The complicated art of needle-pierced frameless lanterns,     1     was recognized as a national cultural heritage in China in 2006, is a traditional craft     2     (date) back to the Tang Dynasty in the Pot an Ancient Town, Xian ju County, Zhejiang Province.

This technique involves pasting (粘贴) and shaping layers of paper to create unique designs,     3     puncturing (刺破) the lantern surface to form patterns and allow light to shine through. Unlike traditional lantern styles that usually rely on bamboo or wooden frames, this method fashions patterns and designs     4     the need for any framing.

Every delicate pattern of these frameless lanterns is     5     (careful) crafted using a tiny embroidery (绣花) needle. Each square centimeter of paper     6     (demand) around 100 needle punctures. Depending on the lantern’s size,     7     number of punctures can vary from several hundred thousand to over 1 million.     8     (patient) is thus vital for craftsmen.

In the past, every household here would craft lanterns for traditional Chinese     9     (festival) like the Spring Festival, the Lantern Festival and the Mid-Autumn Festival. Lanterns     10     (love) as symbols of good fortune and prosperity.

The horse ranks seventh of all the animals in the Chinese zodiac (生肖). People born in the Year of the Horse are extremely lively, active and     1     (energy). Horses love to be in a crowd, and they can usually     2     (see) in such occasions as concerts, theaters, meetings, sporting occasions, and parties.     3     a sense of humor, horses are masters of talkers, and they are very comfortable     4     (get) along with, for they have the ability of instantly putting people at ease.

Sometimes, the horse is a little self-centered,     5     it doesn’t mean that he will not be interested in any problems except his own.     6    (basic), horse people are very healthy, most likely because they hold     7     positive attitude towards life.

Jobs     8     (involve) communicating with others attract horse people most. Horse people dislike taking orders. They love to take center stage and always delight     9    (audience)everywhere.

They are right there with you before you have had the chance to finish     10     you are saying. They are on to the thought in your mind even before you just have expressed it. All these guarantee their popularity and a large number of friends.

Hong Kong’s tiny Tai Hang district is usually one of the city’s     1     (quiet) places. But every year during the Mid-Autumn Festival, the neighborhood comes alive with the Tai Hang Fire Dragon Dance.

    2     (list) as China’s National Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2011, the Tai Hang Fire Dragon Dance began in 1880,     3     the neighborhood was attacked by a deadly disease on the eve of the Mid-Autumn Festival. According to the legend, a fortune teller suggested that the villagers perform a fire dragon dance for three days and three nights during the upcoming full moon. To their     4     (amaze), the disease disappeared     5     (short) after the dance. Since then, this tradition has been carried on every year during the Mid-Autumn Festival. The 67-metre fire dragon will wind through the streets of Tai Hang, like it did over a century ago with over 300     6     (performer) , 70,000 incense sticks (焚香), and lots of firecrackers.

Dragon dance leader Chan Tak-fai, who has been organizing the event for the past 20 years, first got involved     7     a child. “I grew up     8     (watch) all the elder makers—there were three on Sun Chun Street where I lived—create the fire dragon every year. I was able to learn and later teach young Tai Hangers,” says Tak-fai, now 70. “Back then, we always     9     (gather) in the street as there was no air-conditioning and it was cooler outside. That created     10     great sense of community.”

Wild lands across Africa are home to many rare, threatened, and endangered species. Having recognized their extraordinary value and     1     (preserve) their ecological wealth, the UNESCO classified some of these sites     2     World Heritage sites. Unfortunately, the ecological integrity of many significant landscapes is under the influence of human activity.

Let’s take the example of Ethionia’s Simien Mountains National Park. In 1996 when it entered the list of World Heritage In Danger,    3     increasing number of human settlements around the park over the years,    4     (couple) with unsustainable farming practies and overgrazing (过度放牧), had worsened the conditions of all-important wildlife habitats. Marked by the significant population decline of some species, the future of this park     5    (hang) in the balance.

However, in 2017, the park made history with its     6     (remove) from the list. a significant and remarkable achievement of the Government of Ethiopia. By then various efforts     7     (devote) to achieving this. In 2003, the Government reestablished the limits of the park, adding the Mekeserya and Limalimo Wildlife Reserves.    8     (effect) community-driven conservation strategies are instrumental in preventing further ecological loss. The authorities have developed a grazing strategy     9     aim is to greatly reduce the grazing pressure on the park. Plus, alternative livelihoods through tourism assisted communities     10     (great) in developing conservation-friendly economies in the landscape.

Thundering drums, yelling crowds and energetic, boatmen, such scenes of excitement     1    (be) not rare across China on Duanwu, or Dragon Boat Festival,     2     falls on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month each year.

Although tales of its origin differ, the two-thousand-year-old festival is widely celebrated     3     memory of Qu Yuan, a great poet during the Warring States Period (475—221 BC).

When Qu realized his country’s decline was beyond recovery, he became so unhappy that he killed     4    (he) on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month. Legend has it that the     5     (local) rowed boats to save the poet and threw zongzi, or sticky rice dumplings, into the river to keep fish from eating his body.     6     tradition was passed down in China and even traveled across borders.

A host of other practices are also associated with Duanwu. The fifth day of the fifth month is considered unlucky and     7     (poison). To drive away the bad luck, many people,     8     (especial) those in South China, take herbal baths and hang special plants over their doors. Some people even wear little bags     9     (stuff) with Chinese herbs, all with nice smells,     10     (scare) away the bad spirits.

The London Book Fair, one of the world’s     1     (large), kicked off on March, 12, 2024 with industry insiders calling for greater collaboration between Chinese and international publishers.     2     (speak) to Xinhua after the launch of the “China Perspective” Series, managing director for book publishing at Taylor & Francis Jeremy North said that people need books not only     3     (write) by Western scholars but also those coming directly from China.

“Our partnerships with our Chinese publishing partners are a wonderful example of how, whatever else is going on in the world, you can work together and do     4     (real) creative things,” North said. “There’s a large benefit because good publishing, good scholarship and good information help a lot of people.”

This year, around 50 Chinese publishers are showcasing more than 3,200     5     (type) of China-themed books at the event. These cover a wide range of areas including politics, culture, academic works, and trending topics such     6     low-carbon and artificial intelligence (AI). One third of these titles are foreign language editions.

Wang Xubin,     7     is president of Zhejiang Ancient Books Publishing House, told Xinhua that collaborations between publishers from different countries are crucial. During     8    event, the company launched a new book entitled “Masterpieces from Dunhuang in the British Museum’s Collection.” Wang said that international publishing cooperation not only facilitates academic research, but also     9     (improve) cultural exchanges between China and the rest of the world.

This year’s book fair     10     (expect) to attract over 30,000 publishing professionals and 1,000 companies from around the globe.

Yixing teapot,     1     is also called zisha hu in Chinese, is translated as “purple sand teapot”. Approximately five to six thousand years ago, pottery (制陶技艺) activity first emerged in the city of Yixing,     2     (locate) in the southern Jiangsu Province. At that time, Yixing city was one of the famous production     3     (region) of pottery in the east, but in the Tang Dynasty (618—907), potters started to teem with zisha ni or purple sand clay. By the early Ming Dynasty (1368—1644), the popularity of this specialized form of pottery had increased, and replaced other pottery,     4     (become) the preferred tea set.

Zisha hu is     5     unique Chinese art form that developed during the Song Dynasty (960—1279), but reached the height of its fame during the early Ming Dynasty. This very elegant, but simple style of pottery became     6     (increasing) popular as tea preparation     7     (it) moved towards simplicity. The process of preparing tea during the earlier Tang Dynasty     8     (involve) the grinding (碾碎) of leaves and the addition of incense. As this complex method began to fall out of favor, it     9     (replace) with the use of simple bill wonderful whole tea leaves and buds. The unglazed and uncolored purple sand teapot proved it could best capture the real color and fragrance of this new style of tea. In addition, its aesthetics reflected the cultural and     10     (philosophy) ideas of the times.

The Duan inkstone, one of the four most famous inkstones in China,     1     (originate) in the mountains by the Duanxi River in Guangdong Province. Since the Tang Dynasty, it has been the     2     (center) region for Duan inkstone production and even today, most of the villagers still earn their living by making inkstones.

Throughout hundreds of years, villagers have developed     3     scientific production system. The process involves stone selection, material screening, shape designing, carving, and wooden box matching, among     4     stone selection and carving are the two most important steps.

Purple     5     color, Duan inkstones are glossy and as smooth as silk. They enjoy a great reputation as they never crack even when     6     (place) in low temperatures. It is a long and laborious process to handpick flawless Duan stones. Miners dig in tunnels less than one meter high at the riverside, and using tools such as dynamite (炸药)     7     (forbid).

Carving involves good conception, and highlights the fine shape of the stones     8     carving skills. In addition to natural designs, flying dragons, flowers and birds, figures, mountains and waters are common     9     (image) carved on the stones. The matching boxes are also carefully chosen and are often made of purple sandalwood and rosewood. The Duan inkstone has various styles, and new-style products are designed one after another     10     (meet) increased export demands.