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 Winter Solstice Festival (冬至) is one of the most important     1     (festival) celebrated by the Chinese on or around December 22. As early as 2,500 years ago, China determined the point of the Winter Solstice by     2     (observe) movements of the sun with a sundial (日晷).

The Winter Solstice became a festival during the Han Dynasty. The Han people     3     (regard) the Winter Solstice as a “Winter Festival”, so officials would organize activities. On this day, both officials and common people would have     4     rest. In the Tang and Song dynasties, the Winter Solstice was a day to offer sacrifices (供奉)     5     Heaven and ancestors. The Qing Dynasty even had the record that “the Winter Solstice is as formal as the Spring Festival,” showing the great     6     (important) attached to this day.

The Chinese often celebrate the Winter Solstice Festival together with     7     (they) families.     8     people eat generally depends on where they come from. In some parts of North China, people     9     (traditional) eat dumplings on this day, while in parts of South China, the whole family will get together to have a meal     10     (make) of red-bean and sticky rice to drive away bad things.

Beijing Opera,    1    (know) as China's national opera, also called Peking Opera, which originated in the late 18th century, is a combination of music, dance, art and acrobatics (杂技). It is the most influential and representative of all operas in China. It is called Beijing Opera because it is formed in Beijing. Beijing Opera has    2    history of 200 years and its origin can date back to old local operas, especially Anhui Opera,     3    was very popular in northern China in the 18th century. In 1790, the first Anhui Opera performance    4     (hold) in Beijing to celebrate the Emperor's birthday.

Later, some other Anhui Opera troupes (班子)     5     (continue) performing in Beijing. Anhui Opera was easy    6     (move) and good at absorbing the acting styles of other types of operas. Beijing accumulated many local operas,     7     (make) Anhui Opera improve quickly.

    8    the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, after the marriage for 10 years, Beijing Opera finally formed, and became the    9     (big) of all Operas in China. We can    10     (honest) say that Beijing Opera is the most important opera in China.

Brazil, the    1    (large)country in South America, is famous for the Amazon rainforest and soccer. But on the hottest days, people travel there for another reason – the Carnival. Full of excitement and fun, the Carnival is held    2    (annual) in February or March.

The word “Carnival” comes from the Portuguese “Carne Vale”,     3    means “farewell to meat”. In the early 1600s, the Portuguese    4    (bring)Europe traditions to Brazil.     5    (inspire) by black people brought there by the slave trade, they started    6    (they)own carnival with dances and music.

With its beautiful floats (花车),     7    (attract)clothes and happy people, the Samba Parade is the most fantastic event of the Carnival. Samba is said    8    (be)the soul of Rio. “This is    9    the passion for samba lies – the atmosphere is electric as even the oldest men and women sing and dance    10    the music,” travel guidebook Lonely Planet noted.

Felicity Miller, a 32-year-old British woman,    1     has a Chinese husband, still remembers the     2    (excite) when she first learned to use the “red packet” function on WeChat in 2015. She sent and grabbed some red packets in her Chinese family's group. The rule in her family was that the person who grabbed the     3    (high) amount sent the next.

Attracted by the unique way of communicating, many foreigners     4     (join) in sending and grabbing(迅速抓取) red packets so far. Usually, the money in each packet is random. Thus the amount of money one can grab     5       (large) depends on his or her luck, from 0.01 yuan to less than 200 yuan. Many foreigners get more familiar     6       Chinese culture through “red packets”. Two years ago, when Felicity Miller was sent 5. 20 or 8. 88 yuan red packets, she had no idea about the    7     (hide) meanings. Now, she has not only known about them, but also has sent a few.

However, the popularity of virtual red packets doesn't stop people sending paper red packets    8    (contain) real cash during the Spring Festival. It     9    (call) lucky money. In Chinese tradition, people take giving children lucky money as     10       blessing.

Chinese characters evolved (演变) from pictures and signs, and the art of calligraphy developed naturally from this special writing system of Chinese characters. By    1    (use) a brush to write Chinese characters, calligraphers can express their thoughts, feelings, and personalities in a point or a line,    2    Chinese   calligraphy is also called the art of lines. The Chinese saying “The handwriting reveals(透露) the writer” is     3    (direct) related to calligraphy. It means people are often judged by their handwriting.   The written characters show the calligrapher’s way    4    (understand) life.

Practicing calligraphy helps    5    person to achieve relaxation and inner peace. In the past, children    6     (train) at an early age to practice writing. Great attention is paid    7    calligraphy today with exhibitions and     8    (compete) among both the young and the old from many walks of life. To learn calligraphy, one will need a brush, ink, paper, and ink stone, which are commonly    9    (refer) to   as the Four   Treasures   of Study. Although calligraphy uses Chinese words as the vehicle of expression, one does not have to know Chinese to appreciate its beauty.   As Chinese culture spreads throughout the world nowadays, calligraphy is becoming       10    (popular) than ever before.

Simon Wakefield travelled round Yunnan after leaving university. While in Yunnan, he was astonished by how       1    (vary) the landscape is. Down in the south, it’s very tropical, but in the northwest, Lijiang, a half new and half old town is on the side of a mountain, its peak     2     (cover) with snow. Seen from above, the old town is a maze in     3     the tourists get lost.

He went to the village where the Naxi ethnic group live. He found that it is the women     4     run Naxi society. They have the custom of playing cards in the middle of the street. He also found the Naxi language is the only hieroglyphic language still     5     use and that Naxi culture is     6     (particular) famous for its music. Passed from father to son, the music hasn’t changed for centuries. He went to watch     7     performance in an old wooden hall, which     8     (play) by Naxi men, some of whom looked as if they were well over 100 years old.

At last he understood that it is the     9     (diverse) that makes Yunnan attractive. However different people may appear     10     (be) at first, we are all the same, all equal.

In China, the history of people planting and using bamboo can date back to as far as 7,000 years. The     1     (apply) of bamboo in science and technology is thrilling. In 251 BC, Li Bing, in Sichuan,     2     (lead) the local people in building the Dujiang Weirs, in which bamboo played an important role. During the Han Dynasty, the people in Sichuan     3     (success) sank a 1,600­metre­deep well with thick bamboo ropes. This technology did not spread to Europe until the 19th century, and it was by using the technology     4     the Americans drilled(钻) the first oil well in Pennsylvania in 1859.

Bamboo culture contributes to encouraging people to hold on when     5     (face) tough situations.