Museum’s online store, for instance,     7     (offer) playful and humorous souvenirs featuring emperors in Chinese history, receiving positive reviews from young visitors.

The success of these innovative souvenirs lies in the ability     8     (meet) the demands of young people seeking relaxation and individuality. However, designing truly     9     (create) cultural product requires a good knowledge of cultural relics.

Looking ahead, the museum souvenir market in China is expected to continue growing, presenting abundant     10     (opportunity) for designers.

The Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival was established on January 5th, 1985, becoming     1     world-class celebration of ice and snow. The Ice and Snow Festival is the     2     (long) ice and snow festival in the world. It only has an opening ceremony,     3     (hold) on January 5th each year, and there is no closing ceremony.     4     (original) planned for a month, in reality, the festivities begin at the end of the previous year, continuing till the end of February, when the ice and snow activities conclude. During this period, it encompasses (包含) four significant festive events: New Year, Spring Festival (Chinese New Year), Lantern Festival (Yuanxiao Festival), and a skiing festival.

Initially, the festival     5     (regard) as a way to attract tourists and showcase the unique winter beauty and cultural     6     (rich) of Harbin, a city in northeastern China. It has since grown into one of the world’s most famous winter festivals,     7     (draw) millions of visitors from around the globe. Over the years, the festival     8     (become) a significant driver of tourism in the region.

The festival serves as a platform for cultural exchange and collaboration. International and local artists come together     9     (create) beautiful ice and snow sculptures, and the event often features performances, exhibitions, and activities that showcase various cultural traditions. It provides an opportunity     10     people from different backgrounds, in which they can learn about and appreciate each other’s cultures.

The 38th Qinhuai Lantern Festival Lights Up China

On the evening of February 2, the 2024 “Light Up China” event, the 38th annual China Qinhuai Lantern Festival lighting ceremony,     1    (begin) at the Bailuzhou Park in Nanjing, Jiangsu province. The Qinhuai Lantern Festival,     2     is also known as the “Jinling Lantern Festival”, is a folk cultural activity spread in Nanjing in history. It is usually held during the Spring Festival to the Lantern Festival every year. It is the most famous lantern festival in China and it is included in the national intangible cultural heritage list.

With the Bailuzhou Park, the Confucius Temple Scenic Area and the Laomendong District serving     3     main display venues, this year’s Qinhuai Lantern Fair has set up 7 exhibition areas with 330 lantern installations.

    4    (compare) to previous years’ lantern festivals, one of the major highlights this year is the remarkable “the Year of the Dragon” theme. For instance, at the front of the Linxing Gate of the Confucius Temple in Nanjing, the lantern display features twin dragons winding around pillars, blowing out dragon pearls, symbolizing auspiciousness (吉祥) and reunion. Meanwhile, the Bailuzhou Park takes     5    (inspire) from the “Illustration of Lanterns in the Shangyuan Festival” as its creative theme, showing     6     total of 68 sets of lanterns in various sizes and forms, recreating the splendid scene of observing lanterns during the Ming dynasty as described in the ancient artworks.

The Lantern Festival in Nanjing this year not only celebrates the traditional customs of the Lunar New Year but also highlights the city’s cultural heritage and     7    (innovation) spirit, drawing visitors from across the nation     8    (participate) in the joyous celebrations.

A local elderly person said to a news reporter     9    (proud), “It has the reputation of No. 1 Lantern Festival in the world and the Qinhuai Lantern Festival     10    (be) the best in the world. It is the only large-scale comprehensive lantern festival in China that integrates lantern exhibitions, lantern festivals and lantern markets.”

Fireworks are essentially rockets in their simplest form. They produce noise, light and smoke, and sometimes they even explode sending up floating materials, like confetti (五彩纸屑). They can be designed to burn in all different colors and patterns, so people often set off a number of them in an effort    1    (create) an interesting fireworks display or show.

Historians believe fireworks     2    (appear) for the first time in ancient China in the second century B.C., when they were made from bamboo stalks and gunpowder that would explode when    3    (throw) into a fire. They were said to drive away evil spirits. By the 15th century, fireworks had become popular in Europe,    4    (common) used for religious festivals and public entertainment. And when the U.S. settlers left Europe, they brought fireworks with them and made them a    5    (centre) part of the first Independence Day,    6    tradition still followed today.

Fireworks are wildly popular,    7    they have been linked to air pollution increases, and    8    (expert) are concerned about their negative effects    9    wildlife. Although they’re fleeting and infrequent, fireworks shows spray out a toxic concoction (混合物) that rains down quietly into lakes, rivers, and bays throughout the country. Many of the chemicals in fireworks are also persistent in the environment,    10    means they stubbornly sit there instead of breaking down.

Confucianism is a major belief system that started in ancient China,     1     was developed by a thinker     2     (name) Confucius. It’s not a religion     3     the typical sense, but a set of moral, ethical, and social guidelines.

Confucianism emphasizes respect for elders,     4     (devote) to family, and social harmony. It also highly values education and promotes personal growth. Central to Confucianism is the idea that human beings are fundamentally good and     5     they can improve through self-cultivation and self-creation.

Another key concept in Confucianism is “Li”, which means “proper behavior”. It’s about behaving     6     (correct) in every social situation to maintain harmony and balance.

In addition, Confucianism promotes the idea of “Ren”, or “humaneness”. It suggests that individuals should be     7     (sympathy) and kind towards others, with a strong sense of duty and care for people in their community.

Confucianism has shaped the culture, social structures, and history of China and other East Asian countries. It has played a huge role in the development of their education systems, family structures, and government systems. Today, it     8     (continue) to have a deep influence,     9     (guide) the behaviors and values of many people. In essence, Confucianism is a powerful philosophy that encourages respect, compassion, learning, and harmony in society. It’s a way of life that     10     (touch) countless lives over centuries.

When I was a little boy, the dinner on the eve of the Spring Festival was    1    I looked forward to most. It was not only for the delicious food that we seldom got to eat, but also an opportunity to have the family gathered together. I would run     2     (happy) with my sister in the house, while my mom was preparing food in the kitchen. She would put some tokens in some dumplings; candies for a sweet life, and peanuts for a long and healthy     3    . In the evening, we would sit around the table, toasted each other and enjoyed the homemade dishes, which tasted much better than anything     4     (cook) in the restaurant.

However, for the last three years, we     5     (eat) out for the Spring Festival family dinner, and we have enjoyed it no less than eating at home.    6     I don’t understand why some people refuse this change. Can’t they admit that the     7     (prepare) for a dinner is hard work? It is not worth the effort of spending so much time cooking a single meal. We work all year, so why can’t one day be about spending time with family and     8     (relax). Eating out is a good choice and it has nothing to do     9     loss of traditions. We still have the dinner with the same people, just in a different place. The occasion is more     10    (enjoy) without that tiring cooking.