Recently, Chinese netizens expressed amazement at a map full of dotted signs. Wu Yunjie is the map maker, who is     1     (passion) about cultural relics. Clearly marking the country’s historic sites was once his pursuit, and now with perseverance and commitments     2     (come) the great moment he looks forward to.

In 2020, Wu started collecting information. Many historical sites cannot be located     3     (specific) and some information is not fully disclosed, for     4     he spent much time carrying out on-site visits.

Though facing difficulties, Wu has joy in this job. Now, the map includes nearly 10,000 historical landmarks using different colors     5     (represent) different categories: Red signs show the cultural relic sites under state protection, while green signs stand for the     6     ( protect) historical sites by the provinces. Scattered like stars in the sky and     7     (tower) on the ground, numerous ancient tall architectures are also marked on the map.

The cultural relics recorded on the map account     8     less than 2% of the over 760,000 immovable cultural relics. “If possible, I’d like to document many cultural relics that     9     (lose) overseas for such a long time. Those treasures may not be able to return to their homeland at the moment,     10     the stories they carry are what we need to see.”

Yu Rong, a Chinese artist, thinks of a new way to introduce     1     ancient story of Hua Mulan in her picture book. In the book, I Am Hua Mulan, she tells the story by     2     (combine) Chinese paper-cutting with international artistic styles. She places Shaanxi papercuts over western-style pencil sketches (素描)    3     (create) typical presentation of Chineseelements (要素), which turns out to be a     4     (success) and impressive breakthrough.

Hua Mulan,     5     story has been told by generations in China, was a fighter from the Northern Wei Dynasty (386-534). As a devoted daughter, she dressed herself as a man to serve in the army     6     place of her father. Mulan’s character, such as courage, kindness and a disinterested attitude towards fame and fortune, made     7     (she) one of the most respected historical Chinese heroines. Mulan’s story has been adapted     8     (frequent) in modern media. For example, in 1998, Disney produced a film named Mulan, which     9     (consider) a great success by critics and the public right after its release.

To better tell the story, Yu Rong takes inspiration from her several     10     (visit) to sites of ancient battles and Henan Province’s Yu Opera. After years of preparation she finally makes this extraordinary work.

The youth version of The Peony Pavilion (《牡丹亭》) successfully entered the stage of the Spring for Chinese Arts at the Beijing Tianqiao Performing Arts Center.

The Peony Pavilion,     1     cultural treasure of the world, was written by China’s Ming Dynasty playwright and writer Tang Xianzu, who is compared to William Shakespeare. And Kunqu Opera,     2     (combine) songs performed in the Suzhou dialect, graceful body movements, martial arts and dance, was     3     (origin) born in the region of Kunshan, Jiangsu Province. It was listed as one of the representative     4     (work) of the oral and intangible heritage of humanity by UNESCO in 2001.

Kunqu Opera uses a seemingly endless     5     (vary) of gestures to express specific emotions and has distinguished itself by its rhythmic patterns. It also has a major impact     6     all the more recent forms of opera in China, such as Peking Opera.

    7     excites the organizing committee is that The Peony Pavilion     8     (attract) a growing young audience since its first performance in Beijing. Up to now, Beijing Tianqiao Performing Arts Center,     9     aim is to emphasize the inheritance, promotion, development and popularization of traditional Chinese culture and arts, has also held many exhibitions related to traditional drama, and established the Peking Opera inheritance class     10     (popularize) the traditional art to children.

I will never forget my first assignment as a foreign reporter in Brazil to cover the Rio Carnival. It is one of Brazil’s largest cultural     1     (event), drawing up to two million tourists to Rio every year.

I was out on the streets on the first day of the Carnival,     2     (arm) with my camera and notebook, ready to do some work. Being there     3     (be) a constant assault(冲击)on my senses. Hundreds of people were singing and dancing,     4     Brazilian samba music filling the air. I wandered. fort hours, from one block party to another. At one point, someone offered     5     (trade) me an alcoholic beverage(饮料)and-a golden feathered headdress for my camera. I`m still not sure why, but I agreed to the deal. It was     6     (probable) a question of getting swept up in the Carnival spirit. Unfortunately, my boss did not accept this     7     (explain), so I had to pay for     8     new camera in the end.

It was worth it, though. I still have that golden headdress, as     9     reminds me of those unforgettable days. The Rio Carnival is without doubt something     10     everyone should add to his or her bucket list.

The Chinese couplet(对联) refers to two poetic lines obeying certain rules, often written on red paper for     1    (appreciate). The couplet is a form of Chinese literature     2    varies in content and style. Some express people’s love to their motherland, some describe the beauty of nature,     3    some convey best wishes for the coming year.

Chinese couplets originated in the Five Dynasties, and     4    (become) widespread in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. It was a custom for people     5    (hang) peach wood charms to drive away evil spirits during the Spring Festival. Nowadays, couplets are used     6    a similar way.

It was said that the     7    (early) couplet was written by Meng Chang, king of Houshu State and it was     8    (extreme) popular in the Northern Song Dynasty. Since the Ming Dynasty, being able to write couplets     9    (regard) as a mark of the cultured life of scholars.

The couplet has two equal-length lines. However, the number of     10    (character) 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(仄声), and its opposite in the second line, of a level tone(平声).

An animated giant panda named “Bing Dwen Dwen” and a red lantern baby called “Shuey Rhon Rhon” have been uncovered as the two mascots for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The giant panda, which will be the Olympic mascot,     1     (regard) as a symbol of China. Its name “Bing Dwen Dwen”,     2     helmet also stands for the snow and ice of winter sports, is a combination of several meanings in the Chinese language, with “Bing” the Chinese word for “ice”, and “Dwen Dwen”     3     (mean) health and liveliness. The Paralympic mascot choice of the lantern is seen as “symbolic of harvest,     4     (warm) and light”. In the name “Shuey Rhon Rhon”, “Shuey” is     5     Chinese word for “snow” and “Rhon Rhon” has the double meaning of tolerance and integration (融合).

The vivid red image is a perfect fit     6     the gala event, especially as the Games will take place at the same time with China’s Lunar New Year celebration in February and March 2022. The mascot     7     (combine) the best elements and     8     (characteristic) of China and the Chinese people. It will be a wonderful spokesperson for China and the Olympic Games Beijing 2022. It’s a mascot that not     9     (simple) represents a Chinese lantern, but represents the Chinese New Year. It’s a message of the future to the future generation of Chinese people who will be inspired by the     10     (amaze) faith of the Paralympic athletes.

The Chinese Longtaitou Festival, or Dragon-Head-Raising Festival falls on the second day of the second lunar month every year. Chinese people believe that rainfall     1     (increase) after this day because the rain-bringing Dragon King has awakened from his winter sleep.

The festival celebrates ancient agricultural Chinese culture, and while some of     2     (tradition) ways to celebrate it are no longer practiced, others persist. The most famous tradition is getting     3     haircut. Some believe that going to the barber’s on this day gets rid     4     bad luck, while others believe doing that during the first month of the lunar calendar brings bad luck. Another saying warns that     5     (cut) your hair in the first month will cause your uncle to die in several months. Although today few pay attention to it, it was once a tradition     6     (line) up outside barber shops on the day of Longtaitou, having avoided haircuts for the previous month.

People eat toufu balls in Fujian province during the festival, and     7     (frequent) make tofu and vegetable balls to pray for family and business. Eating chengyao cakes,     8     are made of sticky rice, is a tradition in Suzhou in memory of the saying, “If he eats chengyao this day,     9     (he) waist won’t hurt all year.” Meanwhile other foods, like noodles, dumplings, and spring rolls,     10     (name) after dragon body parts to mark the day. Noodles are dragon’s beard, dumplings are dragon’s ears, and spring rolls are dragon’s scales.